{"id":270,"date":"2012-06-10T19:12:00","date_gmt":"2012-06-10T19:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/swiss-guards-faith-deepened-as-he-served\/"},"modified":"2012-06-10T19:12:00","modified_gmt":"2012-06-10T19:12:00","slug":"swiss-guards-faith-deepened-as-he-served","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/06\/swiss-guards-faith-deepened-as-he-served\/","title":{"rendered":"Swiss Guard’s faith deepened as he served"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Hartford, Conn., Jun 10, 2012 \/ 01:12 pm (CNA<\/a>).- Few people have the opportunity to attend a Mass celebrated by the Pope. Far fewer have the privilege to do so in his private chapel at the Vatican.<\/p>\n

\tMario Enzler is one of those people. He spoke in Hartford on April 29 about how his faith grew during the nearly four years he protected Pope John Paul II as a member of the famed Swiss Guard.<\/p>\n

\tAn only child, he is the son of an Italian mother and Swiss father. He served in the Swiss Army before applying to join the Swiss Guard because, as he joked, he thought the uniforms looked sharp and would help him meet girls.<\/p>\n

\tHis talk was entitled \u201cI Served a Saint,\u201d and he spoke of how John Paul II \u201chelped me to grow as a man in my faith\u201d and in his appreciation of the priesthood. \u201cThe love of Christ was the dominant force in the life of our Holy Father.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tIn a talk that mixed humor with a serious message, he explained that \u201cthe popes have an army and that army is from Switzerland. The Swiss didn\u2019t do just banking and chocolates. They were mercenaries\u201d and highly valued for their military skills.<\/p>\n

\tMembers of the guard may serve a maximum of 10 years. They can marry after two years of service, but only if there is an available apartment for the couple within Vatican City.<\/p>\n

\tThe typical work week is 100 hours and many days involve split shifts, he said.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWhen you are a Swiss Guard, you never go home. You become a citizen of Vatican City\u201d and live there full time, Mr. Enzler added. The pay is modest at best.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cTo be a Swiss Guard, it\u2019s a mission. You get a call, you leave your family,\u201d he said. \u201cSpending time in the Apostolic Palace in the presence of the Lord forms the soul of a Swiss Guard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tDepending upon their assignment, members of the guard may or may not be in ceremonial uniform. The Pope always has two Swiss Guards alongside whenever he travels. The entire force numbers 100.<\/p>\n

\tMr. Enzler told a number of personal stories, some of them drawing laughs, about his experiences at the Vatican. But most were tales of faith.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe first time I met John Paul II, I was doing my night shift\u201d at a desk in the hallway outside the papal apartment from midnight to 6 a.m., he said.<\/p>\n

\tAt 3 a.m. he noticed that a light was on and went to investigate. It was in the tiny chapel next to the Pope\u2019s bedroom and there before him was the Holy Father, kneeling in deep, intimate prayer, with one hand on the tabernacle and his forehead pressed against the back of that hand.<\/p>\n

\tMr. Enzler quietly backed away so as not to disturb him. A couple of hours later, a cardinal came down the hall and invited him to attend the 5:30 Mass that would be celebrated by the Pope. He was one of only six people present.<\/p>\n

\tThe Mass was truly special, but what impressed him the most was how the Holy Father had spent two and a half hours in prayer to properly prepare himself for the Mass.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI saw the presence of the Lord in that small chapel,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\tLater that day, the Pope approached him in the hallway and invited Mr. Enzler to join him the next time he was in intimate prayer. He had somehow sensed the guard\u2019s presence outside the chapel.<\/p>\n

\tOn Good Friday, the Swiss Guard selects a few people from among the crowd at St. Peter\u2019s Basilica to have their confessions heard by the Pope. On one occasion, the last person in line was a pregnant woman who went into labor and had to be rushed to the hospital.<\/p>\n

\tThe sergeant of the guard ordered Mr. Enzler to take her place. He was a little uneasy about this because the penitents were supposed to come from the congregation, but he followed orders.<\/p>\n

\tAs he started his confession, the Holy Father spoke up from the other side of the darkened confessional and said, \u201cI know this voice.\u201d He smiles about it now.<\/p>\n

\tHe estimated that during his career, he saw as many as 750 world leaders pass before him in the waiting room outside of the Pope\u2019s office, all waiting for a personal audience with the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. They included heads of state, the Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa.<\/p>\n

\tThat list may sound impressive, but \u201cI learned in the Vatican that the biggest leader in the world is Jesus Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tMr. Enzler now serves as headmaster of the New England Classical Academy, a school in the Catholic tradition, in Claremont, N.H. His talk was held at the Polish National Home and sponsored by the Polish Cultural Club of Greater Hartford.<\/p>\n

\tPosted with permission from The Catholic Transcript<\/a>, the official newspaper for the Archdiocese of Hartford, Conn.<\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hartford, Conn., Jun 10, 2012 \/ 01:12 pm (CNA).- Few people have the opportunity to attend a Mass celebrated by the Pope. Far fewer have the privilege to do so in his private chapel at the Vatican.<\/p>\n

\tMario Enzler is one of those people. He spoke in Har…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nSwiss Guard's faith deepened as he served<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Hartford, Conn., Jun 10, 2012 \/ 01:12 pm (CNA).- Few people have the opportunity to attend a Mass celebrated by the Pope. Far fewer have the privilege to do so in his private chapel at the Vatican. Mario Enzler is one of those people. 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