Fr. Bruce Swift (1932-2014)
Robert Lee Swift was born on December 17, 1932, near Springfield, Missouri. Robert Lee Swift was born on December 17, 1932, one of triplet boys born to William and Loretta Swift, near Springfield, Mo. He attended grade school and high school at St. Agnes in Springfield, Mo., and spent the fall semester of 1950 at Drury College before transferring to St. Benedict’s College. Upon graduating from St. Benedict’s College in 1954 he entered the novitiate of St. Benedict’s Abbey receiving the religious name, Bruce. Abbot Cuthbert later admitted he didn’t think Fr. Bruce would make it in the Abbey so he didn’t want to waste a good name on him.
Fr. Bruce’s monastic life was punctuated with a willing obedience to his superiors. His college degree was in biology, but when he discussed future studies with Abbot Thomas Hartman, the Abbot asked him to study French. He received a Masters Degree in French from Assumption College, Worcester, Mass., and spent four summers studying in France.
Fr. Bruce served at Maur Hill Prep in many roles. He taught English, drama, biology, chemistry, French, and religion; was cafeteria manager for ten years; maintenance director for another ten; and chaplain for three more years. Additionally, Fr. Bruce traveled extensively to recruit boarding students for Maur Hill. He recalled often trips to Saudi Arabia where he would be smuggled from American compound to compound celebrating clandestine Masses. One Christmas he celebrated a total of 13 such Masses, six on Christmas Eve, and seven on Christmas day.
Many monks cultivated a monastic spirit under his tutelage as Vocation Director from 1984-1993, Postulant Director from 1983-1993, and Novice Master from 2001-2011. He encouraged his charges to ask two questions daily: 1) What is a monk?; and, 2) Am I living like one? During these years, Fr. Bruce also made a name for himself faithfully ministering God’s mercy as confessor to Benedictine College students and chaplain to the men at Lansing Correctional Facility and Atchison Juvenile Correction Center.
In the great Jubilee Year 2000, called by St. John Paul II, Fr. Bruce served as confessor to pilgrims at St. Paul’s Outside the Walls in Rome, hearing confessions in English and French, often for as many as eight hours a day.
After 2001 at Benedictine College. he was best known as a faithful confessor. At scheduled hours, or when called at any hour of the day or night, he was a faithful minister of the mercy of God in the Sacrament of Penance to all who presented themselves. Fr. Bruce would also regularly offer to pray with students any time of the day or night, often leading midnight rosaries with college students.
As one of a set of triplets, Fr. Bruce was never able to celebrate his own birthday. Even in the Abbey he shared a birthday with several monks. In 2014, on the birthday of our Savior, December 25, Fr. Bruce was born into eternal life, strengthened by the sacraments and the Apostolic Pardon and surrounded by his brothers in prayer.
