Fr. Mariusz Wirkowski
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Fr. Mariusz Wirkowski was born in Poland in 1978. Raised on his parent's farm, he was later educated in Bialystok, Poland. Mariusz graduated from the Higher Spiritual Seminary in Bialystok and he was ordained May 29, 2004. A day later, he celebrated his very first Mass at his home parish. One week after ordination, Fr. Wirkowski moved to Syracuse, New York.
When Bishop Moynihan of the Diocese of Syracuse gave a talk about missionary work, Fr. Mariusz became interested in becoming a missionary. Once ordained, he joined two other Polish priests to serve in the Diocese of Syracuse. Fr. Mariusz worked in the Diocese for over five years. Several of his homilies, during that time, can be seen on Youtube.com at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJaB135wpOc, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8jimGmcDeo, and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN-WCZQr6X4.
Fr. Mariusz first heard about the Diocese of Fairbanks from a friend in Poland. The friend relayed that Bishop Kettler was visiting Poland and he was looking for priests. When Fr. Mariusz learned that the Diocese of Fairbanks is the only remaining missionary Diocese in the United States, he wanted to work here; saying, “I always wanted to serves as a missionary priest and that's why I came to the Fairbanks Diocese.”
Fr. Mariusz arrived in June. He is currently being introduced to the diocese by visiting various parishes. Beginning this month he will visit villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Region. His first experience in Alaska included joining Fr. Napieralski on a bike retreat from Tok to Valdez. He said that he saw beautiful places on the road and it is the, “best way to see Alaska because you can stop and meditate for a while seeing water, wilderness, or mountains.”
Fr. Mariusz's trip to Alaska was not without difficulty. After crossing the border into Canada, his car was hit on the drivers side by another vehicle. Both vehicles were totaled and Fr. Mariusz spent a day in the hospital. He recovered at a local rectory of a Catholic parish. Parishioners drove him back to Billings, MT to fly to Fairbanks. “I think God was of course with me because I am alive, no broken bones, just I little problem with my neck.” He said that the accident showed him how fragile our lives are. “I lost my car you know, but I could have lost my life. You can replace a car but not a life.”
Fr. Mariusz's difficulties did not stop at his vehicle accident. He was helping move furniture out the Kobuk Center when he accidently disrupted a Yellow-Jacket nest. Even after being stung ten times on his arms, legs, and lip, he celebrated mass three hours later. We hope that Fr. Mariusz's experiences in the Diocese will be less painful and we look forward to working with him.
Fr. Mariusz says, “I am looking forward to working with the native peoples of Alaska and bringing them the Good News. To be with them, live with them, and serve them as a priest; to talk about God and about his gospel to them and with them. That is my purpose, to serve them as a missionary priest.”