Blacksmith of God

Blacksmith of God BLACKSMITH OF GOD P.E. Berton, O.M.I Nihil obstat J. MORABITO,O.M.I. Rome, May 16th 1960 Imprimi potest Guy MICHAUD, O.M.I. Edmonton, May 27th 1960 Imprimatur Anthony JORDAN, O.M.I. Coadjutor Archbishop Edmonton, June 3rd 1960 Acknowledgement is given to Mr. T.M. Dolphin who translated from the book Forgeron de Dieu and to Rev. Fr. J. Mullany, O.M.I., who revised the text+ The design on the cover, by Rev. Bro, G. Tremblay, O.M.I., is symbolic of the sparks from the blacksmith's forge. PREFACE In 1918 I arrived at St. John's College, Edmonton, to begin my studies as a ""junior" Oblate. Among the Oblates I came to know there, was a little one-armed lay- brother, modest somewhat weather bitten in appearance, who seemed to possess the gift of being ubiquitous. He was to be found everywhere, in the corridors, in the recreation room, in the garden, in the laundry, always happy and busily engaged in many tasks. I soon learned his name -Brother Anthony; no one ever used his surname: Kowalczyk. When I saw him in the chapel he seemed to be another person. On his knees, beside << his pillar >>, lost in meditation, he appeared to be living in another world, and to be present here below in body only. Just the sight of this humble religious at prayer was an inspiration to us all. As time went on I came to know him better -the religious model, the man of God, whose warm and simple piety was charming and winning. Child-like candour shone from the countenance of this prodigious manual worker. His whole being exhaled virtue and he impressed us so much that we "juniors” instinctively confided in him. We, young boys, went to him with our needs - spiritual as well as material, - BLACKSMITH OF GOD 7 asking his assistance and begging the powerful inter- cession of his prayers. This was especially true at examination time when Brother Anthony's clients were more numerous than usual. His welcome was always affable and he always promised to you what was asked - on one condition -one must say an "Ave" and light a lamp before the statue of the Blessed Virgin. Devotion to Our Lady is common enough among Catholics, especially among Priests and Brothers and Sisters, but Brother Anthony's devotion to his heavenly Mother was exceptional. Every one who ever knew him would bear this witness to what was indeed the very breath of his soul. This intense devotion which he acquired very young in the bosom of his family in his native Poland, Brother Anthony fostered until his dying day. How many thousands of "Aves' and rosaries he must have offered during his earthly sojourn! With what love he spoke of his Good Mother! Along with his "Aves" he delighted to have little lamps lighted before her altar. It was to honour the Blessed Virgin that he erected, toward the end of his life, a Grotto on the grounds of St. John's College. It is very difficult to give adequate expression to his ever- present love and for his confidence in Mary. This example may give some idea of it: The College car became mired in the mud one afternoon and Brother Anthony was called upon to help to push it out. On arriving at the place, he immediately knelt down in the mud to say an "Ave' and only after that, did he help to Push the car out. This was characteristic of him. 8 BLACKSMITH Of GOD Who can say what profound influence Brother Anthony had, especially during the 36 years that he spent at St. John's College. No young "Junior" went without a word of consolation in time of need. Many present day Oblates owe their vocation to him. He was not only an inspiration for the generations of students who lived at St. John's College during these 36 years, but he was also a model for his brethren in religious life and an example for all Christians wishing to prepare themselves better for the next life. The reader of this book will quickly realize that the means used by Brother Anthony to cultivate a saintly life was through the faithful, one might even say perfect, performance of any menial tasks. He walked the way of humility and offered everything he did as an expression of love for God and as an expression of deep and filial devotion to Mary. In our material world so attached to the baubles of this life, Brother Anthony preaches to us in silence -but with what eloquence! -the true values of this life, the "one thing necessary" toward which the lives of all Christians ought to be directed. May the message of Brother Anthony reach all. Anthony JORDAN, O.M.I. Coadjutor Archbishop of