A Blessed Solemnity of the Assumption of the BVM 2021

As we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a feast very dear to our hearts, we are reminded once again how blessed we are to be given the opportunity to experience the life inside the Sisters of Mary's Boystowns and Girlstowns and to witness God's miracles unfold in our own lives.

As Pope Francis reminds us in today's feast, "Taken up into heaven, Mary shows us the way to God. The way to heaven. The way to life." May our Blessed Mother be our model of generosity and faithfulness from birth to death. She learned to surrender everything to God and trust God's plan for her. May our lives be a living witness as well to God's faithfulness and generosity especially in this time of the pandemic, a sign of hope for a world marred by sin and aggravated by poverty and calamities (both natural and man-made). May the Blessed Virgin Mary continue to intercede for us.

And so, with grateful hearts, we continue to remember the many graces and blessings we received from God through the intercession of Our Lady, the Virgin of the Poor. We thank our ever-caring and ever-loving Sisters of Mary and our beloved Fr. Al, who founded this great institution 57 years ago today.

God bless us all and Happy Birthday to everyone! Cheers! 

***

"All praise, honor, glory and thanksgiving to the Virgin of the Poor."

- Venerable Aloysius Schwartz (1930 - 1992)

TESTIMONY: "Heaven" on Earth

"Heaven" on Earth

Dennievi Angela H. Florida
Batch 2000, Sta. Mesa Campus

When my grandmother died, I began to question God why He seems to take every person close to my heart. My mom died when I was just three months old. Because my mom was the only daughter, my grandparents requested to take good care of me. As young as 23, my father agreed and after five long years he decided to have his second family.

Being with my grandparents was like being in heaven for they did everything to provide all my needs in every way. I did not even feel that emptiness of growing up without my mom and dad beside me because of the presence of my grandparents. And when the most painful experience of losing my grandmother took place, I did not know what to do for I was used to depend on her in everything that I do.

Our relatives did not tell my father about what happened and they offered to support my schooling in high school. My cousin who was working in New York as a teacher volunteered to finance all the expenses yet I refused. Instead I took a test to be an scholar in The Sisters of Mary School and luckily I passed the test and interview which was conducted by the nuns.

For the second time, I found heaven on earth. A million thanks to Msgr. Aloysius Schwartz who established an institution for the poorest of the poor which provides free high quality of education, food, shelter, and clothing with great love and devotion. 

Staying in the Sisters of Mary for three and a half years was one of the happiest moments that I have experienced in my entire life. There I had a chance to meet a lot of poor and abandoned students with different stories. We were very much lucky to have been given a chance to attain the best academic, vocational and spiritual secondary education that an institution can offer. 

Life inside the four walls of this institution revolves around praying, playing, studying and working. I had a closer connection with God through the different activities that we were doing everyday. It even motivated me to become a nun. We played all types of ball games and indoor games during weekends and during our free time. We also spent our nights and weekends swimming in the pool.

We had the best teachers who were bringing only themselves plus their chalk and some visual aids. Studying in this institution was a great challenge because we were required to speak in English all the time except during the free time when we can use our mother tongue.

We were assigned in different tasks like sweeping the floor, washing the dishes, wiping the windows, arranging our blankets and pillows, arranging our shoes and slippers and cleaning the comfort rooms every after each meal. And because I was the smallest in our group, I was always assigned in arranging the books or putting the toothpaste in our toothbrushes. 

Everything from waking up at 6:00 in the morning until the sleeping time was a routine. Even the menu for the whole week was a routine. My favorite days of the week were Saturdays and Sundays which were spent in general cleaning, attending the mass, praying and playing all day. 

Because of this institution, I learned to design and to sew my own clothes. I can clearly remember that time when we had a class outing as an award for being the best sewers of our batch.  

I enjoyed typing through a typewriter and a computer. I gained knowledge about stenography and bookkeeping. There were also classes in electronics which I enjoyed especially when we fixed electronic gadgets and television set which we also used in watching noon time show.

