Société des Missions Africaines –Province de Strasbourg

né le 17 juin 1904 à Wuenheim dans le diocèse de Strasbourg, France membre de la SMA le 27 juillet 1927 prêtre le 3 janvier 1932 décédé le 28 avril 1989

1932-1935 Saint-Pierre, professeur 1935-1937 Haguenau, professeur 1937-1942 St Anthony’s Mission House, Tenafly, NJ 1942-1943 St Odilia’s, California, en paroisse 1943-1946 aumônier militaire 1946-1948 St Odilia’s, Los Angeles, curé 1948-1955 Shawinigan Falls, Canada fondateur et 1er supérieur du noviciat canadien 1955-1958 Montréal, Canada, fondateur et 1er supérieur du grand séminaire canadien 1958-1968 Cleveland, maison de retraite, aumônier 1968-1989 Tenafly, maison sma décédé à Tenafly, USA, le 28 avril 1989, à l'âge de 84 ans

Eugène Geisser was born in Wuenheim, par Soultz, Alsace-Lorraine, in the diocese of Strasbourg, on June 17, 1904.
He died in the SMA Mission House at Tenafly, New Jersey, USA, on April 28, 1989.

Eugène Geisser was one of five children born to Frederic Xavier and Rose Firma (nee Mechler) Geisser. A family genealogy in the Archives of the American Province at Tenafly informs us that the Geisser Family originated in St. Gall, in Switzerland, coming to Alsace during the 30 Years War. Eugène went to grade school in Wuenheim, his last years coinciding with the First World War. There is certain confusion about his biographical details following grade school, which he would have left c. 1915 or 1916. One source records that during the latter stage of the War Eugène was a ‘Poilu’ in the French Army, was captured by the Germans and spent the remainder of the hostilities in a German prison camp. Whatever the truth of this – and there might be some substance given the fact that he was two years older than his peers in the Society - it is known for certain that he commenced his High school education in Mannheim (Germany). There he soon discerned a priestly vocation and transferred to the Petit Seminaire des Roches, the SMA’s second-level preparatory school at Chamalieres ( Puy de Dome), France, and then to the senior school at St. Priest, Isere, graduating in 1925 at the age of 21. Twelve years later, when in the USA, he was to study philosophy at Fordham University (1937-1940). Eugène made his novitiate and studied philosophy in the Society’s house at Chanly, Belgium (1925-1927). He received his theological formation in the Society’s major seminary at Cours Gambetta, Lyon, France (1928-1932). Eligible for military service, Eugène was inducted into the Army in 1927, serving for a year in an Intelligence Unit of the French Army of Occupation in Germany. Eugène was received as a permanent member of the Society on July 27, 1927. He was ordained a priest in the seminary chapel at Lyon by His Excellency Msgr. Moury, SMA, on January 3, 1932.

After his ordination Eugène was appointed to the staff of the Alsace Province’s seminary in Saint Pierre, near Eichhoffen in Alsace, France. Three years later, in 1935, he was re-assigned to the staff of St. Arbogast’s seminary, the Province’s apostolic school at Haguenau, where he taught French, Latin and German. The Alsace Province had pioneered African-American mission parishes in Georgia from the turn of the century and other parishes had been opened subsequently in Los Angeles and in Illinois. Providing staff for these commitments was a constant source of worry for the Superior of the American works, Ignace Lissner, and the Alsatian Provincial, Fr. Brediger did all he could to meet requests for personnel. In 1937 Eugène was chosen to work in this mission field. His first appointment was to St. Anthony’s Mission House, Tenafly, from where he did pastoral work while following courses at Fordham University in New York City (1937-1942). Then came a six months posting as assistant in St. Odilia’s parish, Hooper Avenue, Los Angeles.

In June 1943 Eugène volunteered as a chaplain in the US Army, serving for exactly three years with the rank of Major. During this period he participated with the First American Army in the Invasion of France and subsequent campaigns in Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Austria. On the completion of his work as Army chaplain, Eugène returned to St. Odilia’s as Pastor. The American Province of the Society had been formed in March 1941 largely from among the Alsatian and Irish priests who had been sent over the years by the Provinces in Europe. Now was a time of expansion, when American-born candidates to the priesthood were coming forward and when the Society was about to entrust to the Province the mission field of Cape Palmas in Liberia. One of the decisions of the Provincial Administration was to establish the Society in Canada and Eugène was chosen for this task. In 1948 he became Founding Superior of the Society’s Canadian Novitiate at Shawinigan Falls, Province of Quebec. Seven years later, in 1955, he became Founder and First Superior of the Canadian Major Seminary in Ontario Avenue, Montreal, Province of Quebec.

After ten years in Canada Eugène returned to America, taking up a post as Chaplain in the Veteran’s Administration Hospital, Cleveland Ohio. He discharged his duties here for a decade, until 1968 when, disabled with arthritis, he was compelled to retire. He spent the remaining years of his life in the Provincial House at Tenafly. Of robust general health and regular in his habits, Eugène was to enjoy a long retirement, living to a good age. He died in Tenafly after a short illness just before his 85th birthday. The Provincial’s newsletter Frontline recorded, at the time of his death, that during his retirement he read widely, ‘keeping up with current trends in Scripture and Theology. He also taught himself to read Spanish. He already had a limited speaking knowledge acquired when working in St. Odilia’s parish in LA where he heard the confessions of Spanish speaking penitents in their own language. When asked to explain the presence of so many Spanish titles on his bookshelf he replied: “I heard so much about Liberation Theologians, I had to read them in the original to judge for myself”.

George H. Straub, an officer who served with him during the Second World War (and as a result became a life-long supporter of the SMA) revealed some interesting facts about Eugène’s service after his death. ‘His first assignment’, Straub wrote the American Provincial ‘was as Chaplain to the 72nd Ordnance Group which was formed in Normandy at about the time of the Battle for St. Lo. I was the Executive Officer with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and assigned him to our Headquarters because Catholic chaplains were so scarce. We had 25,000 men in 8 battalions, each of which had a Protestant chaplain… Fr. Geisser said Mass every week for every isolated group of our men. Sometimes our troops were scattered 50 miles apart. Consequently with his chaplain’s assistant and driver, he might spend seven days on the road, sleeping in seven different locations. He would say Mass in perhaps 30 places in a week… I think every one of our 25,000 men knew him and they all loved him, whatever their religion. He had a medal for the European Campaign with 5 battle stars – for Normandy, Northern France, Germany, the Ardennes and Central Europe. After the battle for the Colmar Gap was won, we sent him off immediately loaded down with gifts (mostly food) to visit his mother who lived near Colmar in Alsace. He had not seen her since 1937. Of all the people I met in my 8 years of active duty in the Army, Eugène was my closest friend and the most memorable.’

He is buried in the SMA Community Plot, at Mount St. Carmel Cemetery, Tenafly, NJ, USA.