April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
PRIEST'S BIRTHDAY
At 90, Father Malecki reflects on God, priesthood and heaven
For the priest the moment involved Fro-Joy Ice Cream, a brand-name from his childhood in the 1920s.
"I remember tasting the ice cream, and it clicked in my mind," he recalled. "I thought, 'The word Fro-Joy on the sign and the ice cream in my mouth are the same thing.' I had an awareness of what language was."
Other images from his Schenectady childhood crowd his memory: riding in his father's Ford Model-T, the first on the block; being taught by his many uncles to root for the New York Yankees, a team he still follows with unflagging zeal; and being loved by his parents, both of whom worked at General Electric until they married and his mother took up what was then called "housekeeping."
Now approaching his 90th birthday, Father Malecki reflected on such moments and then abruptly raced forward in time to announce, "I just got word that Albany Medical College has accepted my body for donation to the anatomical gift program. As soon as I die, it will be immediately transferred to the college. I don't have any relatives who live nearby, so it has fallen to me to write my obituary."
Ice cream and obituaries bracket the nine decades of Father Malecki's life. He was born on June 2, 1921, the year Warren G. Harding was inaugurated president and 26-year-old Babe Ruth clubbed 59 home runs, batted .378 - and endorsed Fro-Joy Ice Cream. His image might have been on the sign the future priest saw as a child.
In the nine decades since, Father Malecki said, the most important lesson he has learned is "to love God and my neighbor. That's all there is, and they're inseparable. In my 90 years, I never met a person I didn't like or love. Some people think that's fiction, but it's genuine. By far, it's the most important lesson of my life."
His years have been packed with special moments, including his 1948 ordination, his experiences as a psychologist who works with Alzheimer's patients and the dying, and his many hours as a long-distance runner.
Father Malecki was an associate pastor at St. Patrick's parish in Albany and spiritual director of the city's Mater Christi Seminary before earning his doctorate in psychology. He then founded the diocesan Consultation Center in Albany, which provides counseling and educational programs.
In 1978, he also helped to establish St. Peter's Hospice in Albany. He was its priest-psychologist.
"The most meaningful moments have been with the dying," Father Malecki told The Evangelist. "It's a privilege to work with them. I come away uplifted.
"One time, I was counseling a terminal cancer patient in his home. His family was around him, and he signaled me to come outside. We sat down, and I sensed that my presence was more important than my words and that it would be most helpful if I was with him without saying too much. We sat in silence for a half-hour.
"Finally, he said, 'That's exactly what I needed.' That gave me such peace."
There have been other moments like that one, the priest continued: "A dying person began choking, and he was frightened that he would choke to death. He asked me, 'What's God like?' I said, 'A loving father who loves you just as you are.' It was astonishing how his anxiety dropped."
Casting his mind back a half-century, to a time when the Second Vatican Council was just beginning, Father Malecki contrasted the Church of those years with now.
"I was the spiritual director at Mater Christi Seminary in Albany then and had been in parish work," he recalled. "My attitude, like many priests of the time, involved how many baptisms I had performed or how many converts I had made. I witnessed 60 marriages one year.
"The emphasis was on the external accounting of the Church: How many schools opened? How many new parishes were founded? I was so occupied with those external accomplishments."
Fifty years later, he continued, "I think more about how Jesus is the lord of history and the unfolding of events. A profound peace comes from saying, 'Be it done unto me according to your will.' I can say, 'Yes, Lord,' to the unfolding of His plans. Nothing will thwart the plans of God. Knowing that, I arrive at enormous peace."
As he turns 90, Father Malecki is well aware that his time on earth is nearing its end. From his experiences with dying people and his reading of Scripture, he has come to a personal concept of what heaven is like.
"I hesitate to describe it because I'm cautious about imagery that literalizes heaven," he began. "Any image has shortcomings. But my sense of it, based on my faith, is that it's like being in an infinite ocean of love. I also imagine being with the Holy Family and enjoying a banquet with Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
"When I pray the Rosary, I enjoy meditating on the Holy Family; that is central to me. I also think heaven has music. Music has to be part of the heavenly experience - and laughter, too."
With 63 years of priesthood behind him, Father Malecki encourages men to follow him so that they can "bring the joy and love of the Eucharist to other people. The word of God, the Good News of Jesus, is in the Eucharist. They're inseparable. When you celebrate the Eucharist, you celebrate the Good News. That's the core of the priesthood."
Winding down his reminiscences, the nonagenarian said, "I am more grateful to be a priest and feel more satisfaction today than on the day I was ordained. It's a pure gift."
Father Malecki has also been diocesan director of clergy education, pastor of St. Adalbert's parish in Schenectady and St. Margaret Mary's in Albany, chaplain for Teresian House Center for the Elderly in Albany and presiding celebrant for liturgies at Avila Retirement Community in Albany.
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