Word of Remembrance for Brother Thomas Caldwell, FSC
Brothers Craig Franz, FSC, Charles Mrozinski, FSC, and Leo Smith, FSC contributed to this reflection.
“Let us now praise great men, and our fathers that begat us.”
Ecclesiasticus 44:1
As the 19-year-old lad entered the De La Salle College Scholasticate in Washington DC, Joseph Francis Caldwell could hardly have imagined the wondrous breadth he would experience as a Christian Brother. He received the habit of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and the religious name Brother Eliseus Thomas on September 7, 1945. His travels over the years would take him from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Canton and Jersey City, Adamstown and Audubon, to Danbury and Lincroft. As his Aspirancy Coordinator car traveled extensively across the Atlantic states, he would encounter not hundreds of places, but rather hundreds of people.
Tom’s life was not a series of successes or accomplishments, but rather a journey with others. With care, concern and sometimes with pain, Tom walked with individuals on their faith journey, yet he never saw the final product unfold completely since each person is always in the process of becoming. Tom was in touch with his own “faith story” and he was willing to share his “faith story” with others. His interest was less in the places he found himself and much more in the people he would encounter along the way. (So engaged was he with the life of others that many of us would repeatedly – and unsuccessfully – admonish him not to continually pick up hitchhikers.) Tom slipped so welcomingly into the lives of others that he quickly became their trusted mentor with whom confessions could be heard and life reordered in the wisdom of his worldly response. Tom understood the gritty realities of life’s demanding challenges, and he welcomed the opportunity to accompany others along their perilous and difficult paths of life. Tom had faith in others, especially in those times when all external indicators pointed in the opposite direction. For him, they were the grace of God inviting him into a fuller understanding of the human condition; for those he accompanied, Tom was the grace of God in difficult circumstances. Without realizing it, Tom made a difference in the lives of others just by his simple and authentic presence; he was both Christian and Brother.
For Tom, it was always people that mattered most. He met people through administering schools, or at board meetings, through Aspirancy programs, in EMMAUS retreats, during little-league baseball games, or behind prison bars. Latino, white, black, gay, straight, transgender, female, male, homeless, rich, young, old, handicapped, mentally challenged, talented, bipolar, down-and-out: Tom loved them all. With an arm around their shoulder, a heart which resonated their feelings, and kindness overflowing with compassion, Tom’s innate understanding of the universe’s patterns enabled others to be peaceful amid their uncertain, chaotic, and challenging lives. He encouraged others not to be the person(s) they admired, but to be themselves. Tom believed there is a richness in our lives because of the many communities we belonged to: Brothers, family, students, individuals we casually encounter each day, etc.
Perhaps it was his own peccadillos which made Tom so engagingly embraceable. His temperament to occasionally curse. His short fuse with long meetings. His unhealthy love for greasy cuisine in cheap American diners. His occasional desire to conquer the unbeatable casino slots. His playful penchant for practical jokes. His contagious laughter. Tom was a delightful mix of all that makes us both fully human and wonderfully unique.
Tom easily communicated with others because he always spoke from the heart, and so he always touched the hearts of the individuals with whom he was speaking. He lived, day-in and day-out, our Brothers’ charism because he was always about the good of the person and always touching hearts, sometimes seriously and sometimes humorously.
A prayerful man, Tom saw the mystery of the incarnate in the flare of a gifted artist’s brush on canvas, the passion of the divine in the always-emerging beauty of nature, and divinity’s presence in the laughter of children. Rather than abandoning the hierarchical church, which was far too static amid life’s otherwise dynamically fluid and messy reality, Tom would faithfully wrestle with an evolving spirituality. For Tom, Church was not just an institution, but a community where all should grow in wisdom and in justice. He voraciously read theologians who appreciated that life’s experiences do not always fit neatly into institutionally-tidy systematic boxes. Tom brought others to love God and one another.
