Ordination to priesthood fulfills long-ago dreams

I've been wanting this since 1977,' says Ukrainian deacon

- WCR photo by Ramon Gonzalez Deacon Ireneus Prystajecky first experienced a call to the priesthood in Grade 5

By RAMON GONZALEZ
WCR Staff Writer
Edmonton

Ireneus Prystajecky (formerly Paul) began dreaming about the priesthood at an early age. When his Grade 5 teacher spoke about the shortage of Catholic priests in class the lad got worried and decided to do something about it.

Eight years ago he joined the Order of St. Basil of the Ukrainian Catholic Church and now is about to realize his dream.

Bishop David Motiuk will ordain Prystajecky a Basilian priest during the Sts. Peter & Paul annual Vidpust Pilgrimage in Mundare June 24.

"I'm very excited because I've been wanting this since 1977," he said June 19 prior to his ordination.

Prystajecky, 39, has been living at St. Basil's Monastery and helping out St. Basil's Parish for the past year and may stay there for the summer doing relief work until he is appointed to a parish.

Community and structure

He could have become a priest for the Ukrainian Eparchy but said he chose the Basilians because he likes to live in community and likes the order's structure. His goal is to work in a parish somewhere as well as to preach and do missions.

Father Daniel Wach, superior of St. Basil's Monastery and pastor of the adjacent St. Basil's Parish, has high hopes for Prystajecky.

"There is no question he is going to be a good priest; he is extremely intelligent and knows an awful lot," Wach said. "He is quite brilliant and I can attest to that. He's also very prayerful, loves all the monastic services and he is a good team player and a very hard worker. I hope he doesn't burn out too soon."

The call to priesthood was almost always in the back of Prystajecky's mind.

He credits his devoted grandparents and parents, the priests at St. Josaphat's Cathedral and St. Basil Parish and the Catholic school system for instilling love for the Church and the priesthood in him.

He began reading Gospel literature in elementary school. In junior high he read the Bible during school breaks and was always first to arrive at religious celebrations. He loved religion classes.

First hints

The first hint about the priesthood came in 1977 when Prystajecky was in Grade 5 at the now-closed St. Bride School. "This teacher (Gloria Kleparchuk) said there is this terrible shortage of priests. I got very worried about this and then I kind of went blank for a minute and I thought, 'Gee, it's not much but I can help.'"

As time passed his interest in the priesthood only grew stronger. While attending Divine Liturgy, Prystajecky would dream of the day he would be a priest.

"In high school I had this desire of being a priest but I wasn't self confident enough to do what I wanted to do so I did what my father did and I became an electrical engineer," Prystajecky recalled.

"I put the vocation off a good 12 years. You are not supposed to do that because if you are in love with somebody and you put off marriage for 12 years you may lose interest."

He worked as an engineer for six years until 1995, when he quit to become a priest. "It was a good job but I left because I knew God wanted me out of there."

Following his resignation, he spent a couple of weeks at the Basilian monastery in Mundare. For the next two years he did volunteer work for St. John of God Christian Bookstore.

Finally in 1997 Prystajecky went to the Seminary of Christ the King in Mission, B.C. for two years and in 1999 he joined the Basilian Fathers. He did his two-year novitiate in Glen Cove, N.Y., and completed his theological studies at the Basilian House of Studies in Edmonton and at Newman Theological College.

Common prayer

Prystajecky made his final vows with the order in April and was ordained a deacon a couple of weeks ago.

He likes living in community. "There's always somebody to talk to; there is the common prayer which lifts me up and there is a bit of a structure which I can use," he said.

Prystajecky chose the religious name Ireneus in honour of Ireneus of Lyons, an early father of the Church.

Any regrets? "Oh, maybe that I didn't go (into the priesthood) earlier," he said. "Family life and human love is something I would enjoy or would like. There is definitely a bit of a tension there but I know what I want to do and this is it."

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