Brothers who have gone before us . . .

       So often in the life of a friar, his rich and varied gifts can go unnoticed and under-appreciated by his confreres, simply because our achievements and exemplary performance are "commonplace." Within a collection of gifted men, one blends in precisely by being talented and dedicated. Along the way, we can miss personal details that are unique and speak the personal story of ups and downs, of the failures behind the successes and of the energies expended to make things happen.

       Fr. Ed Laurent, OFM Cap., was an army veteran, an amateur  boxer, a linguist, a golfer and a skilled pianist. He suffered with a degenerative arthritis afflicting his back and neck, suffered a bout of skin cancer and lived with emphysema for more than a decade. He worked through the challenges of building a development program out of nothing, and seeing it through its rocky road of successes and challenges. He was committed to raising funds for the education and housing of young men who would form the future of the Capuchin Order. Some friars could never fathom that our brother Ed Laurent played such an indispensable part of our story in the latter part of the 20th century.

       Ed was born in Pittsburgh, PA, on July 14, 1931. His parents, Herman Joseph and Catherine (Hines) Laurent were members of St. Philip Parish in Crafton, and then Resurrection Parish on their move to the Brookline section of the city. Music filled the Laurent home; Caruso's voice and classical favorites were in the air. Herman and Catherine bought a piano when their son Edward was young. Herman loved to listen to all kinds of classical music, and Catherine, a singer and a native of Great Britain, had a brother who would become 1st Violinist for the Pittsburgh Symphony. The talented parents wanted to have Ed learn the piano one day, and they would not be disappointed. Lessons continued into his high school days (where he also played the clarinet in his school band!), and it was magic when he and his professional uncle played together, as they often did.

       Capuchin friars were also people who filled their house. The godmother of Kay, his youngest sister, was the secretary of Fr. Regis Krah, OFM Cap., director of the Toner Institute for Boys nearby. St. Francis Friary in Brookline was home to a number of friars over the years of Ed's youth. Friars like Frs. Regis and Angelus Shaughnessy, OFM Cap., would help out with Masses on Castlegate Avenue, and were frequent guests at the Laurent home.

       Ed attended both parish elementary schools in Crafton and Brookline and then graduated from South Hills Public High School in 1949 -- barely. He didn't really like school, and he enjoyed 'horsing around' with his friends and buddies more. He was a prankster, and loved to play jokes on people (which would continue well into his years as a friar). It was a way of life for his sisters, Barbara and Kay, who would suffer the brunt most of the time.

       When Barbara was in high school, for example, she longed to be a part of the teen dances where friends -- and boys -- gathered. Her only reticance was that she could not dance.  At her request, Ed would teach her how. As the teen dance approached when she would show off what she had learned, she thought it a good idea if Ed might help to spark interest with the boys by being the first to ask her to dance. Then, she thought, on seeing her dance with him, the other boys would cut in and ask her as well. Ed dutifully approached her that evening, and asked her, "Is this dance taken?" Barbara replied, "No." Ed wryly told her, "That's too bad," and walked away, What are brothers for?

       Ed's grades in High School, however, were no laughing matter. He wasn't doing well, and he was seriously chastised by his dad for his performance. Herman's dream was to see his son go to College. Ed informed his dad and one point, "I don't want to go to college,", and his Dad insisted, "You're going to college!" He matriculated at Duquesne University after his high school graduation, attending the University. After one year, he convinced his parents that the army would be a good experience for him, and he wanted to see the world.  The army could be a great vehicle to do just that. 

       Ed enlisted and applied for a program to work as a Russian language translator, passing the qualifying exams. The Army Language School in Monterey, CA, was a demanding and rigorous program for the young army recruit. The goal and purpose was to listen to transcriptions in Russian and to translate those messages for the US government. He would find himself on the border of Germany and the Soviet front for most of his three year stint. It was on a trip to Rome when an audience with Pope Puis XII was a major moment of conversion for him during those years. He felt moved to use his gifts in the service of the Church.

