ROCKAWAY When Mateusz Darlak, a diocesan seminarian, accompanies priests of St. Cecilia and Sacred Heart parishes here on pastoral visits to local hospitals, he expects to ask patients questions, such “How are you doing?” But the Polish native has been surprised that they ask him probing questions, such as “Why would someone so young want to become a priest?”
Often, the 24-year-old Darlak, a third-year theology student at Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, Conn., does not know how to answer that question but he has a captivating vocation story to tell. This whirlwind tale starts where he grew up: with his family on a small farm in southeastern Poland. His journey took him after high school to work in the Champagne region of France for more than a year. Then, Darlak returned to Poland, where he studied at an English-Language seminary, before deciding to move to the Paterson Diocese in the U.S. about two years ago.
“I feel happy living in the U.S.,” said Darlak, who has been serving a summer pastoral assignment at St. Cecilia and Sacred Heart. “Here [in the New York metropolitan area], I see people from all around the world. Everybody is so open to discovery and things that are new. I have learned more about the world here,” he said.
Back in Poland, Darlak learned values of life and faith from his family in the small village of Gnojnica, about 60 miles from Krakow, one of country’s major cities and the site of World Youth Day. Early every morning, he and his two younger siblings, Monika — now a married mother of a son — and Marcin, would get up to work with their mother, Bozena, a homemaker, and father Wieslaw, a farmer. They raised pigs, chickens and ducks, and grew potatoes, wheat and vegetables for themselves and for trade with their neighbors, Darlak said.
“Farm life was a good experience. I learned to take up the responsibility of growing food and caring for animals — not only for myself, but also for my family, even through difficult times, such as storms and drought. It’s hard work everyday,” he said.
As a child, Darlak also learned to hear God’s call to priesthood at his home parish, Ss. Peter & Paul Parish in the town of Zagorzyce, a seven-minute walk from his home village. Soon, he started serving at the altar everyday at 6:30 a.m. Mass —the beginning of a habit of attending daily Mass that he continued for about 15 years, Darlak said.
“I had a calling [to a priestly vocation] enough to wake up at 5:30 each morning,” said Darlak, who, early on, learned about the faith at the feet of his parents, who led family prayer after dinner, and specifically from his mother, who would take them to special Masses, as well as litanies and the praying of the rosary.
At Ss. Peter & Paul, Darlak also learned more about the faith from Father Kazimierz Marek, who started as a parochial vicar and later was named pastor. He taught the young man preparation for First Holy Communion. At 12, Darlak became the youngest lector in his diocese after completing a five-week course.
“Father Kazimierz was my priest, spiritual father and teacher,” said Darlak, who took a year off after high school. He attended a retreat and then moved to France, where he worked in a factory that produced champagne — acting on the childhood lesson of providing financially for the family and his future seminary education. “I watched bottles go by and had time to think, read and reflect but I missed going to daily Mass, because of a shortage of priests there.”
After more than a year, Darlak returned to Poland, where he told his surprised parents about his decision to enter Ss. Cyril & Methods Seminary, an English-language seminary in Krakow. He finished his philosophy studies in 2014 and moved to the Paterson Diocese instead of acting on his original plan to live in Michigan — this after speaking to Father Hubert Jurjewicz, diocesan vocations director, on one of his visits to Krakow.
After arriving in the U.S., Darlak took English-as-a-Second-Language classes at Rutgers University, Newark. Last summer, he served with three other Polish seminarians at Holy Family Parish Florham Park, under the leadership of Father Fredrick Walters, the former pastor, who recently retired.
This summer at St. Cecilia and Sacred Heart, Darlak has been experiencing a busy time for the parishes. The dynamic faith communities have embarked in an extensive renovation of St. Cecilia Church and have been combining the two parish schools into Divine Mercy Academy, set to open in September. He prepares for and assists at Mass, opens and closes the churches and has accompanied on hospital visits the parish’s three priests: Father Sigmund “Zig” Peplowski, pastor; and Father Marcin Michalowski and Father Mateusz Jasniewicz, parochial vicars, who also are Polish natives.
“Father Zig can have many things going on, but he will take time to talk to me about what’s going on in the parish,” said Darlak, who anticipates being called to priestly ordination in 2018. “Father Zig is a spiritual father and gives totally of himself to what his is doing. He and the parochial vicars are good teachers, who have given me insights about their experiences being priests,” he said.
Father Peplowski praised Darlak, calling him an “outgoing young man, who has made many friends in the parish and is willing to get involved in parish activities and liturgy.” The pastor also described the seminarian as a “joyful and a spiritual young man, which is evident by his prayer life.”
Darlak has been praying in anticipation of World Youth Day [WYD], that is taking place this week in Krakow with Pope Francis. The seminarian has been taking an online course, which prevented him from returning to his homeland. But Darlak expects to watch TV coverage and receive texts on his phone from friends who will attend the historic event.
“World Youth Day will be an exciting moment because it will take place during the Jubilee Year of Mercy and because Pope Francis will come to the city of St. John Paul II [former archbishop of Krakow], who is founder [of WYD]. The late Pope was a source of hope and strength in my own vocations experience,” said Darlak, who was able to see Pope Francis in Washington, D.C., during his first visit to the U.S. last September.