Leo W. Welch, SJ, Papers

Fr. Leo W. Welch (1907-1990) was born in Webster, New York, to Patrick F. (1874-1961) and Lillian "Lillie" E. Aman Welch (1878-1962, m. 1902), one of eight children. He received his early education at Holy Trinity Parochial School (1913-1920) and attended St. Andrew's Preparatory Seminary in Rochester (1920-1923) before entering the Society of Jesus at St. Andrew-on-Hudson, Poughkeepsie (1924-1927). After studies in philosophy at Woodstock College (1927-1930) he was assigned to the Philippines, teaching at Colegio de San José (San Jose Seminary) and assisting with the Meteorological Section of the Manila Observatory Weather Bureau (1930-1932). Upon his return to the US he completed his theology at Woodstock (1932-1936) and was ordained in 1935. He made his tertianship at St. Andrew-on-Hudson (1936-1937) and was subsequently stationed in Boston, where he pursued an MS in Meteorology at MIT (1937-1939).

Welch returned to the Philippines in November 1939 and was appointed to the Astronomical Division of the Manila Observatory Weather Bureau and then Ateneo de Manila. In December 1941, following the Japanese occupation, all priests and seminarians at the Ateneo were placed under house arrest. Between October and December 1943 he was transferred to Santo Tomas Internment Camp and in July 1944 to Los Baños Internment Camp, from which he was liberated by US forces in February 1945. After returning to the US and recuperating in part at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York, he assisted at St. John the Evangelist (Pulaski) and served on the faculty of Canisius High School(Buffalo) during the 1945-1946 academic year. In July 1946 Welch returned to the Philippines to teach at the Ateneo de Manila and, in June 1949, was appointed minister at the Sacred Heart Novitiate in Novaliches, Quezon City. He transferred to the Ateneo de Davao, Davao City, in May 1955 where he stayed until April 1960.

He next taught physics at Xavier University (Ateneo de Cagayan), Cagayan de Oro City (1960-1967), before beginning parish work in the Province of Bukidnon. Welch briefly served as assistant pastor at Santo Niño Parish, Dangcagan, before studying Cebuano Language and Filipino Culture at the Maryknoll Fathers Institute of Language and Culture, Davao City (1968-1969). He then held successive pastoral assignments at Santo Niño Parish (1969-1970); Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Parish, Manolo Fortich (1970-1974); San Pablo Apostol Parish, Malitbog (1974-1983); and Jesus Nazareno Parish, Libona (1983-1987), while meanwhile assisting in other rural parishes. In 1987 he returned to Xavier University, where he died in 1990.

Note that Welch was a member of the Maryland-New York Province/Maryland Province from his entry in 1924 until the Philippine Mission became a full-fledged province in 1958, after which he transferred his membership.