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One year after the recall of Father Henry La Praz to God, his life of suffering still remains a living example and a constant encouragement in tribulations to many of the faithful. We dedicate these few pages to all those who said their Rosaries, offered their Communions, had Masses said so that God would grant Father La Praz all the graces which sustained his calvary; to all those who, without meeting him, loved him in the heart of God. We are aware of the imperfections of this book and of the difference in style of the various authors concerned. Moreover these pages are incomplete. The life of Father La Praz is only briefly described. Nevertheless the work involved in making the synthesis of his medical file and his life, short certainly but of an uncommon fullness, made us decide not to attempt a more detailed publication which would have taken a particularly long time and, above all, would have deprived the faithful for whom Father La Praz was the model of priest and victim. It contains, in fact, above all, the notes of the 1985 retreat which perfectly define what was the mainspring of his life, the “Todo-Nada” (All or Nothing) of St. John of the Cross, as well as some of the extracts from his mother's diary for the year 1982, a heart-rending account of a Calvary just beginning. Let us make it clear that this publication might never have seen the light of day without the collaboration and the enthusiasm of Father Daniel Couture who had devoted an issue of St. John's Bulletin in Ireland to the memory of Father La Praz. We submit these pages in advance to the judgement of the Church to whom belongs the prerogative of passing judgement upon the sanctity of a life. May this completely priestly life revive in Christian households the esteem as well as the understanding of the spirit of sacrifice together with the love of giving oneself to God and to the life of the Church. Father Phillipe Lovey
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