"The Apostle of the Eucharist" - Rev. Theodore J. Valentin

Theodore J. Valentin was born on July 7, 1868 in Saginaw, Michigan, to parents Antoine Valentin and Josephine Marie Wagner. He had a connection to the Church at a young age, his mother being the sister of the esteemed Dean Wagner.

His family moved to Detroit when he was three and stayed there for five years. During this time, he was educated in religious schools, such as St. Joseph’s School as well as Sacred Heart School, both in Detroit. When he was eight years old, the family again moved to Windsor, where Theodore attended St. Alphonsus’ School. During this same time, he was an altar boy at St. Alphonsus’ Parish, which was headed by his uncle, Dean Wagner.

By 1883, at the age of fifteen, and with the assistance of his uncle, Theodore entered Assumption College in Windsor, where he studied philosophy and theology. He was ordained subdeacon at Assumption College on May 27, 1893 and made a deacon of December 17 of the same year. On May 19, 1894, he was ordained at St. Alphonsus’ Parish by Bishop Denis O’Connor ―the first priest to be ordained at that parish. He remained at St. Alphonsus’ Parish as an assistant pastor for about seven months, before becoming assistant pastor at St. Peter’s Cathedral in London for about fifteen months. During that time, he was also chaplain at the Mount Hope Orphanage, run by the Sisters of St. Joseph.

In May of 1898, Father Valentin became the first pastor of St. Boniface’s Parish in Zurich, Ontario. During this time, he created the “League of Perseverance” for young men and women of the parish, intended to strengthen their faith. He remained in Zurich until 1904, when ill health forced him to relinquish his parish work. Instead, he became chaplain of St. Joseph’s Hospital in London, a position he remained in for nineteen years. In May of 1919, while still at St. Joseph’s Hospital, he celebrated his Silver Jubilee.

On August 10, 1926, Pope Pius XI made Father Valentin a Domestic Prelate. His investiture was performed on September 26, 1926 and conferred by Bishop Michael Francis Fallon of London. Father Valentin died on December 23, 1929 and was buried in St. Alphonsus’ Cemetery alongside his parents. His work as a priest encompassed many things, but his passion and dedication can be summed up in how others described him ―the “Apostle of the Eucharist”.