Francis Xavier Pierz
The Reverend Francis Xavier Pierz | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Francis Pierz from the book about his life written by Florentin Hrovat in 1887 | |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | March 13, 1813 by Bishop Anton Kavčič |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 20, 1785 Godič, Kamnik, Slovenia |
| Died | January 22, 1880 (aged 94) The Bishops Palace, Ljubljana Cathedral |
| Buried | Saint Christopher's Cemetery, Ljubljana, Slovenia |
| Nationality | Slovenian |
Francis Xavier Pierz (Slovene: Franc Pirc or Franc Pirec; German: Franz Pierz) (November 20, 1785 – January 22, 1880) was a Slovenian-American Roman Catholic priest and missionary to the Ottawa and Ojibwe Indians in present-day Michigan, Wisconsin, Ontario, and Minnesota. Because his letters convinced numerous Catholic German Americans to settle in Central Minnesota after the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux in 1851, Fr. Pierz is referred to as the "Father of the Diocese of Saint Cloud."