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Rev. Slawomir Zimodro Ordained to the priesthood May 24, 2008 Born: 7–16–1978 Home Parish: St. Jacek, Odrowaz, Poland |
| I don't know exactly when I first wanted to become a priest. I know that in elementary school I wrote a small essay about my future and I said that I wanted to be a priest. It is my earliest memory when officially I mentioned priesthood in my life. Also I remember one priest Msgr. Jozef Walag, who was my first pastor and a good example of a priest. When I was a boy, I served Mass every week and now when I close my eyes I can see the man who stood at the front of the altar, and who sounded like the voice of God over the public address system. He would lean forward into his microphone and say, in a booming voice that commanded attention, "Take this all of you, and eat it!" For the rest of my life, no matter where I go to Mass, no matter how many different priests or bishops are reciting the words of institution, I still hear Msgr. Jozef Walag's voice in the back of my head, booming into my mind, "Do this in memory of me!" Another influence guiding me toward the priesthood came from the life a great person: John Paul II. This Polish pope was very special to me because he taught me (by example of his life) from the earliest years of my life what it means to be a priest. Because I am also Polish like JPII, the pope's meaning is very important for me and deeply rooted in my heart. I remember one of JPII's vocation talks when he said that is not easy to answer the question about why he became a priest. I remembered he said that in Christ's call "Come follow me" is something special, but also very simple. Also when the future pope, Fr. Karol Wojtyla was asked by his students what make him happy in life, he replied that nothing meant more to him, or gave him greater joy than to celebrate Mass each day and to serve God's people in the Church. John Paul II's legacy has a very important and deep meaning in my life, not only because I am from Poland like him, but because he showed me how to be a man of God. A lot of things in my life looked so attractive, but never inspired me to follow them. The attraction to the priesthood was different and has been ever present in my life. In high school I often told friends of mine that I wanted to be a priest. I would imagine myself being a priest, counseling others during times of trouble, delivering the gospel and the homily at Mass, organizing retreat workshops, working with youth groups, and all the others things that I saw priests doing. Another thing that really hooked me on the idea about the priesthood was sacred liturgy. When I became an altar boy, I began to see the beauty of the structure of our Roman Catholic liturgy, and I fell in love. Each summer in my parish, one my friends (who is now a priest) taught me how to serve and taught me all about the Mass. It was so amazing and very nice when the young man - a seminarian in a black cassock taught me all these things that I still remember now. The liturgy held the greatest interest in my imagination about the priesthood. However the liturgy does not merely kindle my interest in becoming a priest. Priests do all kinds of work, from administrative and managerial functions at the parish and diocesan level, to weekly sick calls, to working with altar servers and all parish groups. The priest's duty is a shepherd, leading the people in verdant pastures and by restful waters. Specifically, it is his sacramental role that is his and his alone. In his sacramental role, the priest baptizes infants, being with families at the great moments when a person is first welcomed into the family of Christians. He gives children their first Communion, which will become their spiritual nourishment for the rest of their lives. He is there at the moment of great redemption, when a penitent returns to the life of holiness and firmly resolves with the help of God's grace to make up for his sins and to love as he should. He meets with young couples beginning their lives together, and guides them in their understanding of marriage, and is there that day when God joins them in the covenant. There are many things which I can consider in my life, but the most important for me is to become a holy man in a black cassock, who will lead people in their lives in the good times and bad. Priestly life is a gift from God, and I have to pray for it, asking for it on my knees in order to become good and holy priest. |
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©2008 Diocese of Rockford