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| Venerable Father Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP |
SINSINAWA — Venerable Father Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP, the Dominican missionary who ministered with the people of the Midwest in the 1800s, will be remembered on the 150th anniversary of his death this year.
A Mass and other activities will be held at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Benton, on Sunday, Feb. 23.
Public invited
The Father Samuel Mazzuchelli Assembly Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus, St. Patrick Parish, and the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters invite the public to attend the commemoration.
The house in which Father Mazzuchelli lived, ministered from, and died will be open for tours from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m., and people may visit his gravesite throughout the day.
Mass will be offered at 1:30 p.m., followed by a reception where historical artifacts will be displayed and refreshments will be served.
For more information about the commemoration, contact Sr. Mary Fox, OP, at 608-759-2131.
Life of Father Mazzuchelli
Samuel Mazzuchelli born in Milan, Italy, November 4, 1806, descended from a family of merchants and bankers. At age 17, he entered the Dominican Order of Preachers against his father’s wishes and at a time when the order was struggling.
This remarkable Italian-American, at the age of 22, came to the American frontier in 1828. After his priestly ordination, he was assigned by Cincinnati Bishop Edward Fenwick to be a missionary priest of the whole of the Northwest Territory.
Father Mazzuchelli traveled this vast area on horseback, in native canoes, and on foot to serve the people scattered on the vast Northwest frontier, from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi and beyond.
Father Mazzuchelli began his ministry in the 1830s with Native Peoples of the upper Midwest, providing education and attempting to right the injustices they faced.
Later he traveled farther west to serve the new immigrants while founding parish communities, building schools and churches, serving in civic as well as religious affairs, and establishing the congregation of Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, who continue his mission of Gospel service.
Father Mazzuchelli was known throughout the United States. Upon his death on February 23, 1864, these words began the heartfelt obituary by Judge Charles Corkery which was published in the San Francisco Monitor and New York’s Metropolitan Record, “Another efficient servant of God is gone to receive the reward of eternal life . . . He was a good man.”
Another obituary published in Dubuque, Iowa, and the Cincinnati Catholic Telegraph spoke for many, “Whoever knew him but loved him.”
In 1993, Pope John Paul II declared Father Mazzuchelli Venerable, meaning he exemplified heroic virtues during his lifetime and was a servant of God, thus beginning the process of someday possibly recognizing Father Mazzuchelli as a saint in the Catholic Church.
Other events planned
Father Mazzuchelli’s life and ministry will be commemorated by several other events in 2014.
One of them will be a presentation of Pioneer Priest by the Sinsinawa Singing Seniors on Sunday, March 2, at 3 p.m. at Sinsinawa Mound. The show is a musical narrative about the life of Father Mazzuchelli.
Sr. Anita Smisek, OP, will direct the show, written by Sr. Cecil Steffen, OP (1919-2009). Richard Cruse of Dubuque, Iowa, will portray Father Mazzuchelli.
Tickets are $5 per person. For information, contact Sister Anita at 608-748-4411, ext. 124, or visit www.sinsinawa.org
To learn more about this remarkable priest, visit the Sinsinawa Dominican website at www.sinsinawa.org/Mazzuchelli or visit the motherhouse of the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters at the Sinsinawa Mound to tour the historical exhibit, “Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP, Tracing a Journey.”
Sinsinawa Mound is located in southwest Wisconsin on Cty. Rd. Z, off Hwy. 11, about five miles northeast of Dubuque.