If most of the first year students suffered from homesickness during the first weeks. Months before graduation, the students wanted to pull back the time so as not to go home yet. And I myself was not an exemption to this.

When my relatives did not allow me to enter nunnery, I wished I was a newly graduate pupil who was just about to enter The Sisters of Mary to study again and again and again…

But as the saying goes that everything comes to an end, I went back home but with a happy and grateful heart for I was once given a chance to find the heaven on earth which is no other than the Sisters of Mary School.

I am now a teacher with a family of my own. Numerous challenges still do come along our way but there are a lot of wonderful blessings that the Lord keeps on showering us everyday and I do believe that The Sisters of Mary School had been my stepping stone in attaining almost all of my goals in life. A million thanks to the sisters who never grew tired in guiding us while we were in this institution.

I do promise that no matter how much success I gain, I will always look back to all the people who extended their help and support for me to be where I am right now. I will not be where I am today without all of them.

With all these experiences, I firmly believe in the saying that “ God will never leave us empty. He will replace everything we lost. If He asks us to put something down, it’s because He wants us to pick something better. Doors may close but surely windows will be opened because everything happens for a reason and it surely makes us a better person.

Because of all the roller coaster rides in my life, I began to understand more about God’s purpose. I would have not felt the genuine love and support of my relatives and that of The Sisters of Mary family if my mom and grandparents were alive. 

God really sends us challenges in order to teach us a lot of life’s lessons. In times when we think that we are in the middle of our greatest challenge and that God had seemed to abandon us,  we will come to realize that it is God who lifts and carries us to get through our hardest times. Its just that we tend to focus more on how we feel due to our loss that is just but normal.  

The best part is when we are awakened from our deep slumber and we realize that life is like a mahjong in which God is the best player who mix all the tiles. And in the end everything shall be arranged. God let us experience hardships in life when everything gets mixed up but eventually God himself shall fix everything for us in a way far better than it was before. All we have to have is faith, hope and love to our creator who will not let a single event to take place without a reason to make our lives better. 

We must always remember that there is sunshine after every rain and there is a brand new day after a storm. Everything happens because the Lord wants us to appreciate His presence both in good times and in bad times. 

God may have gotten my mom and my grandparents too early but He replaced them with relatives and The Sisters of Mary family who proved to me that there is really heaven on earth and from that time on, I stopped questioning why things happened that way. I began to understand that it all works for my own betterment.

Since the time when The Sisters of Mary was established up to the present time,  it has touched thousands of lives. It has made a difference in the lives of its students as well as their families through free education plus a decent job after graduation. And I will forever be thankful because a lot were called by God to be a part of it yet only a few were chosen and I am very much lucky to be among them. Indeed there is no place like The Sisters of Mary. It is truly a heaven on earth.

Dennievi, an educator by profession, together with her beautiful and happy family

Originally published at: https://fatheralschwartzmyhero.blogspot.com

WATCH: Farewell, Fr. Al (16 March 1992)

On March 16, 1992, Father Al breathed his last at the Girlstown in Manila and his remains are buried at the Complex in Silang, Cavite, Philippines.

***

"EVERYONE IN LIFE HAS A HERO! 
SOMEONE THEY LOOK UP TO
AND TRY TO BE LIKE, ONE DAY.

DEAR CHILDREN OF FR. AL,
MAY FR. AL BE YOUR HERO,
YOUR ROLE MODEL."
- Sr. Teresita Prudente, SM

***

Please subscribe to the Official Youtube Channel of The Sisters of Mary and Fr. Al!

WATCH: Unfinished Symphony, The Inspiring Story of Fr. Aloysius Schwartz

An EWTN documentary on Father Al's zeal for the salvation of souls and transforming lives of thousands of youth from Korea, the Philippines, and Mexico, his unfinished symphony...

