December 25, 2002

Statue divine intervention

Weilers donate Infant of Prague to Holy Angels Elementary School
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer

      Joseph Weiler lived because a German soldier thought he was dead after a bloody tank battle during World War II. And, Weiler believed, because of divine intervention prompted by his prayers to the Infant of Prague, a statue of the Infant Jesus that has been honored and prayed to worldwide for centuries.
      As Weiler lay on European soil, gravely wounded, Nazi soldiers were following their practice of killing battle survivors and looting corpses of Allied soldiers. Bleeding profusely from a variety of head wounds, Weiler earnestly petitioned the Infant of Prague for help as he heard enemy footsteps approach.
      "He had been wounded by a German machine gun and a grenade," said his son, Rick Weiler of Traverse City. "The soldier took my dad's coat off and I don't know how he did that without my dad making any noise. It doesn't seem possible."
      But Joseph Weiler was left for dead and he solemnly dedicated his life to serving others should he live to have the chance. Subsequently rescued and given little chance of surviving because of his extensive wounds, Weiler wound up in an English hospital. He was cared for during his lengthy convalescence there, the family story goes, by a Carmelite nun.
      Upon his return to Traverse City, he and his wife, Grace, turned to the future and worked to put the multiple injuries, surgeries and rehabilitation behind them. Retiring from the Army on a medical discharge at the rank of Captain - with three Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star with an Oak Leaf cluster - Weiler never forgot his promise to the Infant of Prague to serve others.
      He served the community as Grand Traverse County Sheriff and Fire Chief for 30 years, retiring in 1980. His wife was the jail cook and the original matron for years, as well as being the area's first dispatcher.
      During his tenure as sheriff, Weiler became friends with nuns at the local Carmelite Monastery. Again, according to another family story that his children cannot verify, Weiler discovered that the Mother Superior of the order was the nun who cared for him in England.
      The order presented him with a Statue of Prague sometime during the late 1960s, said his daughter, Suzanne Weiler of Traverse City.
      The Infant of Prague statue dates back to the Middle Ages in Central Europe. Artists made many statues of the Infant Jesus during this time. One carving found its way to Prague, the current capital of the Czech Republic, in the 1700s and was given to the Discalced Carmelites in Prague. The statue has drawn many devotees worldwide since then and copies of it are found in many Catholic churches or schools.
      This copy of the Infant of Prague statue and the seven accompanying handmade gowns became cherished Weiler family treasures. The nuns at the Carmelite Monastery crafted the silk gowns, which feature hand-painted designs and intricate beadwork, as a devotion for the Infant Jesus.
      Joseph and Grace Weiler lovingly cared for their Infant of Prague statue. They displayed it in a beautiful handmade case and faithfully changed the gowns to reflect the Church's liturgical calendar. For them, the Infant of Prague statue symbolized the hope and grace Joseph experienced during the war and strove to share with his community.
      "The card read, 'With love and gratitude to our dear St. Joseph and our dear Grace,'­" said Suzanne Weiler, of the statue's accompanying note. "It is a work of art, all these gorgeous gowns, a work of art."
      Joseph Weiler died in 1992 and Grace Weiler in 2002. Their surviving children, Rick and Suzanne, wanted to preserve the legacy of the Infant of Prague statue.
      They initially contacted the Carmelite Monastery to see if they wanted it returned. A nun there suggested giving it to a church, so they contacted Rev. Jim Gardner at St. Francis Church, the congregation in which they were raised. This fall, the statue came to grace the entryway of Holy Angels Elementary School, where the staff lovingly changes the gowns as required by the Church's calendar.
      "There's so much family history there, it just made sense to have it here," said Suzanne Weiler, noting her father was a graduate of St. Francis High School and her grandmother at one time was the oldest surviving graduate.
      "Suzanne and I had a mutual understanding, we wanted to put it someplace where it would be put up and appreciated," noted Rick Weiler. "My parents were proud of it and the statue is known worldwide and a lot of miracles attributed to it."