(by Jan Christensen – Corpus Christi)
We are very pleased to introduce to you Fr. Marek Lacki, OSPPE, who arrived on September 12 to join Fr. Anzelm and Bro. Peter in the Monastic Community, and to assist in the Pastoral Ministry at Corpus Christi. He graciously agreed to an interview, so that our web viewers would have the chance to get to know him.
Soft spoken Fr. Marek, 35, comes from the town of Wrzesnia in central Poland, and from childhood was strongly drawn to the sanctity of Jasna Gora, the Pauline Monastery in Czestochowa. An altar boy from the age of six, he made frequent pilgrimages to Jasna Gora and dreamed of entering, being there “as in my own place.” “Finally, I did!” beams the gentle priest. Fr. Marek joined the Pauline Fathers and Brothers in 1999. Reflecting on the presence of our Lady of Jasna Gora in his life, he smiles, saying, “It’s her fault, I am who I am. She is my Mom.”
Since entering the Pauline Order, Fr. Marek has spent half of his time abroad, experiencing the Church in many different places. “People all over the world have the same problems;” he notes, “we ourselves are our biggest problem.” Ordained to the Holy Priesthood in 2006, Fr. Marek was assigned for two years to a monastery in Slovakia, serving in a large parish where he was given charge of youth. “It was a beautiful experience,” he remarks, “helping young people build their relationship with God through a life of prayer. It was a wonderful time and also hard, helping people work through their problems, especially interior ones.” Fr. Marek sees communication as of prime importance in facing the difficulties of our daily life, and points to the need for good listening.
