Submitted by: Dan Rich

Rev. Peter Lauth CSC

May 24, 1834 - June 15, 1915

South Bend Tribune 6/16/1916

Rev. Peter Lauth CSC, aged 82 years, died at Notre Dame last evening after several months illness, caused principally from old age. He received the cassock of the priests of Holy Cross Aug. 15, 1864; professed Sept. 9, 1866; ordained March 7, 1869. He was forced to retire from active service as a priest a short time ago when poor health caused him to give up some of his work. During the past year he has lived in the community house of the Holy Cross Congregation at Notre Dame. The funeral services will be held in the Sacred Heart Church at Notre Dame Saturday morning at 8 o’clock, Rev. P. J. Carroll, who succeeds Father Lauth as pastor of St. Joseph Church officiating.

Father Lauth was born in Luxenburg, Germany, at he bend of the Mose River, on May 24, 1834. Twenty years later, coming to the United States, landing in New York City on May 9, 1854. He spent a few years in Illinois and in 1859-60 he was a student in St. Mary’s College of Chicago. It was on Sept. 7, 1861 that he came to the University of Notre Dame. In 1869 he was ordained to the priesthood and for a time thereafter he served as assistant priest to Father. P. P. Cooney of St. Patrick’s Church in South Bend. From there he went to St. Joseph Church where he served as its pastor from 1872 to 1876. During the following year he served as president of St. Joseph College of Cincinnati, O., and then spent the following three years doing missionary work with his former pastor, Father Cooney. From 1887 to 1891 he was pastor of St. Patrick’s Church of South Bend.

Father Lauth went to California from South Bend and spent one year among the Indians, from where he went to Austin, Texas, and after pastorate in that city of 16 years, went to New Orleans and served as pastor of the Sacred Heart Church for one year. He returned to Notre Dame where for a similar time served as pastor of of the Sacred Heat Church there. After this he again embraced his missionary work with Father Klein. On April 5, 1902 he again became the pastor of St. Joseph Church, South Bend, remaining there until relieved by Father P. J. Carroll.