Document Type
Finding Aid
Collection Date
1950-1986
Finding Aid Date
9-29-2015
Identifier
MS Weiser FX
Description
All physical materials associated with the New England Province Archive are currently held by the Jesuit Archives in St. Louis, MO. Any inquiries about these materials should be directed to Jesuit Archives. Electronic versions of some items and the descriptions and finding aids to the Archives, which are hosted in CrossWorks, are provided only as a courtesy.
Francis X. Weiser was born on March 21, 1901 in Vienna,Austria. He was the son of Francis S. Weiser and Maria (nee Schipp) Weiser. He entered into the Society of Jesus, Province of Austria, on September 7, 1916, completed his studies earning doctorates in theology, philosophy and psychology from the University of Innsbruck. He was ordained a priest on July 26, 1930 at the Holy Trinity Church in Innsbruck, Austria. His tertianship, 1931-1932, was at St. Andrew-on-Hudson ,New York after which he returned to Austria. In 1938, shortly following German annexation of Austria, Fr. Weiser fled to the United States, where he served as pastor a tSt. Ann’s Church in Buffalo,New York. There he became active with the National Catholic Women’sUnion and the Catholic Central Union of America. Soon after, he acted as associate pastor of the Holy Trinity (German) Church,Boston,MA for four years. In 1943, Fr. Weiser took over as pastor when the previous pastor, Fr. Henry M. Brock, retired due to failing health. In addition to his duties as pastor of the Holy Trinity (German) Church, Fr. Weiser served as auxiliary chaplain to German prisoners at Fort Devens from 1943 until 1945. Always active, he was instrumental in the formation of the Massachusetts branch of the National Catholic Women’sUnion, which led to his appointment as Youth Director and later National Spiritual Director, a position he held for twenty years. Fr. Weiser earned a second doctorate of theology from Gregoria nUniversity in 1950. For the next eleven years, 1950-1961, he served as professor of Philosophy and German at Emmanuel College. Following that, he taught ethics and theology from 1961-1970 at Boston College. He retired to Campion Center in Weston, where he died on October 22, 1986.
During his life, Father Weiser authored 22 books, including The Christmas Book and The Easter Book. These, as well as many of the others, dealt with traditional Catholic customs. The great impact his books had on young people, and his contributions to war relief led him to be awarded the Order of Merit, First Class by the President of the Federal Republic of German, Theodor Heuss in 1957.
The collection contains a typescript of “Our American Christmas,” correspondence, photographs, Order of Merit award, and the accounts of the St. Joseph’s Mission Fund that Fr. Weiser administered.
Recommended Citation
New England Jesuit Province Archives; New England Province of the Society of Jesus; and Weiser, Francis X. SJ, "Francis X. Weiser, SJ Papers" (2015). Finding Aids, Special Collections. 10.
https://crossworks.holycross.edu/findaid_nen_spcoll/10