When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans this summer, it was not the first time the Crescent City had been hit hard, and directly, by horrendous weather.

Hurricane Camille hit in 1969. Four years earlier, Hurricane Betsy had pummeled the city.

And, on a fall night in October of 1867, hundreds of faithful braved violent winds and torrential rains to make their way to St. Mary's Assumption Church to pay their respects to their beloved priest, Father Francis Xavier Seelos.

St. Mary's Church was the first German Catholic Church erected in Louisiana. The cornerstone of this Redemptorist parish was laid in January of 1844. The small wooden framed foundation on the corner of Josephine and Constance Streets did not last long, however, as the influx of European immigrants kept flowing.

In 1858, members of the community decided they needed a bigger church. Work began on a new St. Mary's. The parishioners labored side by side and brick by brick with the Redemptorist priests to build a magnificent house for God. During the construction, it was not uncommon to see women carrying bricks in their aprons along the muddy roads of the neighborhood.

On June 24, 1860, the church that is today's St. Mary's was blessed and dedicated.

New Orleans was, in fact, Father Seelos’ final assignment. He left his home in Germany at age 24 and joined the American Redemptorists. He had served in Pittsburgh, Annapolis and Baltimore before arriving at St. Mary's Assumption in September of 1866. Wherever he was stationed, people were naturally drawn to his cheerful and gentle demeanor. His legacy as confessor, friend of the poor and lively preacher followed him to New Orleans. Long lines formed outside his confessional. His fellow priests were astounded by his work ethic, which seemed to have only one speed: non-stop.

In the 1850s and ’60s, roughly 11,000 people died from yellow fever in New Orleans. The deadly disease, which causes uncontrollable fevers and delusions, struck in the fall of 1867. Knocking incessantly on the door of the rectory, the sick overwhelmed the Redemptorist community. Father Seelos was right there, administrating the sacraments, day and night.

Before long, he himself contracted the disease and died.

Although he never lived to see his 50th birthday, extensive biographies were written in newspapers in the cities Seelos had served. The Times Picayune newspaper of New Orleans wrote:

“No one could look upon him, especially when at the altar or in the pulpit, without feeling there was immeasurably more of heaven than of earth about this devoted servant of Christ. … Many who sought his spiritual guidance knew that his only human weakness was his overflowing sympathy and charity for poor, erring humanity.”

A Shrine Spared

The diocese buried Father Seelos below the Mater Dolorosa statue inside St. Mary's. By the time his official cause for canonization opened in 1900, his legacy of holiness was already well known.

The stream of pilgrims and visitors to the shrine has increased markedly over the last five years, for Pope John Paul II beatified Father Seelos in April of the Jubilee year 2000.

In 2004, more than 26,000 people visited the National Shrine of Blessed Francis Seelos, housed inside the church of St. Mary's Assumption. The blessed's remains are kept in a beautiful reliquary in a room off to the side of the main altar. Carved images on all four sides of the case depict the story of the holy priest's life.

A small museum housing many of Blessed Seelos's relics is connected to the back of the church. Here are kept personal items such as his rosary, which he wore strapped to the side of his cassock, as well an old wooden box in which he kept many of his personal letters.

Amazingly, the Seelos Shrine suffered little damage from Hurricane Katrina's onslaught. According to Father Byron Miller, executive director of the Blessed Seelos Shrine, there was no water damage in the vicinity of shrine. The intense winds slightly damaged the roof of the church near the bell tower, and a window was broken on the stairwell to the choir loft. Yet, Father Miller notes, the broken window was not one of the original 1860 stained-glass antiques from Munich, but rather one of plain glass.

“I believe the shrine was spared,” Father Miller told the Register, “so that we can resume our ministry in a timely manner for the many people who are in need of prayer, hope and healing.”

The shrine and the Seelos Center reopened their doors to the public on Oct. 3; regular Sunday Masses in the church resumed less than two weeks later.

“We invite everyone to visit us once again,” says Father Miller. “Let us join our prayers with theirs.”

Storm Survivor

On a stormy night in October of 1867, the bells of St. Mary's Assumption tolled for one of its own. The church was packed with people filing by the corpse of Father Seelos.

Due to the ferocity of the wind and rain that rattled the church windows, many of the faithful chose to stay all night, riding out the storm alongside the remains of their beloved priest. They knew that they were in good hands that night, and so was he: He had been there for them, and now they were there for him.

As New Orleans residents return home this fall, they return to homes and lives washed away. The devastation and chaos caused by Hurricane Katrina — not to mention her “little sister,” Rita — has uprooted this very Catholic city.

If there was ever a time that New Orleans was in need of prayers it is now — when the need is so great yet the nation's attention has moved on to other matters.

May the intercession of Blessed Seelos bring consolation and comfort to those once again in need of his gentle touch.

Eddie O’Neill is based in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Planning Your Visit

St. Mary's Assumption, along with the Blessed Seelos Shrine and the museum, can accommodate tour groups by appointment. Weekend Masses are celebrated in English at 4 p.m. on Saturday, 8:30 and 11 a.m. Sunday and in Spanish at 10 a.m. Sunday.

Getting There

The church, shrine and museum are located at 2030 Constance St. in the garden district of New Orleans. For more information, call the Seelos Center at (504) 525-2495 or visit seelos.org on the Internet.