2014 Issue III

Prayer for a faVor through the

INterCeSSIoN of father Walter CISzek, S.J.

_____________

almighty god, we love, adore and praise you as our Creator and loving father. look with compassion and mercy upon us. hear our prayer in this time of special need and through the intercession of father Walter Ciszek, grant the following favor if it is your holy Will.

(Mention the Request)

Most loving god, accept our gratitude for hearing this prayer. May the knowledge of the virtues and holiness of father Walter be recognized and known to provide a lasting example to draw sinners to reconciliation and to lead souls to sanctity.

for you are our god and we are your people and we glorify you, father, Son and holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. amen.

Please inform the Prayer League of any special favors from Father Walter Ciszek.

Rev. Walter J. Ciszek, S.J.

www.ciszek.orgfwccenter@verizon.net

Reverend Jeffrey J. Walsh Father Walsh was born in Scranton,

Pennsylvania in 1965. He attended Scranton Central High School and completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Scranton before studying at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg, Maryland. He was ordained to the priesthood (1994) by Bishop James C. Timlin, Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania. His next spiritual endeavor was Parochial Vicar at St. Rose of Lima Parish in Carbondale for two years before being the Director of Religious Formation at Bishop Hannan High School and serving as the Parochial Vicar at St. Peter’s Cathedral. In 1999, he earned his Master of Arts Degree in Spirituality from Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska. He went on to become the Spiritual Director at St. Pius Seminary, Dalton. For the next five years, he served as the pastor of St. Mary of the Lake Parish Church (Lake Winola, PA) and then at Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, Tunkhannock. From 2006 to 2008, Father Walsh was the Episcopal Vicar for the eastern region, Diocese of Scranton. He then served as the administrator

of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Troop while, at the same time, advancing his education at Marywood University by obtaining a Master of Social Work degree. Since 2010, he is the pastor of St. John’s Church in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

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father Walter CISzek DayoCtoBer 19, 2014

SaINt CaSIMIr’S ChurChSaCreD WorShIP SIte, SheNaNDoah, Pa

rev. Msgr. ronald BocianFather Walter Ciszek Prayer League Board President

Divine Mercy Parish Pastor

MaIN CeleBraNt

REV. JEFFREY WALSH WHO WROTE PRIEST OF GOD’S PROVIDENCE (a Radio Drama)AND PLAYS THE PART OF FATHER CISZEK IS THIS YEAR’S HOMILIST.

30thFather Walter

Ciszek’s Death

Anniversary

December 8, 1984 - Decem

be

r 8, 2

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2 Father Walter Ciszek Prayer League

“for/from the friends of Walter Ciszek, S.J.”A Publication of the Father Walter Ciszek Prayer LeagueOfficial Organization for the Promotion of the Cause of

Canonization of Father Walter Ciszek, S.J.231 N. Jardin Street

Shenandoah, PA 17976

Editor: Daniel L. Flaherty, S.J.Executive Editor : Elaine CusatStaff: Msgr. Anthony D. Muntone, Rev. Thomas F. Sable, S.J., Circulation Manager Sister Doris Burkot, O.S.F.Business Manager Elaine Cusat

“Friends of Walter Ciszek, S.J.” is published four times a year for friends and contributors to the Father Walter Ciszek Prayer League. Copies mailed from Shenandoah, PA. For a subscription, write: The Prayer League, 231 N. Jardin Street, Shenandoah, PA 17976. Current cost is $10 a year. Manuscripts should be sent to: Editor, Prayer League, 231 N. Jardin Street, Shenandoah, PA 17976; please include a stamped, self-addressed return envelope. For changes of address or problems with your subscription write: Circulation Manager, The Prayer League, 231 N. Jardin Street, Shenandoah, PA 17976. Postmaster, please return undeliverable copies to The Prayer League, 231 N. Jardin Street, Shenandoah, PA 17976.

By Rev. Thomas J. Sable, S.J.