Edmonton. Edmonton, Alberta, June 30, 1959. BLACKSMITH OF GOD 9 INTRODUCTION "The final cross a saint must bear," someone has written, “is often that prepared for him by his biographer." More than once I had occasion to recall this remark while I was busy with the present subject. It is so easy to disfigure a saint, to read into his life too much of what is conventionally assumed to be a sign of sanctify. The ''Lives of Saints" are full of such recitals. In bestowing on Brother Anthony Kowalczyk the title "'Blacksmith” I have desired to show in relief the human side of his life. Leaving school very young, Anthony became a blacksmith, and continued to do this work a bit all through his life, even under the habit of a coadjutor Brother. I wanted above all to point out the strength of his soul. This humble lay Brother was far from developing a sentimental devotion. He had a harsh spiritual existence, which we may compare to that of a black-smith. He fought and he suffered. His soul was forged by sacrifices, ordeals and self denials. Finally -a symbolic detail, or should I say a portend of his life -his name “Kowalczyk" signifies in Polish "The Son of a Blacksmith". Is anything else needed for our Brother Anthony to merit the title "Blacksmith of God"? P.E.B. BLACKSMITH OF GOD 11 CHAPTER I THE LAND OF THE WHITE EAGLE During the early hours of a morning in June, 1866, a two-horse carriage jogged along the road to the Shrine of Lutogniew. The village of Dzierzanow, Poland, lay asleep. The sun's first rays probed the birch and linden trees that lined the road. The passengers laughed and smiled, glancing often at the newly born baby, bundled in white, on his way to the parish church to be baptized. As the horses moved past a large cross in the village outskirts, the passengers instinctively blessed themselves. They passed carefully cultivated rows of sugar beets and potatoes in the sunbathed countryside. This was the rich Poznan district. The farmers were already hard at work. Many of them had risen long before sunrise to begin the day's labours. Everyone had heard the good news about the birth of Lucy Kowalczyk's sixth child. Now the workers recognized the carriage and paused momentarily to wave as it hurried by. The horses pulled up BLACKSMITH OF GOD 15 in front of the church. Ignatius Kowalczyk tied the team to a hitching rail while the Godparents carried the baby inside. Following the Mass, the parish priest warmly greeted the group. He placed the end of the stole on the small baby's shoulder to lead him with his Godparents into the baptistery for the life-giving ceremony. Tiny Anthony Kowalczyk was born to the life of grace under the watchful eyes of Mary, Comforter of the Afflicted. Unlike the baby who slept, unconcerned with what was happening, Poland, itself, was a more restless child. She was in the midst of another turbulent chapter of a tragic history which dated back to a forgotten era. Poland was the link and therefore the battleground between East and West. The Baltic Sea to the north and the Carpathian Mountains to the south formed her borders. Her first city, Gniesno (The Nest) dates back to the sixth century. The story of the city's origin is a beautiful legend. While clearing away the forest, the Chief of the Lesko Tribe found a White Eagle's nest in an oak tree. He took the bird as his personal emblem. Later, the eagle became the symbol of the Polish people. Powerful and courageous, the eagle would soar to dizzy heights. These people, too, loved freedom with an unquenchable ardor, accepting only the thunder of the heavens as their master. 16 BLACKSMITH OF GOD Where the sword had failed for centuries, Christianity won over the Polish with its yoke of love. Poland officially became a Christian country with the baptism of Mieczislas the First, in 965. Her conversion was due mainly to the work and prayers of the two great missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius. Mieczislas' zeal was typical of many new converts. He made certain the Church's laws were respected and obeyed throughout his kingdom. In fact, he ordered that anyone found eating meat during Lent should have his teeth pulled immediately. Poland became the bastion of Christianity in the centuries that followed. She warded off the attacks of the Tartars and Mohammedans who sought to strike at the heart of Christendom. Poland reached the apex of her power during the reign of John Sobieski in the latter part of the 17th Century.

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