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By Priscilla Greear, Staff Writer
DULUTH—Bringing with him a background of community
development experience in Africa and America, Father Daniel Rogaczewski will
now work to build lives and faith communities following his priestly ordination
Dec. 8 at St. Benedict Church.
Family and friends filled the Duluth church where Father
Rogaczewski served a pastoral internship before priestly ordination and where
he is serving his first assignment as a parochial vicar. The Mass, held on the
feast of the Immaculate Conception, was celebrated by Archbishop John F.
Donoghue and concelebrated by Father David Talley, director of vocations, and
over 20 archdiocesan priests. Readings were given by his cousin Sister Irene
Regina, FSP, of Cleveland, Ohio, and Bob Caldwell of the Church of St. Gabriel,
Fayetteville, where the new priest also served a pastoral internship.
In the first portion of the rite of ordination, Father Talley
presented Rev. Mr. Rogaczewski to Archbishop Donoghue who chose him for
ordination, after which the congregation consented with applause.
In his homily the archbishop thanked those who supported and
encouraged the transitional deacon in his vocation, particularly his family who
“raised Dan up, to be a good Catholic, a good person, oriented not towards
self-fulfillment and gain, but towards charity, towards love for others, and a
humble acceptance of the special gifts which God has given him,” he said.
“No teaching, no education, no formation can better sow this seed of
servant-hood, which is planted in the heart at its earliest age...”
He spoke of the priesthood as something that will “set him
apart, but also set him within the very heart of Christianity, and of the
Church’s life...”
Referring to her feast day the archbishop said that Mary is known
as the “mother of priests” because of her perfect realization of the
good counsels of the church by her unmatched degree of purity, obedience and
poverty of spirit. Her purity was through her conception of Jesus through which
she was consumed with God’s love for mankind, while her poverty was
through walking with Christ, sharing in his healing ministry and confirming the
faith of his followers.
“If for no other reasons than these, Mary is the mother of
priests—she is your mother, and from this day forward, she will be there
to help you, to correct you, and to praise you, in the intimacy of your
heart—the heart of a faithful son,” the archbishop said.
In priesthood, he continued, “you live these good counsels
she has shown you, before the people of the Church—and ... you bring your
own particular and special understanding of the Church’s life, the living
grace of the Holy Spirit, before the Faithful, for their edification, and for
their salvation.”
The chief shepherd referred to how the Gospels twice state that
“Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” referring
to what was entrusted to her about the mystery of her Son and God’s plan.
The new priest, too, will have much to ponder. “It is a
blessing directly from God, and planted in your own mind, your own heart, your
own soul, that you are willing, with the charity of Christ, to take upon
yourself the burdens, the confidences, the unrevealed secrets of these same
people, the brothers and sisters of Christ, who will come to you expecting
perfect trustworthiness,” the archbishop said.
“There are few greater things that a priest can do for the
Faithful than this—the listening and the keeping of their thoughts, their
confessions, their deepest knowledge of themselves, to you, in trust, and with
confidence in your trust.”
He told the candidate to take Mary’s example to mind and
heart, calling the faithful to ask for Mary’s intercession for him.
“For much will also be entrusted to you, and by the grace of the Holy
Spirit, given this day from my hands, may you ever keep what is precious to the
Faithful and to the Church, safe in the confines of your heart, where it will
be available to God, for His disposition, and for the working out of His
will—for you, and for those entrusted to your care.”
Facing the archbishop seated before him, the candidate affirmed
his intent to serve as a priest with a clear conscience and prayerful spirit
after which he promised obedience to him and his successors. The archbishop
called on the kneeling congregation to pray for the candidate who prostrated
himself before them. In silence the archbishop, followed by the other priests,
laid hands on Rev. Mr. Rogaczewski, conferring the Holy Spirit on him, after
which those gathered softly chanted “Veni Creator Spiritus.” The
archbishop said a prayer of consecration, completing the act of ordination.
Msgr. Richard Buchheit of St. Louis, with whom the candidate had
done pastoral work while in college, vested the 6-foot-5-inch priest in stole
and chasuble. The archbishop then anointed Father Rogaczewski’s hands with
chrism to signify the priest’s ministry to heal, sanctify and offer prayer
for God’s people. He then hugged him to welcome him to the flock as did
the other priests. Father Rogaczewski then joined the priests on the altar.
Father Hugh Marren, St. Benedict pastor, thanked the archbishop,
choir and assisting seminarians, calling on the congregation to pray for future
priests. Everyone has a responsibility to pray for vocations as it is “in
the family that the seed of the vocation is planted,” Father Marren said.
“While God is the one who calls us to our vocation, our parents are the
mouthpiece of God.”
Attendees, many from St. Gabriel and St. Benedict parishes,
crowded into the parish hall afterward for a reception, receiving blessings
from Father Rogaczewski. After posing in multiple family snapshots, Father
Rogaczewski’s sister, Julie Jacobsmeyer of Oklahoma City, sang a song of
praise for his vocation.
