Monastery E-News September 2g, 2005

The following is a reprint of a Monastery E-news posted on Friday, April 30, 2004.

News from Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery
Friday, April 30, 2004
Friday of the Third Week of Easter

Fr. Lawrence Celebrates His 97th Birthday

Today we celebrate the 97th birthday of Fr. Lawrence Swartz, OCSO. Born on this day in 1907, Father is not only the oldest member of our community but one of the oldest monks or the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance. Fr. Lawrence’s 78 years as a monk makes him the longest professed of all monks in our United States Cistercian monasteries.
Two weeks ago, we received an e-mail from Tina Marshall:

I was not aware that the Monastery had a website and was thrilled to find an article on Father Lawrence! As a child at the age of 11 years old, my church, First Methodist of Marietta, took us on a field trip in 1980 to the Monastery. There I met a very kind man, Father Lawrence. We wrote letters to each other about gardening, Christ, and books.
He really touched my heart with how gentle he was as a person. He reminded me of a grandfather. The article online is dated August, 2001, and I was wondering if Father Lawrence is still with us?

      We informed Tina that our Fr. Lawrence was, indeed, “alive and well” and invited her to visit the monastery and Fr. Lawrence.
      Tina and her husband Wesley arrived on a Saturday afternoon and was met by Br. Chaminade, who arranged their visit. Since it was Wesley’s first time to the monastery, Brother gave a brief history and showed them photos in the Welcome Center. On the way to the Retreat House, they stopped by the church for a prayer of thanksgiving that after these many years, Tina was given the opportunity to meet Fr. Lawrence again.
      Fr. Lawrence was waiting at the Retreat House door. Tina gave Father a big hug and introduced Wesley. It was blessed reunion. During their visit with Fr. Lawrence, Tina mentioned how Fr. Francis Xavier had given her younger brother David a tour of the monastery. “You might see Father,” Br. Chaminade told her, “he frequently hears confessions in the retreat house.” Sure enough, Tina and Wes later met Fr. Francis Xavier, who gave tours to hundreds of children over the years when he was in charge of the retreat house.
     Tina has written about her first meeting with Fr. Lawrence and has kindly given permission to have that remembrance published in our monastery e-news.

      During the spring of 1980, when I was 11 years old, the First United Methodist Church of Marietta took my Sunday school class on a field trip to the monastery. I was not sure what a monastery was at the time. As the bus pulled up to the parking lot, I saw a tall man dressed in a long dark outfit. At first I was timid to meet him. He showed my group through the doors and began to share with us the history of the monastery. Fr. Lawrence was very kind and reminded me of my grandfather who had passed away three years prior. As I spoke with Fr. Lawrence I felt a sense of peace come over me. We walked with Fr. Lawrence over to the area where the monks did gardening. We fed the ducks at the lake before going to see the church. I remember how quiet it was in the church and so beautiful.
       After our tour Fr. Lawrence escorted us back to the bus. I asked him if he had a picture of himself, and he said he did not have one to give me. But he told me that we could keep in touch through letters. I told him that I would not want him to forget me. He said he would not want that to happen, so we exchanged addresses.

After 20 years, Tina reunites with Fr. Lawrence a week before his 97th birthday. Wesley, her husband, finally had the opportunity to meet the monk he had heard so much about.

      Two weeks after our visit, I received my first letter from Fr. Lawrence. We continued our correspondence over the next two-and-a-half years. My mother kept the letters and has them at her house today. I wrote about my school and asked how things were going at the monastery. He wrote about the weather and his gardening, including a religious card with each letter. I put the cards in my Bible. He always wrote that he was praying for me. I loved to receive his letters.
     Two years later, in 1983, my grandmother died of cancer and I was getting ready for high school. I was now attending a Baptist church. Correspondence with Fr. Lawrence became less frequent due to my many activities
      In 1999, at the age of 30, I noticed my spiritual growth was not where I thought it should be. I experienced a deep sense of emptiness. After praying about it, God spoke to me and I felt the need to feel His presence. So, after almost 20 years, I returned to the monastery. It was the only place I felt that could give me a reflection of God’s presence.
     As soon as I arrived at the monastery, I retraced the walk Fr. Lawrence and our class took together. The peace I felt as a child came over me again as I reflected on that special day. I just assumed that Fr. Lawrence had gone to be with the Lord since he was in his 70s when we met. I felt sadness at that thought and not being able to see him on my visit. Now knowing he was there the whole time, I regret not asking someone on the grounds about him.
      Fr. Lawrence has always held a special place in my heart. His letters to a eleven-year-old girl helped her to come to know Christ, and later in life to seek His will for her. I know Fr. Lawrence’s prayers has helped me on my path to God.
      In 2001, I met my wonderful husband Wes. This past Easter, 2004, he was received into the Roman Catholic Church. Although I am a member of the Baptist Church, we share something wonderful together—our love for Jesus Christ.
      I was so blessed to find the article on the monastery website about Fr. Lawrence’s 75th anniversary as a monk. He is a wonderful person and his kind words in 1980 made an impact on my Christian life.

– From a letter of Tina Marshall to Brother Chaminade, April 24, 2004