Please subscribe to the Official Youtube Channel of the Sisters of Mary and Fr. Al

Youtube Link: The Sisters of Mary & Father Al

PRAY: ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE VIRGIN OF THE POOR & INVOCATIONS

Our Lady of Banneux, Virgin of the Poor

Banneux, Belgium (1933)

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO OUR LADY OF BANNEUX

(Composed by Monsignor +Aloysius Schwartz, now Venerable and Approved by His Eminence +Jaime Cardinal Sin, D.D.)

O Mary, Virgin of the Poor, Mother of the Saviour,

Mother of God, I am totally yours.

I wish to be your child,

Your friend, your witness,

Your worker, your instrument,

Your servant, your slave.

O Mary, I want you to be my mother,

My friend, my helper, my protector,

My guide, my queen.

O Mary, please lead me to Jesus

In whom is the fullness of grace,

Life and salvation. Amen.

***

INVOCATIONS

Blessed Virgin of the Poor,
Lead us to Jesus, Source of grace.

Blessed Virgin of the Poor,
Save all nations.

Blessed Virgin of the Poor,
Relieve the sick. 

Blessed Virgin of the Poor,
Alleviate suffering. 

Blessed Virgin of the Poor,
Pray for each one of us. 

Blessed Virgin of the Poor,
We believe in thee. 

Blessed Virgin of the Poor,
Believe in us. 

Blessed Virgin of the Poor,
We will pray hard. 

Blessed Virgin of the Poor,
Bless us (+).

Blessed Virgin of the Poor, 
Mother of the Saviour, 
Mother of God,
We thank thee. 

Let Us Pray

Our Lady of Banneux, 
Mother of Our Saviour, 
Mother of God, 
Virgin of the Poor, 
since thou hast promised to believe in us 
if we believe in thee, 
I put all my trust in thee.

Deign to listen to the prayers 
that thou hast asked be addressed to thee; 
have pity on all our spiritual and temporal miseries.  
Restore to sinners the treasure of Faith, 
and give to the poor their daily bread.

Deign to relieve suffering, 
to heal the sick and to pray for us, 
so that thus through thy intercession, 
the reign of Christ the King 
may extend over all nations.

Amen.

WATCH: Heart to Heart: Fr. Al Speaks to his Friends

Heart to Heart Video: A Memento for His Friends

(c) The Sisters of Mary & World Villages for Children

No copyright infringement intended.

***

Fr. Aloysius Schwartz speaks to his loyal friends and generous benefactors on behalf of his beloved children and the Sisters of Mary. Heart to Heart speaks volume of GRATITUDE, FAITH, HOPE and TRUST in GOD, His Divine Providence and MAN'S GOODNESS & GENEROSITY. This is his last gift and living memento to his dear friends in the Lord.

***

"This is the secret of constant joy: Unselfishness, which means love. You must be unselfish to practice charity. You must go out to others and think of them. "

- Venerable Father Aloysius Schwartz

If you wish to get in touch with the Sisters of Mary and the World Villages for Children to know more about their programs and how you can help, feel free to visit the following websites:

http://www.thesistersofmary.com/

https://www.worldvillages.org

https://www.worldvillages.org.uk

https://www.schwesternmaria.de

If you wish to donate, especially to those in the Philippines, below are the bank account details of Fr. Al's Children Foundation, Inc. (FACFI), the local funding arm of the Sisters of Mary and World Villages for Children. They are authorized to receive and accept donations or contributions, and gifts of any kind from donors for the benefit of children from the poorest of the poor families in the Philippines through The Sisters of Mary Boystowns and Girlstowns in Cavite and Cebu.

Account Name: Fr. Al's Children Foundation, Inc.

• UCPB Pasong Tamo Ext. Makati - Acct. no. 167-000716-1
• PNB Silang Cavite - Acct. no. 243-87000128-7                                
• Metrobank (MBTC) Dasma Cavite - Acct. no. 235-3-23533455-1 (online)
• BDO Dasma Cavite - Acct. no. 001-90060225-1
• Union Bank QC - Acct. no. 001-64000161-2
• BPI Dasma Cavite - Acct. no. 000963-2851-08

Online Donation thru PAYPAL: 

http://www.facfi.org.ph/online-donation

Always demand for receipt when you give donation to FACFI.
Email: info@facfi.org.ph

Thank you very much!

