Leo Heinrichs
Encyclopedia
Father Leo Heinrichs, O.F.M. (August 15, 1867, Oestrich, now a part of the city Erkelenz
, Germany - February 23, 1908, Denver, Colorado
) was a German-born Roman Catholic priest of the Franciscan Order. While assigned at St. Elisabeth of Hungary
Church in Denver, Colorado, Heinrichs Father Leo was shot dead while distributing communion by a Sicilian
anarchist
.
, Northrhine-Westphalia, Germany. After fleeing Germany's Kulturkampf
, the Franciscans settled at St. Bonaventure's Friary in Paterson, New Jersey
, where, on December 4, 1886, Heinrichs received the Franciscan habit and the name Brother Leo. He took his final vows on December 8, 1890, and became an ordained priest on July 26, 1891.
Between 1891 and 1907, Father Leo served in various positions in the New York and New Jersey area including pastor at Holy Angels parish in Singac (Little Falls
), New Jersey, at St. Stephen's in Croghan, New York, and at St. Bonaventure's. During a smallpox epidemic while he was pastor at Paterson, Father Leo was known to spend many hours at a nearby “pest house” ministering to the sick and the dying. In September 1907, the Provincial Chapter appointed him pastor of St. Elizabeth's parish in Denver, Colorado
.
Father Leo arrived at St. Elizabeth's on September 23, 1907. His term as pastor lasted exactly five months. Father Leo received permission to return to Germany to visit his family after an absence of over twenty one years; but he postponed his journey until after June 7, 1908, when he planned to give First Communion to a class of seventy children. A week before his death, he spoke at the Young Ladies' Sodality
meeting. He remarked, “If I had my choice of a place where I would die, I would choose to die at the feet of the Blessed Virgin.”
. Alia arrived before Mass and seated himself in the third row, in front of the pulpit. It was a 6 a.m. “Workingmen's Mass”, and there was only a short sermon so the men would not be late for work.
During Communion, Alia knelt at the Communion Rail and received the Host. Then, however, he spat it into his hand and flung it at Father Leo's face. The Host dropped to the floor as Alia drew his revolver and aimed it at Father Leo's heart. As an altar boy screamed a warning, the Sicilian opened fire. The mortally wounded priest exclaimed, "My God, my God!", before falling to the floor. Before dying, he placed the ciborium on the step of Our Lady’s altar, and managed to place two fallen Hosts back into the ciborium
before strength left him. In a last gesture, Father Leo pointed to the spilled Hosts that he was now too weak to pick up. Rose Fisher, an eyewitness, reported that Father Leo died smiling, at the foot of the Blessed Virgin's altar. Father Wulstan Workman, who had switched with Father Leo for the later Mass, administered the Last Rites. Father Wulstan told the Denver Post, "I would have been killed and he would be alive now. There is one way to solve the affair that I can see, and that is that God chose the better man."
Father Leo's body was transported to New Jersey for burial in a Franciscan plot. Saint Elizabeth of Hungary parish continues to serve the Roman Catholic church while also ministering to Denver's Russian Catholic community.
At the police station, Alia boasted of his anarchist beliefs, saying,
Alia was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death by hanging
within weeks of the shooting. Shortly before the execution, a Franciscan priest from St. Elizabeth’s visited Alia in prison. Infuriated, Alia cursed and swore at him. Alia never expressed any remorse, and, despite the pleas of the friars at St. Elizabeth’s, he was hanged at the Colorado State Penitentiary in Cañon City
. His last words were reportedly "Death to the priests!"
, perhaps to help him master his quick temper. None of his confrères had any idea of his self-inflicted penances. When the friars entered Father Leo’s room after his death, they found that he slept on a wooden door."
, a street is named for Fr. Heinrichs, who was born there. His process of beatification was opened in Rome since 1938. He is entombed in Totowa, New Jersey
's Holy Sepulchre Roman Catholic Cemetery.
