Born Sebastian Gescavitz on July 4, 1905 in Tarnagrod, Poland, his family moved to Lackawanna, New York. He entered the Passionists in Normandy, Missouri in 1921 and professed his vows on August 2, 1926 in St. Paul, Kansas. His religious name was Theophane. He studied in Chicago, Illinois and Des Moines, Iowa and was ordained on December 30, 1931 at Quigley, Illinois. After a year of post-graduate study he became a professor at the Preparatory Seminary in Normandy. In 1934 he was assigned as a preacher of parish missions and renewals. He lived in Cincinnati, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; and Sierra Madre, California. In 1959 he suffered a stroke in Chicago. He resided there until his death. One of his favorite expressions was “God first!”
Birth Date:
July 4, 1905
Profession Date:
August 2, 1926
Ordination Date:
December 30, 1931
Death Date:
July 2, 1974