A Lamb Led To Slaughter

Life expectancy now stands at 77.6 years. Far less than the life expectancy of a Naval corpsman or an Army 2nd Lt. But life expectancy is all very relative to your position in life. The spiritual life expectancy of a priest at St. Stanislaus Parish in St. Louis, Mo is very, very short.

For those of you new to the story of the little church on the near north side of St. Louis, a brief synopsis of the fairy-tale is in order. St. Stanislaus, as you may well gather from the name, is a Polish parish. In the late 19th century the little parish was handed the deed to the land and the property by the then head of the St. Louis diocese. Nothing was further said until 2004 when the new Archbishop of the community, Raymond Burke, demanded in the name of all that is holy and good that the assets of St. Stan's, now at a wowing $9 million, be turned over to the diocese. The parish board was reluctant, Burke was adamant, priests were removed from the church, disciplinary action was waged against the board and the compassion and charity that had once been a benchmark of the church turned into a political power play.

The little church never gave up. Although masses, weddings and funerals were denied, prayer services continued. A renegade priest from Poland was recruited to celebrate mass on Christmas Eve a year ago. Now, a new twist to the story of the little church that could. A priest has placed his religious life on the line.

Rev. Marek Bozek is but a child as a priest. At 30 years of age he has decided to take on the Harshbishop of St. Louis and reach out to the little parish as it's pastor. Why? Why commit occupational suicide at such an early age? Well, the Rev. Bozek is no ordinary cleric. First, he hails from Poland. I'm somewhat biased when it comes to the Poles. My mother's name ended in ...ski and the Poles told the Ruskies point blank " kill us, but we will keep our Church" Real holy gonads. Secondly, Fr. Bozek reminds me of the early Christians. The ones who became cat food in the orgies of Rome. Paul making his travels to preach in the communities of the early Church. A martyr and evangelist, Bozek came to this country to spread the good news where there was a shortage of priests. The good Fr. saw a parish and people in need and jumped into the cesspool up to his white collar.

Bozek's current status is suspended and that of a priest "not in good standing". The mass he celebrates on Christmas will be valid, but illicit. That terminology confuses me. Burke has advised that those participating in the mass will be committing a grievous sin. Having become just a twice a year catholic, Easter and Christmas, I can live with it. But what about the older people who have lived in that parish all their life? Are they to be doomed to hell because they want to celebrate a religious holiday in their church? I don't think God will be harsh on them. I don't think God will be harsh on His son, Marek. Although Bozek faces certain excommunication, the most extreme punishment of the church, Bozek has responded to the cornerstone of the very laws he has been alleged to have violated. The final law in the Canon of the church reads, "the salvation of the souls, which must always be the supreme law in the Church, is to be kept before one's eyes". ( There are other Canons that point to the same thought) That's Bozek's true sin, following the law and his conscience. Being a missionary as the Jesuits to the Indians, the Maryknolls to the Asians, the Vincentians to the poor.

I look forward to meeting you, Fr. Bozek.