Father Walter Mickel, C.P., St. Paul of the Cross Province (1897-1980)

Father Walter Mickel was born in Fort Lee, New Jersey May 12, 1897. He was the son of Charles Mickel and Catherine Frate Mickel. After attending schools in Hackensack, he joined the Passionists at St. Joseph’s Monastery in Baltimore, Maryland. He professed his vows on August 15, 1920 at St Paul of the Cross Monastery in Pittsburgh. After studies at St. Joseph’s in Baltimore, St. Ann’s in Scranton, Pennsylvania, St. Gabriel’s in Brighton, Massachusetts and St. Michael’s in Union City, New Jersey and he ordained to the priesthood on March 12, 1927 at the Cathedral in Newark, New Jersey by Archbishop Diaz who survived the Mexican persecution of the 1920s. In 1950 he was an auxiliary chaplain to the U.S. Army in Europe and participated in cultural and religious and moral programs. After World War II two Passionist monasteries were in the American zone one of which was St. Gabriel’s in Munich. Father Mickel served in Germany since 1927 when Passionists from St. Paul of the Cross Province were sent to assist the German-Austrian Passionist foundation. In 1941 he did return to the United States where he was assigned as pastor of St. Joseph’s Monastery Church in Baltimore. In 1947 he went back to Europe and became provincial of the Vice Province of the Five Wounds which included Germany and Austria.