Erkelenz
- Geology :The Erkelenz Börde is the northernmost extent of the Jülich Börde and is formed from a loess plateau that has an average thickness of over eleven metres in this area. Beneath it are the gravels and sands of the main ice age terrace, laid down by the Rhine and the Meuse...
, Germany - February 23, 1908, Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
) was a German-born Roman Catholic priest of the Franciscan Order. While assigned at St. Elisabeth of Hungary
Elisabeth of Hungary
Elizabeth of Hungary, T.O.S.F., was a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary, Countess of Thuringia, Germany and a greatly-venerated Catholic saint. Elizabeth was married at the age of 14, and widowed at 20. She then became one of the first members of the newly-founded Third Order of St. Francis,...
Church in Denver, Colorado, Heinrichs Father Leo was shot dead while distributing communion by a Sicilian
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
anarchist
Anarchy
Anarchy , has more than one colloquial definition. In the United States, the term "anarchy" typically is meant to refer to a society which lacks publicly recognized government or violently enforced political authority...
.
Biography
Joseph Heinrichs was born on August 15, 1867, in Oestrich, now a part of ErkelenzErkelenz
- Geology :The Erkelenz Börde is the northernmost extent of the Jülich Börde and is formed from a loess plateau that has an average thickness of over eleven metres in this area. Beneath it are the gravels and sands of the main ice age terrace, laid down by the Rhine and the Meuse...
, Northrhine-Westphalia, Germany. After fleeing Germany's 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...
, the Franciscans settled at St. Bonaventure's Friary in Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson is a city serving as the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 146,199, rendering it New Jersey's third largest city and one of the largest cities in the New York City Metropolitan Area, despite a decrease of 3,023...
, where, on December 4, 1886, Heinrichs received the Franciscan habit and the name Brother Leo. He took his final vows on December 8, 1890, and became an ordained priest on July 26, 1891.
Between 1891 and 1907, Father Leo served in various positions in the New York and New Jersey area including pastor at Holy Angels parish in Singac (Little Falls
Little Falls, New Jersey
Little Falls is a township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 10,855. It is located about from New York City....
), New Jersey, at St. Stephen's in Croghan, New York, and at St. Bonaventure's. During a smallpox epidemic while he was pastor at Paterson, Father Leo was known to spend many hours at a nearby “pest house” ministering to the sick and the dying. In September 1907, the Provincial Chapter appointed him pastor of St. Elizabeth's parish in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
.
Father Leo arrived at St. Elizabeth's on September 23, 1907. His term as pastor lasted exactly five months. Father Leo received permission to return to Germany to visit his family after an absence of over twenty one years; but he postponed his journey until after June 7, 1908, when he planned to give First Communion to a class of seventy children. A week before his death, he spoke at the Young Ladies' Sodality
Sodality
In Christian theology, a sodality is a form of the "Universal Church" expressed in specialized, task-oriented form as opposed to the Christian church in its local, diocesan form . In English, the term sodality is most commonly used by groups in the Catholic Church, where they are also referred to...
meeting. He remarked, “If I had my choice of a place where I would die, I would choose to die at the feet of the Blessed Virgin.”
Death
Father Leo normally celebrated the 8am Sunday Mass, but he requested to switch to the 6 a.m. Mass, normally celebrated by Father Wulstan Workman. Father Leo had intended to attend a meeting later that morning. Among those attending the Mass was fifty year old Giuseppe Alia, who had recently immigrated from the Kingdom of ItalyKingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
. Alia arrived before Mass and seated himself in the third row, in front of the pulpit. It was a 6 a.m. “Workingmen's Mass”, and there was only a short sermon so the men would not be late for work.
