Religious leader; in Vatican canonization process. Venerated as an early 20th Century Franciscan martyr, Father Heinrichs was assassinated by an Italian Anarchist, Giuseppe Alio, as he was distributing Holy Communion during Sunday Mass at a church in Denver, Colorado. The crime, which stunned the city and was reported across the nation, was made all the more shocking because the gunman had pulled the trigger only moments after receiving the Eucharist from the popular pastor, who subsequently died while trying to shield the spilled contents of the ciborium from further desecration. Born Joseph Heinrichs in Oestrich-Iserlohn, Westphalia, "Father Leo" had been prevented from pursuing his vocation in his native Prussia by Bismarck's anti-Catholic laws. He consequently came to the US in 1886 to join the Franciscan community of St. Bonaventure in Paterson, NJ, and at age 19 took the name "Leo" upon professing his vows. After his ordination to the priesthood in 1891, he spent the next 11 years at the monastery, ministering to Paterson area parishes and demonstrating such remarkable character and aptitude for pastoral work that he was made Vicar of St. Bonaventure's and Director of the Third Order of St. Francis. In 1902 he was dispatched to fire-devasted St. Stephen's in Croghan, NY, which he consequently rebuilt and made debt-free within two years. This success led to his appointment to the debt-ridden St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish in Denver, Colorado, in the summer of 1907. There he soon endeared himself to the people of the city as a tireless champion of the poor, and was renowned for his exceptionally cheerful disposition and accessiblity to all. Ironically, his 51-year-old murderer, Giuseppe Alio, was an avowed hater of the clergy as exploiters of the impoverished, and had recently come to the US for the express purpose of assassinating an Italian-born priest who had condemned anarchism and socialism. Unable to locate his intended victim, he targeted the unsuspecting Rev. Heinrichs. Although the Franciscan community pleaded for clemency, Alio was later hanged for the crime. Following Father Heinrich's death, it was discovered that he had subjected himself to painful religious mortification practices which made his cheerful and serene demeanor all the more astonishing. In addition to habitually sleeping on a bare floor, he had worn a barbed cincture and arm bands under his brown robes. The 40-year-old Franciscan's funeral was attended by thousands of mourners, including the governor of Colorado, after which his body was brought back to New Jersey, and initially buried in the friars' cemetery at St. Bonaventure's in Paterson. Exhumed in November 1911 for transferral to nearby Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Totowa, it was found to be remarkably incorrupt, despite the complete deterioration of the casket and shroud. With the attribution of miracles to his intercession, and the endorsement of the bishops of Denver, Newark, and New York City, the Cardinal of Cologne, Germany, and the Postulator General of the Franciscan Order in Rome, the case for Father Heinrich's elevation to sainthood was officially begun by the Vatican in 1933. His grave is near that of another heroic Francisan, Father Mychal Judge, officially listed as the first victim of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in Manhattan. (Bio by Nikita Barlow)∼Entered Novitiate at St. Bonaventure, Paterson in 1886.
Professed First Vows in 1887.
Professed Solemn Vows in 1890.
Ordained in 1891.
While distributing Communion at the 6:00am Mass (at Saint Elizabeth Church, in Denver, CO),
on February 23, 1908, he was shot and killed.