As some of you already know, this past week Fr. Kamil was called to the office of Bishop Serratelli and told that he was being transferred to the Holy Rosary Parish in Passaic, a Polish parish, effective June 29. Obviously, this came as a shock to both him and myself.
The Bishop felt the needs for a parochial vicar were greater at Holy Rosary than at St. Matthews. He will not be replaced by another priest. Obviously Fr. Kamil is very sad, upset and distraught by such sudden news. As I am sure as all of you are, I am deeply saddened, upset and disappointed. Fr. Kamil has been a wonderful addition to our parish community and has been a wonderful support to me, a good friend, and has energized all of us in our call to service at St. Matthews, especially his work with our young people who are so very important to us.
Fr. Kamil and I are working diligently in responding to this situation and ask your prayers for all involved in the process. Ultimately, the final decision is up to our Bishop. We Catholics, especially priest, pledge obedience to our bishops as successors of the apostles, for the sake of unity and the needs of the larger church. But there are times when that obedience is hard. This is one of those times, for Fr. Kamil, for me, and for all of us. Let us pray for one another at this difficult time. I know as always we as a community will pull together and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. I hope and pray people will come forth to serve in new ways to continue the fine work established by Fr. Kamil. Please keep him in your prayers and thoughts. I find much solace in the words of the prayer of St. Ignatius Loyola: "Give me your love and your grace. This is sufficient for me."