Priest of breakaway St. Louis parish says he is willing to step down

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Fr. Marek Bozek

St. Louis, Mo., Nov 24, 2009 / 06:22 am (CNA).- The excommunicated priest of a breakaway St. Louis parish has said he would be willing to step down if it would help the parish.

Fr. Marek Bozek had left his previous position without the permission of his bishop to become the pastor of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in December 2005. The parish, which is owned and governed by a secular corporation, had resisted the Archdiocese of St. Louis’ efforts to bring parish bylaws into accordance with canon law.

After years of dispute, in 2008 the then-Archbishop Raymond Burke declared Fr. Bozek and the parish board members to be excommunicated and the parish to be schismatic, though some board members have since reconciled with the Catholic Church.

"If it is necessary for me to step aside and continue my ministry elsewhere, I am willing to do that so long as I know that you will not go without pastoral care and the Sacrament," Fr. Bozek said on Sunday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I do not want my personal circumstances to impede what is best for St. Stanislaus."

In July 2008 the archdiocese and former parishioners of St. Stanislaus Kostka, who included half of the church’s board of directors, filed a lawsuit seeking to have the church’s pre-2001 bylaws restored. The church’s board rewrote the bylaws in 2001 and again in 2004, eventually eliminating the archbishop’s authority to appoint board members and the pastor.

Fr. Bozek did not comment on whether his announcement was due to the pending litigation. The lawsuit is scheduled to go before trial in St. Louis Circuit Court in February, 2010.

Bernard Huger, an attorney for the archdiocese, said if the priest’s departure provides an opportunity for the parish’s reconciliation it would be “a wonderful thing.”

"Clearly we don't want to have a trial, we just want to have St. Stanislaus returned as a Catholic parish," he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

According to Huger, Archbishop Robert Carlson, the successor of Archbishop Burke, had made it clear to St. Stanislaus attorneys that he was “most willing to resolve this.”

Fr. Bozek has reportedly supported homosexuality in the Church and women’s ordination. In January he was laicized by Pope Benedict XVI.

St. Stanislaus member Diana Daley, speaking after Mass on Sunday, said that the priest was “bringing people back while the rest of the Catholic Church is driving them away.”

“He says he's willing to step down, but if he does, they might as well close this church.”

Grzegorz Koltuniak, a longtime parishioner critical of Fr. Bozek, told the Post-Dispatch that he had been waiting for the resignation announcement “from the beginning.”

Comments: 7

Subscriber comments:

Published by: ShowMeNoHate
Missouri 11/25/2009 02:00 PM EST

The Polish built their Parish from the ground up while the Mother Church stood around allowing priests to molest children, father real sons from women, and create a corruption with other people's money bigger than a Chicago Mob family. Shame on you so called followers of Christ. We are exposing you for your real sins and the time for new leadership has begun from within. A ground swell across this land is taking place from inside the Catholic Church. We are coming back to reclaim what was rightfully ours before the bigots took control. Carlson would not know Jesus if he came over to him and kissed him on his Bishop's cheek. I pray everyday that the Catholic Church can finally be free from the Oppression and hate is has been selling.

Published by: Andrew L.
DE/USA 11/25/2009 01:21 AM EST

To Dave: are you serious? "emancipated" catholics? these people are being lead astray from the truth; they are not free. the Catholic church and her sacraments lead us to and to be with Christ. this priest also supports homosexuality in the church and women's ordination to the priesthood. sounds heretical to me.

Published by: Carl
Charlotte, NC 11/24/2009 10:41 PM EST

Dave, Tolerance and diversity are not the basis of Christianity; no where is it even implied that we have to tolerate sin, and diversity is just a modern leftist buzzword. Also, there is no such thing as an "emancipated" Catholic. You either are one, or you're not.

Published by: Roots and History
St. Louis, MO 11/24/2009 05:14 PM EST

IT IS AS SIMPLE AS THAT! All the Polish people of this Church want are to practice their Catholic faith. They do not want to change/bend their values or history for anyone. The only reason the Polish people split from the Catholic Church was over who had control of the money (Millions) and the property rights. 150 YEARS ago the Arch Bishop of St. Louis made an agreement with the Polish people. That if they used their own money they could build a Catholic Church and the Polish people would be in charge of the money/property. Then the Catholic Church tried to take the money/property worth millions. Claiming that Poles were not being Catholics if they didn't hand it over. With obvious knowledge of all of the Church closings everywhere and scandals that needed financial attention. They weren't going to let no one take their 150 yr history away from them. So they fought and split trying at the same time to maintain their Catholic practices. Well, then a new far left more radical priest came in. Poles once again are not willing to bend their true beliefs for him either. They just want the Catholic church to let the agreement that stood 150 yrs ago. The Polish people who have been going to this Church from the time they first came to this country know what I am talking about it! IT IS AS SIMPLE AS THAT!

Published by: nikijfg
Chicago, IL 11/24/2009 02:33 PM EST

Who are you folks who simply refuse to understand that the Catholic church follows Christ's laws - period. I wish those who don't want to learn or understand would stop calling themselves Catholic! Very annoying! Joyce

Published by: Dave
Huntington Beach/CA/USA 11/24/2009 02:15 PM EST

Rate: Bad

This parish should walk away from the Church and never look back. They are an inspiration to emancipated Catholics everywhere. Tolerance and diversity is the basis of Christianity. All men are brothers. All men.

Published by: jgdieter
saint louis, mo 11/24/2009 02:06 PM EST

Unfortunately, the parish has become the place for dissidents of all flavors, and not merely those Polish immigrants and descendents who split from the Church. I do pray that for the sake of the Polish who have remained faithful that there may be a reconciliation...but this will take a long time to settle. The faithful will be very resentful towards those who were so greedy with the parish that it turned into a schismatic/dissident hold for the Bi-State area. I do believe, though, that Abp. Carlson will be able to do this with the grace of God.

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