|
 "My Life is My Prayer"
A Tribute to Fr. Vincent Foerstler,
O.P.
by Melissa Copley Robert Vincent
Foerstler, "Fr. Vincent," knew early that God had a special
plan for his life. Thankfully for the thousands he
served throughout the Western United States, Mexico and
Nicaragua, Fr. Vincent graciously heeded the Lord's call.
As a Dominican for more than 50 years, this humble man from
Vallejo, California shared his faith, love, and compassion
with people from all walks of life.
He was a man who reveled in the joy
of administering the Blessed Sacrament and helping all he
encountered develop a closer relationship with Our Lord
Jesus Christ. He was also a man who believed his
priesthood was more than a vocation, it was his daily prayer
- and it showed. Vallejo
Son with a Higher Calling.
Fr. Vincent was born on May 1, 1931 to Bill and Mary
Foerstler of Vallejo. The younger of two sons, he and
his brother Bill grew up in an Irish-German household where
the Catholic faith, hard work, and family went hand-in-hand.
The Foerstler's owned a corner butcher shop and the boys
attended St. Vincent's Elementary School and later St.
Vincent's High school. (This was Fr. Vincent's first
encounter with the Dominicans.) Every day after
school, the boys helped their parents at the shop, including
long hours during the holidays. The Foerstler's lived
in Vallejo until the early 1940's when they lost their house
due to mounting hospital bills after Fr. Vincent and his
mother had pneumonia. this prompted the family to move
to his grandfather's farm outside Petaluma. Even after
the move, the Foerstler's continued to run their shop and
send their boys to school in Vallejo. This meant a
long, dangerous commute every day which Fr. Vincent
remembered well.
"It was wartime and Highway 37 was one of the main
routes supporting the Navy base on Mare Island.
Not only was traffic terrible and the road narrow, but
the Navy used this area for target practice. Even
though no one was ever hurt, it was intimidating to be
driving along and hear gunfire. We spent lots of
hours on the road and sometimes in very bad conditions."
As a teen, Fr. Vincent enjoyed playing
football, sailing up and down the Carquinez Strait, and
working on old cars when he was not helping out with the
family business. In football he was an offensive and
defensive guard, and according to high school classmate and
longtime friend Don Thurin, he was tough. "Fr.
Vincent was a farm boy and tough kid. You didn't mess
with him on a football field or he would take you down.
He worked hard and had a stubborn streak. But he was
also a fun guy whom we all enjoyed being around."
In high school, Fr. Vincent affirmed his calling to the
priesthood recalling tha he "always had a desire to serve
the Lord." The Dominicans had a program where
young men would attend two years of college and then enter
the Dominican Order if they were successful in their studies
and wished to continue. With the love and support of
his family, Fr. Vincent chose this path. He spent one
year at St. Martin's College in Olympia, Washington, and one
year at St. Mary's College in Moraga, California. He
entered the Order in 1952, finishing his studies at St.
Albert Priory in Oakland, California. In 1957 he was
ordained at St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco; a joyous
day for Fr. Vincent and his family.
|
Fr. Vincent Foerstler, Br. Raymond Bertheaux,
and Fr. Joseph Asturias comprised the
first Dominican Mission Team
in Chiapas, Mexico in 1963. |
Man on a Mission After
his ordination he remained at St. Albert Priory for a few
years before moving on to St. Dominic Priory in San
Francisco, California. He then accepted short
assignments in Reno, Nevada, Seattle, Washington and
Antioch, California In 1963 Fr. Vincent's enthusiasm
and desire for missionary work led to a challenging and
influential assignment in Mexico.
This mission was especially
significant as it followed the Second Vatican Council, which
promoted a more active role by the Church in preserving
human dignity through involvement in social, economic and
political matters. Fr. Vincent, along with
Fr. Joseph Asturias and Bro. Raymond Bertheaux, comprised
the first team assigned to the Western Dominican Province
mission Ocosingo, Chiapas, Mexico. The mission's
territory was massive, covering more than 6,200 square miles
(10,000 square kilometers) in a geographic region of
mountains, jungles, and rugged terrain in Southern Mexico
along the Guatemalan border. It was also an area
ridden with political discord and deep divisions between
wealthy landowners and the poor working class. Fr.
Vincent had no idea what he was getting himself into, but
his toughness, stubborn streak and work ethic would serve
him well in Ocisingo! And Ocosingo would forever leave
its imprint on him, defining who he was as a person and a
priest. According to Fr. Vincent he attended the
"school of culture shock" to prepare for this important
mission. "They had a formal training program for
missionaries but there was an urgency to get us to the
mission so I didn't have time for the training. I
learned Spanish and cultural differences 'on the job' in
Mexico. I also learned how to ride a horse since that
was our only mode of transportation aside from walking.
The first few days learning how to ride were the most
painful experience of my life."
Life as a missionary was not easy.
days were long and disease was always a threat. Fr.
