Father Peter Pilsner, by his own account, comes from a family “tested by suffering, but wondrously blessed through the grace of God.”

How wondrously blessed? Well, the Bronx priest, who teaches religion at Cardinal Spellman High School in that New York borough, is one of three Pilsner brothers who answered God's call to Holy Orders. Basilian Father Joseph Pilsner is a professor at the University of St. Thomas in Houston and Father James Pilsner is, like Father Peter, a New York diocesan priest. A fourth Pilsner brother, John, is pursuing a doctorate in comparative literature at City University of New York.

How tested by suffering? Mary Rose, the only girl in the family and the youngest of the five siblings, died in June 1999 after losing a physically excruciating battle with cancer. She was only 25 when she died.

Yet, through her illness and her acceptance of suffering, Mary Rose became—and remains—a touchstone of grace for the entire family. Here is her story:

At birth, Mary was afflicted with retinoblastoma, a rare form of cancer that attacks the retinas in both eyes. Her right eye had to be removed, but her left eye was saved and she had normal vision in one eye. Three months short of her 20th birthday, Mary developed a second form of cancer, osteogenic sarcoma. (It is not unusual for people stricken with retinoblastoma to develop other forms of cancer later in life.)

Despite her ordeal, which would come to include seven surgeries, she graduated magna cum laude from the Georgetown University School of Nursing in 1996. She won the school's top award for excellence in biological sciences. She also took her nursing boards and aced the exam with a perfect score.

Three years later, she developed a fever. Tests revealed that the cancer was still spreading. She had one more operation, her last. She remained in the hospital, but she was sent home during Memorial Day weekend. She died peacefully on the morning of June 4, 1999, in the presence of her parents.

Mary Rose Pilsner's funeral Mass was held on June 7. Father Joseph Pilsner was the celebrant; Father Peter Pilsner concelebrated the Mass and preached the homily. At the time, Father James Pilsner was not yet ordained.

Father Peter recalls how the faith of the Pilsner family, exemplified by the life and death of a heroic daughter named Mary Rose, who was filled with the Holy Spirit, made the funeral Mass a joyous occasion. It was, he says, a celebration of God's holy people sharing in the rewards of Christ's victory over sin and death.

In his eulogy, Father Peter told the story of Mary's personal journey of faith. As a young girl, she was shy and sensitive. She liked cheerleading, basketball and softball. She had many friends. As early as the seventh grade, she cultivated an ardent devotion to St. Therese of Lisieux. Her favorite book, in addition to Story of a Soul, St. Therese's autobiography, was The Complete Spiritual Doctrine of St. Therese of Lisieux by Francois Jamart. Mary typed out and saved many quotations from the writings of her favorite saint. Copies of those quotations were made available to the attendants of her funeral.

“My sister did not consider herself “another Therese,” explains Father Peter. “She thought of herself as a disciple of St. Therese or as a member of ‘her army of little souls.’ Mary drew strength and inspiration from the life of St. Therese, and she constantly put into practice Therese's ‘Little Way.’”

As sick as she was, even immediately following one of her many operations, she practiced small acts of penance and self-denial. One time, while Father Peter visited her, he noticed that a jar of cream-filled candy he had given her had gone uneaten. He asked Mary why. “Oh, I like the candy,” she said. “But I try to make little sacrifices.”

To find the proper words to capture his sister's towering faith, Father Peter paraphrases the words of St. Paul in 2 Corinthians, chapter 4: “When we encounter someone like Mary, someone who is afflicted, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; who is struck down, but not destroyed; who suffers, but does not lose faith … we encounter, in a way such as we can neither escape or deny, the treasure within—the treasure of God's grace in our souls, the treasure of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the treasure of the supernatural life … that is her gift to us.”

Advantage: Blank Slates

When Father Peter Pilsner teaches religion at Cardinal Spellman High School, he draws from his family's spiritual riches, Mary's legacy, his brothers' wisdom and the faith of his parents, Arnold and Marcia.

There are 1,350 students at Cardinal Spellman High School. They come from diverse multiethnic backgrounds. Father Peter says the school is “solidly Catholic and proud of its Catholic identity.”

He adds that he considers himself blessed to serve there. “What I enjoy most about teaching,” he says, “is that, for several hours a day, I do nothing but speak about the Gospel to a captive audience.”

All the while, he's well aware that the challenges are formidable to all who seek to evangelize and catechize in our day. Some of his students, he explains, have never heard the Gospel. “Most cannot answer a question like, ‘Who was Pontius Pilate?’” he says.

Yet, he maintains, “Working with a blank slate has some distinct advantages.”

It helps that Father Peter knows something many of his students don't: These are no ordinary seeds he is planting. “They're quite powerful when watered by God's grace,” he adds.

Msgr. James Sullivan, president of the school, emphasizes that Father Peter comes from a noble line—the many “school priests” from the Archdiocese of New York who have served, through their teaching ministry, Catholic students. “Through his faith, his love and the quality of his life, Father Peter testifies to the power of Jesus Christ in all of our lives,” remarks Msgr. Sullivan. “He is a wonderful, marvelous example of priesthood.”

Father Peter runs the pro-life club at the school. Its meetings draw standing-room-only crowds. He also gives retreats for the students and teaches “An Introduction to the Gospels” on RadioMaria.org, which originated in Italy and airs on a local FM station. Oh, and he's also a captain in the U.S. Army Reserves.

Christian Manhood

Father Peter entered seminary after graduating from Gannon University in Erie, Pa. He was ordained a priest on May 13, 1998, by the late Cardinal John O'Connor at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Perhaps not incidentally, Father Peter's spiritual director at Gannon was Father Edward Krause—son of the late Edward “Moose” Krause, legendary Notre Dame athlete, coach, athletic director and a member of the Fighting Irish Hall of Fame.

“He often shared with me wonderful insights about his dad's example of Christian manhood,” recalls Father Peter.

Father Krause, speaking on the telephone from Gannon University, praised Father Peter for the depth of his priestly ministry: “Not only does he do fine work in teaching and in parish ministry, but he is also very encouraging to his fellow priests and to the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars.”

When I asked him about his hopes for the future, Father Peter said he is counting on the Lord's grace to light the way “just as it has in the past.

“I can only thank God for the blessings he has seen fit to bestow on my family,” he adds. “I pray that I will be worthy of such a gift.”

Wally Carew, author of Men of

Spirit, Men of Sports, writes from Medford,

Massachusetts.