Suffering: Faith Hope, and Love

The deeper our faith, the more doubt we must endure; the deeper our hope, the more prone we are to despair; the deeper our love, the more pain its loss will bring: these are a few of the paradoxes we must hold as Christians. If we refuse to hold them in hopes of living without doubt, despair, and pain, we also find ourselves living without faith, hope, and love.

In He Leadeth Me, Father Ciszek points out the strong connection between faith and prayer: “We cannot pray as if we were talking to the empty air; so in the very act of praying we unconsciously remind ourselves of the reality and the presence of God, thereby strengthening our belief in him.”

Prayer is what feeds our faith, challenges our preconceptions, prepares us for the life-giving graces of the sacraments.

Tagore was a Bengali poet who wrote: ”Bring your lamp to those without light, enkindle the flame of love in those without hope.” In the darkened cells of prisons and in the vast midnight regions of the taiga, Father Ciszek did just that. In He Leadeth Me, Father Ciszek shares the feelings of humilty and joy that he had in his encounters with his fellow prisoners. “You realized that they came to you as a man of God, a representative of God, a man chosen from among men and ordained for men in the things that are of God; you realized, too, that this imposed upon you an obligation of service, of ministry, with no thought of personal inconvenience, no matter how tired you might be physically or what risks you might be running in the face of official threats. For my part, I could not help but see in every encounter with every prisoner the will of God for me, now, at this time and in this place, and the hand of providence that had brought me here by strange and tortuous paths . . . The things that are of God are all the joys and works and sufferings of each day, however burdensome and boring, routine and insignificant they may seem. It is the priest’s function to offer these things back to God for his fellow men and to serve as an example, a witness, a martyr, a testimony before the men around him of God’s providence and purpose.”

We feel the Cross to be a great burden. We try with all our might to avoid it, dodge it and reject it in our lives. The Cross gives us a great sense of insecurity, that at any moment the weight of the Cross will crush us into the gound, the wounds of the Cross will cause us to cry out in excruciating pain. But Fr. Ciszek realized one of the great paradoxes of life. The power of the Cross of Jesus Christ is one of our greatest securities in life. And that sense of security in, on and around the Cross is a great expression of our Catholic faith.

We ask you to pray for the success of a film project about the life of Father Walter Ciszek, that all the financial, legal, and technical difficulties may be overcome for the production of a successful and useful film.

DECEASED: Msgr. Edward W. Sarzynski, Edward P. MooreNeil Bove, Joseph McCormack, Carol McCormack

HEALTH: Rev. Edward Scott, Joan Rusnock, Anthony CusatDoris Yourishion, Tom Tokach, Priscilla HeffermanJim and Virginia Moran, Jonathan

SPECIAL INTENTIONS:

Publication of Book, Father Tim McIntire

For all whose names were previously on our list, but who are still in need of our prayers; for all those who have requested prayers of the League; for all prayer league members, for all those who are praying through the intercession of Father Walter Ciszek; and for all who need our prayers.

prayer hotline

We are now on Facebook! Kevin Rockensies and John Dejak maintain the page.

Father Walter Ciszek Prayer League 3

30 yearS laterDeCeMBer 8, 1984 – DeCeMBer 8, 2014

Remembering Father Walter Ciszek

4 Father Walter Ciszek Prayer League

OF FR. DANIEL FITZPATRICK, S.J.

FATHER THOMAS KULLER, SJ

Statement on the Holiness and Virtues of Father Walter J. Ciszek

Antoinette Rienzi graduated from Trenton State College, now known as the College of New Jersey, in 1970 with a degree in Nursing. She had worked in New York City most of her professional career before retiring in 2009 from New York University Medical Center. She first met Father in 1968 in Trenton when he came to speak at a First Friday all-night vigil and told of his experiences. She remained friends and continued with him as her spiritual director right up until his death in 1984. She now lives in Hamilton, New Jersey.

The following highlights Antoinette’s remembrance of Father Walter Ciszek:

When I graduated from college, I went to work at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx. I was close to Fordham University where Fr. Ciszek was staying. I contacted him and we started a wonderful friendship which lasted until he died.

