Rev. Francis J. Guessen Biography


	This biography appears on page 1162 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				REV. FRANCIS J. GUESSEN. 

	The Rev. Francis J. Guessen, pastor of St. Joseph,s Catholic 
church at Gregory, was born at Heidelberg, Rural Route No. 2, New 
Prague, Minnesota, August 21, 1872, a son of Peter J. and Anna Sophia 
(Karl) Guessen. The father devoted his life to the work of the farm 
until called to his final rest and is survived by his wife. 

	Their son, Francis J. Guessen, was educated in the district and 
parochial schools, in St. John's University of Minnesota and in St. 
Thomas, College, St. Paul. Then because of illness he finished his 
philosophical course at Kendrick's Seminary, St. Louis, and completed 
his theological course in St. Meinrad's Seminary at St. Meinrad, 
Indiana. Having thus prepared for holy orders he was ordained to the 
priesthood on the 8th of May, 1904, by Bishop Stariha and was assigned 
to duty as first assistant at Lead, where he remained for sixteen 
months. Later he was rector at the Sacred Heart Indian church, south of 
Burke, for three years, and in 1907 he built the church and parsonage 
at Gregory. When he took up his abode there the district was nothing 
but prairie. There is now a beautiful parish house and church edifice 
and also a Sister's residence. He bought the old city high school and 
made it the parochial high school, which is in charge of four Sisters 
of the Benedictine Order, of Sturgis, with eighty children in 
attendance. 

	Father Guessen has missions at Dallas, Lucas, Dixon and Iona, of 
which Lucas and Iona have churches, and there are about one hundred and 
thirty families. At one time he had charge of missions at Tripp and at 
Gregory and of Catholic interests in Lyman county. During that period 
he built churches at Carlock, Gregory county, and at Colome and Winner, 
Tripp county. He is rural dean of his part of the diocese of Lead and 
is diocesan examiner. He belongs to Gregory Council, No. 1532, K. C., 
of which he was the organizer, and he gives his political support to 
the democratic party. His work has been fruitful of good results for 
Catholicism, the church growing continually under his guidance and 
ministrations.