I paused for a month due to busy schedules. Today, I have some spare time and think about whose life of saint I will tackle. All of a sudden, I think about Fr. Al, my spiritual Tatay, my hero, my inspiration. His journey to sainthood has started. I mean the process for his canonization has just started. It's a long way to go before the Catholic Church declare him a saint, but for me and for my other brothers and sisters, and to those whose lives he touched, he's already a SAINT.
Who is Father Al?
He is unknown to many. Only few has learned of his life and I take this duty, as his child, to make him known even not to all but to many people.
Father Al was born on September 18, 1930 in Washington, D.C from his parents Louis F. Schwartz and Cedelia A. Bourassa. He had his elementary education in Holy Name Elementary School, Washington, D.C. in the year 1936-1944. He entered St. Charles Minor Seminary in Catonsville, Maryland on 1944-1948 and has his B.A. Degree in Maryknoll College in Lakewood, New Jersey and Glen Ellen, Illinois from 1948-1952. In 1953, he took Theology in Louvain University, Belgium and finished the degree in 1957. June 29, 1957 was his dreamt ordination to priesthood in St. Martin's Church Washington, D.C. during that time Bishop McNamara was the Auxiliary Bishop of Washington.
His journey to a life dedicated to service of God through the service of men started on December 8, 1957. This was the day he arrived in Korea where he was assigned in the Diocese of Busan, Korea. It was during the time when Korea was at its lowest state due to Korean War. There were many orphans, widows, beggars, street children and unemployed. However, Fr. Aloysius was forced to go back to US after a month of stay due to affliction of Hepatitis. He didn't immediately return to Korea. While working for his recovery, in 1959-1961, he toured U.S. and Europe with a Korean Bishop to raise money for the missions. On March 1961, he established Korean Relief, Inc., fundraising Operation in Washington, D.C.
It was on December 1961, 3 years after, he was able to return. His come back was with a firm purpose of helping people in Korea. He was assigned as a pastor of St. Joseph parish. He lived a life of poverty, serving his parishioners especially the needy. He then organized the Legion of Mary Ladies to assist him in helping the poor.
In 1963-1969 he initiated Operation Hanky Self-help Embroidery Program in Busan, Korea which employed 3,000 slum dwellers.
On August 15, 1964, he founded the Sisters of Mary in Amnamdong Busan, Korea, (originally called the Mariahwe Sisters, a religious group now numbering 300 sisters working in Korea, Philippines, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras & Brazil). This was also the day when he began family-unit orphan program in Busan, Korea. They accepted first group of orphans. On September 1966, opened first dispensary in slums in Busan and in the following year 1967, he opened another two more slum dispensaries in Amnamdong and Bosudong in Busan, Korea. That same year he resigned as pastor and worked full time with the Orphan Program.
His work continued to flourish. His mission was successful which paved way to the establishment of the following charitable institutions: Amni-Dong Free Middle School for Children in Busan, Korea on December 1968; Operation of Kuhoso Sanatorium in Busan, on July 1969; Amnandong School in Busan, a middle school for boys and became first Boystown Program on October 1969; Sisters of Mary Mercy Hospital, October 25, 1970; Elementary School, Middle School, Technical School, 1972-1976 (All future Boystown/Girlstown Programs would include a fully accredited school program). On January 6, 1981, he began program for 400 severely retarded children and took over care of 1,800 destitute and homeless men in Seoul, Korea who were taking care of by the Society of the Brothers of Christ Religious Order founded by Fr. Al himself on May 10, the same year. On June 29, 1982, the silver year of his priesthood, he built the second Sisters of Mary Doty Memorial Hospital in Seoul, Korea which cater 120 bed full-service hospital which is totally free for the poor.
Fr. Al did not stop where he started. He responded to a more challenging job of spreading his mission to the world. He gave in to the request of Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin to start his noble work in the Philippines. Moved with pity, he founded "heaven on earth" in the Philippines located in Bacood Sta. Mesa Manila which was inaugurated on August 15, 1986. The facility can accommodate 3500 poor deserving children (where I myself is a beneficiary, 10th batch). Other than that, for almost 7 years (1985-1992), The Sisters of Mary operated the Charity Pavilion at Quezon Institute serving 2,000 tuberculosis patients for free until the government closed the facility.
Fr. Al is a hero not only for the children whom he gave shelter, food, education but for all the families he was able to help because of his wonderful deeds.
However, our hero is also human. He was afflicted with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and was diagnosed on October 1989. Despite his health situation, he did not stop with his charity. He continue working and serving even it's hard for him to move because the sickness tied him up in the wheelchair. He accepted the pain with joy. He treated his sickness as gift so he lived with it fully.He devotedly delivered mass, spending hours in the blessed sacrament, praying the rosary, hearing confessions from the children, inculcating virtues of truth , justice, chastity, charity and humility through his words and example. Despite his physical weakness, the work continued.
On August 23, 1990 another Girlstown Program was inaugurated in Talisay Cebu at full capacity serves 3000 girls. On September 12, 1990, the program went overseas again and was established in Chalco Mexico. On July 31, 1991, Boystown Program in Silang Cavite was also inaugurated which also serves 3000 youngsters (now Girlstown; Manila campus was moved here; boys were transferred to new facility near it, the Boystown ADLAS Silang Cavite.
SMS FACILITIES IN THE PHILIPPINES:
- The Sisters of Mary Girlstown, Biga Campus
- The Sisters of Mary Boystown, Adlas Campus
- The Sisters of Mary Girlstown, Talisay Cebu Campus
- The Sisters of Mary Boystown, Minglanilla Cebu Campus
The work must continue but our sick founder has to rest. He breathed his last on March 16, 1992 in Girlstown Manila and laid his body in Boystown Cavite. Our benevolent founder died but his service continue to grow.
Here are the new villages after his death:
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