New priest begins his 'adventure' in the Church

Rev. Tomasz (Thomas) Babiuch, 28, was born in Zuromin, Poland, outside of Warsaw. A self-described "big-city" person, he told The Evangelist he was always drawn to the Church despite his family's limited involvement with it. He began thinking about religious life while still in high school.

"I always wanted to try, despite all the fears," he recalled. His family supported his decision; he noted that his mother, brother and sister even came from Poland to attend his Nov. 30 ordination.

God's help

Working with the elderly is a long-time interest; Father Babiuch spent a lot of his time as a seminarian serving in hospitals and nursing homes, and enjoys helping people who are ill.

The priest came to the U.S. and applied to become a priest of the Albany Diocese in 1999. He finished his seminary time at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and came back to Albany each summer to serve at a parish.

Among Father Babiuch's assignments were St. Paul's in Hancock; St. Teresa of Avila in Albany; St. John the Evangelist, Rensselaer; St. James, Albany; and St. John the Baptist, Chestertown. He also spent time at St. Adalbert's in Schenectady, a Polish parish where he got to use his native language.

Assignment

"As a deacon, I have been involved with them, and I started to love and enjoy it," he remarked.

Father Babiuch is well aware that he's entering the priesthood at a time of crisis. However, he said, "I look back into history and see that past centuries have shown that each crisis has brought a new solution for the Church, so she could grow stronger and help her faithful grow holier in their love [of] God. This is my prayer."

Challenge

As he prepared to begin his priesthood, Father Babiuch quoted Rev. John Mealey, former pastor of St. Teresa's, who died several years ago: "`Life is always an adventure.'"

(12-05-02) [[In-content Ad]]