John Augustine Zahm
Encyclopedia
Congregation of Holy Cross
The Congregation of Holy Cross or Congregatio a Sancta Cruce is a Catholic congregation of priests and brothers founded in 1837 by Blessed Father Basil Anthony-Marie Moreau, CSC, in Le Mans, France....
(June 11, 1851 – November 10, 1921) was a Holy Cross
Congregation of Holy Cross
The Congregation of Holy Cross or Congregatio a Sancta Cruce is a Catholic congregation of priests and brothers founded in 1837 by Blessed Father Basil Anthony-Marie Moreau, CSC, in Le Mans, France....
priest, author, scientist, and South American explorer. He was born at New Lexington, Ohio
New Lexington, Ohio
New Lexington is a village in and the county seat of Perry County, Ohio, United States, southwest of Zanesville. The population was 4,689 at the 2000 census.In 1900, 1,701 people lived in New Lexington, Ohio; in 1910, 2,559 lived here.-Geography:...
and died in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany.
Zahm was educated at the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, Indiana, and upon graduation entered the Congregation of Holy Cross, and was ordained priest in 1875. He filled various positions in the Congregation, at one time being provincial from 1898 to 1906. He was the author (sometimes under the pseudonym of Mozans), of a number of books covering a large variety of subjects; among these were: Evolution and Dogma, Scientific Theory and Catholic Doctrine, Up the Orinoco and Down the Magdalena, Along the Andes and down the Amazon, The Quest of El Dorado. He was an enthusiastic Dante
Dante Alighieri
Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...
student and assembled at Notre Dame one of the three largest of the Dante libraries in America. He was a scholarly and brilliant writer.
Zahm befriended 26th President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
, who also loved and read Dante in Italian. It was Father Zahm who talked President Roosevelt into participating in what came to be known as the Roosevelt-Rondon Scientific Expedition
Roosevelt-Rondon Scientific Expedition
The Roosevelt-Rondon Scientific Expedition was jointly led by Theodore Roosevelt and Cândido Rondon in 1913–1914 to be the first explorers of the 1000-mile long "River of Doubt" located in a remote area of the Brazilian Amazon basin...
to South America and which would also include Theodore's son, Kermit
Kermit Roosevelt
Kermit Roosevelt I MC was a son of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. He was an explorer on two continents with his father, a graduate of Harvard University, a soldier serving in two world wars, with both the British and U.S. Armies, a businessman, and a writer...
, and Colonel Da Silva Candido Rondon
Cândido Rondon
Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon, or Marechal Rondon was a Brazilian military officer who is most famous for his exploration of Mato Grosso and the Western Amazon Basin, and his lifelong support of Brazilian indigenous populations...
, to go up the Rio da Dúvida (River of Doubt, now the Roosevelt River
Roosevelt River
The Roosevelt River is a Brazilian river. It begins in the state of Rondônia and winds for about 400 miles until it joins the Aripuanã River, which then flows into the Madeira River, thence into the Amazon.-History and exploration:Formerly called Rio da Dúvida , the river is named after Theodore...
). This trip deteriorated into a near disaster and it caused one man to drown, another to be murdered and almost killed Roosevelt, shortening his life by probably ten years from the combined effects of malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
and infection, and almost cost the others their lives as well, as the members lost boats to waterfalls and rapids and almost ran out of food. They barely made it to the first sign of civilization and some certainty that they would survive. The elder Roosevelt had to be carried off his canoe, so weak and ravaged by sickeness had he become.
Zahm unwisely delegated planning and provisioning of the trip, and so irritated Roosevelt and Rondon that he was not permitted to go on the expedition itself, but took a side trip instead. Throughout his life he collected maps, photographs, relics, and curios which were added to the valuable collection of fifteen hundred volumes of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n history and research work at Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
.
In 1896, he published a book entitled Evolution and Dogma, arguing that Church teaching, the Bible, and evolution did not conflict. Within two years, it was placed on the Index of Forbidden Books and Zahm was forced to recant its publication. It was this crisis at the University of Notre Dame occasioned the Pope Leo XIII's condemnation of the heresy of americanism
Americanism (heresy)
Coined in the nineteenth century, in Roman Catholic use the term Americanism referred to a group of related heresies which were defined as the endorsement of the separation of church and state...
.
He planned a book on historical and archaeological study of the Holy Land, but died of bronchial pneumonia in a Munich hospital on route to the Middle East.
Zahm is presently survived in South Bend by a Saint Mary's College
Saint Mary's College (Indiana)
Saint Mary's College is a private Catholic liberal arts college founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross. It is located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community northeast of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States — as are the University of Notre Dame and Holy...
student, Alexandra Zahm.
Zahm House, a male dormitory at Notre Dame, is dedicated in his honor. Ironically, the residents of Zahm House have historically been associated with causing mischief.
See also
- Zahm Hall, a men's residence hall at Notre Dame named after Fr. Zahm
- List of Roman Catholic scientist-clerics