Story of Cardinal George : The Boy Who Wanted to be a Priest. the God Who Wanted Him to be a Prince

Father Gene Keusal was born and raised in Chicago.He attended St. Bonaventure's and Immaculate Conception grammar schools. While attending St. Bonaventure's he read a story about Father Damien in Hawaii which increased his desire for the priesthood never dreaming that one day he would also minister in Hawaii and say Mass at the very altar that Damien did. He went to Quigley High School Seminary, graduated in 1954 and went on to the Archdiocesan Seminary of St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1961. His first appointment as a newly ordained priest was St. Robert Bellarmine on Austin and Eastwood. While he was in Rome Cardinal Cody told him that he was reassigned but couldn't remember where. The next month he moved to St.Simeon's in Bellwood. From St. Simeon's he moved to St Peter's in Antioch, then to St. Anastasia in Waukegan, St. Joseph's in Wilmette. While at St. Peter's in Antioch Cardinal Cody appointed him vocation director for Lake County. For a short time he was a chaplain at the Veterans' Hospital in North Chicago. He also taught a course at the College of Lake County. In 1979 he was appointed Administrator of St. Rosalie in Harwood Heights and then moved to St. Francis De Sales in Lake Zurich. He was there less than a year when Cardinal Bernardin appointed him pastor of St. Mary's in Fremont Center (Mundelein) where he remained for thirteen years. He went on Sabbatical to Hawaii after finishing his two terms at St. Marys. Seeing the great shortage of priests there he asked Cardinal George if he could go on mission there and was granted permission. While he was there he wrote the story of Cardinal George's vocation with the hope that it would help increase vocations for the Archdiocese of Chicago. Father Keusal is now retired and continues to live in Hawaii helping in the parishes on the various islands.Keusal, Eugene L. is the author of 'Story of Cardinal George : The Boy Who Wanted to be a Priest. the God Who Wanted Him to be a Prince', published 2004 under ISBN 9780978660505 and ISBN 0978660501.