John Willms
Encyclopedia
John S. Willms, C.S.Sp. (c. 1850 – January 3, 1914) was a German Roman Catholic priest
in the Congregation of the Holy Ghost
. He worked in a missionary capacity among the Catholic population in the United States, serving as the second rector of the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
(known today as Duquesne University
), and as the director of the Holy Childhood Association
in America.
, a town near Cologne
, Germany
. Three of his brothers joined the Congregation of the Holy Ghost: Marie Antoine and Damase were both professed brothers
in the order, and another died as a seminarian. Willms made preparatory studies for the priesthood in Marienstatt (Hachenburg
), though because of the Kulturkampf
and the subsequent expulsion of the Holy Ghost Fathers from Germany, he finished those studies in France.
, Arkansas
and Sharpsburg
, Pennsylvania, a community near Pittsburgh.
Willms succeeded Father William Patrick Power as the second rector of the Pittsburgh Catholic College in 1885. Willms led the fledgling college for a single year, before being transferred to a parish in Pittsburgh's suburb of Millvale
.
Subsequently, Willms was one of two delegates from the American Province of the Holy Ghost Fathers to attend their General Chapter meeting in 1896; in 1897 he was appointed to the office of National Director of the Association of the Holy Childhood
, a Catholic children's association for the benefit of foreign missions.
Willms narrowly avoided an untimely death in 1898. He had planned to take the steamer La Bourgogne
to Paris
to attend a meeting of the Holy Childhood Association, but when he arrived at the dock it was discovered that his second-class seat had been erroneously given to another passenger. Willms was offered a first-class cabin, but he considered that level of luxury incompatible with his vow of poverty
, and he decided to wait for another ship. It was to be the La Bourgognes last voyage; the vessel collided with the British ship Cromartyshire, with near complete loss of life. Since Willm's name had still been on the ship's passenger list, his fellow priests assumed he had perished in the disaster. They had already offered masses
for the repose of his soul
before he was able to make it known that he was, in fact, alive.
Willms died at Mercy Hospital
in Pittsburgh on January 3, 1914, at the age of 63.
As director of the Holy Childhood Association, Willms resided in the rectory of St. Stanislaus Church. A Polish prelate was visiting from Rome one Sunday, and had decided to give a sermon. A locomotive, however, arrived on the tracks outside the church and began to shift its cars back and forward, completely drowning out the speaker's words. Willms left the church immediately and stood on the tracks, refusing to let the engineer pass with the noisy train until the sermon was finished.
The other story relates how Willms suffered from a diabetic disease
in his later years. When his toe became gangrenous
, his doctor reportedly told him, "Your Reverence, your big toe has to be amputated in order to save your life." Willm's answer was spontaneous: "Father Willms will die with his toe!"
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
in the Congregation of the Holy Ghost
Holy Ghost Fathers
The Congregation of the Holy Spirit is a Roman Catholic congregation of priests, lay brothers, and since Vatican II, lay associates...
. He worked in a missionary capacity among the Catholic population in the United States, serving as the second rector of the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
(known today as Duquesne University
Duquesne University
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened its doors as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October 1878 with an enrollment of...
), and as the director of the Holy Childhood Association
Association of the Holy Childhood
The Pontifical Association of the Holy Childhood is a Catholic children's association for the benefit of foreign missions.-Foundation:In 1843 Charles de Forbin-Janson, Bishop of Nancy, France, established the Association of the Holy Childhood...
in America.
Early life
John Willms was born to a large family in NideggenNideggen
Nideggen is a town in the district of Düren in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the river Rur, in the Eifel hills, approx. 15 km south of Düren....
, a town near Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Three of his brothers joined the Congregation of the Holy Ghost: Marie Antoine and Damase were both professed brothers
Brother (Catholic)
A religious brother is a member of a Roman Catholic religious order who commits himself to following Christ in consecrated life of the church by the vows of poverty, celibacy, and obedience. A layman , he usually lives in a religious community and works in a ministry that suits his talents and gifts...
in the order, and another died as a seminarian. Willms made preparatory studies for the priesthood in Marienstatt (Hachenburg
Hachenburg
-Geography:The town lies in the Westerwald between Koblenz and Siegen, roughly 10 km west of Bad Marienberg on the river Nister. Hachenburg is the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Hachenburg, a kind of collective municipality .-The castle and the town:The castle , former seat of...
