FAITHFUL SERVANT REMEMBERED

 

The canonization cause for our friend, Jesuit FATHER WALTER CISZEK, has been terminated, although the Vatican's decision does not "diminish the enduring spiritual value" of his witness, said a leading advocate for the cause (see Blogs: 3/15/2012, 4/28/2020).

"This development comes after years of careful study and discernment at the level of the Holy See, which bears the responsibility of evaluating each Cause with thoroughness, integrity, and fidelity to the Church's norms," said the diocese, which assumed responsibility for the cause following its initiation by the New Jersey-based Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic.

Father Ciszek was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1937, becoming the first American in the order in the Byzantine Catholic rite, one of the 23 Eastern Catholic churches that, along with the Roman Catholic Church, comprise the universal Catholic Church.

As a seminarian, he studied in Rome as part of an initiative under Pope Pius XI to equip priests for ministry in Russia. Originally assigned to Poland, he was able to enter Russia on false papers after World War II broke out in 1939 to minister in secret.

 Working as an unskilled laborer, he was arrested in 1941 by the secret police as a suspected spy and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in Siberia. While in various prison camps, he managed to celebrate Mass and hear confessions.

 After his sentence ended in 1955, he was forced to reside in Russia, and worked in a chemical factory. After decades of no communication, he was at last able to write to his American family, who had presumed him dead.

 In 1963, President John F. Kennedy secured his release and that of an American student, exchanging them for two Soviet agents. Until his death in 1984, Father Ciszek worked at the John XXIII Center at Fordham University, which is now the Center for Eastern Christian Studies at the Jesuit-run University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.

 Father Ciszek recounted his experiences in the books He Leadeth Me and With God in Russia, co-written with fellow Jesuit Fr. Daniel Flaherty.

 Even as his canonization cause has been halted, Father Ciszek's impact lives on, said the diocese.

"While this news may understandably bring disappointment to the many who have been inspired by Father Ciszek's example of heroic faith, it does not diminish the enduring spiritual value of his life, witness, and legacy," the diocese said in its statement.

 "We are deeply grateful for the many years of prayer, devotion, and support from the faithful. Father Ciszek's courage, perseverance, and unwavering trust in God amidst extraordinary suffering has led many souls to God and will continue to touch countless lives," said the diocese. "Even as the formal canonization process has been stopped, the grace flowing from his witness remains alive."

The prayer league will now become the Father Walter J. Ciszek Society and "remain committed to honoring his memory, sharing his message, and encouraging devotion to the profound spiritual insights he left to the Church.

His beautiful prayer of surrender:

 Lord, Jesus Christ, I ask the grace to accept the sadness in my heart, as your will for me, in this moment. I offer it up, in union with your sufferings, for those who are in deepest need of your redeeming grace. I surrender myself to your Father’s will and I ask you to help me to move on to the next task that you have set for me.

Spirit of Christ, help me to enter into a deeper union with you. Lead me away from dwelling on the hurt I feel: to thoughts of charity for those who need my love, to thoughts of compassion for those who need my care, and to thoughts of giving to those who need my help.

As I give myself to you, help me to provide for the salvation of those who come to me in need. May I find my healing in this giving. May I always accept God’s will. May I find my true self by living for others in a spirit of sacrifice and suffering.

May I die more fully to myself, and live more fully in you. As I seek to surrender to the Father’s will, may I come to trust that he will do everything for me.