A boxer?! While I have a generalized disgust for Catholic priests due to worldwide condoned pedophilia, I watched the trailer for the movie Father Stu in the hopes of boosting my own faith a little. Yes, the real Father Stu is dead.
Excerpt from description for interview:
Source: https://helenafuneralhome.com/obituaries/fr-stuart-long-age-50-of-helena/
In Memory Of
Fr. Stuart Long, age 50, of Helena
July 26, 1963 – June 9, 2014
With his mom and dad at his side, Father Stuart Long, 50, passed away in the early morning hours of Monday, June 9, 2014, at the Big Sky Care Center where he has resided and ministered since 2010. Father Stu was born at Harbor View Medical Center in Seattle on July 26, 1963, to Bill and Kathleen (Kindrick) Long.
While he was still a toddler the family moved to Helena, his parents’ hometown. The mountains literally rose up from the backyard of the family home on South Main and Stu loved joining his older siblings and the other neighborhood kids in exploring all the trails. Stu began his elementary education at Central School in Helena and graduated from Capital High School in 1981.
Stu grew into a big young man, proud of the powerful physique he developed while wrestling and playing football for the Bruins. He moved on to Carroll College, playing Saints football for two years and developing a passion for boxing, in which he excelled. He won the 1985 Golden Gloves heavyweight title for Montana and was runner-up in 1986, the year he graduated from Carroll having earned a degree in English Literature and Writing. A planned career as a prizefighter was nipped in the bud by reconstructive jaw surgery, so at his mom’s suggestion he moved to Los Angeles intent on breaking into the movies.
Though he made some commercials and had a few bit parts, Stu eventually became disillusioned by the film industry which he later described as “seedy”. Looking beyond the comedy club and bar jobs that had paid the bills, he took a position with the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena where he rose to become manager, a position he held for seven years. Riding his motorcycle home from the museum one evening, he was struck by a car, then run over by another. This close brush with death was a turning point in Stu’s life, prompting an exploration of religious faith that ultimately lead to his baptism as a Roman Catholic so that he could marry the beautiful young lady he loved. God had other plans!
Stu felt a call to the priesthood as he was baptized, and in order to determine if it was genuine he left the museum in 1998 to teach for three years at a Catholic school in Mission Hills, California. He went on to serve with the Capuchin Friars in New York City, working in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. The Friars sent him to Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio to study philosophy. After earning his Masters there he was steered towards pastoral service, receiving his priestly formation for the Diocese of Helena at Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon. He was ordained a priest by Bishop Thomas on December 14, 2007 at St. Helena Cathedral, along with his good friend Father Bart Tolleson.
While a seminarian at Mount Angel, Stu underwent surgery to remove a tumor discovered on his hip, after which the strength began ebbing from his once powerful body. He was diagnosed with inclusion body myositis, an extremely rare autoimmune disease which mimics the symptoms of ALS, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and for which there is no cure. By the time of his ordination, Father Stu was walking with the aid of crutches. His first assignment was to Little Flower Parish in Browning. After two falls, he was sent to Anaconda where his physical challenges could be better accommodated. Father Stu found his great love serving as a priest, administering the Sacraments and counseling his flock. Though only in Anaconda a short time, he left an indelible mark in the hearts of the Catholic community there.
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I do not own the rights to either video. I created the merge & thumbnail.
Trailer-Original link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHREzAdyCPs
416 views Jun 29, 2022
Trailer-Original title: FATHER STU - Official Trailer (HD)
Interview-Original link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2cK8e5Nt1g
146,274 views Mar 2, 2022
Interview-Original title: Catholic Voices - Fr Stuart Long´s Testimony (Fr Stu)