During Communion, Alia knelt at the Communion Rail and received the Host. Then, however, he spat it into his hand and flung it at Father Leo's face. The Host dropped to the floor as Alia drew his revolver and aimed it at Father Leo's heart. As an altar boy screamed a warning, the Sicilian opened fire. The mortally wounded priest exclaimed, "My God, my God!", before falling to the floor. Before dying, he placed the ciborium on the step of Our Lady’s altar, and managed to place two fallen Hosts back into the ciborium
Ciborium
thumb|250px|[[Silver-gilt]] ciboriumA ciborium is a vessel, normally in metal...
before strength left him. In a last gesture, Father Leo pointed to the spilled Hosts that he was now too weak to pick up. Rose Fisher, an eyewitness, reported that Father Leo died smiling, at the foot of the Blessed Virgin's altar. Father Wulstan Workman, who had switched with Father Leo for the later Mass, administered the Last Rites. Father Wulstan told the Denver Post, "I would have been killed and he would be alive now. There is one way to solve the affair that I can see, and that is that God chose the better man."
Father Leo's body was transported to New Jersey for burial in a Franciscan plot. Saint Elizabeth of Hungary parish continues to serve the Roman Catholic church while also ministering to Denver's Russian Catholic community.
Aftermath
Guiseppe Alia attempted to flee the Church, but a parishioner, E.J. Quigley, a conductor for the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, tripped him. Daniel Cronin, an off-duty Denver police officer, then placed the Sicilian under arrest and delivered him to the city jail.At the police station, Alia boasted of his anarchist beliefs, saying,
"I went over there because I have a grudge against all priests in general. They are all against the workingman. I went to the communion rail because I could get a better shot. I did not care whether he was a German priest or any other kind of priest. They are all in the same class... I shot him, and my only regret is that I could not shoot the whole bunch of priests in the church."
Alia was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death by hanging
Death by hanging
Death by hanging may refer to:* Hanging* Death by Hanging, a 1968 film by Nagisa Oshima...
within weeks of the shooting. Shortly before the execution, a Franciscan priest from St. Elizabeth’s visited Alia in prison. Infuriated, Alia cursed and swore at him. Alia never expressed any remorse, and, despite the pleas of the friars at St. Elizabeth’s, he was hanged at the Colorado State Penitentiary in Cañon City
Cañon City, Colorado
The City of Cañon City is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Fremont County, State of Colorado. The United States Census Bureau estimated that the city population was 16,000 in 2005. Cañon City is noted for being the location of nine state and four ...
. His last words were reportedly "Death to the priests!"
Mortification
"The coroner found that Father Leo's upper arms and waist were wrapped in leather straps. Each strap was studded with rows of pointed iron hooks, which pierced the skin. Around the priest's waist the skin was calloused and scarred, but showed no sign of infection. Father Leo secretly practiced this extreme form of mortificationMortification
Mortification can refer to:*Mortification , theological doctrine*Mortification of the flesh, religious practice of corporal mortification...
, perhaps to help him master his quick temper. None of his confrères had any idea of his self-inflicted penances. When the friars entered Father Leo’s room after his death, they found that he slept on a wooden door."
Posthumous fame
In the German city of ErkelenzErkelenz
- Geology :The Erkelenz Börde is the northernmost extent of the Jülich Börde and is formed from a loess plateau that has an average thickness of over eleven metres in this area. Beneath it are the gravels and sands of the main ice age terrace, laid down by the Rhine and the Meuse...
, a street is named for Fr. Heinrichs, who was born there. His process of beatification was opened in Rome since 1938. He is entombed in Totowa, New Jersey
Totowa, New Jersey
Totowa is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the borough population was 9,892.Totowa was formed as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 15, 1898, from portions of the now-defunct Manchester Township and Wayne...
's Holy Sepulchre Roman Catholic Cemetery.
External links
- Commemorative page of Fr. Leo Heinrichs (with photos of him, his tomb and the church where he was shot)
- "PRIEST SHOT DEAD AT COMMUNION RAIL; Anarchist Glories in Crime", New York Times, February 24, 1908
- "Trial of Priest's Slayer: Alia, who shot Father Leo of Denver, will be in court today. New York Times, March 9, 1908.
- "Father Leo's slayer guilty", New York Times, March 13, 1908
- "ALIA SLASHES GUARD, ATTEMPTS ESCAPE", New York Times, March 15, 1908.
- "ALIA FELLS HIS GUARD.; Slayer of Father Leo Makes His Second Attempt at Escape." New York Times, June 14, 1908.