Born on September 15, 1895 at St. Mary’s Kansas, he was the son of Peter Gassman and Margaret Seitz. He grew up in the area of St. Mary’s College, then a Jesuit institution. He went to grammar school and then began a commercial course with the idea of entering business. In 1915, he went to Hayes, Kansas to visit his brother and met a Capuchin priest, who eventually became a Chinese missionary. The Capuchin gave the young man a biography of St. Gabriel to read. This prompted the St. Mary’s native to enter the Passionists. On April 1, 1918 he professed his vows in Louisville, Kentucky. He proceeded to Chicago, Illinois. However, later, ordained December 1, 1923, he was transferred to the new Passionist foundation at Des Moines, Iowa where he died a short time later from tuberculosis and never had the opportunity to actually celebrate a first Mass as a priest.
Birth Date:
September 15, 1895
Profession Date:
April 1, 1918
Ordination Date:
December 1, 1923
Death Date:
December 19, 1923