Father Andrzej Skrzpiec marks 25 years of priesthood

Intermountain Catholic

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Father Andrzej Skrzypiec prays before Communion at his 25th Anniversary Mass April 21 at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Magna.

MAGNA — Father Andrzej Skrzypiec said he didn’t want to be eulogized in celebration of the 25th anniversary of his priesthood. The Mass and dinner following was a colorful, funny, sincere recognition of Fr. Andrzej’s priestly vocation.

Ordained April 8, 1982, in the Cathedral of Christ the King in Katowice, Poland, Fr. Andrzej came to the United States in 1989. After two months of study of English and American culture, he arrived in Salt Lake City Dec. 23, 1989.

The anniversary brought his mother, Theresa, from Poland. It prompted folk songs from the Polish Catholic community and traditional dances from the Narodna International dancers.

The anniversary Mass filled Our Lady of Lourdes Church to overflowing. In his homily, Msgr. Robert J. Bussen, pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, Park City, likened the priesthood to the lives of the apostles, "who experienced the mundane and the sublime crashing together... a dramatic encounter with Jesus himself."

At the anniversary dinner, Father Reyes Rodriguez got the guests laughing with stories about Fr. Andrzej learning English. Diocesan Vicar General Msgr. J. Terrence Fitzgerald told of selecting Fr. Andrzej’s photo "from a catalogue," and recognized him for his enduring faithfulness.

Fr. Andrzej recalled his ministry at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Helper, and Our Lady of Lourdes.

"I have become, by the grace of God, a part of your lives and your families," he said.