Chapter Eight: Blessed Francis Seelos

Question 1

relic

Answer 1

an object esteemed and venerated because of an association with a saint, martyr, or holy person

Question 2

first class relic

Answer 2

a body part of a saint, such as a bone, blood, or flesh

Question 3

second class relic

Answer 3

anything directly related to or used by a saint during his or her life

Question 4

metastasize

Answer 4

to spread or grow

Question 5

de riguer

Answer 5

required by etiquette or current fashion

Question 6

sacristan

Answer 6

a person in charge of the sacristy and ceremonial equipment

Question 7

belie

Answer 7

to give a false impression of

Question 8

prig

Answer 8

one who offends or irritates by observance of proprieties in a pointed manner or to an obnoxious degree

Question 9

invested

Answer 9

to furnish with power or authority; to grant someone control or authority over

Question 10

snuff

Answer 10

a preparation of pulverized tobacco to be inhaled through the nostrils

Question 11

perversity

Answer 11

turned away from what is right and good

Question 12

calamity

Answer 12

a disastrous event marked by great loss and lasting distress and suffering

Question 13

stopgap

Answer 13

something that serves as a temporary expedient; makeshift

Question 14

octave

Answer 14

an eight-day period of observances beginning with a feast day

Question 15

deferment

Answer 15

the act of delaying

Question 16

charism

Answer 16

an extraordinary power given a Christian by the Holy Spirit for the good of the Church

Question 17

Describe the anecdote of Laura being healed by a relic.

Answer 17

While visiting New Orleans, Laura stopped into a Church. She later learned it was a shrine to Francis Xavier Seelos. While there, she told the docent she suffered from arm pain. She was handed Seelos’s mission cross, which held a bone fragment of the holy man. She held the cross to her afflicted arm, and experienced miraculous healing.

Question 18

What historical event occurred in Augsburg in 1530?

Answer 18

the Augsburg Confession, the first official profession of Protestant faith

Question 19

What was Francis Xavier Seelos’ role at St.Philomena’s in Pittsburgh?

Answer 19

He served as novice master and pastor

Question 20

What was Francis Xavier’s experience with music in school?

Answer 20

He often played the wrong notes on violin and was asked to leave the choir

Question 21

Why did other priests complain about Francis Xavier Seelos’ leadership?

Answer 21

He was not an authoritarian; he was seen as too kind, compassionate, and lenient

Question 22

Who were the three primary candidates of the 1856 presidential election and what were the results

Answer 22

Millard Fillmore ran as the Know-Nothing candidate against John C. Fremont and James Buchanan. Buchanan won the election.

Question 23

Explain the phrase ‘he was a real shepherd who took on the smell of his sheep” in regards to Francis Xavier Seelos’ leadership style at Saint Peter and Paul Parish in Cumberland.

Answer 23

Seelos’ led by example, fully participating in the communal aspects of seminary life. For example, he refused heat in his room because the seminarians did not have heat.