CURRICULUM VITAE OF MGR. LOUIS VEZELIS O.F.M.
1930, January 29.: Born in Rochester, New York, the third child of four born to Alexander Vezelis and Mary Zemaitis. Baptized at his parish church, Lithuanian ethnic parish of St. George. Attended parochial school at St. George's and graduated with honors excelling in the Lithuanian language.
He attended the local Catholic High School for one year. He entered the Holy Ghost Missionary College of the Holy Ghost Fathers and spent two years there until he was called home for economic reasons to help at home. He worked for a year until the urgings of a Religious and priestly vocation could no longer be restrained.
1948: He went to the Franciscan Monastery in Kennebunkport, Maine. He completed his secondary education at St. Francis College, Biddeford, Maine, with honors.
1949: He was sent to the Novitiate of the Sacred Heart Province in Teutopolis, Illinois, where the grace of God was not without fruit under the careful direction of Fr. Alban Schwartz O.F.M., the Novice Master.
1950: He made his Simple Profession in the Franciscan Order and left to begin his philosophical studies in the Province of the Immaculate Conception, Catskill, New York. He completed the tree-year Course of philosophy in two years.
1952: At his own request and urging, he was permitted to take his theological studies in the Province of St. Joseph, Montreal / Canada, where he was able to live according to the strictest abservance of the Franciscan Rule.
1956, June 16.: He was ordained in the chapel of the Franciscan Monastery in Montreal by H.E. Paul-Emile Cardinal Leger, Archbishop of Montreal. After ordination, he left for the United States to work in his original Custody of St. Casimir.
1956-1957: He was appointed preacher of parish missions by his Major Superior an Vocation Director for all of Canada. He was contacted by the Provincial of the Canadian Province of the Order with the proposal of aiding in the establishment of the Franciscan Order in Korea. Vocations to the Religious life were many but there was no one to accept and train them. He was especially recommended for this work to the Minister General of the Franciscan Order.
That same year, 1957, he received an obedience directly from Rome, circumventing his own Major Superior, directing him to go to the Korean mission under the jurisdiction of the French-Canadian Province.
1957, November 13.: He arrived in Kimpo, Korea. During eigtheen years he worked at various apostolates including service with the U.S. Army as chaplain. He organized the first Boy Scout Troop in the Province; initiated cultural programs for the young such as music appreciation circles; directed Legion of Mary programs.
1963: To his other duties was added his appointmnet as Rector of St. Anthony Minor Seminary which he was to organize, build and operate. He was not permitted to brinig this project to completion because his obvious conservative-traditionalist tendencies irked the Modernist-inclined majority.
He was appointed pastor of the monastery church. He immediately went to work with his plans for a parish-oriented community by establishing a kindergarden, clearing land for a medical dispensary to provide medical care for the poor and needy, established a model farm program, and was planning a home for the aged. To staff these various facilities of corporal works of mercy, he had inaugurated the beginnings of a Religious community of Sisters, the Daughters of Humility.
1967: He resigned his pastorate because of inevitable confrontation with his Modernist community and retired to a small village of Yousong where he began building up a mission with his own hands.
1972: He was elected Definitor of the Korean Province and confirmed in this office by the Visitor General. His election was embarassing to the Modernist and Superior, tried to force him to decline acceptance of this important position. He was told that his election to this high post was "by mistake"! Nevertheless, he insisted on accepting this position as the will of God. This act provoked his Superior into declaring that he was a "persona non grata".
1975: He was ousted from his mission through intrigue because he refused to implement liturgical changes. He was publicly accused of "disobedience to the bishop". He left his mission broken in body from fatigue and broken hearted.
He returned to the United States with the charge of serving the Korean Missions as Procurator. During this time he tried to organize à national catechetical program for Korean Catholic immigrants and converts. His efforts to maintain orthodoxy were met with vicious attacks of the kind familiar to all loyal Roman Catholics.
1976: He fully realized that no cooperation with existing authorities was possible and set out to found a Franciscan house of strict observance and traditional orthodoxy in matters of doctrine and liturgics. Since that time he has been studying the traditionalist movement in all its ramifications.
1979, October 4.: Together with a statue of St. Francis of Assisi and a Korean lay missionary, Mr. Francis No, he moved into the first Friary of the strict observance. Since that time, he has founded two other missions, a monthly magazine THE SERAPH. The Franciscan Friars of the Strict Observance now have a novitiate, minor and major seminaries.
1982, July 6.: He accepted Bishop George Musey's request to train candidates to the diocesan clergy.
DEO GRATIAS |
