John W. Beschter (1763–1842) was a Catholic priest from the Duchy of Luxembourg who emigrated to the United States in 1807 to become a missionary of the Society of Jesus. He took up ministry in rural Pennsylvania, and was soon made the pastor of St. Mary's Church in Lancaster. As pastor, Beschter was praised by Archbishop John Carroll for ministering to Catholic congregations of three distinct ethnic and linguistic groups, and quieting a parochial dispute over the nationality and language of their pastor. In 1812, Beschter went to Maryland to become the master of novices at the new Jesuit novitiate in White Marsh. After two years, he returned to ministering in rural Pennsylvania and Maryland. He became the pastor of the German congregation of St. John the Evangelist in Baltimore, a position he held until 1828. The following year, he became the president of Georgetown College. After several months, he left the office, and returned to ministering in Paradise, Pennsylvania, where he lived out his final years.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_W._Beschter

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1777:

American Revolutionary War: Benedict Arnold used a ruse to convince the British that a much larger force was arriving, causing them to abandon the siege of Fort Stanwix. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Fort_Stanwix

1864:

Under the leadership of Henry Dunant and the International Committee of the Red Cross, twelve European states and kingdoms signed the First Geneva Convention, establishing rules for the protection of victims of armed conflict. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Geneva_Convention

2015:

A Hawker Hunter aircraft crashed at an airshow at Shoreham Airport, England, killing eleven people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Shoreham_Airshow_crash

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

lorry: 1. (road transport, Britain) A motor vehicle for transporting goods, and in some cases people; a truck. 2. (dated) A barrow or truck for shifting baggage, as at railway stations. 3. (dated) A small cart or wagon used on the tramways in mines to carry coal or rubbish. 4. (obsolete) A large, low, horse-drawn, four-wheeled wagon without sides; also, a similar wagon modified for use on railways. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lorry

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

It doesn't take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle.   --Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Norman_Schwarzkopf,_Jr.