I have three other friends who also knew him during those years (one who still lives in the Bronx); I had introduced them to him. Periodically, we would spend a day there tidying up his place (he had retreatants going in and out of there all the time). We took pleasure in doing things for him—he was so grateful and appreciative.

A fond memory I have of Father is the Christmas mailing—the most organized process I ever saw. We would start late in October and usually finish by Christmas. He had a network of helpers who would help for three or four hours at a time, writing Christmas greetings and then addressing envelopes. By Christmas he would have written close to one thousand cards, all handwritten, or he would write at least part of it. As years went by, he would just add his signature—he had a message written for us, and we would just copy it. I still have some of those Christmas cards sent to me, which I treasure.

With Father I made my first real retreat using the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. It was the best retreat I ever made, resulting in daily Mass attendance as often as my work schedule or other duties allowed. I still have the notes he wrote for me at the retreat, which to this day I periodically review.

Two events I remember well over the years, are his 50th jubilee (I was there for the big party with his family members and friends), and his receiving an honorary doctorate at Fordham University (I still have the program and pictures from those occasions).

A friend, Rosemary, who introduced me to Father, used to say in his presence, “Father is a saint”. His response was not like that of a person with an inflated ego, but in a gentle and humble way he would let her know ”We are here to do God’s work.” He wasn’t looking for that kind of recognition, he was so humble and so aware of human frailty.

Another thing comes to mind is how he made time for everyone who came to visit or call him on the phone. He never brushed anyone off by being impatient or annoyed, no matter how busy he was. He once told me that no matter what I am doing, even if I am tired when a person comes to me or calls, “God wants this person there at that moment, and for you to respond to them”. So I try to apply that in the interruptions I experience. That was so saintly the way Father responded—it stands out in my mind when I do fail. He was so exceptional!

When Father had his first heart attack, the Jesuits had a plan for him to recuperate. His provincial ordered him to go on a sabbatical in Massachusetts. It was in the fall of 1976 when he had been stricken, so for Christmas and the New Year he was at the Campion Center in Waltham, Massachusetts. My friend, Rosemary, suggested that we go to see Father over the holidays since we had not seen him for a long time. I happened to be off from work on New Year’s Day so we planned to surprise him on that day. I called him the night before to see how he was and to wish him a Happy New Year 1977. He said, “Slowly, my heart is healing okay.” I didn’t let on we were coming to see him. Well, the next day we got up early and drove five hours to get there. When we arrived we told the priest greeting us at the door, “We’ve come to see Father Ciszek.” He proceeded to take us up to where Father was sitting. He was so happy when he saw us. I don’t think he had had many visitors. He was so surprised, saying, “You just called me last night.” I still have the letter telling me how

Interview with Antoinette Rienzi

Father Walter Ciszek Prayer League 5

Interview and Statement of Father Daniel Fitzpatrick, S.J.october 17, 2012

Father Daniel Fitzpatrick entered the Society of Jesus on July 30, 1953. He is presently seventy-seven years old and has been a spiritual director for many years. He received a doctorate from Columbia University with a focus on Ignatian spirituality. He is presently Moderator for Christian-Life Community in the New York Province of the Society of Jesus.

I met Father Walter Ciszek when he came back from Russia and was assigned to John XXIII Center at Fordham (approximately 1964). Knowing him as a fellow Jesuit, I noticed a peace about him. He seemed to be a simple person who had come to terms with life. We were all inspired because we knew how much he had suffered.

I used to see him at dinner in Loyola Hall. He was always quiet and never talked about himself or what he went through in Russia. I met him several times walking the grounds at Fordham and we exchanged pleasantries. I had read his books and was moved especially by He Leadeth Me.

Other Jesuits like myself all knew him from earlier days since we prayed for him thinking he had died in Russia.

He certainly seemed to be a holy man, someone who had suffered for his faith. He was a modest person and “simple” in the good sense of the word—a man with a singular purpose.

Father Ciszek must have had tremendous psychological balance and strength. In a sense he was a living martyr. To have endured so many years of solitary confinement certainly speaks to the power and grace of God working through him.

wonderful the surprise visit was. I had to go to work the next day so we returned home after about an hour’s visit. (Five hours trip back; when you’re young, you can do things like that.)

