GREELEY, Colo.—Pawel Zborowski prayed on a sunny morning for his new church in Greeley a month ago. He wondered what would be good, great, even, for St. Mary Roman Catholic Church. The answer from his prayers didn’t surprise him.
Pope John Paul II. Of course. The man meant so much to Colorado. The man meant so much to 34-year-old Zborowski.
Zborowski, after all, is from Poland, and Pope John Paul II was not only responsible for inspiring thousands of young men to become priests, he inspired the country itself to shed the shackles of communism.
Pope John Paul’s declaration that no one should be afraid to lead a Christian life gave Zborowski the courage to leave his village, known for its apple orchards and nestled deep in the mountains not far from Krakow, and come to the U.S. to be a priest. Poland didn’t need more priests. Zborowski estimates that 25 percent of all priests in Europe come from his country. That was Pope John Paul’s work, as well. Zborowski came to the U.S. in 1999 and was ordained in Denver in 2006.
Even though he wasn’t here in 1993, he also knew what Pope John Paul II meant to Colorado. The pope came to the state much like Zborowski’s own country that year for World Youth Day, and the thousands of Catholics here who attended still talk about the visit. It revitalized the Archdiocese of Denver, Zborowski said, and it’s been vibrant ever since.
That’s what he wrote in a letter to Cardinal Dziwisz, Poland’s Cardinal and former secretary for John Paul II, after his morning prayers. Dziwisz is a busy man, but he wrote back right away. Zborowski was stunned by the reply.
The church would receive a first-class relic, the highest of three. It would be a drop of the pope’s blood.
Zborowski called his parents to share the news. He believed it would be the first relic of its kind in the Western U.S. Zborowski knew of some churches on the East Coast that had received a similar honor, but that was it, he told them.
Then he kept the news secret from almost everyone as he thought about how to get it. It’s not like the church would ship it via UPS.
Zborowski remembered he would be in Rome for the first celebration and Day of Remembrance in late October for Pope John Paul II, who was beatified in May. He booked a special trip to Poland to receive the gift.
Zborowski was in grade school, but he still remembers waiting in long lines with his parents to buy milk or a loaf of bread. There was nothing on the grocery shelves. Some priests were persecuted. And yet he also remembers what the church gave the people in his country.
“It gave them a taste of freedom,” he said.
When he traveled to Poland this time, he came back to a vibrant country nothing like his childhood memories, a country with one of the strongest economies in the world and a population of educated young people enraptured with life. Those people brought him to the priesthood because he wanted that same happiness in his own life. Poland is booming, and the pope’s message of love, peace and hope reigns over the former despair of war and suffering, Zborowski said.
The people call his class “Generation JP II.”
A drop of blood may sound a little weird, even creepy. The blood came from some medical tests performed on John Paul before he died. But it is symbolic in a church that treasures symbols, Zborowski said.
“He’s always with us, but now he’ll be here physically,” he said. “It’s an incredible blessing for our people.”
Zborowski came to St. Mary’s in June, and already, others feel his spirit and energy. The church celebrated its annual fall festival last weekend. It was a busy time. But Zborowski gazed out his window Thursday, amid the bustle of preparation, and the sun reflected off piles of snow.
“It’s a great day to be a priest,” he said.
He will eventually leave, but the relic will stay. He presents it at Mass and hopes to build a display for it soon. He wants to share it as much as possible.
Zborowski believes the relic could refresh the church he came to in June. He believes it could bring the same kind of vibrancy left by the pope after his 1993 visit, and the same kind of inspiration that led their country out of the darkness and into the dawn of a new age.