WATCH: Oh! My Papa - Retracing Fr. Al's Charitable Mission

Video Documentary on Retracing Fr. Al's Charitable Mission

Oh! My Papa (c) 2016 World Villages for Children

No copyright infringement intended.

**

"Oh! My Papa" is a documentary film about American priest Monsignor Aloysius Schwartz’s charity and relief activities across Korea, the Philippines, Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil and Honduras. Recently, the Sisters of Mary and World Villages for Children ventured into another foreign land, Tanzania in Africa.

Father Aloysius Schwartz was the founder of World Villages for Children and the congregation "The Sisters of Mary". Father Al, as he is fondly called, is now one step closer to sainthood as Pope Francis declared him VENERABLE in 2015, a title given to those who lived a life of heroic virtue. This is the second step toward Father Al one day being declared a Saint by the Catholic Church.

WATCH: Sr. Maria Cho, SM on COVID-19 and the World Villages for Children

Sr. Maria Cho, SM Superior General of the Sisters of Mary and

Chair of the Board of World Villages for Children

***

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE:

Please know of our continued efforts to provide for the boys and girls around the world who are in our programs. During this time of uncertainty, it is our priority to keep these children safe and healthy.

Thank you for your ongoing support, especially during this time of upheaval and health concerns around the world.

- World Villages for Children

Father Al: On Christ and Human Suffering

“Good Friday 2020" by Polish Jesuit Vyacheslav Okun (Krakow)

"Christ knows the meaning of pain, poverty, and deprivation not theoretically or speculatively but by personal experience. He drank to the dregs the cup of human suffering of every man. No man, no matter how deep his pain or how crushing his humiliation, can look up to Christ and say, 'You do not know what it is.' He does know what it is because he has experienced it himself." 

- Fr. Aloysius Schwartz, "Poverty: sign of our times", p.39

***

Light shines over darkness,
Good triumphs over evil,
Truth prevails over falsehood,
Life overpowers death!

Now, we can only hope and pray

 that this Covid-19 pandemic

 would end the soonest.

This is our Easter prayer!

***

Prayers and Gratitude to our brave and generous
frontliners who continue to fight the battle
to end this worldwide pandemic.

May our Risen Christ guide and protect all of you!

Sisters of Mary @ 54: God's Miracles Abound

Today, 54 years ago (Aug. 15, 1964), Fr. Aloysius Schwartz founded the Religious Congregation of the Sisters of Mary in Korea to serve the Lord through the poorest of the poor, with the mind and heart of Christ. These young women profess the vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, and service to the poor after successfully completing their formation.

After his demise in 1992, his charitable works and legacy continues, thanks to the ever-faithful, vibrant, and joyful Sisters of Mary whose numbers continue to grow. They are now serving in Korea, Philippines, Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, Honduras, and very recently in Tanzania, Africa.

Thousands of children had already benefited from the free, high quality education they received from the Sisters of Mary's Boystown and Girlstown campuses. Many are gainfully employed and are now professionals and able to help their families break free from a life of poverty. Thanks to our beloved Fr. Al (now Venerable Aloysius Schwartz) for weaving our lives together in a beautiful tapestry showing how God's grace and love works in willing instruments. We will be forever grateful to God and to our Blessed Mother, the Virgin of the Poor for the gift of your life and the Sisters of Mary in our lives! 

A Sister of Mary prays before the tomb of Fr. Al beneath the altar at the Virgin of the Poor Chapel in Silang, Cavite

More than providing the children with a better education, Fr. Al's vision is to give them a holistic formation and that includes developing their full potentials physically, emotionally, and spiritually. In his own words, "rather than building buildings, and establishing Boystowns and Girlstowns, doing medical works...if I could give God, give the Church just one saint, this would be a greater accomplishment, a greater feat." This is his ambition and he wants each child to have this ambition too. Truly, the glory of God is man fully alive! A motto he adapted from St. Irenaeus which becomes the motto of the children. 

