Aloysius Philip Schwartz (September 18, 1930 – March 16, 1992), commonly known as Fr. Al Schwartz, was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
Roman Catholic
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*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
priest who began charity programs for poor orphans in Korea, the Philippines, and Mexico, and founded the Sisters of Mary of
Banneux
Banneux () is a village of Wallonia in the municipality of Sprimont, district of Louveigné, located in the province of Liège, Belgium.
It is known because of the reported Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Banneux
Our Lady of Banneux, or Our ...
and the Brothers of Christ. He is venerated in the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, having been declared
Venerable
The Venerable (''venerabilis'' in Latin) is a style, a title, or an epithet which is used in some Western Christian churches, or it is a translation of similar terms for clerics in Eastern Orthodoxy and monastics in Buddhism.
Christianity
Cathol ...
by
Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
.
Early life and family
Schwartz was born in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, United States to Louis Schwartz and Cedelia Bourassa, the third of eight children. His father sold furniture door-to-door, and his mother had come to work in Washington, D.C., during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, where she met her future husband. His mother died of cancer when he was 16 years old.
Seminary life and ordination
In 1944, he entered
St. Charles Seminary in
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
. He finished his B.A. degree at
Maryknoll College.
He came to know the Belgian ''Société des Auxiliaires des Missions'' (S.A.M.), founded by
Vincent Lebbe, the so-called "Apostle of Modern China." Its primary purpose was to organize European secular priests working under indigenous bishops' jurisdictions in Africa and Asia. He studied theology at
Louvain Catholic University
Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic ...
in Belgium. He would spend his vacations helping at the
rag picker
Rag, rags, RAG or The Rag may refer to:
Common uses
* Rag, a piece of old cloth
* Rags, tattered clothes
* Rag (newspaper), a publication engaging in tabloid journalism
* Rag paper, or cotton paper
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Rags'' (1915 ...
s’ camps for French society's derelicts.
He was ordained as a diocesan priest on June 29, 1957, at St. Martin's Church, Washington D.C., by Bishop McNamara. He offered to work under the Bishop of
Busan
Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...
in South Korea. He was accepted and legally separated from the S.A.M.
Work in Korea and the Philippines
On December 8, 1957, he arrived in Korea. As a consequence of the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, there were many widows, orphans, beggars, and street children. Almost one-half of the adult population were not employed productively, so they resorted to selling rags and waste paper, begging, and stealing.
One day he collapsed while saying Mass, and was diagnosed with
hepatitis
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal pa ...
. His recovery was slow, so he was advised to go back to the United States; without money for his fare, he begged for transportation by an American ship. In the US, he made mission appeals at parish masses on Sundays to raise funds for the poor in Korea.
In December 1961, he returned to Korea and was assigned as a pastor of St. Joseph's Parish. He organized the Legion of Mary ladies to assist him in helping the poor. He founded the Religious Congregation of the Sisters of Mary on August 15, 1964, in
Anam-dong
Anam-dong is a '' dong'', neighbourhood of Seongbuk-gu in Seoul, South Korea.
Notable places
* Korea University
* Gaeunsa (개운사 開運寺)
* Botasa (보타사 普陀寺)
See also
*Administrative divisions of South Korea
South Korea is ...
and, on May 10, 1981, the Brothers of Christ.
Together with the sisters and brothers, Schwartz established Boystowns and Girlstowns to care for and educate the orphans, street children, and children of impoverished families up to their late teens. They also built hospitals and sanatoriums for very needy patients and hostels for homeless and disabled older men, mentally disabled children, and unwed mothers.
In 1983 he was a recipient of the
Ramon Magsaysay Award
The Ramon Magsaysay Award (Filipino: ''Gawad Ramon Magsaysay'') is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealis ...
for International Understanding, an award given annually in honour of
President
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*President (corporate title)
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*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Ramón F. Magsaysay. He met Cardinal
Jaime Sin
Jaime Lachica Sin ( zh, t=辛海梅, 辛海棉, poj=Sin Hái-mûi, Sin Hái-mî; August 31, 1928 – June 21, 2005), commonly and formally known as Jaime Cardinal Sin, was the 30th Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila and the third cardinal from ...
