A New Orleans pilgrimage itinerary for Bl Francis Xavier Seelos
As the fourth-busiest port in the world until the Civil War, New Orleans welcomed more immigrants than any American city except New York. They formed neighborhoods that required new churches. They needed new priests, too: French still dominated New Orleans Catholicism, but growing German and Irish communities needed pastors who could understand their confessions. On one neighborhood corner upriver from the French Quarter, the Redemptorists built three adjacent parishes to serve them all: one French, one Irish, and one German.
In 1866, Fr Francis Xavier Seelos was sent to be the pastor of the German parish, St Mary’s Assumption.
Fr Seelos arrives in New Orleans
Fr Seelos had come the United States as a German immigrant himsef in 1843. He knew the German people—their food, the colors they preferred for their churches, and, most importantly, their language.
Fr Seelos quickly displayed a deep gift for pastoral care. He became known for his constant smile and cheerful spirit. At Mass on Sundays, he’d warmly invite the congregation to Confession: “Ah, you sinners, who have not the courage to confess your sins because they are so numerous or so grievous or so shameful. O, come without fear or trembling! I promise to receive you with all mildness.”
A pastor in a plague year
Fr Seelos began his ministry during one of New Orleans’ lowest points. The Civil War had left many in poverty, grief, or both. Then a raging yellow fever outbreak swept through the city. No one understood yet that yellow fever was transmitted by mosquitoes; they knew only the disease’s lethal fury that left a wake of grief and terror. Fr Seelos did not retreat from the terror. He went into fever-afflicted homes to bring the sacraments, comfort, and dignity. Then only one year after his arrival, he contracted yellow fever himself. Fr Seelos died in 1867 and was buried inside St Mary’s Assumption Church, the parish he had barely begun to shepherd.
After his death, accounts of healings and conversions through his intercession began pouring in. As pilgrims sought the cheerful priest more and more, the shrine expanded. His tomb moved to a dedicated shrine in the rear of the church and a museum of artifacts from his life opened on the property. A cause for his canonization opened. In 2000, Francis Xavier Seelos was beatified by Pope John Paul II.
A Francis Xavier Seelos pilgrimage itinerary
October 5 marks his feast. This pilgrimage itinerary offers a day in Fr Seelos’ footsteps. You’ll pray at his tomb, visit the church he served and his order’s first chapel in the city, tour the museum of his life, and, of course, eat and drink delicious things.
Begin with early weekday Mass in the Garden District.
Begin with 7:30 a.m. weekday Mass at St Mary's Chapel on Jackson Avenue, the original church the Redemptorists built when they first came to New Orleans in 1844. Tiny and charming, it holds only about 65 people, but offers an intimate place for prayer. P.S. On Tuesdays, you can join the novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help prayed before Mass. You'll be participating in a beloved Redemptorist devotion that Fr Seelos knew well.
Enjoy coffee and breakfast on Magazine Street.
After Mass, walk toward Magazine Street for coffee and breakfast at French Truck, Stein’s, District Donuts, Hivolt, or Le Petit Bleu (an adorable annex of Commander’s Palace). From any of these, it's a 15-minute or shorter stroll through the Lower Garden District and Irish Channel to the Seelos shrine.
Tour the Seelos Welcome Center and museum.
At the National Shrine of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos Welcome Center, you can watch a short film about his life, then tour the wonderful small museum. It tells his story with dozens of interesting artifacts from the era and Seelos’ personal possessions. There’s a great gift shop attached, so save some time to pick up beautiful medals, artwork, and other sacred gifts.
Pray at the tomb of Bl Francis Xavier Seelos.
Next door to the Welcome Center is St Mary’s Assumption, the parish where Fr Seelos served during his tenure in New Orleans. Tucked inside the rear of the church are his tomb, relics, and shrine. Pray at his tomb and leave intentions for yourself or others. Volunteers usually staff the shrine to offer prayer and veneration with a first-class relic contained in a cross owned by Seelos.
Venerate hundreds of other relics of the saints.
The shrine also houses a collection of hundreds of relics. The stunning array includes relics of the Apostles, martyrs, popes, and other saints.
Tour St Mary's Assumption.
The church of St Mary's Assumption features incredible German Baroque architecture, colorful statues, and the golden high altar. If your pilgrimage occurs during Mass, you'll also hear the roaring historic organ. The church also contains some salvaged architectural elements from the now-closed St Alphonsus parish originally built across the street for Irish Catholics (imagine the glory days of enough Catholics to fill three adjacent parishes!). Note the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the side chapel near the altar.
Have lunch at Hotel Saint Vincent.
Fr Seelos often visited and ministered to the children and nuns at the St Vincent de Paul orphanage on Magazine Street. There, the Daughters of Charity cared for many children who had lost their parents in the yellow fever epidemic that eventually claimed him. The building now houses a boutique hotel and San Lorenzo, an upscale Italian cafe. It’s not Fr Seelos’ native German cuisine, but you’ll enjoy your meal in a beautiful, historic place that he frequented.
Local tip: The city’s most beloved German eatery, Bratz Y’all, no longer has a permanent location, but you can find their mouth-watering brats at regular pop-ups.
Pray a walking rosary in the neighborhood.
After lunch, pray a walking rosary along the Irish Channel side streets. You’ll be on the same streets where Bl Seelos walked and prayed as he visited his parishioners in these same homes.
Toast the cheerful ascetic with a German brew.
Conclude your pilgrimage with a toast to Bl Seelos’ Bavarian roots. If your pilgrimage falls in October, drive over to Mid-City for a visit to Oktoberfest at Deutsches Haus, New Orleans’ German-culture institution. Closer to your pilgrimage route, Care Forgot Beercraft on St Charles Avenue locally brews German-style beer. You can also enjoy European brews at the Avenue Pub.
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