I remember having conversations with him about his ordeal in Russia and about the Russian people. I had wondered about them, and the kind of people they were. Father said, “They suffered so much.” I could see the suffering in his eyes. (He had beautiful clear blue eyes that twinkled when he was happy.) But in describing the Russians he said the people were wonderful. Their suffering touched him, and he noted how the grandmothers kept the faith alive.

We had a wonderful friendship that endured. I knew that he wasn’t feeling well so I called him on the evening of December 7, 1984 to find out how he was doing. I could hear in his voice how exhausted he was. He told me, “Toni, I have been in the emergency room all day and I am so tired. I am going to say my prayers and then I’m going to rest. I told him that I would call him in the morning. I did call on the morning of December 8 and the priest that answered the phone said, “Father passed away saying his prayers, with rosary in hand.” I was sad at the news but not surprised. He was suffering so much from emphysema and arthritic pain as the result of the cold weather and hard labor in Siberia.

I believe his contribution to the Church is the fact that he prayed for the Church. He loved the Church and was faithful to the teaching of the magisterium. He was troubled by some of the practices and changes taking place in the Church in America, but he was also confident in the belief that Our Lord was in charge. He was also a witness of the love of God for His suffering people whether in the cold mines of Siberia or those that came to him in the Bronx.

I always remember him in a joyful disposition in spite of his physical suffering. I never remember hearing him complain nor did the physical suffering keep him from doing God’s work.

What a holy and humble priest Father was. I miss him very much but I also know that he’s looking down on me with a smile. I always felt I was special to him; he had that gift of making everyone feel very special. He gave you all his attention, and you felt that you were the world to him.

I feel so blessed to have known him.

6 Father Walter Ciszek Prayer League

JERRY LILORE’S STATEMENT

Interview and Statement of Father Thomas Kuller, S.J.December 11, 2012

Father Kuller is presently Superior of Ferdinand Wheeler House, working as Chaplain with Gilchrist Hospice Care. He is 57 years of age, having entered the Society of Jesus on August 23, 1979 and been ordained as a priest in 1990. Most of Father’s ministry has been working in health care and corrections—incarcerated youth and formerly incarcerated adults.

In the summer of 1981, I was one of three novices who made an eight-day retreat with Fr. Ciszek. Some of my memories and impressions of the retreat remain. His retreat was “old-fashioned”-- I was able to relate to that. Although I am 57 years old now, that style was fine. He was sort of “old-fashioned to us, but very kind, and spoke about his faith with such conviction—his beliefs were so strong. He was humble, especially in knowing all that he had survived.

One memory stands out—at lunch one day I said, “Father, would you like some coffee or tea?” He said, “No, I just like hot water; I got used to that in prison.” I also remember the shoeboxes of letters; he maintained a voluminous correspondence. I remember, too, that he wheezed from his long-term emphysema—he called the noise “the sparrows”. in making light of it. I did not keep a relationship with him nor were we in touch.

A miracle did come on December 8, 2009, on the 25th anniversary of his death (I did not know until a later date that it was that special date). I had had an attack of stomach problems, and I was diagnosed with cancer. I heard Father Ciszek’s voice say “You will be fine.” After the testing, I recommended to everybody I know to pray to Fr. Ciszek for me to get better.

I did have some surgery to remove one-half of my stomach. But having everybody pray before the next step—a biopsy that had previously been taken and showed cancer subsequently came back negative. As a result I did not have to proceed with chemotherapy and radiation. I recently had an endoscopy and the results came back negative.

My physician is a Jewish man, and he said he would give testimony about the healing if contacted. His name is Joel Turner from the Greater Baltimore Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

Father Ciszek’s contribution has been immeasurable humility. His devotion and dedication are an example to all of us. He absolutely was an exemplary Jesuit in his faithfulness in prison and throughout the rest of his life. He was devoted to the Spiritual Exercises in the spirit of St. Ignatius and living that out. His humility made him almost seem an irony, and almost misunderstood—like anybody’s kindly grandfather.

