Donna and Dave Langer, Former CFM Board Members
It was July, 1993 when Father Sam was assigned to St. Pius X as associate pastor that we first met this strong-willed Italian. He began talking about Christian Family Movement (CFM) immediately and within a few months we were in a CFM group. Father shared with us the importance of setting priorities in our families and he so much believed in the Observe, Judge and Act that CFM promotes. He also believed that kids soccer games should not be held on Sunday mornings!
Over the years Father continued to support CFM by attending Halloween parties, going Christmas caroling and taking meals to the shelter. He assisted in planning and attending all the CFM Kick-off events. He loved talking about his involvement with CFM since 1961 both at the National and International level. Father Sam felt a personal responsibility to each CFM group as he often attended two different groups on Sunday evening just to show his support and interest. However, we often teased him that he made it just in time to sample dessert at both meetings.
Recognizing the need for strong marriages to promote strong families, Father Sam brought the Covenant Experience program to St. Pius after learning about it from his good friends Irene and Bob Tomonto. He asked us to help him initiate the program and we were honored to do so. This meant a tremendous amount of time and work for Father Sam, with many planning meetings to prepare for this special ministry in addition to all the responsibilities Father Sam had at St. Pius. He was already attending weekly RCIA meetings, as well as numerous other commitments. However, Father never lost sight of what he believed in.
Father Sam was so honored to serve as the National Chaplin for CFM as well as the Chaplain for the International Confederation of Christian Family Movements (ICCFM), which allowed him to travel and meet people from all over the world. He came back from these special events sharing pictures and so many stories and memories. In 2003 he was rewarded for his tireless support of CFM with the receipt of the Reynold Hillenbrand Award for outstanding service to CFM.
When Father Sam retired in 2001 he had wonderful plans to spend many relaxing days in his new boat, doing what he so enjoyed, fishing with his friends. However, it was only a couple years later when he was having difficulties with his health. We remember so well the evening in March 2004 at the Fish Fry one Friday during lent when he told us that he finally found out what was going on with his health. Father Sam was diagnosed with ALS. This frightened all of us.
Yet, Father continued to be active and in July of 2004 our family traveled with him to San Jose, California to attend the National CFM Board meeting as well as the ICCFM World Assembly. He was just beginning to become acquainted with the use of a wheel chair. During the ICCFM World Assembly Father Sam received the Cardijn Award for outstanding service to the ICCFM. We actually were able to spend the week with Father in the home of a CFM family in San Jose. We remember telling our daughters how important it was to leave this beautiful home in the same condition as when we arrived, so they needed to clean their space well. Father Sam also took those instructions seriously, and asked us to check his shower to see that it passed inspection before we left.
Last year we, along with many of Father Sam’s family and close friends, celebrated his 74th birthday, realizing that he may not have many more to celebrate. We gathered for dinner and without planning it, actually had somewhat of a “roast” for Father. Every single person at the dinner shared stories and memories, some about Father’s stubbornness, and how their first impression was a bit uncertain, but ending with words of love and admiration for Father Sam. The group presented Father Sam with a laptop computer that proved to be a good communication “life-line” during his illness.
During the past 2 years we have continued regular visits with Father Sam. When he could still get around we took him for breakfast on Saturday morning. We like to try different restaurants, but Father Sam had one favorite café that we had to go to, and as we soon found out, it was due to all the friends he would see there each Saturday. These were patrons, church members and café workers that loved to see Father Sam and greet him when he cruised through the door in his wheelchair.
As Father got weaker and his legs gave out, he had to think about leaving his home and on Dec. 29th, 2005 he moved to Mercy Hospice, which became his new home and where he continued his ministry. He said Mass everyday during those first several months. His wheelchair took him to other patient rooms where he anointed patients and prayed with families. He never lost sight of who he was serving. Current ICCFM Chaplain Monsignor Vella recently wrote these words about Fr. Sam, “Above all this he was a great priest with the heart of Christ, for he loved so much the families, especially those who suffer”. Not long after Father Sam’s arrival at Mercy Hospice he confided in many of us his readiness to die. He was at peace with God and with himself but also stated his fear for what was ahead in dealing with his disease. What he did was carry on with his life the best he could and in doing so served as a great inspiration for all of us. He carried himself with great dignity, continuing to example and provide grace and blessings on all with whom he came in contact.
Father did a good job of staying in contact with many CFM friends via the internet, and he so enjoyed hearing from those friends and he would often share the notes with us. Part of his reason in sharing these with us was to continue his promotion of CFM by showing how many long-lasting friendships it had generated for him. We visited Father Sam on September 17th and he was not having a very good day, but he was still able to offer us a blessing and also found a way to write a check to the ALS Association as we were collecting contributions in his honor during their annual campaign. Father Sam took a huge turn for the worse on September 20th and many of his local family and friends all gathered in his room that evening as he received the sacrament of anointing of the sick. On Thursday September 21st Father Sam died peacefully with many of his family members present. On Saturday September 23rd the Iowa ALS Association held its annual Walk to Defeat ALS. A team was formed named Salvatore’s Soldiers in honor of Father Sam and had 65 plus walkers attend. Even in death Father Sam is still inspiring us to act in any way we can to help others.
Donna and Dave Langer
