Boguslaw Jaroszek’s 50th anniversary of his ordination as a Roman Catholic priest was marked with a special church service and celebration dinner at Holy Family Parish on Prentice Avenue on Saturday.
Born and raised in Poland, Jaroszek has lived in Canada since 1991.
Jaroszek said he felt divinely called to become a clergyman at a very young age.
“I was around three years old. I was in church kneeling close to my mother. I heard a voice calling ‘Bogosz, come to me.’ I thought it was my parish priest calling me but this was different,” Jaroszek told SooToday.
The celebration dinner for Jaroszek - known as ‘Father BJ’ to his parishioners - was organized by Holy Family Parish members and included 160 guests.
Around 20 people sat at the head table including Jaroszek, family members from Chicago, Thomas Dowd, Sudbury-based Bishop of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, and clergymen from Sault and area Roman Catholic churches.
“I am excited about today. Being a priest has been the best. I am really touched by this celebration dinner they have prepared for me,” Jaroszek said.
Holy Family Parish was created in 2011 as a result of an amalgamation of the English-speaking St. Joseph the Worker Parish and the Polish language St. Andrew Bobola Parish.
“It was very difficult to join two different cultures together but Father BJ handled it very well. He joined the two cultures together and we’re melding,” said Holy Family Parish member Wendy Nichols.
Nichols described Jaroszek as a humble, caring and humorous man.
“He’s been good to people in the parish. He never wants a lot of fanfare. He always says he’s just doing his job.”
Ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in Poland at the age of 23, Jaroszek led congregations in his homeland – then Sudbury upon arriving in Canada – before moving to Sault Ste. Marie 17 years ago.
Now in his mid 70s and approaching the mandatory retirement age for a Roman Catholic priest, Jaroszek said he is still able to take time out from his duties as a parish leader to indulge in some outdoor recreation.
“I grew up very close to the Vistula River in Poland. I like the water and I like to go kayaking,” he said.