Fr. Zygmunt Ostrowski SChr – senior priest
Fr. Zygmunt Ostrowski, SChr was born in Wolyn, Poland, on May 2, 1943. That summer, he and his family were transported to a Nazi camp in Germany. In 1945, when World War II came to an end, his family settled in Stargard
Szczecinski. There, he completed his grammar school education and later attended a construction technical school in Szczecin.
In 1962, Fr. Ostrowski joined the Society of Christ seminary in Poznan, Poland, which serves Polish
communities abroad. He was ordained a priest on May 24, 1969 in St. John the Baptist Church in Stargard
Szczecinski. Following his ordination, he was nominated to serve as prefect in his seminary in Poznan, and later
became the associate pastor in Goleniow.
Since September 1974, Fr. Ostrowski has worked in pastoral missions in the Society of Christʹs the North American province, including parishes throughout the United States (Providence, RI; Milwaukee, WI; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; Sterling Heights, MI; Washington DC; Chicago, IL) and Canada (Guelph and Barrie in Ontario). In 2005, while on vacation in Poland, Fr. Ostrowski was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) which inhibited his return to work as a parish priest. Towards the end of his year-long treatment and rehabilitation from the disease, he began to ponder the idea of writing this book.
In September 2006, Fr. Ostrowski returned to the United States and was nominated Superior of the Home for retired Society of Christ priests in Sterling Heights, MI. There, shortly afterwards, based on his experiences as a pastor and collected materials, he began to write his reflections about engagement and sacramental marriage. In 2007, he completed his first book and was named provincial treasurer of the Society of Christ in North America and moved to Lombard, IL, where he wrote Mój Tydzień Modlitwy (My Week of Prayer), Różaniec wczoraj i dziś (My Rosary yesterday and today) and this year Droga Krzyżowa wczoraj i dziś – ready for printing (The Station of the Cross yesterday and today) – now is translating in Canada.
From July 1, 2019 is serving at St. Ladislaus parish in Chicago.