BISHOP
KEVIN J.
SWEENEY
As far as I can recall, I had never heard of Father Aloysius Schwartz until a few weeks ago, on this past Oct. 6. On that day, I had the privilege of celebrating Mass with all of the teachers and administrators of our Diocesan Catholic Schools. Our Superintendent of Schools, Mary Baier, and the staff of our Diocesan Schools Office had planned and organized a professional day for our teachers and administrators. St. Elizabeth’s University, in Convent Station, graciously hosted the day on their campus.
In preparing for the Mass and the homily, I had decided that I wanted to speak about Blessed Carlo Acutis and a wonderful little book that was written about his life and his “5 steps to being a saint.” More than two years ago, in the spring of 2021, I was introduced to the book Blessed Carlo Acutis — 5 Steps to Being a Saint by Msgr. Anthony Figueiredo.
Along with Superintendent Baier, I had decided that I would like to give the book to each of the teachers and administrators who attended the professional day, which I shared as part of my homily at Mass. After the Mass, a number of the teachers and administrators thanked me, but one of them, a teacher from Pope John High School in Sussex, said to me that one of the best books he had read was called “Priest and Beggar.” He mentioned that it was the story of the life of an amazing missionary priest, Father Aloysius Schwartz. He shared that he and his family had recently visited an orphanage in Mexico that was run by a community of religious women, the “Sisters of Mary,” which had been founded by this priest, “Father Al.”
The title of the book “Priest and Beggar” and the teacher’s enthusiasm for the “amazing story” stayed with me. Later in the day, I searched for the title of the book on my “Audible” (Audio Books) account. I was able to easily find the book, written by a former sports writer, Kevin Wells, and released on May 25, 2021, but released on “Audible” only five months ago, on May 10, 2023. You can find it on Amazon here.
I decided to buy the audio version of “Priest and Beggar,” interrupt the book I had been listening to, and began listening — I was “blown away!” The author compares Father Al’s life and work to that of Mother Teresa (St. Teresa of Calcutta). If you read the book and/or get to know Father Al’s story, you will learn that it is a “fair comparison.” You might ask, “If his life and work were similar to that of Mother Teresa, why have so few people heard of him?” The author says that part of the reason is that Father Al did not want to be “known,” but it can also be a reminder to us, as we approach All Saints Day, that there are people of unique and heroic goodness and sanctity all over the world. All those “saints” are known to God and to those whose lives they touch, but only a small percentage are known to the world or have a “cause” opened in the Church to see whether they may be canonized.
In the case of Father Aloysius Schwartz (Sept. 18, 1930–March 16, 1992), his cause for canonization has, in fact, been “opened.” Pope Francis declared him “Venerable” on Jan. 22, 2015. You can find a great deal of information about Father Al, his life, and his ministry on the internet. There is a good article at ncregister.com. But you can get a really good introduction to Father Al and to the community of sisters he founded by going to the community’s website.
In the interest of space, I will not try to summarize the life and story recounted in “Priest and Beggar” and shared on the website of the Sisters of Mary and their World Villages for Children. I will encourage you to learn about Father Aloysius Schwartz. In addition to highly recommending the book and the “World Villages” website, I will also recommend listening to a talk given by the author, Kevin Wells, which is available on YouTube. You can find it by searching for the title of the video: “Kevin Wells ‘Priest and Beggar’ — The Saintly Life of Venerable Aloysius Schwartz.” The talk is 1 hour and 15 minutes, but it is a truly inspiring testimony of faith, and if you take the time to listen to it, I think you will agree with me that it is “time well spent.”
“Surprised by Joy” is the title used by C.S. Lewis for an autobiography of his “early life.” In the past month, I have been “surprised” to learn about the inspiring story of the life and holiness of Father Aloysius Schwartz. In learning about Father Al, I am happy to recall that the beauty of our Catholic Faith and the lives and examples of the saints (canonized and “un-canonized”) can continue to surprise us and inspire us to live lives of deeper faith, hope, and charity. I have not yet had the chance to say “Thank You” to the teacher at Pope John, who “introduced” me to Venerable Father Aloysius Schwartz, but I plan to do so and to continue learning more about the Sisters of Mary and the World Villages for Children. The author, Kevin Wells, says in his talk that he believes that the sisters and the children they care for (and those who work with them and support them) may be helping to “save” (bring about renewal in) the Catholic Church. Another way to reflect on their witness as we celebrate All Saints Day is to recall what we learn from the history and teachings of the Church: we believe that, as individuals and as a community, we are called to a “continual renewal” to daily conversion. That is one of the lessons that the “lives of the saints” can teach us. It is definitely something that the life of Father Al, “priest and beggar,” can teach us.
I will close with a quote from the article cited above in the National Catholic Register:
In 1989, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — a fatal, degenerative condition. This cross marked his final years with patience and humility. In 1984, he had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but as he was wasting away, he told his sister he would be happy if his gravestone read, “Here lies Father Al. He tried his best for Jesus.” He died at the Girlstown in Manila on March 16, 1992, and was declared venerable by Pope Francis on Jan. 22, 2015.