Parishioners may be used to priests who have worked in a career before entering the seminary, but not many priests are converts to Catholicism. Father Charles Schwartz, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Riverton, fits both bills.
As a child, Father Schwartz was not even baptized. He was born in 1956 in Trenton and grew up in Hamilton Township. His mother was a Southern Baptist and his father was Catholic, but neither parent was very religious. Growing up, most religious influence came from his mother, but his nonreligious father said, “If I ever had to choose, I would choose Roman Catholic.” As a young teen, Father Schwartz thought “maybe I need to take a second look at this.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Father Schwartz marks 25 years of priesthood
That second look would not alter his life until much later. He attended Mercer County Community College and Birmingham-Southern College. After graduation, he taught part-time and went on to receive a master’s degree in library science from Rutgers University, New Brunswick. He worked for the State Superior Court of New Jersey and the Supreme Court of New Jersey in the Clerk’s office before joining the library staff at The College of New Jersey (then Trenton State College), Ewing. He was the supervisor of circulation there when he became Catholic.
Path to Priesthood
While working at TCNJ, Father Schwartz was attending Mass at St. Anthony Parish (now Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish), Hamilton. One Sunday, he was working around his house, but decided he better get to Mass, despite being a little “grungy.” He thought he would just sit in the back. During Mass, an announcement was made that the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults process would be starting. He joined and received the Sacraments of Initiation – Baptism, Confirmation and First Eucharist – at age 31.
He almost did not attend that Mass, and that makes him think about the hand of God in people’s lives.
Father Schwartz attended St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and was ordained a priest for the Trenton Diocese in 1999.
In addition to Sacred Heart Parish, his assignments have included serving as parochial vicar at St. Mary of the Lake Parish (now part of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish), Lakewood, and at St. Joan of Arc Parish, Marlton, as administrator of Nativity Parish, Fair Haven, and pastor of St. Dorothea Parish, Eatontown.
“Every parish is different. Every parish is the same,” he said, noting that often there are different twists on the same themes. When he came to his current assignment in Sacred Heart, there was robust attendance at Confession. Not wanting to lose this momentum, he has tried to continue that trend, especially by tying Confession into his homilies. He noted that in the confessional, people say, “I’m here because of what you said on Sunday.”
A Satisfying Vocation
One of the greatest rewards of his ministry has been the ability to relieve the stress of others, whether through counseling, Confession or casual conversation. The problems may not be solved, but people are calmer, he said.
There are pluses and minuses to being a convert to the faith, Father Schwartz said, noting that while there are so many things that Catholics just know, converts don’t.
“Converts come into things without preconceived convictions,” he said. “While Catholics may tend to see things as black and white, converts see more shades of gray.”
He said he has “gotten over the rigidity of youth and is more flexible.” He valued the summer programs during seminary that gave him experiences in parishes and a “dose of reality.”
“It is inspiring to interact with the people of God,” he said. “There is so much support and prayer you get from them, especially if they accept that they have a quirky priest.”
Reflecting on the past 25 years, Father Schwartz says that everything in his life has dovetailed with the priesthood, whether in his role as a caring son and brother, to his library work that makes it a lot easier for him to do research, using technology, or the time he spent teaching.
“I’ve never said, ‘What was I thinking?’ This has been a good, fulfilling life.”
Father Schwartz carries the monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament during a Eucharistic procession held June 9. Mike Ehrmann photo
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