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By Erika Anderson, Staff Writer
CONYERS—It was done quietly and without fanfare, this
milestone in the priest’s life.
On July 28, Father Lawrence Swartz, OCSO, celebrated the 75th
anniversary of his entrance into monastic life.
The 94-year-old priest, known for his keen sense of humor and
joke-telling abilities, was honored at a Mass held in the Abbey Church of the
Monastery of the Holy Spirit. Family members, fellow monks and other supporters
attended the Mass, celebrated by the abbot, Dom M. Basil Pennington. Archbishop
John F. Donoghue was the homilist for the Mass, which also marked the 50th
anniversary of entrance into monastic life and the 70th birthday of Dom
Pennington.
In his homily, the archbishop spoke of the seed and continual
blossoming of a vocation and call to obedience.
“It is simple enough to say we seek God, and to make that
declaration before the authorities who seek both to help us, and to weigh the
sincerity of our intention—for we all face such authority, and such
scrutiny, no matter whether we are brother, priest, abbot, or bishop,” he
said. “It was the way of Christ with His disciples—it is the way of
His Church, the way of the passing of authority, the way that vocation is
ascertained, formed, hewn, polished, and finally, revealed for what it must be,
a mirror of the love of God—for the love of God is the only worthy
motivation to live the religious life, to live the life of community, the only
energy which can successfully transform self-will into that most delectable
liniment of religious life—obedience to one and all.”
“And obedience is, for brother, priest, abbot and bishop, the
real work of God—love, without murmuring—love, that costs us
ourselves,” the archbishop continued. “It is God’s blessing upon
us, that the true nature of the humiliations we face, the ‘opprobria’
as the Latin so beautifully sounds the concept—that the true nature of
these opprobria are not shame or guilt, but rather the weight of God’s
clothing on us-—what Isaiah speaks of as the ‘garment of salvation,
and the robe of righteousness...’ Not worn in pride, but in the awareness
that our eternal marriage to the Lord, awaits us all before too long—first
in death and then in risen life.”
The archbishop then spoke of the triviality of age, saying
“your abbot is seventy—I am on the eve of seventy-three—and
Father Lawrence has us beat by a considerable stretch, as he marches on through
his nineties.”
“But dear brothers, the weighing of such numbers is just a
mortal conceit—an entertaining scale on which we can place ourselves,
balance our time-frames, trying to remember more than we can or should, while
at the same time, looking forward to more years than we perhaps deserve,”
he said. “God on High sees this, and must smile to know, as He only knows,
the smallness of our years—their smallness as we totter, a short time, a
long time, upon the threshold of space and time—and their forgotten
length, as we make ready to enter into the endless hymn of His Glory, and come
to the reward of our original goal, ‘to seek Him all the days of our
lives.’”
Following the archbishop’s homily, the Mass continued in its
perfect simplicity with the four monks of the schola, accompanied by an organ,
leading those in the congregation.
Following Communion, Dom Pennington prayed a prayer of blessing
and then presented Father Swartz with the jubilarian’s staff—a wooden
staff topped with a small statue of St. Benedict.
“Receive this staff, which is a symbol of the Cross of
Christ, which sustains you in your old age,” he said. “You can use it
henceforth not only to sustain your bodily strength but to obtain spiritual
strength from Jesus Christ, our Savior, who in the Gospels called us, saying
‘Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened and I will refresh
you.’ May he be blessed forever.”
Following the Mass, the monks and others made their way through
the cloister to a small room for a reception with wine and cheese. After a meal
blessing prayed by Archbishop Donoghue, everyone gathered for a meal, complete
with a large chocolate cake celebrating Dom Pennington’s birthday and
Father Swartz’s anniversary.
Father Swartz, a native of Fall City, Texas, was born Thomas
Swierc on April 30, 1907, and changed his name to Swartz in 1963. He entered
the Cistercian order at Gethsemani in Kentucky in 1926 at the age of 19.
His life as a young monk was mostly filled with farming, gardening
and building. After an increase of vocations, several of the monks founded the
new monastery in Conyers. Father Swartz arrived at the Monastery of the Holy
Spirit in 1945, and in earlier writings, said that coming to Georgia was like
“entering paradise, the healthiest days in my life.”
The life of a monk then was strict and silent, with a day
consisting of prayer, work and study. Today, though the monks are free to
speak, prayer and work are still the heart of their lives. Father Swartz is
still seen working every day in the monastery’s bonsai greenhouse.
At his party, Father Swartz remarked on the passing of time.
“It seems very short to me,” he said. “(This day)
reminds me of God’s many blessings in my life.”
The humorous priest said that he never thought he’d see his
75th anniversary.
“When I came I expected to die within 30 years,” he
kidded. “If someone had told me it would be 75 years, I’d have
plunged myself head first into a ditch.”
Father Swartz said that monastic life is “very
different” than it used to be.
“They call it updating,” he said. “It used to be
penance, penance, penance; now it’s prayer, prayer, prayer.”
Father Swartz said that though he was glad his niece and
great-niece attended the Mass, he had planned to spend his anniversary “in
peace.”
“But Abbot Basil invited everyone but President Bush,”
he joked.
In speaking of the uncle who named her, Bernadette Jiral is moved
to tears.
“I remember my Daddy always talking about what a great man he
was and what a great sacrifice he made,” she said. “It was a great
honor for the family to have someone enter into this life.”
She first met Father Swartz 13 years ago, when she decided to come
visit the uncle of whom she’d often heard.
“He was exactly what I expected him to be,” she said.
“He was very cordial, very gentle and very understanding.”
It was important for her to venture from San Antonio to attend the
anniversary Mass.
“He’s special. He’s the only uncle we have left. He
has been a great inspiration to our family, as far as faith is related,”
she said, adding that many in her family serve as lay ministers in the church.
Joyce Foegelle, great niece of Father Swartz, also tears up when
speaking of the priest.
“He is the last surviving brother of my grandfather,”
she said. “When I met him four years ago, he reminded me of my Grandpa.
They have the same kind of personality, the same stories.”
She said that her uncle is a testament to healthy living and
honoring one’s heart.
“He is so devoted and is such an inspiration to us as far as
staying true to what your goal is,” she said. “He is really precious
to us.” |