Children at the Sisters of Mary Girlstown Campus in Biga, Silang, Cavite, Philippines enjoying their special day with their Ate/Kuya (Alumni) last Sunday, August 12, 2018

Since its foundation, every year, it has been a tradition for the Sisters to celebrate the children's birthday every August 15. It is a day filled with joy and celebration made more special through special food, games, individual gifts, and birthday cakes making every child the happiest in the world.

Click this photo for the Official Video (54th Foundation Day with the Graduates in Silang, Cavite) courtesy of the Host Batch (2008)

Happy Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and 

Happy 54th Foundation Day to the Sisters of Mary in Korea, the Philippines, Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, Honduras, and Tanzania and Happy Birthday to all Fr. Al's children! 

And a million thanks to all our benefactors and friends! To God be the glory!

LOOK! World Villages in Tanzania, Africa

NEW MISSION IN TANZANIA: Expanding to reach more children in need...

World Villages for Children is expanding! The Sisters have been invited to Tanzania to bring their programs to one of the world’s poorest economies. Child malnutrition accounts for over a third of under-five deaths in Tanzania and substantial numbers of children are living in desperate conditions. Many children drop out of school and, without sufficient skills, have few options for work. So many young children are living at risk, malnourished, vulnerable and in need of our help.

During these first few months in Tanzania the Sisters of Mary are meeting with the representatives of the local diocese who have invited them to set up their Boystown and Girlstown and have offered them 62 acres of land to do so. The Sisters setting up the programs are Sister Acela, Sister Theresa, Sister Maureen and Sister Elena; they are busy each day organizing the project, meeting potential contractors and of course studying Swahili!  The Sisters have also received a blessing from Pope Francis to begin their new mission in Tanzania.

Sr. Maureen with some Tanzanian children, meeting potential students

While they are there, they are witnessing the dire situation faced by children. They see many children begging on the streets or selling whatever they have scavenged. Some of these children have spent time with the Sisters playing games and learning songs, and the Sisters feel humbled to meet these children and learn about the terrible challenges faced by each of them.

Once the construction work is complete and the new program is set up, the Sisters of Mary will be able to provide a place of safety and the chance of an education for these children so that they are not forced into a life of poverty . The Sisters of Mary programs have seen success across the world, and we hope to bring this success to Tanzania.

In Swahili 'Ahsante kwa msaada wako!' (Thank you for your support).

Please pray for our success in this work and we look forward to keeping you up to date on progress!

Source (c) World Villages for Children

8

Father Al: On Belief in Jesus

“If you truly believe in Jesus there will spring up from the depths of your heart a never-ending stream of living joy.” – Servant of God, Fr. Al Schwartz

Fr. Al: On Prayer

"By prayer, we leave this earth. We leave this material, visible world. We enter the world of God. We discover the beauty of God’s world. We experience a new joy, new delight, and new pleasure. We become spiritual beings. That is why Jesus wants us to pray for ourselves." - Fr. Al Schwartz

Fr. Al: On Gratitude

"The best way to ensure that you will receive future gifts, blessings, and graces of God is to be grateful and thankful for those He has already given you." ~  Servant of God, Fr. Aloysius Schwartz

Fr. Al: On Devotion to the Eucharist

"The Eucharist is the main source of Grace in our life. Devotion to the Eucharist, then, should be the heart and center of our spiritual life." - Servant of God, Fr. Aloysius Schwartz

Happy 55th Year of Ordination to Priesthood, Our dear Fr. Al.

Today, we celebrate Fr. Al's 55th Year of Ordination to the Priesthood....
For him, "Every foreign land is home, every home a foreign land."

We love and miss you our dear Papa!

Fr. Al: On Saving Souls

Fr. Al's Thoughts: On Action-Oriented Prayer

Fr. Al's Thoughts: On Helping the Poor

Fr. Al's Thoughts: On Poverty