St. Expeditus: Patron Saint of Speedy Causes

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St. Expeditus:  Patron Saint of Speedy Causes The venerated image of St. Expeditus in  the Lipa Cathedral In the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Sebastian in Lipa City is a venerated image of a young Roman Centurion saint named Expeditus. Every month of April, a nine day novena in his honor is held in the cathedral that culminates in the celebration of his feast day on the 19th of the month. Who is this saint whose intercession was also invoked in the Oratio Imperata  to avert a catastrophic eruption of Taal Volcano prepared by the Archdiocese of Lipa when the volcano exhibited extra-ordinary activity early  in January, 2020?  St. Expeditus could have found affinity with the Lipenos since the martyr shares a lot of commonality with St. Sebastian, the city’s patron. St. Expeditus, like St. Sebastian was also a young Roman soldier who converted to Christianity and was also martyred as a consequence, during the period of Diocletian persecution.  Hence, a devo...
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Filipino Saints 7: Venerable Aloysius Schwartz

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Venerable Aloysius Schwartz (1930 - 1992)

Ama ng mga Dukha, Tagapagtatag ng Sisters of Mary Boys and Girls Town Complexes

Bagama't hindi Pilipino, ginugol ni Fr. Al ang maraming taon sa kanyang buhay una sa Korea, at pagkatapos sa Pilipinas sa pagpatnubay at pagtulong sa mga kabataan sa pamamagitan ng mga Boys and Girls Town complexes na itinayo niya sa Sta. Mesa, Maynila, Silang, Cavite at sa Talisay City at Minglanila sa Cebu.  Masasabing Pilipinong-pilipino na rin siya sa kanyang pagpapahalaga at pagmamahal sa kapakanan ng mga kabataang Pilipino.

Si Fr. Al, ang pangalan kung saan siya ay mas lalong kilala ay isinilang noong Setyembre 18, 1930 sa Washington, D.C., Estados Unidos kina Louis Schwartz at Cedelila Bourasa.  Taong 1944 nang siya ay pumasok sa Seminaryo ng San Carlos sa Maryland, nagtapos ng kursong Bachelor of Arts sa Maryknoll College at pagkatapos ay pumasok sa isang samahang pangmisyon at nagpatuloy ng pag-aaral ng Theolohiya sa Catholic University of Louvaine.  Siya ay inordenahang pari noong taong 1957 at nadestino sa Busan, Timog Korea.

Sa Korea, ginugol niya ang kanyang buhay sa pagtulong sa mga dukha, habang siya mismo ay nabuhay ding mahirap gaya ng mga taong kanyang tinutulungan at pinaglilingkuran,

Habang siya ay seminarista pa lamang sa Catholic University sa Louvain, siya ay nagsagawa ng maraming pagbisita sa dambana ng Mahal na Ina ng mga Dukha sa Banneux at sa pamamagitan nito, nakadama siya ng malalim na kapayapaan at kaliwanagan at kanyang natiyak ang kalooban ng Diyos sa kanyang pagnanais na mamuhay nang dukha at ialay ang kanyang buhay para sa birheng Maria, Ina ng mga Dukha.

Taong 1964, sinimulan ni Msgr. Aloysius ang kanyang mga programang pagkakawang-gawa; ang pagpapatayo ng mga tahanan para sa mga kabataang lalaki at babae upang mangalaga at magbigay edukasyon sa mga ulila, batang lansangan, at mga kabataan na nagmumula sa mga pinakamahihirap na pamilya sa Korea, nang sa ganoon, mabigyan sila ng magandang kinabukasan.

Noong 1985, dinala niya ang kanyang programa sa Pilipinas (na ngayon ay nangangalaga sa 11,284 na kabataan)  sa imbitasyon ng Arsobispo ng Maynila, Jaime Cardinal Sin.  Ang lahat ng ito ay naging posible sa tulong ng mga kongregasyon na kanyang itinatag: Ang Sisters of Mary at ang Brothers of Christ.  Ang kanyang mga gawaing pang-kawanggawa ay binigyang pagkilala ng maraming samahan sa buong mundo at isa na rito ang Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding (kaparehong pagkilalang ipinagkaloob kay Mother Teresa ng Calcutta noong 1963) na iginawad sa kanya noong taong 1983.  Ang tagumpay ng kanyang mga programa at lahat ng kanyang ginagawa ay ipinapatungkol niya sa Mahal na Ina ng Diyos. 

Ang kanyang huling tatlong taon sa daigdig ay punong-puno ng sakit at pagdurusa sa karamdamang ALS.  Ngunit sa kabila ng deteryorasyon ng kanyang pisikal na lakas, epekto ng iniindang karamadaman at kahit nasa wheel chair, ipinagpatuloy pa rin niya ang kanyang gawain na may malalim at nangingibabaw na kasiyahan.  Hindi naigupo ng karamdaman ang pagnanais ni Fr. Al na maglingkod at magmahal sa kapwa at itinuring pa niya ang kanyang pagkakasakit na isang "regalo" buhat sa Diyos.  

Binawian ng buhay si Msgr. Aloysisus noong Marso 16, 1992 sa lungsod ng Maynila at inilibing sa Girls Town compound ng mga Sisters of Mary sa Silang, Cavite sa ilalim ng altar ng kapilya na replika ng Simbahan ng Mahal na Ina ng mga Dukha sa Banneux.   

Siya ay kinilalang Venerable noong Enero 22, 2015 ni Papa Francisco.

Ang kongregasyon ng Sisters of Mary ay ginawaran ng Pontifical Approval noong Marso 2, 2000 at ang Brothers of Christ, ng Diocesan Right noong September 15, 1999.  Puno ng pananalig at pagtitiwala sa Diyos, ipinagpapatuloy nila ang gawain ni Monsignor Al sa pagtulong, pagkupkop at pagbibigay edukasyon sa libo-libong pinakamahihirap na mga kabataan mula sa mga bansang Korea, Pilipinas, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras at Brazil.  

Ang Sisters of Mary School Complex na matatagpuan sa Silang, Cavite

Mga Pinagsanggunian:

Brief History on the Founder of The Sisters of Mary Schools, Monsignor Aloysius Schwartz retrieved from http://www.thesistersofmaryschools.edu.ph/our_founder.php on April 10, 2020.

PCNE Calendar 2019. 

"Promulgation of the Decree of Heroic Virtues of Venerable Aloysius Schwartz." retrieved from https://fatheralsainthood.org/his-journey-on-earth/ fr. Al's journey to sainthood. January 6, 2019.

Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 18, 2021 at 11:11 AM

    Thank you for making an article about the works of Fr. Al and his generosity. God bless you and more power, 🙏

    ReplyDelete

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