Series on seminarians

PASSAIC  Chalk it up to God’s providence.

Years ago, Krzysztof Tyszko sat in the church of his home parish, the Diocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II/Holy Rosary here, waiting for Mass to begin when he announced to his parents that he wanted to be an altar server. The first-grader hadn’t told his pastor, Father Stefan Las, so it seemed a surprise when the priest telephoned the faith-filled boy a few days later, asking him to join the ranks of the parish’s altar servers.

Perhaps Father Las’ phone call was part of a call within a larger call that the youngster was receiving around the same time: God’s call to become a priest. Over the years, that desire to serve the Lord in consecrated ministry only got stronger for the 23-year-old Clifton resident who is now fulfilling that dream to become a diocesan priest. He recently returned to Rome for his second year of theology studies at the Pontifical North American College at University of St. Thomas, also known as the Angelicum.

“Krzysztof always said, ‘I want to be a priest.’ He said it so many times that I stopped listening,” said Malgorzata Tyszko, mother of the diocesan seminarian who finally felt the weight of his vocation when the family toured St. Andrew’s Seminary at Seton Hall University in South Orange, where he completed his philosophy studies last year. “On that tour, it finally felt real. It was his decision — that he’s going to become a priest. I’m happy and proud of him but I’m also afraid. Like all parents, I hope that Krzysztof is making the right decision so he will be happy,” she said.

Tyszko’s path toward priesthood began with kneeling in the pews of the Diocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II/Holy Rosary from childhood with his Polish immigrant parents, Tomasz, a mechanic, and Malgorzata, a billing clerk at a doctor’s office. Every Sunday, they would take Tyszko and his brother, Michael, now 16, to Mass and on periodic pilgrimages to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pa.

“I always loved going to church. I wanted to serve at the altar — more than just sitting in the pew but with more engagement,” Tyszko said. “I enjoyed bringing the water and wine to the priest. At Holy Rosary, we sound a gong for the Elevation of the Host at the Consecration instead of ringing bells. I enjoyed sounding the gong,” he said.

By his senior year at Paramus Catholic High School, Tyszko heard an even louder call from God to the priesthood. That was aided by engaging in religion classes and a course on peer ministry — how to minister to people. He strengthened his vocation further when he had to explain why he wanted to enter the seminary before his English teacher could write him a recommendation letter.

Other boosts to Tyszko’s call to priesthood were the annual Quo Vadis Days, retreats for high schoolers discerning their vocations, sponsored by the diocesan Vocations Office. He participated eight times, four as a retreatant and four as an assistant on staff. He enjoyed meeting priests of all ages and walks of life such as Father Benjamin Williams, pastor of St. John Vianney Parish in Stockholm/St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Oak Ridge, who served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and as a teacher.

“At Quo Vadis, it was interesting to hear how the stories of the priests changed as their ministries changed,” Tyszko said. “It was fun to have casual conversations with priests while playing cards. We also played volleyball and Frisbee. I saw that priests can do extraordinary things such as performing the sacraments but they also could do ordinary things such as pursing common interests like Father Edgar Rivera [now pastor of St. Ann Parish in Parsippany] who does martial arts,” he said.

At St. Andrew’s, Tyszko felt a communal feeling about the house of the college seminary where “I got to learn the faith and vocation stories of the other seminarians.” In the classroom, he was most inspired by a course about anti-Catholic bigotry in U.S. history.

“I saw how big it [the bigotry] is and how many churches were damaged,” said Tyszko, who noted that the windows of the Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia were placed so high up so that bricks could not reach them to shatter them. “It made me more proud to be Catholic with all that we went through and we are still here,” he said.

During his first year at the University of St. Thomas, Tyszko enjoyed a course about the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament. He said he learned “the Creation story in the Bible along with other creation stories, myths and legends in the world,” but also that the Creation story in the Bible was an original story unto itself.

Before the state lock-down in March, the Vocations Office called back Tyszko to the Diocese from Rome. He finished his coursework online. At his home parish he helped out serving as a sacristan, performing office work, assisting Father Las on calls to nursing homes and typing in the words of readings, prayers and hymns for the large-screen display for Mass.

Since he was a child, Tyszko has known Father Las, pastor of Diocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II/Holy Rosary since 2002.

“Father Stefan has interaction with the people. He is very good with the names of all the parishioners and also knows them by faith,” Tyszko said.

In turn, Father Las said, “From the time that Krzysztof was young, he always wanted to be an altar server and then a priest. I could see it.” The priest praised the seminarian’s ministries as coordinator of the altar servers and a religious education teacher.

“He is good and popular with the people, especially the young people. They respect him. He teaches moral values that come from his family,” said Father Las, listing some of the qualities that he thinks will made him a good priest. “He is very humble, obedient and very smart with good grades,” he said.

Anticipating being called to be ordained a priest in 2023, Tyszko told The Beacon that he wants to become a priest “to celebrate the sacraments, especially confession, which gives people a sense of relief. I want to give people that relief.”