, the then
Archbishop of Manila
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila ( lat, Archidioecesis Manilensis; fil, Arkidiyosesis ng Maynilà; es, Arquidiócesis de Manila) is the archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Metro Manila, Philippines, encompassing ...
, who invited him to set up his Religious Community in the Archdiocese of Manila.
In 1985 he founded the Sisters of Mary at Sta. Mesa, Manila, expanding his charity programs. Buildings were constructed, and children from the slum and impoverished areas were recruited.
Illness and death
In 1989, he was diagnosed to have a terminal illness,
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most comm ...
(ALS). Despite his deteriorating health, he established Boystown and Girlstown in Mexico, which he called his "unfinished symphony." His illness made him immobile, and he continued his work in a wheelchair. He celebrated Mass daily, prayed, heard confessions, and preached. Schwartz died on March 16, 1992, at the Girlstown in
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
, and was buried at the Boystown in
Silang, Cavite
Silang, officially the Municipality of Silang ( tgl, Bayan ng Silang), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 295,644 people.
Silang is located in the eastern ...
, now Girlstown.
Legacy
The Sisters of Mary and the Brothers of Christ continue to serve tens of thousands of the poorest of the poor in Korea, the Philippines, Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, Honduras, and Tanzania. More than 170,000 impoverished children have graduated from their boarding schools and are now gainfully-employed, others become successful in their own businesses and some have become priests and religious following the example of Venerable Msgr. Aloysius Schwartz.
The official opening of the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of Aloysius Schwartz took place at the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Metropolitan Cathedral, Intramuros, Manila, the Philippines, on December 10, 2003. On May 29, 2004, at The Sisters of Mary Girlstown Complex, Bo. Biga, Silang
Cavite
Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest ...
, Philippines, Socrates B. Villegas, Auxiliary Bishop of Manila and Episcopal Delegate on behalf of Gaudencio Rosales,
Archbishop of Manila
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila ( lat, Archidioecesis Manilensis; fil, Arkidiyosesis ng Maynilà; es, Arquidiócesis de Manila) is the archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Metro Manila, Philippines, encompassing ...
, declared the archdiocesan process of the beatification and canonization of Aloysius Schwartz closed.
On October 6, 2012, the ''Positio Super Vita Virtutibus et Fama Sanctitatis'' was submitted to Cardinal Angelo Amato, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The Theologians studied it. The Special Congress of the Theological Consultors gave its favorable vote on March 6, 2014. The cardinals and bishops in the Ordinary Session of December 16, 2014, chaired by Cardinal Angelo Amato, affirmed that Aloysius Schwartz had exercised the theological, cardinal, and concomitant virtues to a heroic degree.
On January 22, 2015,
Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
ordered that the Decree of the Heroic Virtues of Venerable Aloysius Schwartz be promulgated. On March 14, 2015, a Eucharistic Celebration, presided over by Cardinal
Luis Antonio Tagle
Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle ( ; ; born June 21, 1957) is a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church currently serving as the Pro-Prefect for the Section of Evangelization of Dicastery for Evangelization (formerly the Congregation for the Evangeli ...
of
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
, was held at the Sisters of Mary Girlstown in Silang, Cavite, the Philippines in thanksgiving for the Promulgation of the Decree, attended by the Sisters of Mary, Brothers of Christ and almost nine thousand children of Fr. Al's Boystowns and Girlstowns, graduates from Korea, Philippines, and Mexico, benefactors and friends from different countries.
External links
The Sisters of Mary SchoolsWorld Villages for ChildrenFr. Al's Children Foundation, Inc.Alumni of the Sisters of Mary School, Inc. (ASMSI)The Brothers of Christ of BanneuxSisters of Mary of BannuexFather Al's Journey Toward Sainthood
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schwartz, Aloysius
1930 births
1992 deaths
20th-century American Roman Catholic priests
20th-century venerated Christians
American venerated Catholics
Miriam College alumni
People from Washington, D.C.
Venerated Catholics by Pope Francis