Page:Czecho-Slovak Student Life, Volume 18.djvu/34

and seminary studies in ten years and was ordained to the priesthood in Chicago by Archbishop P. A. Feehan in 1887.

Of his numerous activities we shall mention only the following. In 1887 to 1888 he was assistant at St. Procopius Church and instructor at the newly founded St. Procopius Academy. He was then sent out to found a parish west of St. Procopius, which was later called St. Vitus and here he was pastor from 1888 to 1893. When the Rt. Rev. Abbot Jaeger had been elected first abbot of the St. Procopius community, the Rt. Rev. Kohlbeck was made pastor of St. Procopius Church and held this office until 1897. It is noteworthy that in 1894, during the smallpox epidemic, he was appointed commisioner of health for the Pilsen district of Chicago.

In 1898, he became Editor in Chief of the Bohemian Benedictine Press in Chicago, where he edited a Catholic daily, called the “Národ”, the semiweekly “Katolík” and other newspapers and magazines. His numerous articles, whether apologetic or polemic, attracted great attention and had a great influence for good. They also merited him a membership in the Guild of Catholic Writers of America. As editor of these important Czech Catholic newspapers and periodicals, he soon became one of the most influential leaders of the Czechs in America.

For instance on March 12, 1912, he was instrumental in securing William Howard Taft, then president of the U. S., to visit the Czechs of Chicago at the Bohemian American Hall.

Being also a very brilliant speaker, he has been often called upon to address Czech national, parochial and fraternal organizations. His English lectures on the Czechs delivered in summer schools in New York State are still considered hightly informational and masterly. He was one of the organizers of the most important Catholic Czech organization in the United States, namely the American Alliance of Catholic Czechs. After twenty-one years of work as editor, he was chosen, in 1919, the second abbot of St. Procopius Abbey. And since then he has devoted his talent, energy and time to the development of St. Procopius Abbey, Seminary and College.

On November 6th and 13th the Czechs of America will celebrate his fortieth anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. We congratulate him and pray that he will live to celebrate his golden jubilee.