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Fatther Benedict Groeschel Remembers His Youth in Caldwell, NJ
Father Benedict recalls a life serving the Catholic Church
COMMENTARY
By Joseph Racioppi
Published:
Father Benedict Groeschel, a nationally known Catholic Priest, professor, author, and founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, has roots in Caldwell. Fr. Benedict also founded Trinity Retreat in Larchmont, the St. Francis House in Brooklyn, and co-founded with Christopher Bell the Good Counsel Homes for homeless pregnant women and children (www.goodcounselhomes.org).
He is currently Director of Spiritual Development for the Archdiocese of New York. In 1987 he founded the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in response to the confusion about religious life. What started out as a group of nine now has approximately 150 members. The purpose of the community is to strive to a return to the authentic Capuchin way of life and the renewal of the Catholic Church.
Having celebrated his birthday Friday, July 23, Father Benedict was born in Jersey City. His family moved to Caldwell in 1944 when he was 11 years old. His family lived on Central Ave. and Wakefield Place. He graduated from St. Aloysius in Caldwell and then went on to Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair.
“I knew at age seven that I wanted to be a priest,” he says.
He still has the photo album from the time (1959) he was ordained, with pictures of St. Aloysius and of the reception that followed at the Caldwell Women’s’ Club. He looks through it during the interview.
Fond Memories
of Caldwell
“I use to hitchhike to the Essex Fells Country Club where I worked as a caddy from sixth grade through high school.”
“I remember the janitor at St. Aloysius named Paddy Callahan who looked like a leprechaun; very nice man, and also a Jewish tailor in town, Mr. Graff. When I was going off to the monastery, Mr. Graff said, “I don’t know anything about monasteries, but my advice is: “Be a good boy.”
“I knew the Sullivans, who owned The Progress, but not very well.”
“I also maintained a long friendship with Dr. Creighton, the assistant pastor at the Presbyterian Church in Caldwell.”
Father Benedict also remembers working at a gift shop called “Glods” on Bloomfield Ave. His three brothers also worked at the store.
“An important part of my life was working as an altar boy for six years at Mount Saint Dominic Academy.” He said, “Some of my classmates at St. Aloysius went on to become members of the Order of Sisters of Saint Dominic of Caldwell.”
Father. Benedict also had a vivid memory of the end of World War II:
“At the end of World War II all the churches and synagogues were open. St. Al’s was jammed with people.” Father Benedict, then only 12, said to Father Cornelius J. McInerney, “Father, look at all the people!” To which Father McInerney replied, “Take a good look son; you won’t see them again until the next war!”
Father Benedict left Caldwell in July 1951 to begin his studies for the priesthood in Huntington, Ind.
Near fatal Accident
In January 2004, Fr Benedict was hit by a car in Florida and suffered near fatal injuries. He was not expected to live. He remained in intensive care for months undergoing operations and treatment for a heart attack. While recovering, he collaborated with John Bishop in writing the book: “There Are No Accidents: In All Things Trust in God.” Miraculously, ten months after the accident, he broadcast his first live program on EWTN and continues to keep a grueling schedule.
Return to Caldwell
and MountSt. Dominic
Fr. Benedict still returns to Caldwell to visit his sister Marjule Drury (the name Marjule is a combination of Margaret and Julia). “Bloomfield Ave. still looks the same!” he says with a smile.
Last year, he was back at Mount Saint Dominic for a dinner with four women who were his classmates at St. Aloysius. The four were Sr. Mary McGuiness, Sr. Lenore DeCoster, Carol Webber and Paula Russell. “We had a wonderful time reminiscing.”
Asked about the huge problems facing the Church and nation, Fr. Benedict replied:
“The biggest problem facing the Church is the theological confusion generated by many so called Catholic colleges and universities that do not support Orthodox Catholicism.”
“The biggest problem our country (and Europe) faces is that we are cut off from the moral foundations of Western civilization.”
He stated the sex abuse scandal reflects “the confused moral theology illustrated by skepticism and relativism.”
When asked what we can do about all the problems in the world, Fr Benedict’s advice: “Pray.”
Fr. Benedict is currently working on a new book titled “Travellers Along The Way.” You can see him on TV Sunday nights at 7 p.m. on EWTN where he hosts “Sunday Night Live with Father Benedict Groeschel.”
There is also a great video tribute celebrating the 50th anniversary of the priesthood of Fr. Benedict at: www.franciscanfriars.com.
The writer is an attorney and longtime Roseland resident whose column appears the third week of the month His e-mail address is jras3@verizon.net.
