Priest, 95, says scientific work has deepened his faith in God

Published: 2005-01-18

ST. PAUL, Minn. (CNS) -- Father Edward Grzeskowiak, 95, cannot remember when he did not want to be a priest. He can, however, remember not wanting to be a chemist. Father Grzeskowiak, ordained the longest of any priest in the St. Paul-Minneapolis Archdiocese, said his interest in science has deepened his faith in God. After his 1936 ordination, Father Grzeskowiak expected to be assigned to a parish. He never expected that Archbishop John Gregory Murray, then head of the archdiocese, would ask him to get a university degree in chemistry so he could teach at Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary. Surprised by the assignment, he prepared for classes at the University of Minnesota. "I wanted to be an effective teacher," he told The Catholic Spirit, the archdiocesan newspaper. "I wanted the seminarians to get into some science, too, because I saw God as the boss of nature and the boss of theology." He taught at Nazareth Hall for 27 years and then was given four parish assignments. Since 1996, Father Grzeskowiak has been living at Holy Family Residence run by the Little Sisters of the Poor in St. Paul. He has never stopped marveling at God's creation in nature. "Even now, I can sit at my window for hours and admire the beautiful trees outside," he said.

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