The spiritual and physical journey that brought The Rev. Tadeusz
Terembula to Gilroy has equipped him through a wealth of
experiences to meet the needs of his parishioners. He has been
serving as Parochial Vicar at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church for
a bit more than a year now.
The spiritual and physical journey that brought The Rev. Tadeusz Terembula to Gilroy has equipped him through a wealth of experiences to meet the needs of his parishioners. He has been serving as Parochial Vicar at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church for a bit more than a year now.
Father Tad, as he prefers to be called, was born in Poland, one of six children in his family. Early on, he became an altar-server because he enjoyed attending Mass. His pastor noticed this interest and kept him supplied with religious books such as biographies of saints.
Since he enjoyed learning prayers and reciting them, the older ladies in the parish soon agreed among themselves that he was certainly destined to become a priest.
As is common, during his high school years he became less involved in the parish community. But as graduation approached, he had to decide on a career.
Because he had a natural ability to learn foreign languages relatively easily, Father Tad considered becoming a language teacher. But as he wrestled with this decision, he began to return to the church. He discovered attendance at Mass brought him peace and happiness.
Opening the Bible one day, he came upon a passage in the Old Testament book of Isaiah: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” He realized he had the same answer as the prophet Isaiah, “Here I am; send me!”
Young Tad realized he needed to become a missionary and entered the order of The Divine Word Missionaries in 1988. After three years of seminary study in Poland, he was sent to Germany for more education and ordained a deacon and priest there, serving for seven years. He found the religious atmosphere much different than in Poland.
The area where he lived, near Bonn, historically had a great Protestant influence. The Catholic church there is quite progressive, searching for new ways to solve human problems, which often caused conflict with Vatican officials.
In 1996, his superiors assigned him as a missionary to South Korea. Before going there, Father Tad spent nine months studying English in Ireland. He enjoyed making friends over pints of Guinness while learning the local language.
When he arrived in South Korea, the young priest discovered Korean a very challenging language to learn, despite his facility for languages. During his 10 years of pastoral ministry there, he discovered much about Korean Catholicism:
– The culture has a strong Buddhist influence.
– The effect of Confucianism caused great respect of elders and ancestors.
– There was a very traditional approach to doctrine without the questioning so prevalent in Germany.
– Protestant missionaries arrived earlier and established many powerful institutions.
Looking for a different kind of ministry experience, Father Tad was led to the United States. With no assignment, he began to look for a position in a parish, spending two months in Memphis, Tenn., – an area known as “The Bible Belt” because of the great number of Evangelical Protestant churches. He said he was surprised at the large number of Christian denominations in the United States.
In 2008, Father Tad came to the Diocese of San Jose and the community of St. Mary Parish in Gilroy.
“Not knowing anybody in this country, I happened to knock on the door of Father Dan Derry (St. Mary’s pastor), and to my surprise, this door was opened wider than my expectations were,” Father Tad said.
This cosmopolitan priest is said he is happy in Gilroy, finding the people friendly, patient and tolerant. He witnesses a continuing dialogue between clergy and parishioners aimed at helping people find God within the Catholic Church.
In his role as a priest, Father Tad particularly enjoys helping people “reconnect with God again.” He is gratified as he finds people who have “learned tough lessons in life,” come to realize that the spiritual aspect of life is important. “They come back to the church older and wiser, with humble attitudes, seeking God above their own desires.”
Father Tad modestly asks the people of St. Mary “to have patience with this foreigner who tries to give his best on our journey of faith as a community and my personal journey into American culture and the English language.”