       Heading home at the end of his military service, Ed was ready to inform his parents that he wanted to be a Capuchin friar. What he did not know was that his father was in an advanced stage of throat cancer. Ed arrived home in September, 1953, only to find his dad weak and frail; he knew it was not the time to think about himself. His father died in November, and Ed felt the responsibility to support his mom and sisters. Mr. Joseph Somers of Wykoff Steel, his father's former employer, offered to hire young Ed Laurent and give him his father's position of Manager for the Order Department at the mill. Ed accepted, but his family saw that he was not happy.

       In 1955, the man of 24 found himself following his heart to St. Fidelis and the Capuchins; his mother was elated. He began as a "delayed vocation" (a term used by Seminary high school alumni) and, after two years, received the habit of the Capuchin Order in 1957 at St. Conrad Friary, Annapolis, MD, taking the name "Br. Maximus" (which the friars quickly shortened to 'Max'). He would later return to his baptismal name, as other friars did, when it was permitted in 1968.

       During his year as a novice, the Novice Director, Fr. Peter Hohman, OFM Cap., was concerned that the neck and back pain which sporadically sidelined Br. Max could prohibit his professing the vows of Religious Life which required "good health." A doctor in Annapolis, MD, assuaged the doubts of the friars.  Though the doctor found nothing that "contraindicates a useful active life" he advised that "an assignment to a hot, relatively stable climate is most likely to prove satisfactory in control of his problem." That never happened, of course -- but his first vows did. In fact, Ed was one of the few friars who could celebrate his profession anniversary on his birthday.  Was it providential that the Province always celebrated professions on July 14 (at the time, the feast of St. Bonaventure)? He turned 27 on the day of his first vows, and his final profession was celebrated on his 30th birthday!

       Returning to Herman, PA, he completed his College work (1960) and moved on to Washington, DC's Capuchin College for his theological preparation for priesthood. He was ordained as a priest friar on February 8, 1964, 9 months before the first liturgical reforms of the Vatican Council II would be inaugurated at the end of November. The ministers of the Province saw that Ed's ease and experience with other languages could be put to use in the Seminary High School.  With the assignment to teach at St. Fidelis, he studied the French language at Georgetown University in DC (summer, 1963), Laval University in Québec, Canada (summer, 1964), Catholic University in DC (Academic Year 1964-1965), and in Middlebury College in Vermont (summer, 1965). 

       Ed enjoyed the French language and frequently lamented that he didn't have enough time to immerse himself in the language.  In 1967, he wrote the Provincial Minister:

       The letter convinced the Provincial to allow him a year at the University of Paris (Sorbonne). Living with the Capuchins of the French Province, he was able to receive a diploma in French Culture and Civilization and fulfill the requirements for the Masters Degree in French with Middlebury in 1968.

       Fr. Ed's former students remember his dry wit and his casual turns of phrases. He loved to share stories of his formation days and his experiences in Paris. One former student recalls his touting his early skill at the sport of boxing. The high school student would dance around Fr. Ed in an attempt to tease out his boxing reflexes. When Fr. Ed landed a solid blow to the teaser's stomach, he learned to stop the teasing. Another remembers that the French word for 'transum' (the window above a portal, omnipresent in the high school classrooms) is "un vasisdas" which, ironically, is a French spelling for the German phrase meaning 'What is that?' -- a 'watchamacallit.' Ed loved the concept. Look it up. 

       As a devoted member of the faculty, Ed also took an active interest in the financial support of the Seminary. As enrollment began to decline, the financial situation of the seminary was precarious, and the Province was unable to continue its subsidy of the program.  With the help of his dear friend, Mr. Francis (Frank) Nickel of Butler, PA, he founded the St. Fidelis Development Office, serving as its director from 1970, through the closures of the Seminary college in 1979 and the high school in 1980, until 2004 when he retired from the work.

       The donations made through the 'St. Fidelis Sweepstakes' (which most people came to render 'lottery,' though Pennsylvania law prohibited the term) supported the Province in its education of men on the undergraduate and graduate levels. There was definitely a learning curve for him. As the program grew, it embraced more territories and State boundaries. Numerous requirements of diverse State commissions would force adjustments and adaptations, but there is little doubt that the contributions from the program were an essential aid for the men and young friars in formation.

