Father Henry Miller, C.P., Holy Cross Province (1864-1930)

Born November 13, 1864 his parents Joseph Miller and Emelia Felix Miller died when he was young. Until he was fourteen years of age he was looked after by his relatives. In the meantime he had finished the equivalent of an eighth grade education at St. Michael’s School, South Side, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For about three years he was the door boy of the rectory and used free time to study for possible acceptance into the novitiate. In 1881 he entered the novitiate. He professed his Passionist vows on October 29, 1882. For six weeks his older brother Arnold was a Passionist novice in the next year’s class. After profession he commenced on a course of studies that sent him to Dunkirk, New York, Baltimore, Maryland, and West Hoboken, New Jersey where he was ordained on October 26, 1890. Sacred Eloquence was taken at Cincinnati under the direction of Father Hyacinth Hage, C.P. He was then put in the position of professor and director of the students who had just completed their novitiate. In 1898 he was relieved of this responsibility and transferred to Louisville, Kentucky to prepare for the missions. Later he became pastor of the Passionist parish, St. Paul, Kansas. He conducted a parish census and is said to have visited every “Catholic and Protestant, Jew, and Gentile, White and Black in the hundred and fifty miles of parish territory.” He was also a popular mission preacher to laity and clergy. While on a parish mission, Father Miller began the practice of having confession on the first day so that those who might desire to go to Communion could do so throughout the mission. In 1906 the Western province was established and Father Miller was elected the first superior of the Louisville house in the new province. In 1908 he was elected rector of St. Louis. In 1911 he was elected rector of the Chicago community. After 1917 he held no other positions of leadership. During the last six years of his life he suffered from diabetes.