The Journey of an Inner City
SERVANT Many Catholics know the roles priests play in the Church, but are less familiar with other vocations to the ordained and religious life. To some, the Vincentian Brother vocation is one of the best-kept secrets in the Catholic Church. Just ask anyone who knows Br. Alfred J. Smith, CM. A BROTHER LIKE NO OTHER
“What can a brother do in a parish?” asked an incredulous parishioner way back in 1957, when newly professed Vincentian Br. Alfred J. Smith, CM, was first assigned to St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Germantown. That question prompts a chuckle from Fr. Sylvester Peterka, CM, the parish’s current pastor, as he recounts the many ministries and lives changed in the 62 years since Br. Al began his ministry in the city. He has been at St. Vincent’s ever since, a symbol of stability and a beacon of hope for the people he has helped in his ministries over the years. “Br. Al lives out the Vincentian charism of working with and for the poor,” says Fr. Peterka, adding, “There is no other individual in our Province who does more with and for the poor in our Germantown community than Br. Al.”
“Because of the seizures, I was given a medical discharge from the National Guard. As this was 1953 and we were engaged in the Korean War, I was quickly drafted. However, when the medical examiner saw my medical records, I was immediately rejected from military service.” During these three years, he would attend daily mass before work each day with his mother at his local parish, Our Lady of Mercy in Colonie, New York. Thoughts of a vocation to religious life were often in his mind and heart, and he prayed for divine direction. He occasionally dated, but as he explains, “I felt called to a life different from married life.”
Things became clearer in 1954 for young Alfred Smith when he attended a solemn, nine-day novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal at his parish. He decided to ask God, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, about his vocation in life HEALING AND CALLING and for direction in following the Lord’s Several years before he entered the seminary, Br. Al experienced seizures; tests will. The preacher for the novena was Fr. James Twomey, CM, a Vincentian Priest. As revealed a brain tumor. He told no one Br. Al recalls, “His words touched my heart about it, not wanting to worry his parents. He took medication, which initially allowed in a deep way, and … I was sold. I realized him to work as a bank teller, but eventually I wanted to be a Vincentian and follow the made him too drowsy to perform his duties. founder of the Congregation of the Mission, So, he reduced the dosage, which put him at St. Vincent de Paul, and be of service to the poor.” risk of having seizures. He suffered from these attacks sporadically for the next three years. His new doctor, unaware of the previous doctor’s diagnosis of a brain tumor, thought the seizures had to do with epilepsy.
Although he didn’t know the requirements or any details about the Vincentian community, he had a strong certainty that God was calling him to become a Vincentian Brother. “Why would God call SPRING 2019 | 37
