Witness to hope: a Polish Jesuit’s encounter with St John Paul II

Few Catholics have the rare privilege of meeting a saint. Fewer still can claim to have shared meals, conversations and kayaking adventures with one. For Fr Tadeusz Rostworowski SJ, however, this was his experience as a young man in Poland. His encounters with the future St John Paul II, then Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, were profound experiences that shaped his vocation and have continued to be a source of inspiration throughout his 41 years as a priest.

Early life in Krakow

Fr Tadeusz was born in 1955, the fourth of five sons, to Stefan and Janina Rostworowski, who were both celebrated Polish artists. Growing up in Krakow after World War II, Tadeusz knew from a young age that he wanted to be a priest and a Jesuit missionary. This was in large part thanks to the example of his uncle, Fr Tomasz Rostworowski SJ, who had been a chaplain to the Home Army, the Polish resistance force that led the Warsaw uprising in the summer of 1944.

Throughout the uprising, his uncle faithfully ministered to the soldiers and their families. Even in the dying days of the operation, as the Nazis began to massacre tens of thousands of Poles in retaliation, Fr Tomasz continued to care for the sick and wounded. This earned him a legendary status among the Polish people and inspired the young Tadeusz. He was often struck by the charisma and fortitude of his uncle, whom he remembers proudly singing Polish popular songs in his family’s apartment in Krakow, even as the shadow of the Nazi massacre further galvanised Tadeusz’s commitment to becoming a Jesuit missionary in his uncle’s footsteps.

‘He was a very important influence on my vocation,’ recalls Fr Tadeusz.

‘During this time, my father told me about the many Christians, like my uncle, in the prisons, and I remember after that approaching the image of Our Lady to say that I wanted to give my life in reparation for their suffering.’

A chance meeting with a saint

After finishing high school in 1974, Tadeusz immediately applied to join the Jesuits. While he waited for his application to be processed, a friend invited him to go camping and kayaking with a group of young people led by the then Archbishop of Krakow, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, the future St John Paul II.

Fr Tadeusz recalls that Cardinal Wojtyla would organise these trips each summer, not only for his own relaxation but also, more importantly, to give young Catholic students the opportunity to talk about and celebrate their faith away from the prying eyes and ears of the Communist authorities.

‘The secret police at the time wanted to control everything,’ Fr Tadeusz explains.

‘The great thing about kayaking was that we could be in a new place every day and he could educate and communicate with the students freely.’

He was always the one to eat the soggy sandwich in the kayak, leaving the dry ones for others.

On this trip, Fr Tadeusz was fortunate to witness the character of a saint in the making. He was struck by the Cardinal’s humility and kindness, and the small ways that he always put others first.

‘He was always the one to eat the soggy sandwich in the kayak, leaving the dry ones for others,’ he recalls, smiling.

‘He wanted to hear our opinions, and he was a man that listened profoundly. He had a great capacity to listen, and I was always amazed in conversation that I was able to express everything to him. He was every human in this way.’

Fr Tadeusz notes, as have biographers of St John Paul II, that the conversations and observations with young people on these trips formed the basis of Cardinal Wojtyla’s 1960 book Love and Responsibility, a ground-breaking study of love and relationships that continues to profoundly influence the Catholic understanding of sexuality.

The journey to priesthood

Cardinal Wojtyla encouraged Tadeusz’s plan to join the Jesuits, and Tadeusz left the trip feeling invigorated and eager to begin his journey. From 1974 to 1980, he undertook his novitiate and post-novitiate with the order, during which time Cardinal Wojtyla was elected Pope John Paul II.

Elevating the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, Wojtyla’s election in October 1978 was a historic moment for the Catholic Church. For the Polish people, it was also a beacon of hope in a time marred by increasing oppression.

‘When the news reached Krakow, we were sitting at dinner and someone entered the refectory saying that Cardinal Karol Wojtyla of Krakow had been elected Pope. It was an incredible thing, simply unbelievable, so we felt that we could not stay in the college. So we went out and the first thought was to go to Wawel Cathedral and ring the Sigismund Bell,’ he recalls.

