By Judie Brown
Perhaps you have not had the honor of meeting someone as saintly as Father Aloysius Schwartz, but this holy man, who was recently elevated to the level of venerable, should truly be an inspiration to all of us. One writer tells the truth about this holy priest, explaining that “more than 20,000 children—in 17 Catholic Boystowns and Girlstowns spread across the world—couldn’t be happier.” Why? “These children rejoice because they are the Lazarus’s [sic] pulled from the tomb by the Sisters of Mary, a religious order founded by Fr. Al in 1964.”
Father Al was committed to the Blessed Mother with every fiber of his being. His commitment to love led him to found the Sisters of Mary and the Sisters of Mary World Villages for Children. So enamored was he by the light of love-starved poor children that he gave himself totally to the work at hand. The Sisters acknowledge Father Al at every turn saying, “He was a missionary priest who spent his life bringing hope to the world’s underprivileged, particularly children.”
It may seem redundant to repeatedly take note of his commitment to needy children, but it goes to the heart of who this amazing man really was. He was so committed to being Christ’s servant that he set an example worthy of note to anyone who is devoted to saving and defending children of any age, including preborn babies.
Father Al taught by example that one must renounce himself, take up his cross, and follow Christ in order to do His work. The sisters follow his example.
Kevin Wells writes, “How do these sisters attain this level of renunciation, bravery, and tireless work ethic? Each sister walks in the footsteps of Fr. Al, their spiritual father, who once told them, ‘Our role is to mingle our blood with the blood of Christ—and to shed our blood with that of Christ to the poor. The way we serve is to have a constant crown of thorns.’”
It is those words that command our attention in the pro-life vineyard. For we know as certainly as night follows day that the poorest of poor children are those whose life begins miraculously only to be snuffed out by attitudes of rejection, denial, egoism, fear, and self-centeredness. What preborn baby would not give herself totally to the poverty of destitute children if only given the chance to be born?
Finally, reflecting on this amazing priest and his struggles against so many obstacles, including the ALS that ultimately claimed his life, we are called to think about Father Al’s legacy, read Wells’ book about him (Priest and Beggar), and remember that every time we step out in faith to save, defend, and protect the innocent, we are following in the footsteps of humble, loving fathers and saints who have already walked that path. Yes, for so many it is a road to Calvary or a crown of thorns created by suffering and defeat, but in our world today we need more heroes like Father Al.
Today as many people await the ultimate canonization of the Venerable Monsignor Aloysius Schwartz, there is a quote of his worthy of our contemplation: “When you pray, you only have to ask for two things: You should ask for the light to see the will of God, and you have to ask for the courage to be able to do the will of God.”
Those words not only represent the courageous life of a man who bore his own crown of thorns, but hopefully our lives as well. His legacy brings to mind the Peace Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, which says in part, “Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted, to understand, than to be understood, to love, than to be loved.”