‘My Dad Guarded the Pope’

Chatham parishioner points with pride to father’s service in Swiss Guard under Pope Pius XII

CHATHAM  When the Pope gives you a command, follow it.

Bill Eberle was still a young man in his 20s, but his strong sense of duty drove him always to remember — and then follow — that most important rule, while serving as a member of the Swiss Guard at the Vatican from 1949 to 1952. He recalls applying the rule once as he stood in front of a crowd outside as he protected the Pope at the time, Pius XII, during a public appearance. The Holy Father who reigned from 1939 until his death in 1958, asked Eberle to step aside, so he could get closer to greet the crowd. So he compiled.

“Bill’s commander reprimanded him, but he told his commander that the Pope told him to do it. So he did it,” said 49-year-old Joe Eberle of St. Patrick Parish here, who shared the story of his father, Bill Eberle, who often engaged in conversation with the Pope, during his five years as a Swiss Guard. “The Pope called my father ‘Willy.’ My dad liked Pope Pius and thought that he was kind, spiritual and — like the current Pope, Francis — very outgoing,” he said.

Joe Eberle felt the presence of this father, who died last year, when he attended Mass with Pope Francis and up to 1 million faithful on Sept. 27 in Philadelphia. A married father of three, he brought his youngest child, Matthew, who is a sixth-grader at St. Patrick School, to the historic outdoor liturgy.

“My father would have enjoyed the Mass. He used to tell us, when a new Pope was elected, ‘I like this one.’ He enjoyed and was proud of his time in the Swiss Guard,” Joe Eberle said. “People often look at their decorative uniforms and don’t realize that they take an oath to protect the Pope, even if that means giving their lives. Being a Swiss Guard is more than ceremonial,” he said.

The Swiss Guard protects the Pope, the staff, visiting dignitaries and historic basilicas, cathedrals, chapels and administrative buildings. Bill Eberle manned posts around the Eternal City and would take time to speak to tourists about the significance of area that he was guarding. He wore a uniform with a distinctly Renaissance appearance of blue, red, orange and yellow with a black beret, Joe Eberle said.

During his tenure, the Swiss Guard never thwarted any attempts on the Pope Pius’ life, but he did block a person with his halberd — a pole weapon topped by a blade — from coming too close to the Pontiff at the wrong time. Today, Swiss Guards also carry firearms. Bill Eberle received several medals and commendations, including official recognition for coordinating security for the canonization of St. Nicholas von Flue in 1947.

The story of Bill Eberle’s service in the Swiss Guard starts in his hometown of Winterthur, Switzerland, near the capital of Zurich. His parents, Paula and Wilhelm, took their seven children to Mass weekly at the Cathedral of Ss. Peter and Paul. Bill Eberle served as an altar boy. His family did not have finances to provide him with the education to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a police officer so he decided to apply for the Swiss Guard.

He met all the requirements: Swiss ancestry, at least 21 years old, unmarried, physically fit, good conduct and proof that he was a faithful Catholic. He left the Swiss Guard at 26 years old because he felt called to family life, even though he had not yet met his wife, Cecilia.

In search of a new challenge, he traveled to Canada where worked as a lumberjack and installing gas lines. Later, he moved to U.S. settling in Brooklyn N.Y. where he married Cecilia in 1962. They moved to Hicksville, L.I., where they lived for 50 years and took their four children to Mass weekly. Bill worked for Grumman in shipping and receiving, Joe Eberle said.

“We had a strong Catholic upbringing as a family. My father believed in peace in the family. He would say, ‘If you have peace in the family, you have peace in the world,’ ” said Joe Eberle, whose mother died in 2013 of Alzheimer’s disease. “My father took his responsibility to care for my mother during her long illness seriously.”

Both Bill and Cecilia Eberle passed down that strong sense of faith and duty to their children, all of whom are practicing Catholics. Joe and his wife Sue, an occupational therapist, have three children, including two St. Patrick School graduates and, Matthew, a current student. Their older daughters attend Catholic colleges: Alex at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut and Claire at the University of Scranton. Pa. Joe Eberle belongs to the Knights of Columbus — as his father did — and coaches track and cross-country at the parish school.

Recently, Joe Eberle connected the pride that he feels about his father’s service in the Swiss Guard with his joy in attending the Papal Mass in Philadelphia in a reflection that he wrote in St. Patrick’s bulletin.

“Growing up, I heard many stories about my father’s time in the Vatican. It gave me added meaning to the experience of taking my son to the Papal Mass in Philadelphia,” Joe Eberle wrote. “The energy and passion of the people who came to pray with Pope Francis was unmatched. Matthew and I were able to reflect upon his message and truly appreciate the significance of the day. It was a day that both of us will never forget.”