Vincent and his fellow missionaries would ride (on wooden
saddles) or walk from village to village, bringing the
Sacraments to thousands. Prayer and his love of nature
sustained him during these long treks. He
recalls seeing streams gushing out of hillsides; sunsets
that would illuminate entire valleys; massive thundercloud
formations in the sky during storms. He says,
"Nature gave us many beautiful
experiences, but we also learned to respect it. The
weather determined when we would travel, we always had to
boil our water, and there was the threat of wild animals,
such as wild pigs, pumas, mountain lions, jaguars and
venomous snakes."
|
Fr. Vincent distributes communion to
the Indians of Chiapas: 1973. |
With
such a big area to cover and limited time, it was usually
only possible for the missionaries to visit each village
once a year. Whenever Fr. Vincent and his fellow
missionaries rode into a village they were the rock stars!
People dropped what they were doing, and for a week would
celebrate and receive the Sacraments. Hundreds at a
time would be baptized. Communion, weddings,
confessions, and sometimes funerals - all jammed into a few
days of rejoicing with their beloved missionaries who
brought Christ into their homes and lives. Not only
did Fr. Vincent and his team deliver the Sacraments and the
Word of God, bu they helped locals with their agricultural
and potable water programs, transported medical supplies,
and helped build and sustain a hospital in Altimirano (also
in Chiapas). Fr. Vincent was quick to acknowledge that
their job was made easier, and possible, because of the
hundreds of Catechists who provided instruction and helped
build the church community in this part of the world.
"For almost 100 years the established Church was
nonexistent in this area because of politics, but the people
continued to maintain and practice the faith. Without
the involvement of the lay people, the Catechists, it
wouldn't have been possible." he said.
"This is where I realized the
true joy of administering the Sacraments and celebrating
with the people, I developed a deep love for the poor and
underprivileged. We ministered to peoples from all
different indigenous cultures. Taking part in Mass has
always amazed me because of what it represents, but in
Chiapas it took on a whole new meaning."
The bishop of the Diocese of San Cristobal de Las Casas in
Chiapas was excited about what was happening, but some in
powerful political and business circles were not. The
missionaries were spreading faith, hope, and empowerment;
giving the poor a voice. Because of this it was not
uncommon for missionaries to be threatened or asked to leave
the country. Fr. Vincent experienced this more than
once. But the missionaries cultivated influential ties
in Mexico City to support their efforts.
A Joyful Traveler Finds His way Home
Fr. Vincent was gifted as a missionary and faithfully served
in Chiapas for nearly seventeen years until 1980. By
the time he left, he was the mission's Pastor and Vicar.
He returned to Holy Rosary Church in Antioch, California for
three years before being called to another mission in
Managua, Nicaragua. Again, Fr. Vincent brought hope to
those struggling in daily life due to poverty, political
pressures, and social injustice.
As in Mexico, he would experience tragic circumstances;
children dying, lack of basic necessities, and oppression.
But amid the sadness was joy in sharing Christian values to
uplift and bring hope to the people - a role that Fr.
Vincent embraced during those formative years of his
priesthood. He returned to
the U.S. in 1985 ministering to migrants in the Rogue Valley
near Ashland, Oregon. He did this for a few years
before returning to Mexico, this time to the Mexicali
mission until the early 1990's. From 1993 to 1996 he
served at Most Holy Trinity Church in Phoenix, Arizona and
at St. Benedict Lodge in McKenzie Bridge, Oregon. He
returned to Mexicali a second time in 1996 serving from the
Casa san Juan Macias y San Martin de Porres Dominican
community. In 1999 he returned to Most Holy Trinity in
Phoenix for a few years before becoming parochial vicar at
St. Dominic Parish in Los Angeles. He went to Benicia
in 2004 where he served the parishioners of St. Dominic
until his death in 2006. Inspired by
faith, Hope, and Love.
|
Fr. David Bello, Fr. Vincent Foerstler, & Fr. Tomas
Kraft
Our Dominican Mission Team in Mexicali: 1998. |
He was especially glad to be home as he faced the most
daunting challenge of his life: cancer. Diagnosed with
a brain tumor in the summer of 2005, Fr. Vincent was unsure
of his future or what lay ahead with his disease. He
openly admitted that it was often hard to face the reality
that his life was limited, but he appreciated the prayers
and support of his family, longtime friends, Dominican
brothers and parishioners who offered him consolation and
love. As with everything else, Fr. Vincent accepted
his future with courage and unquestionable faith.
"When something like this happens, you
must have total and complete trust in God who is leading you
down a different path. Day by day you discover how to
travel that path and you stay close to Jesus. We must
rely on the grace of God within us to stay strong and make
the most of the days we have left."
Although some days were harder than others, Fr. Vincent's
optimistic outlook and peace with God gave him strength.
He also found great solace in having lived a good life.
"I love the community spirit of the Dominicans. St.
Dominic was a joyful traveler, open to the world as a
preacher and missionary," he said. "My life
with the Province has been a good life in which my brothers
have inspired me and I have inspired them. It's a fine
life, a fine way to serve God."
Fr. Vincent's commitment to his life's
work is best summarized in his perspective on prayer.
"For me prayer is more than
formal recitation. My life is my prayer. We all
need to look at our lives as a cooperative effort with God;
an ongoing dialogue. The relationship between what we
do on a daily basis and God is how we serve Him best." |
