American priest who died from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) moves closer to sainthood

From CNA/EWTN: 

Servant of God Aloysius Schwartz is one of the 11 causes for canonization that Pope Francis advanced yesterday, and will be granted the title “Venerable” with the pontiff’s recognition of his heroic virtue.

Pope Francis approved the advancement of the causes for canonization during a private Jan. 22 audience with Cardinal Angelo Amato S.D.B., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

In addition to Fr. Schwartz, six other Servants of God were recognized for heroic virtue, while three have been acknowledged as martyrs. The Pope also recognized a miracle attributed to one Italian nun.

Father Schwartz, also referred to as “Father Al,” was born in Washington D.C. in 1930 and ordained a priest in 1957. Six months after his ordination the priesthood he moved to Korea as a missionary, and lived a life devoted to helping poor children.

 He dedicated his life to the Virgin of the Poor after making several visits to a shrine where she had appeared in Belgium while he was in the seminary there.

In 1964 the priest founded the Religious Sisters of Mary in Busan Korea, and in 1981 founded the Brothers of Christ in the South Korean capital of Seoul.

Together with both of his orders, Fr. Schwartz also helped to establish boystowns and girlstowns in order educate, care for and help foster a brighter future for orphans and abandoned children, as well as those coming from extremely poor families.

He also worked in the building of sanatoriums and hospitals for the needy, hospices for the homeless and handicapped, as well as for mentally challenged youth and unwed mothers. He would often beg for funds in order to allow the poor to enter free of charge.

In 1989 Fr. Schwartz developed Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and was confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of his life. He died in 1992 and his cause for canonization opened in Manila, where his work had spread, in 2003.

Wikipedia has more:

In 1989, he was diagnosed to have a terminal illness. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). He accepted with it with joy, serenity and courage, and regarded it as a gift from God. In spite of his deteriorating health, he established Boystown and Girlstown in Mexico, which he called his “unfinished symphony”.

With humility, courage, and unwavering faith, he suffered and accepted a lot of humiliations, criticisms, pains, incredible trials, and difficulties. He did his best to relieve the suffering of the poor. His illness made him immobile, still even on a wheelchair, he continued to fulfill his duties with joy. He spent hours before the Blessed Sacrament, praying the rosary, hearing confessions, and preaching in words and examples the virtues of truth, justice, chastity, charity and humility, penance and fortitude. His love for God and the poor consumed him. He did not only help the poor but also he lived poorly.

You can also read more about his life and legacy at a website devoted to his cause.

Father Al said about his final illness:

“I was in the car with Bill Vita (Bill Vita is his brother-in-law and in-charge of his fundraising operations at that time). I said, “Can you believe it? This disease ALS has my name on it.”Frequently, I would sign my name ALS. in place of Al Schwartz. Apparently, we two — that is, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and yours truly, ALS — were destined for each other.”

Venerable “Father Al,” pray for us!

Photos from FatherAlSainthood.org