Reclaiming Our Children
Reclaiming Our Children Posted By Theresa Bonopartis On July 13, 2010 @ 12:03 am In Today | 1 Comment I must admit, sometimes in this abortion debate I feel like I am floating on the periphery, looking on, while the world dissects and argues about abortion, and concerning the unborn and the women who have them. For me, as a post-abortive mother, it is much more personal. It is about reclaiming my child. It is about relationships, family, and my son, who is now “living in the Lord” (Gospel of Life, JPII). At seventeen years old, I hid my pregnancy from my parents for over four months. When I finally told them, I was asked to leave the house and forget that I was their daughter. Coming from a Catholic family, it was the one scenario I had not played out in my head. Staying temporarily at a friend’s, the pressures to abort began: I fought with the baby’s father, and my own father began having my sister call me telling me to have an abortion. With no job, no money and no place go, in the end, I gave in to his demands — like many other women, it was not because of free choice, it was because I felt I had no choice. The trauma of that day is still vivid in my mind, with no one telling me the development of my son or anything about the procedure I was about to undergo. I I know some people reading this will say I have no right to claim my son having aborted him, and, they are right. I am a sinner deserving of nothing but eternal damnation. But, thank God, His ways are not our ways. God desires for those of us who are post abortive to reclaim our children, because it is in doing so that I have found His peace. He gave my son to me. I may have rejected this wonderful gift of life, but it is STILL His desire that I claim my son. He is the God of second chances, and third chances, and on, and on, and on. How do I know this? Because He has used this very son whose life I participated in ending through abortion, to bring me to Himself. He has used this unborn baby to show me the depths of His love and compassion for me, a sinner, and to teach me true love. He has shown me His desire to forgive me and have me united to Him in heaven. It took years to find healing. First I had to develop a relationship with Christ, for it was only in knowing Him and His love and forgiveness that I was able to look at my abortion honestly so that I could heal. I also had to learn about the psychological aspects of abortion, and why I reacted to certain things the way I did. For instance, I struggled for years with the issue of abandonment. Lastly, I needed to learn to forgive those involved, including myself, and to reclaim my son. My healing came one night as I was sitting on the floor of my bathroom crying and in deep pain. In my anguish, I finally trusted Christ enough to climb on the Cross with Him and surrender my abortion. In this act, instead of the pain I imagined would come, Christ immersed me in His mercy and love. It was as if it poured over me, and I knew in that instant, I was healed of my abortion. I recognized fully that healing from my abortion was not about me and what I had done, but about Christ and what He had done; He died for my sins, even my sin of abortion. Recently, someone I have known and cared about for many years made a statement about post-abortive women. A stanch pro-lifer, she did not think the mothers should be part of the abortion debate, the focus should only be on the baby. She went so far as to say that abortion continues because the pro-life movement has placed some of the focus on the women. She is wrong. Ending abortion is not just about the babies, it is about sanctifying families and teaching them how precious each life is, even the life of the mom who may have an abortion, for He came to draw all men to Himself. It makes me sad when I hear this judgment. My sadness however, is not for myself, but for those who judge. In my acknowledgment of my terrible sin, and my need for God’s mercy, I have come to know Him, who is mercy Himself — mercy we are all in need of, no matter what our sin may be, and mercy that He has for each one of us, because of His great love for us. It is this knowledge that allows me to do the work I do and not be moved by judgments I may receive and hear. My faith and trust is in God because I know Mercy. So, although the judgments of others may be true, it is in acknowledging the truth of those judgments in the light of God’s love and mercy, that I am forgiven. Christ brought Himself to me through my son whom He has always desired me to claim as my own, both before and after my abortion. Praise God for His Mercy!
had a saline abortion in a hospital room by myself. After many hours of labor, I gave birth to a dead baby boy. To this day over thirty-five years later, I can still see him clearly and remember thinking, “How can this be legal?”, but it is.
Concert for Daystar
Become a Sponsor and Shine the Light
Inaugural Concert for Daystar
Featuring Composer/Pianist Eric Genuis, Choirs, and Westchester County Musicians and Vocalists
Concert & Reception
Sunday, October 24, 2010
3:00-5:00 p.m.
Church of the Resurrection, Rye, NY
Leverage Your Support!
Don’t miss this opportunity to capture the attention and hearts of up to 1,000 guests and to leverage your support of Good Counsel’s home for mothers and babies by helping us meet two challenge grants!
If we raise $32,500 in early sponsorships, the Raskob Foundation and an individual with award Good Counsel with $17,500, with the goal of raising a total of $50,000 before the invitation is mailed.
Become a Sponsor with a Greeting in the Printed Journal
Full-page $1,000
Half-page $500
Quarter-page $250
Become a Sponsor now and also have your logo/name on the invitation and posters and flyers
To join the event committee, to make a sponsorship gift or inquiry, and/or to inquire about performing in the concert, please contact:
Jim Schaffer (203) 912-2802
james_schaffer@goodcounselhomes.org
June 9, 2010 Message from Father Benedict Groeschel, CFR, Good Counsel Chairman and Co-Founder
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This month concludes the Church's commemoration of the "Year of the Priest." |
