Father Stu and the Gift of Divine Mercy

Apr 16, 2022

Alyssa Murphy
When Catholic actor Mark Wahlberg poured himself into the role of Fr Stuart Long in the making of his new film, Fr Stu, which opened in theatres across the US on April 13, he visited Bishop George Thomas, who ordained the former boxer. Bishop Thomas told Wahlberg something profound. Recounting the conversation to the Register on April 4, Wahlberg said, “It’s really remarkable: Bishop Thomas said he knew he was right to ordain Stuart because Stu had done more in the short four years that he was a priest than the bishop had done in 40 years.”

While still a seminarian, he was diagnosed with a rare disease called inclusion body myositis, which mimics the symptoms of Lou Gehrig’s disease. The disease threatened to derail his desire to become a priest — how would his slowly debilitating body ever be able to lift a chalice while celebrating Mass or conduct other priestly duties?

“When God wounds us, He brings us closer to Him,” Fr Stu says in the film. A witness to so many people through his suffering, this aspect of Stu’s life struck a chord with Wahlberg, who is no stranger to loss or regret. Reflecting on the death of his own mother during the making of the film, Wahlberg told the Register, “You know, my dad suffered greatly, and my mom suffered greatly. And we all uniquely get to share in that same experience, right? If we’re lucky enough to live long enough, and if we can share in that suffering with the grace and love that Stu did it with, we’ll all be better off.”

Produced and fully financed by Wahlberg, the actor seems to fully inhabit this fighter who becomes determined to become a priest, unfolding a cathartic journey full of grief that ultimately leads to a grace-filled redemption. Edgy humour is also peppered throughout the film, reflecting the core of Stu’s character — he was a jokester, always quick with the quips. Fr Bart Tolleson, who was ordained at the St Helena Cathedral in 2007 alongside Stuart, said that this was the way Fr Stu united himself to Christ.

“Jesus has risen from the dead. That’s the truth. That’s what gives us our identity as Christians. And so, no matter what suffering we have to go through, we unite that with Christ. And Stu was very keen on saying that, yes, if God wanted him to suffer, he would suffer willingly. But he was going to do it joyfully, to give people hope, because he talked about heaven. He said, ‘I won’t be suffering forever. Eventually, I’m going to move on. And, in this, God is doing great things.’ And so, he embraced it willingly. And he always kept a good sense of humour and a joy, for the most part.”

Despite some criticism of the film due to explicit language and an R rating, the Diocese of Helena released a statement celebrating the central message of the story: “Bishop George Thomas, who ordained Fr Stu to the priesthood, and Bishop Austin Vetter, the current bishop of Helena, agreed; Fr Stu — raw and unfiltered, combative and grace-filled — witnesses to the truth that no one is ever beyond the reach of redemption.”

Redemption does not belong to Fr Stu alone in the film. The dynamic between Stu and his father, woven brilliantly by screenwriter and director Rosalind Ross, offers an insightful lesson on family.

Ross wrote the role of Bill Long with Academy Award-winning actor Mel Gibson in mind. Estranged from his family, the elder Long returns to help his near-paralysed son. In one gripping scene in the film, Wahlberg, as Fr Stu, is crawling, dragging his own body to a statue of the Blessed Mother. Gibson’s character enters the cathedral and ultimately helps Fr Stu stand as he lies helpless before Our Lady.

Ross told the Register that she hopes the movie will move hearts to conversion “in Stu’s journey, and through the reconciliation with his father. I hope that it can serve as a comfort to people that it really is never too late to try to repair those bonds. It’s also never too late to change. It’s never too late to seek forgiveness, to self-improve, to seek redemption, whatever you want to call it. It’s never too late to do that. We live in a society right now that I think is reluctant to acknowledge how people can change. I think that’s really unfortunate. I think that’s sending the wrong message to our kids.” Wahlberg also spoke of the deep devotion Fr Stu’s father had in caring for his son during his most critical days.

“There are so many messages in the film,” Wahlberg told the Register, but he singled out “that message of the father-son relationship — to see how wonderful Bill was in coming back and really being able to take care of Stu in the time that was most needed, and redeem himself in the way that he did.”

Fr Stu’s conversion also had a profound impact on his parents, ultimately leading both to be confirmed while Stu lay on a gurney, with tears streaming down his face at seeing God’s grace at work in their lives. Fr Stuart Long died June 9, 2014, at the age of 50.

The providence of God does work in mysterious ways. The grace that led Fr Stu to follow Jesus Christ, become a priest and accept whatever God had in store for him, ultimately became the greatest gift to all who knew him — a conduit through which a suffering soul could be washed over with Divine Mercy, flowing from the cross of Christ. --NCRegister