I do pray, especially for healing when I was sick, and now I pray that his cause for canonization continues forward.

I’m convinced whether my case is proven to be a miracle or not, I know that I’m better because of the intercession of Father Walter Ciszek, and I count my healing a miracle.

“ I resolved again and again to accept each day and every moment as from God’s hands and to offer it back as best I could.” – Rev. Walter J. Ciszek, S.J.

Father Walter Ciszek Prayer League 7

Statement of Reverend Timothy McDonnellMost Reverend Timothy McDonnell was born on December 23, 1937 and ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of New York on June 1, 1963 by Cardinal Spellman. He has served as parish priest, teacher, chaplain, and pastor at many archdiocesan parishes and institutions. Among his ministries has been the Office of Christian Development, Catholic Charities, and Covenant House. Bishop McDonnell was appointed auxiliary bishop of New York by Pope John Paul II in 2001, and later named the eighth Bishop of Springfield, Massachusetts in 2004 where he currently serves as spiritual leader for over 200,000 Catholics in western Massachusetts.

I was a young curate at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Ardsley, New York where priests studying religious education at Fordham would reside during the year. While they went to classes they would help out by serving in the parish. During that time, we were asked by the head of the Russian Institute at Fordham if Father Walter Ciszek could come and stay with the parish to experience American pastoral life following his return from the Soviet Union. That was the summer of 1964, his first summer back in the United States.

Father Ciszek was a very simple, gentle priest who lived in the room next to mine. He was still somewhat uncomfortable speaking English because he had to relearn his native tongue after so many years overseas.

We had an “open door” policy—we could kind of walk in and out casually. At first he would only attend Mass; then, with help, he was able to say Mass privately. He did not want to speak publicly, or say Mass publicly in Latin (English had not yet been introduced). He was more comfortable with the Byzantine rite. By the end of the summer, he was saying weekday Masses but not yet preaching.

I remember in the initial days how he showed wonder at things we took for granted, such as the electric coffeemaker; so many things had changed in the United States since he had been living here that everyday items that had come into common use were wondrous to him. I had to remember he had left the United States in the midst of the depression when times were very tight for almost all families. He once commented on the size of American homes--so much room compared to the space allocated for families in Russia where everyone was cramped.

Father Ciszek would not speak about specific Russian conditions or situations that he experienced, I believe out of concern for people he had left behind. I think he didn’t want to talk about anything that he feared could have repercussions or cause difficulty for people who had helped him. Occasionally, he would mention something about the prison camp in Siberia but never anything about the Lubianka prison. He did say that in the prison camp he would save some raisins from a little piece of cake, soak them and ferment them to make wine for the consecration; save a piece of bread to celebrate Mass surreptitiously. In kidding around one day, he said he was starting to get a “pot belly,” from the abundance of food he found back in the States. He was very abstemious at meals; he would not eat anything he thought was too rich for him.

Father Ciszek had not yet written his books at that time, we could only guess what he had been through, but his demeanor and his prayerfulness struck me the most. He would spend time with his rosary before the Blessed Sacrament and be lost in meditation. He told me once the time flew when he could pray. When he left to return to the Russian Institute at the end of the summer we promised to pray for each other using the Latin phrase “Oremus pro invicem.”

I remember Father Ciszek’s gentleness and the gratitude he manifested. I believe his contribution to the Church is the great example of sacrifice he gave and his devotion to the priesthood, pointing out that it’s all about service to people. He was a great yet gentle human being who had been through so much suffering for Christ. But, with St. Paul, I believe, he was making up “in my flesh what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ on behalf of His Body, which is the Church.” He set an example of priesthood, which is at its core, service of God and of people in every circumstance.

REVEREND TIMOTHY McDONNELL

the father Walter CISzek Prayer leagueOfficial Organization for the Promotion of the Cause of Canonization of Father Walter Ciszek, S.J.

Phone: (570) 462-2270 Fax: (570) 462-2274231 N. Jardin Street, Shenandoah, PA 17976-1642

Rev. Walter J. Ciszek, S.J.

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2014 Issue III

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