Father Al Schwartz’ Legacy

Venerable Aloysius Schwartz

“The glory of God is manfully alive.”-St. Irenaeus-

When I was in high school, our school’s motto is: “The Glory of God is manfully alive.” It is also our founder, Father Al’s personal motto.

I was already in college that time doing the usual things. Pray, eat, study. Pray, eat, study. My focus that time is to finish my studies. Until one time it dawned on me, am I really living the way I should? Every day, I go to school without any plans on what to do with my life after college. I’m existing but not truly alive. I have no sense of purpose.

Thank God that I recognized the fact that I’m not truly living the way I should. But now, what? How should I live my life then? What do I do with my life?

Then our motto way back in high school, “The Glory of God is manfully alive” came to mind, finally grasping its meaning. It was like a mystery that has just been revealed.  

Live to the fullest!

To be truly happy and fulfilled, we need to live to the fullest. Live out God’s purpose in our lives. Obey His will.

Father Al transformed my life.

He was a kind soul that transformed hundreds and thousands of people's lives, especially the youth, giving them hope where hope was missing and to live according to God's purpose. He was a father who has served as role model to his thousands of children around the globe, a servant of God who dedicated his life to the poor. 

Are you one of the children of Father Al? Are you transformed through his works? 

If your answer is yes, you may also have a question in your heart: “How do I give back as my way of saying thank you?”

Pay it forward.

In father Al’s last homily, he said:

“True love is in the will, and above all else, true love is obedience.”

“...So that’s it. Let us continue to love each other in Jesus. I express my love for you by constant prayer and by offering for you my little sacrifices and sufferings. You, in turn, express your love for me by your spirit of loving, cheerful, and complete obedience.”

The best gift we can offer is to live our life to the fullest, spreading light to God’s people and thereby transforming other people’s lives in the process.

The legacy of father Al is his love to us, his children. He said yes to God’s purpose in his life.  He is already gone but his legacy of love still lives on.

It is our turn to share our father’s legacy of love to as many people as possible.

Don’t just exist, LIVE.

Don’t just live, MATTER.

Make the most out of your life.

We only live once, so why not give it our best shot for God’s greater glory!

*Image courtesy of http://www.fatheralsainthood.org/id5.html