Born Nathan Case in 1852, his name was added to the list of Passionist deceased in 1995 because he had not been a Catholic for the one year required at the time of his death. Biographical material states that he was a Passionist novice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for only five weeks and never professed his vows. The Chronicles of the Pittsburgh monastery state that in 1871 there was a smallpox epidemic. While it appeared to have ended in the immediate area of the monastery, on January 6, 1872 it broke out in the monastery proper. Novice Athanasius Case was a convert to the Catholic faith and because of this conversion his relatives turned against him. Originally he was an Episcopalian. For that reason he left home. While attending Bonaventure College in Allegheny, New York he happened to read the life of St. Paul of the Cross. He also had heard of the charity of the Passionists. So he applied and was received in December 1871. He contracted the disease on January 18, 1872 and died a short time later. His suffering was terrible.
Birth Date:
January 1, 1970
Death Date:
January 29, 1872