I am Father Marek Bozek, and it is my pleasure to welcome all of you today here, at Saint Stanislaus Kostka Parish. Your service to the local community and to the Catholic Church is deeply appreciated as you struggle to report objectively on the events regarding this parish.
As you are aware, the Board of Directors of Saint Stanislaus Kostka Church has chosen me to lead this Parish as their Pastor and spiritual leader. We all know that this is not the usual way a parish gets its priest in the Roman Catholic Church, but we know as well that there exist unique and very serious circumstances which justify this extraordinary decision on behalf of this parish and myself.
It is important that I state it very clearly here; that I am coming to Saint Stanislaus in order to be its pastor, a parish priest, and nothing else. As every priest and bishop, I have been called to imitate Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, and feed and care for his sheep. This is my main vocation in life and only purpose of my coming here. I have decided to accept the call of the people of Saint Stanislaus because I believe in my heart that they are indeed the People of God, and the ancient wisdom of the Catholic Church reminds us that “vox populi vox Dei est” (the voice of the people is the voice of God Himself). As a pastor of this Catholic parish I will make every effort to fulfill every obligation that is usually expected of a Catholic parish priest – I will offer daily Eucharist, celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation and every other sacrament, visit the sick, and bury the dead, and laugh with those who are laughing, and cry with those who are crying, as it happens in any given Catholic parish church.
As a parish priest, it is not my intention to be a hero or a warrior. I have not come here to wage a war or dispute legal and canonical issues with anybody. Neither will I preoccupy myself with the financial aspects of this parish. I am not a lawyer or a businessman. I am proud to be a Catholic priest and will make every effort to be a good pastor of this parish. Highly qualified canon lawyers and businessmen will be responsible for the affairs of this parish in their respective fields of expertise. My life and ministry here will be focused solely on the spiritual well being of Saint Stanislaus’ parishioners.
When I arrived at the Saint Stanislaus rectory, I found a huge pile of letters on the pastor’s desk. Along with numerous e-mail messages I have been receiving lately, I can easily say that literally hundreds of people took their time to express directly their opinion on the actions I took recently. Among these hundreds of messages, about a dozen or so are hate letters full of insults and malice. You might have read some of these insults in less respectful media outlets or online. I have been called a pedophile, heretic, promiscuous homosexual, womanizer, and many other things. Most of these hate messages are not even signed, and I will not waste my nor your time to engage them. Instead, I want to take this time to express my deep gratitude to hundreds of individuals, many priests and religious among them, who sent me words of support, and above all, assured me of their prayers for myself and our parish family. I realize I am given a huge credit of trust and hope, and I promise I will do my best to fulfill your expectations and cooperate with the grace of God for which we all are praying every day.
At this time I would like also to assure my friends in southwest Missouri especially my Bishop John Leibrecht and brother priests of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau diocese. Their loving and welcoming hearts have made my transition from Poland a great experience, and I will never stop thanking God for all the good I have experienced during my first three years of priesthood. Great folks of all the parishes I served as a priest deserve a word of thanks as well. The people of Saint Canera in Neosho, Saint Mary’s in Seneca, Nativity of Our Lord in Noel, and Saint Agnes Cathedral in Springfield have welcomed and cared for me as one of their own. At my two priestly assignments, I have come to know many great Christians in the beautiful region of the Ozarks, and I will keep them all in my prayers.
As a Catholic parish priest, I would like also to express my respect and reverence toward the Archbishop of Saint Louis, Most Reverend Raymond Burke. I will honor him in the Ordinary and during each Mass celebrated at this church, as it takes place in every Catholic church, we will pray for our Pope and the Bishop Ordinary. I am willing and will be more than happy to enter into a dialogue with the archdiocese and the archbishop himself. Every day I pray fervently that a solution can be found to this difficult situation that will allow us to be fully reconciled.
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