by Danelle Bjornson | Jan 1, 2015 | News
At last I am an orphan no more.
As we ponder the life and works of the Servant of God, Father Joseph Walijewski, we may ask ourselves what would inspire someone to work so hard and for so long in a place so far from one’s homeland? What was it that fuelled his energy and gave him consolation for so
many years?
Clues to answer those questions are found in some of his early writings.
When Father Joe was finishing his first year of seminary in Michigan, it was determined that he didn’t fit their profile so he was told to pursue another calling. Perhaps his simple upbringing or his difficulty with some college level classes raised doubt in the minds of the Michigan seminary. For whatever reason, young Joseph
Walijewski needed to find out if God’s plan for his life was the priesthood, and if it was, it would have to be for another diocese.
Displaying early on his character of seeing a problem and determining to do something about it, he decided to send letters of application to the neighboring dioceses asking if they would take him as a seminarian. After several letters went unanswered, someone suggested he contact Bishop Alexander Joseph McGavick of the Diocese of La Crosse. Within two weeks, Bishop McGavick responded to young Joe with a letter asking him to come for an interview. It was that letter that opened the door for him to continue as a seminarian for the Diocese of La Crosse.
A few years later as Joseph was starting his third year at St. Joseph Seminary in Milwaukee, Bishop John Patrick Treacy was named the fifth Bishop of La Crosse. Here is what he wrote to his new bishop in February of 1949, “I owe my whole life’s work for the diocese of La Crosse. I wish I could express my gratitude, for all that your Excellency has done for me. I was on the verge of despair in my attempts in seeking a diocese that would adopt me as one of their sons. I was a seminarian without a diocese, no one would accept me. Then a friend of mine suggested the diocese of La Crosse. At last I am an orphan no more.”
Father Joe knew how it felt to be orphaned as he was looking for a diocese that would adopt him as one of their sons. In response to the kindness shown to him by the Diocese of La Crosse, he pledged his whole life’s work. Little did he know where that would take him or to what extent his service done in gratitude would enable the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be told. Many thanks for your years spent in service to the countless people who received the gift you passed on to them.
by Danelle Bjornson | Jan 1, 2015 | News
The Father Joseph Walijewski Legacy Guild was established to sustain the legacy and promote the cause of the Servant of God, Father Joseph Walijewski. Since its inception in 2013, over 1,800 people have become members. These members have taken the time to learn more about Father Joe’s life, prayed for his beatification and canonization, and helped sustain the legacy he left behind through their financial contributions.
“The chief task is to provide leadership and financial sustainability for the missions started by Father Joe.”
While the canonization process is important to the mission of the Father Joseph Walijewski Legacy Guild, the task of preparing the documents and testimony for delivery to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican typically takes about five years. The ongoing and chief task of the Father Joseph Walijewski Legacy Guild is to provide financial sustainability and leadership for the missions and organizations started by Father Joe that are still serving countless people today.
Thank you for your prayers and financial support. Please continue to pray for the advancement of his cause and help spread the word about his life and legacy. Take a few moments to learn more about his life and let his model of humble service guide you in your own pursuit of Christ-like service. If you are able, consider making a financial contribution to the Father Joseph Walijewski Legacy Guild. Your gift will mean so much.
by Danelle Bjornson | Jan 1, 2014 | News
Fr. Joe’s Legacy Guild is an association of people dedicated to furthering the cause of the Servant of God, Fr. Joseph Walijewski, and providing continued support for the legacy he left behind. Padre Jose’s spirituality is rooted in seeing Christ crucified in everyone he met; especially the orphans, abandoned, marginalized and poor. “How can I go home to a comfortable bed,” he would recall, “knowing there are thousands of children that are out there in the streets; sleeping outside in the cold, hungry, with no hope in their mind?” Unwilling to turn and walk away, Fr. Joe built parish churches, soup kitchens and an orphanage to meet the basic needs of these people.
The missionary zeal inspired by Fr. Joe’s legacy is passed on to us today. We are called to imitate Fr. Joe’s heroic virtue, and respond by embracing the people we encounter representing Christ crucified in our everyday lives. In order to continue the work Fr. Joe started, Fr. Joe’s Legacy Guild divides its tasks into three categories; outreach, membership, and financial. Each area will help ensure that the legacy will continue and his cause will be promoted.
by Danelle Bjornson | Jan 1, 2014 | News
Servant of God, Father Joseph Walijewski – Father Joe, Padre Jose, or Joe the Pole, as Richard Cardinal Cushing dubbed him in the ‘60s – is a hero of faith for our generation. Ordained in 1950 in La Crosse, Father Joe served as a parish priest in the Polish-speaking parishes around Stevens Point. As a missionary for the Diocese of La Crosse, he fed the poor, sheltered the homeless, and ministered to the faithful who were among the most impoverished people of South America.
