Father George J. Willmann, S.J.

From Brooklyn to Manila: A Life Given to the Philippines

George Joseph Willmann was born on June 29, 1897, in Brooklyn, New York. He entered the Society of Jesus as a young man and was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1928. In 1932, he received his mission assignment: the Philippines. He would never truly leave.

Father Willmann threw himself into building Catholic institutions in the Philippines. He founded the Knights of Columbus there, establishing councils across the archipelago and earning the lasting title “Father of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines.” He also established the Catholic Youth Organization and Columbian Squires in Manila, creating structures for the formation of young Filipino Catholics.

He survived the Japanese occupation during World War II and the devastating Battle of Manila in 1945. After the war, he resumed his apostolates with renewed energy, teaching at the Ateneo de Manila University while continuing to expand the Knights of Columbus throughout the islands.

Father Willmann died in the Philippines in 1974 after more than forty years of service. In 1975, President Ferdinand Marcos posthumously granted him Filipino citizenship, a rare honor recognizing his extraordinary contributions to the nation. His cause for canonization was first opened in Manila in December 2015, with competence transferred from New York. Cardinal Jose Advincula of Manila reopened the cause in July 2022.

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