If God Will Bring You To It God Will Bring You Through It
By Brother Roy Smith
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My story begins in a small town just outside Montgomery, just outside Prattville, in Booth, Alabama. My father was raised there, as he would say, as" a faithful Methodist." My mother was born in Hillsboro and raised as a Baptist not far away in Decatur, Alabama.

Along with many other Blacks, my parents ventured north to Indiana and other states in the late 1920s. It was in Indianapolis that my parents met on a blind date. They later got married and raised the nine of us of which I am the eighth child.

For forty years my father worked at St. Vincent's Hospital for the Daughters of Charity. They impressed him and invited him to become a Catholic. A year later my mother became a Catholic and as my father said, "she became more Catholic than the Pope." The nine of us were raised as "cradle Catholics" that is we were baptized shortly after we were born.

The church, the parish, was very much a part of our life. On holy days of obligation when there was no school, the schedule was mass, breakfast, chores and then we could go out and play. Our parents modeled for us and taught us to be concerned for others and to serve others.

In addition to the influence of my parents, sisters and brothers, I was influenced by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondolet, the Sisters of Providence, Diocesan priests, Daughters of Charity and of course the Brothers of Holy Cross. One of my sisters, Sr. Demetria Smith, MSOLA, joined the convent a few years ahead of my joining the Brothers and this surely impacted my life choices.

When I was a student at Holy Angels grade school in Indianapolis, Indiana, I knew I wanted to go to Cathedral High School like my older brothers William and Joseph. Also I knew I wanted to play football and other sports. What I did not know was that I would meet a group of men who would inspire me to join them and follow in their footsteps as I had followed my own brothers.

Watching and experiencing the work of the Brothers of Holy Cross led me to say, "I would like to work with young people and show the concern and interest in young people that I felt from the Brothers at my high school."

Even though the Congregation of Holy Cross has been one with a high profile in education, I learned there are numerous ministries that brothers perform. Some of these ministries are youth ministry, care of the sick, spiritual direction, maintenance, administration and social work. These are ministries both here in the U.S., and overseas. A Brother works in service to the church by performing a ministry particular to his community's apostolic calling. The majority of my ministry has been as a social worker at St. Charles Boys Home, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Ft. Wayne-South Bend in Indiana and Holy Trinity High School, Chicago, Illinois.

The Lord calls us to be who we are. I was created as a black male and that is the gift, the vehicle, if you will, the Lord asks me to exhibit a part of the face of God. A portion of the way for me to share my gifts has been as a Holy Cross Brother.

One of the rewards and riches of community life is giving and receiving the support and example of community members. Living with and seeing men faithfully live out their vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience, I see examples encouraging and inspiring others. These are men who, as our constitutions say, work toward having "the competence to see and the courage to act."

The support for me personally has come when we participated in civil rights marches in Austin, Texas in the early 1960s and open housing marches in Milwaukee in the late 1960s.

Witnessing the dedication and fidelity of members who were my teachers has been enriching. More so they have become my confreres, friends who continue to give their lives for others. In a supportive way they challenge me to be the best I can be.

The question of ordained ministry and religious life comes up and was a topic I had to sort out and talk through with several people. While drawn to the sacraments, I did not see myself as one who would serve people in this way nor did I have interest or any attraction at presiding at the sacraments as my choice. As Rev. James Fitz, S.M., says "It is clear that the two are separate but compatible charisms in the Church. Religious life is not essential to ordained ministry; ordained ministry is not essential to religious life."

Why did you join the Brothers of Holy Cross? Our constitutions say it so well. "We asked how we might follow and we found many footprints on the road. A great band of men had passed this way, men who had made and lived their vows, men who had walked side by side in their following the Lord. They beckoned us to fall in step with them. We wanted to be part of the family they formed in order to share in their life and work."

In 2012 I will celebrate 50 years as a Brother of Holy Cross thanks to the grace of God and the support of family, friends and fraternity.

For six years he served as personnel director for the Midwest Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross from 1979-1985.

In the late 1980s Brother Roy was the president of the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus.

Presently he serves his as Director of Development, Midwest Province, Congregation of Holy Cross.

Connecting with him may be done as follows:
Brother Roy Smith, CSC
54515 State Road 933 North
P.O. Box 460
Notre Dame, IN 46556-0460
Phone: (574) 631-2928
E-mail: Rsmith@brothersofholycross.com