Rest in peace, Father Michał Łos, FDP
Professed May 23rd, 2019
Ordained May 24th, 2019
Died June 17th, 2019
24 days a priest here on earth…but a priest forever!
We share our reflection below on his inspiring ordination to the priesthood on his deathbed. Now that he has returned, like another Polish priest of note, “to the House of the Father” we pray for the repose of his soul and thank God for the witness of his vocation.
If you haven’t heard of the heartrending story of Father Michal Los, FDP of Poland, a dying seminarian who professed his final vows in the religious institute Sons of Divine Providence and was ordained a priest on his deathbed, it is worth taking the time to look up his story, watch the video of his ordination, and pray for him as he lives his final days as a priest of Christ on earth. It is also worth praying to God in thanksgiving for the witness of such a beautifully embraced vocation.
If you have ever accompanied a loved one by their deathbed, you know it is impossible to describe something of the intensity of what is taking place. Not the physical suffering per se but the stripping away of all the unnecessary peripherals of daily life until the only thing that really matters, eternity, is in focus. What is it like when a priest is in that position?
Father Michal Los, FDP Elevates the Host at Mass
When priests are ordained they are told, “Say the Mass every time as if its your first Mass, your last Mass, and your only Mass!” Without great grace that’s a hard goal to reach in day to day life as time goes on. But when a priest no longer has time, when eternity is at hand, the gift of the present and The Presence are more easily seen.
Over 300,000 times at this writing have people watched the video of Father’s ordination. Even just a still photo of this dying man elevating the host from his hospital bed…his altar of suffering…stops us in our tracks as the irony hits us as God designed it to. This young priest, dying of cancer, is more alive than most of us. He has more of an unobstructed view of his Lord, held in his weakening hands as Life, undiluted, courses through his veins.
May God’s gift of this witness inspire all priests and in fact, all of us, to live our lives for Christ alone. Let us pray for Father Michal and ask his prayers for us, until he celebrates Mass forever in Heaven.
Father Michał Łos FDP Video Link: https://seminarium.