Fr. John Brown, S.J., (left) and Tim Powers (right) meet with the Frank, Connie, and Audrey Kielbasa underneath the stone medallion dedicated to their relative, Fr. Walter Ciszek, S.J.

The stone medallions in the Traditions Courtyard honor Jesuits from ages past whose lives of exemplary service to the Church continue to inspire today. The medallion of Fr. Walter Ciszek, S.J., the Pennsylvania priest who spent 23 years in prison or slave labor camps in the Soviet Union, had a few visitors on Friday morning. Frank Kielbasa, the nephew of Ciszek, along with his wife Connie and daughter Audrey, came to Jesuit to see the memorial medallion of their relative and visit the campus.

Greeting the Kielbasa family were some faculty members who had participated in the Lenten Spiritual Reading Series. The group of 30 faculty members met weekly during Lent to discuss sections of the book He Leadeth Me, the autobiography describing Ciszek’s time spent in the Lubianka prison and Siberian slave labor camps. Ciszek’s story was a source of spiritual nourishment during Lent because it focused on reliance upon God when every normal comfort of daily living is stripped away.

The artistic rendering of Fr. Walter Ciszek, S.J., drawn by Fr. John Brown, S.J.

Among the teachers greeting the Kielbasas was English teacher Tim Powers, whose Medallion Story written for the Spring 2008 edition of Jaynotes alerted the Kielbasa family to the existence of the medallion and inspired their visit. Fr. John Brown, S.J., also greeted the family to show them a drawing of Fr. Ciszek he had created while studying theology in Ciszek Hall as a scholastic at Boston College.

The cause for canonization for Fr. Ciszek has been introduced, and he is currently a Servant of God.

Resources:

Jaynotes, Vol. 34, Graduation 2008