Servant of God Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin

Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin (Russian: Дими́трий Дими́триевич Голи́цын, romanized: Dimitry Dimitrievich Golitsyn, December 22, 1770 – May 6, 1840) was an emigre Russian aristocrat and Catholic priest known as "The Apostle of the Alleghenies" and also in the United States as Prince Gallitzin. He was a member of the House of Golitsyn. Since 2005, he has been under consideration for canonization by the Catholic Church. His current title is Servant of God, granted by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. Gallitzin was born into nobility on December 22, 1770 at The Hague. His father, Prince Dimitri Alexeievich, the Russian ambassador to the Netherlands, was an intimate friend of Voltaire and a follower of Diderot. His mother was the Prussian Countess Adelheid Amalie von Schmettau, the daughter of Field Marshall Samuel von Schmettau. When Prince Demitri was about two years old, the Empress Catherine the Great visited The Hague, and as a sign of special favor to his father, cradled the child in her arms and appointed the boy an officer of the guard. He was raised as a nominal member of the Russian Orthodox Church, although his father, like many Russian aristocrats of his age, had little connection to or fondness for religion. As was fashionable at the time, the household's language was French, which was Prince Dmitri's native tongue. In his youth, his most constant companion was William Frederick, son of William V, then reigning Stadtholder of the Netherlands. This friendship continued even after William became King of the Netherlands and Duke of Luxemburg as William I. Each summer, his mother would take Dimitri and his sister traveling to the principal cities of Germany, explaining to them important geographical or historical features. Demetri was, by nature, rather reserved and timid. His sister made friends more readily, but Dimitri kept them longer.