Niepokalanow, Oct 11, 2021 / 10:00 am
A group of firefighters from Poland looks just like any other firefighting brigade, with heavy uniforms, hard helmets, and a red truck ready to go at a moment’s notice. But these men are something else, too: friars dedicated to God.
“Being a firefighter, for us, is one of the aspects of religious life and the priesthood,” Father Jacek Szczepanik, who recently joined the unit, explained to EWTN News In Depth in an episode that aired on Oct. 1. He and another friar shared the history and daily life of their volunteer brigade founded by St. Maximilian Kolbe in 1931.
Each day, five friar firefighters are on call in the Niepokalanow brigade. Another assists them by staying on constant vigil. Brother Janusz Kulak, who has 35 years of experience in firefighting, heads the unit.