With sincere gratitude Father Aloysius spoke about the precious gift he received. “I pray for my donor every day, and their family,” he said.
He said that his heart was from a 25 year old, but he does not know any other details about the donor. He also said that he is now an organ donor himself. “That would be the greatest gift I could give,” he said.
He has been invited to tell his personal story at a prayer service for organ donors and recipients in St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Saturday, April 14, and he hopes to be well enough to attend.
He also plans to return to active ministry within a few weeks. He told CNY that he credits the support he received from those around him with his recovery. Along with Mother Silvia and the sisters, he noted the assistance of Theresa Broglio, a parishioner at Our Lady of the Assumption in the Bronx, who continues to drive Father Aloysius to his medical appointments and visited him daily in the hospital.
“The emotional support, physical support and moral support was very important,” he said. He also noted that Cardinal Dolan called him three times to see how he was doing. Parishioners from the Bronx sent him get well cards and Mass cards throughout his illness, he said.
Msgr. Anthony Marchitelli, administrator of Our Lady of the Assumption, and Msgr. Donald Dwyer, pastor of Resurrection in Rye, N.Y. and a former longtime pastor of Our Lady of Assumption, as well as his other brother priests were also supportive.
In fact, he said that the first words he heard after surgery were spoken by Msgr. Dwyer who told him that his surgery went well. Father Aloysius said upon hearing those words, “I squeezed his hand. That was my first feeling of new life.”
Msgr. Dwyer said that Father Aloysius is a “dedicated and humble priest who has worked in the Bronx for 15 years. He is a remarkable man who approaches life with an equal measure of passion and compassion.”
He added, “As St. Paul’s heart was changed after an encounter with Jesus, may Father Aloysius’ story be a source of strength to those feeling sick and downhearted.”
In emphasizing how important the support he received from others was to his recovery, Father Aloysius told CNY that his family is from India, so his friendships with others lifted him up. “However much faith you have, you are human,” he said. “You need affection, love, concern.”
He added, “Why did Jesus have his mother at the cross? Because it was a great support.”
(Story continues below)
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
Posted with permission from Catholic New York, newspaper for the Diocese of New York.