“I’m really, really happy for him. It was a real long
road. I think the Lord made him persevere and that makes it all the more
meaningful,” she said.
She praised Father Rogaczewski for being a good brother with whom
she shares the trials of marriage and motherhood.
“I always find him to be a really good listener. He offers an
opinion but never ‘what I think you should do’ type of thing.
He’s always supportive and helps to confirm the thoughts that I have or
(helps me) to see the other side a little better,” she said.
She feels her brother’s various life experiences will benefit
his ministry. He holds a master’s degree in planning and public policy,
has worked as a land use planner and in community development and was an
extension agent in a network of agricultural schools with the Peace Corps in
Africa. He also worked the water polo venue of the 1996 Olympics.
“He’s been out in the world and has seen things and enjoys working
with young people.”
Father Rogaczewski used to coach high school water polo and was
active with Teens Encounter Christ, a program for youth.
“He’s always done community service and church type of
activities in the past and this will allow him to really focus his time and
energy in what he enjoys doing,” his sister said.
His vocation was no surprise to his father, Daniel Sr., who
traveled from St. Louis. “He’s always been involved with things with
the church since a very young age.”
It is “awesome” for him to have a priest for a son.
“I want that for him. I think he’s made a choice and I guess what I
want for him now is to do well in what he has chosen to do ... I think he is
very happy,” he said.
Msgr. Kenneth Roeltgen, pastor of the Church of St. Stephen,
Martyr, in Washington, D.C., and Father Rogaczewski’s first seminary
rector, had him for a field placement at his parish where he taught a course on
the new Catechism of the Catholic Church. Msgr. Roeltgen believes the new
priest’s first apostolate is teaching. “He’s a very effective
teacher. He was very well respected by our parish,” he said. “Dan
always jumps in and does what needs to be done. Whether it’s in the parish
or rectory he’s always the one to take the initiative.”
Father Brian Higgins, parochial vicar at the Cathedral of Christ
the King, Atlanta, commented on his friend from seminary.
“He exudes a great deal of holiness and not only holiness but
he exudes the love of Christ in his desire to not only teach but learn. He also
exudes a great deal of charity and forgiveness,” he said.
“I think his greatest attribute is he’s so approachable.
He’s just a regular person. He doesn’t try to stand apart from the
people but with the people. He is probably the most loyal friend you could
have,” he said. “Not only is he big in stature but big in heart. He
reaches out to people.”
Father Higgins spoke of Father Rogaczewski’s bright light of
knowledge and called him “one of the smartest people I’ve ever
met.”
“He was also everyone’s tutor. When he took a year off a
number of our GPAs took off,” Father Higgins said. “He showed more
perseverance than any seminarian I’ve seen in preparation for the
priesthood ... He had a really difficult journey to the priesthood. Like a lot
of us, he had a lot of obstacles put in his way. Every time he saw an obstacle
he used it and that made him stronger and that was an inspiration to all of us
and that made us all stronger. He was never afraid to pick up his cross and
carry it.”
Father Rogaczewski helped Father Higgins discern his own vocation
in times of doubt and he’s now grateful to have a new brother in a
fraternity that really knows how to celebrate.
“For years I was able to call him friend. Nothing makes me
prouder than to call him brother priest because it is a gift and I know
he’ll look at it as a gift,” he said. “He helped me realize
through his prayers and by his example and his advice ... that this is what God
was calling me to. As usual he was right and I’ve never been happier in
anything I’ve ever done.”
Father Rogaczewski experienced that gift during the ceremony.
Although trying to stay calm, he was overcome by the Holy Spirit after the sign
of peace.
“I came to understand how fully trying to capture the love of
God is like trying to capture Niagara Falls in a tea cup,” he said.
“It was just overwhelming ... When the love of God pours out you can see
you’re now looking upon the face of God and live.”
A native of St. Louis, Father Rogaczewski traces his calling to
his childhood but said that it then fell dormant. He said that a powerful
retreat in college, followed by much prayer and reflection, resurrected it. Yet
he decided he wanted work experience before entering the seminary to fully
identify with the life of the laity. But it was tough to then leave work and go
back to a school where “people see part of their role to re-form you in
beginning in ministry.” He learned a lot, particularly working with Father
Tim Hepburn, then pastor at St. Gabriel Church, and its small, supportive
community in Fayetteville.
Now settling into his life as a parochial vicar at St. Benedict,
Father Rogaczewski said in an interview that he is finding that the priesthood
is “so much better than I anticipated.” He recently experienced the
grace of the sacraments while anointing a dying man at a hospice.
“Part of what makes the priesthood special (is) you get to
watch the grace of God in people’s lives in such a direct and powerful
way,” he said. “There’s a great awareness that there’s this
wonderful grace that God lets you hold and trust as a priest and what a great
treasure that is.” |