It was very hard at that time, and that is why this election of the Pope started to breathe the feeling of liberty and hope into the people.

Considered one of Poland’s national symbols, the Sigismund Bell is rung to mark the country’s most significant events. As it rang out for the first time for a Polish pope, Fr Tadeusz and many Poles felt it signalled a turning point for their country.

‘It was very hard at that time, and that is why this election of the Pope started to breathe the feeling of liberty and hope into the people,’ he says.

In 1980, Tadeusz commenced his studies in Warsaw, where he excelled in theology. In recognition of his academic talent, he was asked to continue his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he soon had the opportunity to meet again with his former kayaking partner when attending a private audience in the Vatican. As soon as the Holy Father saw Tadeusz, he recognised him.

‘He pointed at me in surprise and said to someone near him, “We have been kayaking together!”’ Fr Tadeusz recalls.

A humbling experience

On 12 June 1983, after years of preparation and study, Fr Tadeusz was ordained to the priesthood by St John Paul II in St Peter’s Basilica, alongside 73 others from around the world, including his older brother Jakub, who had also joined the Jesuits in 1976. Initially, it looked as though they would not to be ordained together, but Fr Tadeusz made a special request to his superior, asking if his brother could travel from Poland, and fortunately the request was granted. To make it doubly significant, the ordination was also held on the wedding anniversary of their parents, who were also able to travel from Poland for the special occasion.

Forty-one years later, the memory that has stayed with Fr Tadeusz of that day is the deep feeling of humility he experienced as he lay prostrate on the floor of the immense basilica.

When I approached the Pope, he surprised me by saying in Polish, ‘Trzymaj się,’ which loosely means ‘Hang in there.’

‘When we were lying on the ground, I had this feeling that I was dust, this feeling that I was almost nothing, but it was also a feeling that it was the start of something new,’ he says.

He also recalls the moment of Polish solidarity that he shared with the Pope during the ceremony when he was greeted as a newly ordained priest.

‘After the ordination, we were meant to approach the Holy Father, and they had said we must say in Latin “Dominus vobiscum”, but when I approached the Pope, he surprised me by saying in Polish, “Trzymaj się,” which loosely means “Hang in there”,’ he says, laughing.

A life of service

After his ordination, Fr Tadeusz stayed in Rome for three more years to complete his doctorate. His thesis was on the philosophy of St John Paul II, and he was fortunate on one more occasion to meet with the Holy Father and to discuss his work over breakfast.

Following his graduation, Fr Tadeusz returned to Poland, but in 1992, he was sent to Romania to minister and teach philosophy at the seminary of the Diocese of Iasi. He served in Romania for almost two decades before, in 2011, being asked to go on mission again, this time to Australia.

Since his arrival, Fr Tadeusz has become a cherished part of the Melbourne Polish community, serving as a chaplain to the community in Oakleigh and to countless others in need of the sacraments and spiritual guidance.

As a native Polish speaker, Fr Tadeusz plays a particularly important role ministering to Melbourne’s first- and second-generation Polish migrants, many of whom are now in their later years. For these people, Fr Tadeusz is a direct connection to the country, language and culture they cherish so dearly, providing emotional and spiritual comfort in times of need.

People always want to show me that I am welcome in Australia, and they show great gratitude that I am here, which is beautiful.

He has also taken a particular interest in caring for the needs of the dying. He is a regular visitor to Melbourne’s hospitals, offering the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, not only to Polish people but also to others as they approach the end of life.

‘Very often they call me to the hospital for the dying people. I like this work of being with people at the end of their life but also to be there for the staff,’ he says.

When asked what he has enjoyed the most about living in Australia, he says it is the kindness that he has experienced.

‘In Australia, I have always felt accepted,’ he says. ‘Not just by Polish community, but also by my brother Jesuits and the broader community.’

‘People always want to show me that I am welcome in Australia, and they show great gratitude that I am here, which is beautiful.’

Undoubtedly, this reception is in large part due to the kindness and care he himself shows to all he ministers to—a reflection, certainly, of the humility and love that he experienced first-hand from St John Paul II as a young man in Poland.