And through it all, Tom was a wellspring of affirmation. He fathered in each of us an acceptance of who we are, encouragement for what we could become, hope for how things might be better, compassion for those less fortunate, understanding for those alienated, and a profoundly deep appreciation for the ephemeral, treasured gift of life. He ALWAYS communicated with others where they were. Tom felt that to move on the level of feelings from the reality of our experiences to that of faith can at time be terrifying and bewildering. But it is in this move that we make contact with our Source and find our place among others in a way that we stand in that place with purpose and dignity. He felt that we could, hopefully, come to share common goals: to live full productive lives which leave positive, constructive memories in the hearts of those we touch; to invest here all that we are and hope to be.
Please Pray for the repose of the soul of Brother Thomas Caldwell, FSC
1927 -2020
Born Joseph Francis Caldwell in Altoona PA on 5 May 1927
Entered the Ammendale MD Novitiate on 2 March 1945
Received the Religious Habit and Name Eliseus Thomas on 7 September 1945
Pronounced Perpetual Vows in Ammendale MD on 29 August 1952
Died at De La Salle Hall in Lincroft NJ on 14 September 2020
FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS
A private interment will take place at De La Salle Cemetery – Beltsville MD
A Memorial Mass will be celebrated on a date yet to be determined.
Brother Thomas died peacefully Monday morning.
The District of Eastern North America remembers Brother Thomas with memorial liturgies according to the tradition of the Institute.
Through their prayers, communities and individuals entrust Brother Thomas to God’s loving care.
May he rest in peace.
ASSIGNMENTS
1946–1950
Washington DC
De La Salle College (scholasticate)
1950–1955
Philadelphia PA
La Salle College High School
1955–1961
Pittsburgh PA
Central Catholic High School
1961–1964
Canton OH
Central District Catholic High School
1964–1966
Philadelphia PA
West Catholic High School for Boys
1966–1968
Jersey City NJ
Hudson Catholic High School
1968–1970
Philadelphia PA
West Catholic High School for Boys
1970-1970
Santa Fe NM
Sangre de Cristo Center (1st semester – renewal)
1970–1975
Philadelphia PA
District Administration (Aspirancy Director)
1975–1976
Pittsburgh PA
District Administration (Aspirancy Director)
1976–1985
Audubon PA
Saint Gabriel’s Hall
1985–1988
Adamstown MD
District Administration (Provincial/Visitor)
1988–1989
Audubon PA
Saint Gabriel’s Hall
1989–1994
Danbury CT
Federal Correction Institution (chaplain)
1994–2014
Audubon PA
Saint Gabriel’s Hall (resident)
2014–2020
Lincroft NJ
De La Salle Hall (resident)
Oh, Tom. You always supported me with your firm and gentle hand on my shoulder.
And, you also tweaked my short hairs when needed.
How did you always know what was the right thing to do?
My guess: You opened yourself to God’s grace through your imperfect self.
And, that gave all those whom you touched the courage to do the same.
I once asked Tom what he thought heaven was.
His reply: “The theologians suggest it is a hypostatic union with God. I hope they are right. But, I also hope it includes turkey dinner, minor league baseball, and a good game of pinochle.”
May heaven be all that and more for you, Tom!
With more gratitude and love than I ever express.
Bill Hall (FSC, Baltimore District, 1975-1996)
Brother Tom, you were my definition of what it means to be holy. You were humble and wise, and I always felt comforted in your presence at our Emmaus weekends. You had an eye for the vulnerable and found many lost kids, whom you helped. It was an honor to have shared some of life’s journey with you.
In my life I have never met someone who radiated holiness in the quietest of ways. Brother Tom has taught me what it means to “sweep the corners” in search for those who need a little love. Brother Tom — I love you. God loves you. You have certainly Passed It On.
I always knew this day would come and, I am so deeply saddened. There aren’t many people you come across in life who make an indelible impression of love, kindness, patience and a living peace. Tom emanated those qualities and so much more. If I can be half the man of love and compassion that Tom was, I will find peace. Only goodness and kindness followed him all the days of his life and he shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come. Thank you, my friend!