       The property in Herman, PA, was sold in 1988 which forced a move to Pittsburgh. With St. Patrick Friary in the Strip District as his residence, Ed worked hard to create a new office space near the Provincial offices in Lawrenceville.  People's support was associated with "St. Fidelis" and his formidable challenge was to retain the allegiance of the many ticket sellers he had amassed over the years.

       The move to Pittsburgh was hard both on the program he built and on him.  Ed had loved working with his staff in Butler; one employee from Herman, Mary Cochran, continued working with him in a daily commute to Pittsburgh for a number of years. He called on his youngest sister, Kay Laurent Palmiere, for help and she continued in the work until 2005. Mary "Sissy" Schudy began her association with Ed's work in Lawrencville to become a good friend and faithful helper. He initiated an annual bingo-dinner to thank his ticket sellers and animate them for their continued support, and many friars remember the time they spent at those dinners at Ed's request. He wanted the supporters to see who exactly benefited from their efforts. Those invited also, of course, looked forward to the annual 'prizes' he could offer them in thanks for their hard work.

       When St. Patrick Friary was no longer necessary as a residence, Ed lived at Pittsburgh's St. Augustine Friary, our motherhouse, from 2003. The Province's desire to integrate the various aspects of development and finances forced him to retire his position in Development work in 2004. His program continues in a seminal way, but the loss of his brain-child -- and of any frequent contact with his friends -- was difficult for him. His degenerative arthritis became very painful for him in his last years.  His head was often bent down to relieve the pressure in his neck, and he would have a difficult time balancing medications. 

       A continued comfort for him throughout those years was his steady help offered to St. Ursula Parish in Hampton Township, north of Pittsburgh. There, he would find a welcoming community of friends for Sunday Masses and the affirmation and enthusiasm he needed to continue.  His homilies remained a frequent source of help for the assembly, and the parishioners were sorry to see him go when the celebration of a public Mass became difficult to endure.

       Our brother Ed had been feeling weaker, and his breathing was becoming more labored in 2014. He celebrated the 50th Anniverary of his priesthood in February but was never to see the celebration of jubilarians with the friars in October. In July, he requested to be taken to UPMC Shadyside Hospital because his weakness became oppressive. His doctor decided that he would benefit from physical and occupational therapy at nearby Villa De Marillac where he was transferred on his birthday: the 53^rd Anniversary of his Profession of Vows, July 14. He died there unexpectedly the next morning of July 15, 2014.

       Fr. Ed was a proud member of the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars), a 4th Degree member of the Knights of Columbus and a member of the American Legion. He is survived by his sisters, Catherine Palmiere and Barbara Bell who miss him deeply.

     Our brother Ed's body was received at St. Augustine Friary in Pittsburgh on Thursday, July 17, and the Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Augustine Church on Friday, July 18, 2014. He had two requests for the homilist of his Funeral liturgy. The first was Fr. Bernard Finerty, OFM Cap., a former seminary colleage and friend, and Fr. Philip Fink, OFM Cap., his last local minister and confidant in Pittsburgh. There is a photo of both Phil and Bernard helping to carry Ed's body into the friary for the Visitation. Both he and Phil would see their own passage to the Lord in Sister Death within the following months. In the end, his classmate, Fr. Lester delivered that homily, noting Ed's formidable task to support the work of education in the Province.

       Our brother Ed Laurent was laid to rest in the Friars' Plot of St. Augustine Cemetery in Millvale, PA.

       Who would have guessed that with all the classical music he loved, played and appreciated, Ed's favorite hymn was the one made famous by Thomas Dorsey (1899-1993), the Father of Gospel Music?

 
             Fr. Ed would more often than not choose that song to open the Mass among the friars at St. Augustine Friary when he presided. Let's hope that, as he made his entry into the Lord's presence, the heavenly choir master chose it as the Entrance Hymn. That same 'precious Lord' had led him by the hand throughout his varied and colorful life. The Lord's hand was evident in the work he achieved for the sake of the Province, and the Lord's fidelity could not have failed Ed on his final adventure.

If you would want to remember our brother Fr. Ed's work with a contribution for the still-needed support of our young friars in study, please go to our Donations' page.  With Fr. Ed, we offer our sincere thanks to you for making our lives in the Lord's service and mission possible.