10/9/2009

We were born and raised in Jersey City, NJ in Our Lady of Czestochowa parish. We both attended Catholic high schools in different cities. Judy knew of me since other members of my family attended the same school but we did not meet until years later.

We did not really know each other until our paths crossed in my first assignment a little church on the edge of the Newark Archdiocese in Plainfield, NJ. I sent a note to the public school teacher asking one of my altar boys to be excused for being late due to a funeral he was serving. Judy, the teacher was serving as an intern prior to her last year of college. Some time later, she stopped by to see me and was happy to see a friendly face in Plainfield.

It was the only time we met until I was asked to speak before a graduating class of catechists several months later at St. Nicholas church in Jersey City. My classmate had invited me to give the commencement speech. At the time, I was hoping to initiate a summer school because I was shocked how so many of the kids in the neighborhood did not look forward to going to school. I wanted the summer school to teach them how to love God and to love school. I knew I needed about $150. for snacks and school supplies to make the summer school a pleasant experience for the kids. ($150.was my monthly salary in 1968) And I had no idea of where I would get the money or the teachers to help bring about the school. But God has his ways.

One evening a teamster official by the name of Burke came to the rectory, I was the only one at home. He explained that he wanted to use our church hall to hold a meeting for the workers at a local boxboard company. They were being treated like beasts of burden pushing around 800 lb skids of paper stock with no time allotted for lunch. The bosses even gave the workers trouble when taking a bathroom break. So I thought this was a matter of social justice and gave him permission to hold this meeting.

While I was thinking it over, Mr. Burke said, I don’t want the hall for free, I am willing to pay, and you got it, $150 dollars! Next I needed at least two motivated teachers to teach the kids to love school but where would I find them in a month’s time?

After giving the commencement speech for the group of catechists. I learned that two of the catechists were in need of additional practicum hours before they could qualify for graduation at Jersey City State Teachers College. I asked them if they could be qualified by doing this summer school. Its purpose was to teach the Puerto Rican children to love going to school. Judy and Regina her best friend were the teachers! They agreed to do it.

The school was a great success with the enrollment going from 22 to 55 students in two months July and August. Not only did they win over these students but the school attracted students from every grade. To keep the older students busy the teachers encouraged the older girls to be teacher assistants and to use their sewing skills to make clothing for a fashion show to be held in the last days of August. Afterward the teachers went back to finish their last year in college. And I went back to the other duties in the parish.

Several months later, Father Fred Quinn, my associate at the parish, said that something seemed wrong with me. He wondered if I was sick. I told him that I felt fine. But he said he thought I was suffering from “love sickness”. He told me that he noticed that Judy would light up when I came into the room and that I was much more alive and animated when speaking to her. He said that he felt we might have been given the gift of love and that it was not something to be trifled with but that I should reflect upon it and call Judy to see how she felt.

After a month of wrestling with picking up the telephone, I learned that Fred’s observations were right on target but Judy said she understood that a relationship between us could not happen. After several conversations and meetings we admitted that we loved each other and that I should see the bishop for a release from my parochial assignment. In June of the next year I did just that and the Archbishop asked me to seek some guidance and to return at the end of the summer for a further talk.

After some professional evaluation, I presented my self to the archbishop and he agreed to release me from my assignment. He gave me no other assistance and asked if I would move at least 50 miles away so as not “cause scandal”. Two months later, on my birthday, I began as a trainee Rehabilitation Counselor in Toms River, NJ. Four years later I went back to Jersey City as a Supervising Rehabilitation Counselor, one mile from my former parish assignment. After 3 years, I was promoted to Trenton and on to other promotions for a career of 32 years assisting people with disabilities choose and retain careers which their disabilities did not prevent.

I had not practiced any priestly functions for 30 years when my pastor asked me and my wife to help him bring communion to the sick. His assistant was removed due to the small size of our parish.

Next year, while on one of those visits, a funeral director asked me if I would help him to do some funerals because he was having difficulty getting local priests to come to do them, if they did not know the parties.

Yet another year passed and Corpus decided to have its national convention in Secaucus NJ. My wife and I attended and after we were inspired by a beautiful liturgy, a priest by the name of Tom Mc Closkey approached me about doing weddings, because there were so many couples requesting weddings outside of their parish church that the local married priests were not able to fill all the requests.

After another year of searching and reflecting, I found CITI ministries and I liked their website and agreed with their purposes so I applied and in a few months was accredited to perform weddings and other pastoral services

(12-31-05). Its clear to me that the Holy Spirit was preparing me over several years for a return to functioning as a priest and so I chose to respond to His promptings. I am grateful to Louise for founding CITI and the assistance that it gave me to re-establish a ministry for those in need.

Since then I have performed 85 weddings in eleven of NJ’s 21 counties.

I have also referred more than 50 referrals to other CITI priests due to the distance to the wedding or because I was already booked for that day.

Rev. Carroll Mrowicki, 908-925-4546

CITI office: 301-464-5690 (Louise Haggett, Pres/Founder)