You offered a gentle loving guidance to all. John, Niki and I were blessed to know you, if only for a brief time.
WLY, GLY, YPIO
I’m not sure there’s ever been and 80 year old clergyman who could connect as well with a high school boy or girl as could Br. Tom. Over the course of our Emmaus weekends I continually saw his ability to spot the teen who needed a time to walk and really talk to a man who could see inside of them and offer the appropriate word to set them on the right course or console them during a troubling time. He was a legend among the kids in Emmaus and the affection they had for him and his enjoyment of them was one of the most memorable aspects of the program. They loved the stories he wrote and read during the weekends and appreciated that a man of the cloth wasn’t afraid to use salty language when it would make a point. Teens see through pretense and they saw a genuinely holy man who had none.
Mary Pat recalled the Saturday mornings when he showed up unannounced at our back door, after driving up from Philly, for a cup of coffee on his rounds checking in on his “flock”. We were kindred spirits and he enabled us to cut through the institutional “crap”, as he put it, to see the true spirit of Christ’s message.
When the day comes for me to pass over to eternity, I hope I’ll see Br. Tom’s smiling face and words of welcome.
Bro. Thomas was my homeroom, religion, and history teacher in my junior year of high school. He is the man who I most wanted to try to model myself on because he was in my mind so similar to what Jesus must have been like. No doubt he is the main reason I joined the Brothers (I hope nobody holds that against him). But it was not just me. All of the guys at Central loved him and every time I get back to Pittsburgh and see some of my friends, the first person they always ask about is Bro. Tom. He even came to one of our reunions and spoke a bit — he had not missed a step and still remembered some of our traits which he worked into his talk. Even though I never really liked history, I loved his class. His religion class in morality was hardly theoretical. He personalized it by knowing each of us so well, that it was quite applicable. As I recall, he only taught about eight years. I always thought that was a shame since I think many other people could have done the administrative and guidance work, but for a Brother of the Christian Schools, he was the ideal teacher. And he was truly a big brother to us all. His classes were not only well prepared, but sprinkled with the humor that Tom was noted for (usually without cracking a smile).
I was fortunate to live some time with him at Lincroft and visit him a few times a year. He never lost his sense of humor nor his memories of our times together. When he could not get around much, he devoured many books each week. Of course, he never lost his devotion to Pittsburgh teams and when I left Lincroft, he gave me a great book on the Steelers which I still cherish.
One day, he told me he was not a very religious person. It was one of the few times I had to argue with him. He meant that he was not the stereotypical person on his knees all of the time and putting on all the external trappings. But I tried to tell him that he was the poster boy for what Jesus tells us to be. He clearly loved his neighbor. He went out of his way to do things for people. He was always giving rather than taking, he would be there for anyone who needed him even if it meant a trip, he made no distinction that I ever saw and certainly matched Christ’s love of the poor. I only hope that I could be a tenth the man he was for them I am pretty sure I would make it to heaven. But that is a high goal to set.
Many years ago Brother Thomas recruited/tricked me into working as a prefect at St. Gabriel’s Hall for Boys. While I didn’t last 6 months it gave me more insight into this wonderful man. As my life evolved he continued with his abrupt, unannounced visits. He was fearless. Even the most hardened delinquent gave in to him. He didn’t preach, he loved. Out pestered any pest. God’s love works in mysterious ways. Thank you for sending this light into my life Lord.
Sadly, I just learned of my Friend Br. Tom’s passing. He loved my beagle (Missy), and our periodic visits. He always called her “The best dog in the whole world,” as the two of them nuzzled. Br. Tom and I had some spirited discussions over the last 5 years. He was a unique clergy person. He taught me how to be a better listener. My life has been enriched having known him. I last saw him Aug 21st, and although I could tell he was tired and not feeling great, he made our visit special. I’ll miss him.