Make everything count for eternity - saintly Cincinnati priest Fr. Lasance

 

Quid hoc ad aeternitatem? 

Until very recently, I had not heard of Fr. Francis Xavier Lasance.  But I would like to know more about him know.  He was a heroic and saintly priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in the 19th and 20th centuries, who served as a pastor and chaplain in many areas of the Cincinnati and Dayton areas. 

His cause for canonization has not yet been taken up, but I hope it soon will be.

Fr. Lasance suffered terrible physical ailments almost his entire life, including almost constant debilitating headaches, but did not let that get in the way of his zeal to save souls.

One of his favorite sayings was from St. Aloysius Gonzaga, a patron of youth who died young in a time of plague, and also suffered greatly:  Quid hoc ad aeternitatem?  This Latin phrase loosely translates as, "What does this particular thing matter in the light of eternity?"  That's a question we should all ask ourselves often when we pray about what we are doing and should be doing. 

The link above is to a recent article from a worthy periodical, Catholic World Report, giving a brief sketch of Fr. Lasance's heroic life.

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