He passed into God’s hands days after Palm Sunday in 2006. His earthly remains rest on a hillside overlooking Casa Hogar Juan Pablo II,
the orphanage outside of Lima, Peru, which he founded with the blessings and support of Blessed John Paul II. During a visit to Father Joe’s tomb in 2011, Bishop William P. Callahan was impressed and inspired by the love and devotion of the people most touched by this humble priest’s dedication. It was this heroic virtue that led Bishop Callahan to take the steps necessary to open Father Joe’s Cause for Canonization.
by Danelle Bjornson | Jan 1, 2014 | News
LURIN, Peru (CNS) — In 1975, Msgr. Joseph Hirsch spent a month living in Lima’s slums as he backpacked through South America. Now he’s back in Peru, working to prove a man he met that year is a saint.
But proving a man is a saint is no easy job, and it will take years of interviews, investigation, paperwork and prayer.
Father Joseph Walijewski from the Diocese of La Crosse, Wis., diocese died in Peru in 2006, after 35 years of serving the country’s poor. On March 19, his sainthood cause was launched in La Crosse.
“Even if it takes 200 years to canonize him, I think his story is something that can impact us today,” said Msgr. Hirsch, who is also from the La Crosse Diocese.
When young Msgr. Hirsch met Father Walijewski, the older priest was working in Villa El Salvador, a Lima slum. He dreamed of starting an orphanage to help the abandoned and abused children he saw daily.
In 1985, Blessed John Paul II visited Villa El Salvador. Father Walijewski shared his dream with the pope, who donated $50,000. Father Walijewski named the orphanage Casa Hogar Juan Pablo II.
The orphanage started with two children, one volunteer and one tutor. Today, Casa Hogar is home to 64 children. They live in a family style modeled after the Boys Town program. The children are divided into eight families, each with their own apartment, mother and father.
Alfredo Inigo, 21, moved to Casa Hogar when he was 8. He said Father Walijewski taught him friendship and kindness that he had never known in his own home. He lived there until he turned 18 and said he still prays to Father Walijewski.
“He was a very humble priest,” Inigo said.
When asked what Father Walijewski was like, almost everyone mentioned this humbleness. They smiled and laughed, remembering his broken Spanish.
“He almost always spoke in the present tense,” Msgr. Hirsch said.
They also talked about his childlike nature and love of singing. One of his favorite tunes was Old McDonald, and he had perfected the sounds of each animal.
And no one could pronounce his last name. Father Walijewski would joke and tell them to call him “Padre Whiskey.”
Father Walijewski considered the orphanage his greatest work.
“The vision is to be able to transform society by teaching children how to live in families,” said Msgr. Hirsch. “The transformation of a culture happens always within marriage and within the family.”
In July, Msgr. Hirsch took over as executive director of Casa Hogar. He now lives in the house where Father Walijewski once lived.
Msgr. Hirsch said he had dreamed of working as a missionary in Latin America since his high school days. He was ordained in 1986 and patiently waited to be sent to the missions. In the meantime, he led a handful of short mission trips to Casa Hogar. Finally, in 2013, he received his first post abroad, at Holy Cross Parish in Bolivia, a church started by Father Walijewski.
Just five months later, Msgr. Hirsch was sent to Peru, tracing the footsteps of his friend.
In addition to directing Casa Hogar, Msgr. Hirsch was appointed the promoter of justice in the cause of Father Walijewski. He will spend the next five years gathering testimony. One of the first interviews he conducted was about 600 questions long and lasted six hours.
“I look at this as an opportunity to be able to learn not just the life but the spirituality of a very simple and holy priest who gave himself completely,” Msgr. Hirsch said.
Father Walijewski is buried in the hillside overlooking Casa Hogar and the sea. Every Sunday, Msgr. Hirsch takes the families up there to pray. They touch the grave and ask questions about Father Walijewski; some of the younger children never met him. Msgr. Hirsch said he hopes through his stories of Father Walijewski, he can keep his presence alive at Casa Hogar.
Thousands attended Father Walijewski’s funeral in Villa El Salvador. There, Msgr. Hirsch asked several people what it was like to know the priest.
Many told him, “This is the first saint that I’ve ever met.”
Copyright © 2013 Catholic News Service
By Ellie Gardner Catholic News Service
www.CatholicNews.com Reprinted with permission of CNS.
