Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin (USA), OFFICE OF VOCATIONS

Artist drawn to the beauty of the priesthood:

FR. PAUL CZERWONKA

By Patrick Slattery

Staff Writer

CHIPPEWA FALLS – First called to be an artist, and then called to be a priest, Deacon Paul Czerwonka looks forward to spending the rest of his life in God’s service. His artistic talent will not go unused after ordination, as he intends to draw often on the visual arts to bring others closer to God.

At age 39, Deacon Czerwonka comes to the priesthood with a rich background of life experiences, which includes a recent and totally unexpected life-threatening surgery.

The last-born of the eight children of Lorraine and the late Peter Czerwonka, he grew up on a farm south of Chetek in Barron County, about 30 miles north of Chippewa Falls. After Chetek High he attended Viterbo University in La Crosse, where he graduated in 1986 with a degree in studio art. For the next two years he was enrolled at UW-Superior, where he earned art teacher’s certification as well as a master’s in art therapy.

His first art-related job was as an art therapist – a relatively new field that combines psychology, counseling and art –at a health care institution in Golden Valley, Minn. He then taught art for the Weyerhauser School District in Rusk County for three years, followed by four years as an elementary art teacher for the Chippewa Fall Public School system.

While in Chippewa Falls he joined St. Peter’s Parish in Tilden, and the priestly example of pastor Father William Felix provided much of the inspiration that drew him toward the priesthood.

"The joy he demonstrated in his work was so obvious," said Deacon Czerwonka. "We don’t need glamorous vocation billboard campaigns, but simply more priests who with smiles on their faces and glints in their eyes tell you how they love God."

Deacon Czerwonka first attended Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit for two years prior to going on to Rome for four more years of study.

Entering the seminary, he thought that it was time to put his brushes and watercolors away. But within several weeks of arriving at Sacred Heart, former rector Bishop Allen Vigneron was at his door with a request: to paint a 10 foot-high triptych icon for the seminary chapel. Iconography is a talent he had picked up from the contemplatives of the St. Joseph Institute, and it is a artistic form of religious expression that speaks deeply to him.

Bishop Vigneron, new ordinary for the Diocese of Oakland, CA, provided a particularly important priestly role for the ordinand and will serve as Deacon Czerwonka’s vesting priest on ordination day.

Especially for an art lover, Rome is a glorious place to be, and Deacon Czerwonka says to have studied there for the past four years has been a great privilege, especially during the Jubilee Year.

"There are so many places in Rome where sacred art lifts you into prayer," he said.

He also contributed some of his talents to art in Rome, having completed four major icons, three of which grace the residence of North American College. During his years in Rome Deacon Czerwonka also led over 1,000 tourists on scavi tours, which wend through the catacombs and end at the tomb of St. Peter.

In living and studying with seminarians from dioceses all over North America, Deacon Czerwonka is hopeful for the future of church art and architecture, as his fellow seminarians expressed high levels of appreciation and understanding of the need for good sacred art in helping the faithful better worship God.

In addition to earning his degree in Sacred Theology, Deacon Czerwonka has also done some academic work toward a licentiate degree in spirituality theology. The focus of his specialized work is Blessed Angelico, patron of artists, as well as Pope John Paul II’s "Letter to Artists," which was released in 1999. The pope’s insights into art are magnificent, believes Deacon Czerwonka, and the letter’s theme is "that the Church needs artists, but artists also need the Church."

Throughout his seminary years, said the seminarian, he’s always felt to be in God’s hands, and that matters always will work themselves out as He intends.

This held true last summer when he found himself at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., as a team of four surgeons removed a tumor from inside his head. The tumor was the cause of the extreme fatigue and dizziness he had been experiencing. Doctors continue to monitor his condition, but he is doing well so far. "It brought me closer to the Lord in faith and trust, and He’s always been there," Deacon Czerwonka said.

Deacon Czerwonka will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 29, at St. Charles Borromeo Church, with a joint reception for him and Brother John Mary Gilbert from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Chippewa Falls.

He also intends to celebrate Masses of Thanksgiving at yet unspecified dates at St. Boniface in Chetek and Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Big River, the latter being where he stayed as a seminarian several summers ago.

Published June 24, 2003 in the Catholic Times

2002-2004. Office of Vocations, Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin (USA). Questions and Comments? Contact The Administrator.