Pfeiffer, James


Brief Biography:

Reverend James Pfeiffer was born in Hafroschen, Bavaria in Germany on November 24, 1852 and moved to the United States in 1867 at the age of 15. His studies were carried out at St. Meinrad and the St. Joseph Seminary in Indianapolis, and he was eventually ordained by Bishop St. Palais in May of 1877. On August of the same year, Pfeiffer was sent to St. Joseph’s Church, in Jennings County, Indiana where he was reverend for almost seven years. On May 12, 1882, he was transferred to Enochsburg, Indiana and remained for seventeen years, enjoying the longest pastorate in the history of his respective parish. In the latter part of 1883 and most of 1884, Pfeiffer was given charge of the St. Maurice Mission, which had come to Enochsburg from Hamburg. The last baptismal record from Pfeiffer’s time in Enochsburg was dated February 19, 1899. He then was sent to St. Wendel parish, where he remained for thirty-seven years until his death on February 2, 1936.

Brief Itinerary:

Pfeiffer began his pilgrimage on February 21, 1889 from Hoboken, New Jersey and traveled by steamship until landing in Cherbourg, France. From Cherbourg, he traveled by train through Paris, Mersailles, Pisa, Florence, Assisi, Rome, Naples, and other stops throughout Europe taking time out to tour the Catholic holy sites. He then took steamship to Egypt and landed in the city of Alexandria, traveling also to Cairo and making stops along the Nile River. Next, Pfeiffer left Africa from the Port Said and landed in Jaffa of the Holy Land, from where he traveled to Ramleh by covered wagon. Pfieffer and his group continued on to Jerusalem and stayed there for just over three weeks, visiting the Holy Sepulchre Church and other holy sites. The trip continued through Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Beyrout and later to Constantiople and Athens. Finally, the trip concluded with the final stops in Italy and Germany by train including Venice, Milan, Strasburg, Munich, and Hamburg. From Hamburg, Pfeiffer took a steamship back to New York where he landing on July 13, 1889.

Brief History of the Text:

James Pfeiffer’s travel diary, The First American Catholic Pilgrimage to Palestine, 1889 was published in 1892 by Jos. Berning & Co. of Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the first and only edition of the book that is available.





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