May 10: The Big Priest

Welcome to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Today is May 10th, and our story is The Big Priest. Father John George Alleman was a giant of a man. Standing well over six feet tall, the broad-shouldered, powerfully built priest seemed ready-made for the American frontier. And for a while, he was. Born in France in 1804, Alleman came to Ohio in 1832 to complete his formation with the Dominicans. He was ordained in 1834, but just six years later, he left the Dominicans for the newly established Diocese of Dubuque.

From his new base in Fort Madison, Iowa, Alleman traveled throughout the Mississippi River Valley, at times by steamboat, the captains granted him free passage, and at other times by foot. Legend has it that his gait matched that of any horses. Between 1841 and 1851, Alleman established over a dozen missions in southeastern Iowa, personally. Chopping and hewing much of the wood for the churches himself. He also made friends with the Sac and Fox tribe, who called him the Big Priest, and the Mormons, who lived in nearby Nauvoo, Illinois.

In 1851, with the church in Iowa flourishing, Alleman left for Rock Island, Illinois. He arrived in the Mississippi River town around May 10, 1851, and by August had laid the cornerstone for St. James Catholic Church, now St. Mary's. In Rock Island and the surrounding villages, German and Irish Catholics came to love their generous, gregarious gardening pastor. He established more parishes, built schools, dined in their homes, and planted flowers in their streets. Always, he wore the same torn cassock. When parishioners gave them money to buy a new one, he just spent it on clothes for local children.

In 1862, however, Alleman took to his bed and refused all visitors. His friends believed that years of constant work and travel had proven too much, even for his strong body. Perhaps. Regardless, a year later, Alleman left Rock Island for St. Vincent's Hospital in St. Louis.

There, in 1865, he passed away from what doctors called melancholia. Far from friends, Alleman was buried in an unmarked grave. In a world that often values comfort and convenience, Alleman's example encourages us to embrace sacrifice for the greater good and to see service not as a burden but as an opportunity to reflect God's love.

Consider a project or cause where you can invest consistent effort to help others this month. Thank you for listening to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Join us tomorrow, May 11th, for another story of faith and courage in America.