By Carmen M. Hubbard

ARCHDIOCESE — An Italian priest who was ordained in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in the 19th century has the makings of a saint, having dedicated his life to God and helping to expand the Catholic Church on the American northwestern frontier.

Father Samuel Mazzuchelli built parishes and established a convent to help spread the word of God and educate children in the northern Midwest — what is now Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Michigan.

COURTESY PHOTO

Dominican Sister Mary Louis Russley

"He was a real community organizer," said Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Mary Louis Russley of Father Mazzuchelli. "He brought faith and the community together. He got them to build the church and he had people to lead that community. He knew how to live life."

In 1847 Father Mazzuchelli founded the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, Wis., whose mission remains spreading the Gospel and educating children in the area.

"He felt in 1847 women should be educated. He sent them to the Kentucky Dominicans so they could learn and come back and teach. Education would be the principal ministry of the Sisters who worked in the schools," Sister Mary said.

Sister Mary is a native of Cincinnati and a Father Mazzuchelli historian. She joined the order as an adult, having participated as a teenager in a camp sponsored by the Sisters in Green Bay, Wis., while on summer break from Mount Notre Dame Academy. Her childhood parish was St. Mary Church in Hyde Park.

"I began to know the Sisters in a different way. I could see their love for children and teaching," said Sister Mary, a former attorney.

In addition to establishing the religious order, Father Mazzuchelli built 29 parishes in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Michigan. His first was St. Anne Church on Mackinac Island, Mich. in 1831. Five of those churches still exist.

Originally from Milan, Italy, Father Mazzuchelli became a mendicant friar with the Order of Preachers in the 1820s and went on to study in Rome. His calling to do God’s work was a disappointment to his wealthy father, who expected him to continue the family entrepreneurship of bankers and merchants.

In 1828, Father Mazzuchelli, who was 22 at the time, arrived in Ohio at the request of Bishop Edward Fenwick of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Bishop Fenwick needed priests to minister to Native Americans and French Canadians and help expand the church in the Great Lakes region and along the Mississippi River. Two years later, Father Mazzuchelli was ordained in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. While adapting to life in America and on the new frontier, he assisted Irish — who called him "Father Kelli" — and German immigrants in building towns. He was known for speaking out against injustices of the day, such as slavery, and forcing Native Americans off their land. He wrote and published a Winnebago prayer book in 1833 and a liturgical almanac in Chippewa a year later. Father Mazzuchelli also founded a men’s college in Sinsinawa.

Father Mazzuchelli died on Feb. 23, 1864 at age 57 and is buried in Benton, Wis. In 1993 Pope John Paul II declared the priest "venerable" — the first step in the process of elevating a person to sainthood.

Sister Mary’s congregation has been active in the campaign to draw attention to Father Mazzuchelli’s cause. The diocesan process began with a request from the Roman postulator to Bishop Robert C. Morlino of the Madison diocese in July 2006, asking him to investigate a presumed miracle through the intersession of Father Mazzuchelli. The bishop appointed a tribunal to study the documentation and review the testimony of witnesses. The tribunal concluded its investigation in August 2008 and forwarded the results to Rome.

Sister Mary’s decision to join the Sinsinawa Dominicans was "a wonderful experience and opportunity" to continue Father Mazzuchelli’s vision and God’s work.

"This is what I wanted to do. It’s been focused on love for education rooted in (Father) Mazzuchelli’s purpose," said Sister Mary, who is the education director at her congregation’s Sinsinawa motherhouse. "My path has always taken me to where the need was."