Brother Edward McGuire, FSC 1930-2012

Eulogy by
Br. Edward Gallagher, FSC

I first met Hughie McGuire in the summer of 1944 when I arrived at the junior novitiate. I had just finished my freshman year at West Catholic.

There were twenty-some students already there in my class, but the dean, the one there the longest, was Hughie. We were together for three years in the juniorate, one year in the novitiate, and four years in the scholasticate at Catholic University.

Brother Ed McGuire was a very bright person. He and I were both chemistry majors in college and we were partners in the four hour labs in chemistry and physics. This was a great blessing for me, because he was superb in the lab, and I was all thumbs. Before I finished reading the directions for how to set up the experiment, he had it running smoothly.

In 1955, we made our perpetual vows in Ocean City together and, in 1997, we celebrated our golden jubilee together in Washington D.C. During the in-between years we were never stationed together.

A few weeks ago, after Brother Fred Stelmach’s funeral, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Ed. He told me about his planned heart surgery and the risks involved. He explained that he felt weak and had some difficulty catching his breath after mild exercise. He thought it was a risk he would take since he did not want to be an invalid. It was clear to me that he did not have a great fear of death. He was ready to meet the Lord if that was God’s will. Also during this chat, I reminded Ed of his skill in our science labs. He enjoyed that memory and told me that, even as a boy, he loved to take things apart to see how they worked and then put them back together. He told me that this methodology came in handy when he taught science to youngsters. He was using hands-on techniques before they became the rage.

Brother Ed taught in eight of the Baltimore District high schools. None of these schools was owned by the Brothers. Ed spent his professional life responding to calls from the Lord and his superiors to teach the poor and the middle class.

When the Provincial needed a Brother in Pittsburgh, or Philadelphia, or Cumberland, or Arlington, or Eddington, he could always call Brother Ed McGuire and know that that he would do whatever was proposed. This sense of openness was the result of his profound spirit of faith and zeal. While he was a very bright man, he had a certain humility about him, perhaps developed in him by his parents, and the small town in which he grew up.

During the last 15 or so years, a variety of medical problems prevented Brother Ed from teaching. He bore these crosses patiently and rarely, if ever, complained. For a man who loved physical work as he did, it was not easy to be sick, but he accepted in faith what hand the Lord dealt him, just as he had done all of his life.

A few months ago, the Provincial asked all the Brothers to fill out a kind of living will. One of the statements Ed made in this document was: “If anyone asks how I want to be remembered, please say the following about me:

That my vocation as a Brother (FSC) was my primary love and concern since my freshman year in the juniorate.

That my family was my number two concern and love.”

What a powerful statement! Especially since he was thirteen years old during his freshman year in the juniorate.

At the end of his last Meditation for the Time of Retreat, St. John Baptist de La Salle writes: “Oh, what glory there will be for those who have taught young people, when their zeal and devotion to procure the salvation of children will be made public before the whole world. All heaven will resound with the thanksgiving these blessed children will render to those who taught them the road to heaven.

To gain all these blessings, all these kinds of glory for yourself, act with goodness and wisdom in the care of those who are entrusted to you”

Brother Ed McGuire did act with wisdom and goodness during his many years in the classroom and during his years of retirement. We are confident that he is now enjoying the reward promised by our saintly Founder. Enjoy that reward, dear Brother Edward.