), though because of the Kulturkampf
Kulturkampf
The German term refers to German policies in relation to secularity and the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, enacted from 1871 to 1878 by the Prime Minister of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck. The Kulturkampf did not extend to the other German states such as Bavaria...
and the subsequent expulsion of the Holy Ghost Fathers from Germany, he finished those studies in France.
Missionary service in America
In 1876 or 1877, after his ordination, he was sent to the United States, where he performed various pastoral duties in MorriltonMorrilton, Arkansas
Morrilton is a city in Conway County, Arkansas, United States, northwest of Little Rock. The town was home to Harding College, now Harding University of Searcy, Arkansas, for about a decade in the 1920s and 1930s. The population was 6,550 at the 2000 census...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
and Sharpsburg
Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania
Sharpsburg is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, northeast of Pittsburgh, along the Allegheny River. In the past, it had a rolling mill, foundries, machine shops, and manufacturers of varnish, brick, glass, lumber products, wire, hair, felt, and lubricating oil. In 1900, 6,842 people...
, Pennsylvania, a community near Pittsburgh.
Willms succeeded Father William Patrick Power as the second rector of the Pittsburgh Catholic College in 1885. Willms led the fledgling college for a single year, before being transferred to a parish in Pittsburgh's suburb of Millvale
Millvale, Pennsylvania
Millvale is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, along the Allegheny River, opposite Pittsburgh. In the past, it had iron manufactures, saw works, stone works, lumber mills, breweries, etc. In 1900, the number of people residing here totaled 6,736; in 1910, 7,861; and in 1940, 7,811...
.
Subsequently, Willms was one of two delegates from the American Province of the Holy Ghost Fathers to attend their General Chapter meeting in 1896; in 1897 he was appointed to the office of National Director of the Association of the Holy Childhood
Association of the Holy Childhood
The Pontifical Association of the Holy Childhood is a Catholic children's association for the benefit of foreign missions.-Foundation:In 1843 Charles de Forbin-Janson, Bishop of Nancy, France, established the Association of the Holy Childhood...
, a Catholic children's association for the benefit of foreign missions.
Willms narrowly avoided an untimely death in 1898. He had planned to take the steamer La Bourgogne
SS La Bourgogne
SS La Bourgogne was built in 1885 by Forges & Chantiers de la Mediteranee, La Seyne for the Compagnie Generale Transatlantique . She was a 7,395 gross ton vessel, length 494.4ft x beam 52.2ft, two funnels, four masts, iron and steel construction, single screw and a speed of 17 knots. There was...
to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to attend a meeting of the Holy Childhood Association, but when he arrived at the dock it was discovered that his second-class seat had been erroneously given to another passenger. Willms was offered a first-class cabin, but he considered that level of luxury incompatible with his vow of poverty
Evangelical counsels
The three evangelical counsels or counsels of perfection in Christianity are chastity, poverty , and obedience . As Jesus of Nazareth stated in the Canonical gospels , they are counsels for those who desire to become "perfect"...
, and he decided to wait for another ship. It was to be the La Bourgognes last voyage; the vessel collided with the British ship Cromartyshire, with near complete loss of life. Since Willm's name had still been on the ship's passenger list, his fellow priests assumed he had perished in the disaster. They had already offered masses
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
for the repose of his soul
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
before he was able to make it known that he was, in fact, alive.
Willms died at Mercy Hospital
UPMC Mercy
UPMC Mercy is a main hospital facility of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and is located in the Uptown section of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, adjacent to downtown Pittsburgh and a few blocks from the Mellon Arena...
in Pittsburgh on January 3, 1914, at the age of 63.
Personality
Two anecdotes illustrating Willms's personality were remembered in the February 1941 edition of the American Province of the Congregation of the Holy Ghost's monthly bulletin:As director of the Holy Childhood Association, Willms resided in the rectory of St. Stanislaus Church. A Polish prelate was visiting from Rome one Sunday, and had decided to give a sermon. A locomotive, however, arrived on the tracks outside the church and began to shift its cars back and forward, completely drowning out the speaker's words. Willms left the church immediately and stood on the tracks, refusing to let the engineer pass with the noisy train until the sermon was finished.
The other story relates how Willms suffered from a diabetic disease
Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced...
in his later years. When his toe became gangrenous
Gangrene
Gangrene is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition that arises when a considerable mass of body tissue dies . This may occur after an injury or infection, or in people suffering from any chronic health problem affecting blood circulation. The primary cause of gangrene is reduced blood...
, his doctor reportedly told him, "Your Reverence, your big toe has to be amputated in order to save your life." Willm's answer was spontaneous: "Father Willms will die with his toe!"