MUNSTER – Continuing to lead with their charism of prayer and hospitality, the Discalced Carmelites of Munster have served the needs of Polonia and the greater Catholic population in Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana since the World War II era.
The Polish-native priests are known just as much for maintaining tranquil prayer gardens with Stations of the Cross and beautiful coral grottos at their Munster Monastery as they are for hosting Polish pilgrimages and providing local faithful and parishes with sacramental assistance.
Such beneficence is born of a commitment to serve Jesus and draw close to him through Marian consecration. The Carmelites specifically honor Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as the blessed Polish Madonna represented in the “American Ludźmierz” sanctuary, which features a statue of the medieval Polish Highlanders’ patron Our Lady of Ludźmierz.
Of the dozens of monks who have served, first in Hammond and then in Munster starting in 1952, priors have been elected to lead in three-year terms by members of their order and superiors based in Poland. From Krakow, where the order’s provincial headquarters is located, leaders and their counselors are selected to fulfill their order’s constitutional duties and generally guide the mission of the spiritual fathers and remain good stewards of their resources.
“I arrived in the U.S. in 2002 and I’m still continuing here,” said Father Franciszek “Francis” Czaicki, O.C.D., with a smile. “(New Prior Father Andrzej “Andrew” Gbur, O.C.D.) originally arrived with me but he was soon elected for director of publications, and he reorganized everything, chosen to be in Poland.”
Appreciative of his two decades of work in Northwest Indiana, Father Czaicki said the Carmelites’ first charge is ministering to Polish Americans, but they also serve Munster-area residents in ways such as answering calls for the seriously ill and offering extensive reconciliation opportunities, including all-day Confessions on Thursdays.
“We’re not an island in the ocean but more a part of the diocese,” Father Czaicki said from the Munster monastery on June 30.
He completed his leadership term as prior in April. The native of Wadowice, the birthplace of St. John Paul II, had served two other “triennium” terms starting in 2010.
When Father Czaicki’s brother priest Father Gbur was elected prior this spring, Father Bartlomiej “Bart” Stanowski, O.C.D. was chosen as the First Councilor and Vice-Prior for the religious community.
Father Czaicki now fulfills the role of Second Councilor.
Father Gbur, who had recently returned from Poland, was preparing to reconcile some financial matters after a modest no-meat Friday dinner with his brother priests. Father Stanowski was on retreat in Poland.
The new prior wished not to speak about himself, but rather the offerings the monastery makes available to area Catholics, including First Friday devotions with confessions, Mass and Eucharistic Adoration.
Father Andrew said the Carmelite monastery is built on serious tradition, yet showed that humor and happiness is underlying much of the friars’ work.
“Our monastery and shrine were dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, you can see her statue near the parking lot,” Father Gbur said. “In the front, there is a statue of Jesus with the Sacred Heart (with his arms outstretched as) he invites, but sometimes he is saying, ‘There are no parking spaces, I’m sorry.’”
Father Piotr Link, O.C.D. recently joined the Munster Carmel as a permanent member of the Polish-American religious community.
He strolled outside the monastery’s Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy and commented in Polish how the warm summer weather was similar to that of his homeland. Modest and working on learning basic English conversational skills, he requested the assistance of Father Czaicki to help answer questions.
The two Carmelites once worked at the same Polish parish. Father Link also served as a monastery prior in Wadowice. Father Czaicki said, “We gave him a proposition and he was open to join us.”
The language challenges – the difficulty in going between English, a Germanic-based language with other influences, and Polish, a Slavic tongue – are lampooned in a joke the friars repeated that has become a staple of some of their homilies: “Polish is God’s favorite language … it is spoken in heaven because it takes an eternity to master.”
The Carmelite Fathers host a Polish school on their campus where one of the main focuses is commuting their cultural heritage. A generation or two ago, the primary function of such schools was to help recent immigrants assimilate into U.S. culture by teaching English as a second language. Today, many Polish-American youth are bilingual.
Ministering to their adopted American family while always keeping in mind the immense struggles Poles faced in their homeland – with 20th century wars and Communist oppression of religious liberty – Father Czaicki said he is proud to promote a culture that has remained deeply Catholic through their devotions.
“When we came to the Carmel, we chose a new name or predicate, a title of your devotion. I chose ‘Father Francis of the Immaculate Heart of Mary’ because I like devotion to Our Lady; it’s close to my heart,” Father Czaicki said. “(The prior’s) predicate is ‘Father Andrew of the Resurrected Christ.’”
Evidence of their commitment to Catholic culture is found in an extensive calendar of events, the summer highlights which include the July 12-13 Piesza Polonijna Pielgrzymka Maryjna (Polish walking Marian pilgrimage), July 16 liturgies for the feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the July 21 gathering of Polish Highlanders under the patronage of Our Lady of Ludźmierz.
For more information about the Discalced Carmelite Fathers Monastery, call (219) 838-7111, or visit carmelitefathers.com.