Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

From Michigan to St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish



DELANO, MN – When asked where he’s from, Father Kyle Kowalcik raises his right hand, points toward his thumb, and tells people that he’s from Ann Arbor, MI.

When asked how he as a Lions fan and theatre buff became the new priest at St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Delano, it takes a little more explaining.

“From my freshman year in college, the idea was planted in my brain that the Lord wanted me to be a priest,” Kowalcik said. “I did not like this idea, so I kind of tried to avoid it and push it off for as long as I could, but it kept coming back, so whenever there was a major transition in my life, whether it was graduating from college, or moving, or losing a job, or breaking up with a girlfriend, that idea kept coming back: ‘Hey, Kyle, what about the priesthood?’”

He decided to investigate the vocation more thoroughly.

“When I started to look into it, reading a book about the priesthood and talking to other guys who were thinking about it and discerning it, it started to resonate more and I thought, ‘Oh, that’s what a priest does. Maybe I could do that,’” Kowalcik said.

The “maybe” began to turn into an “absolutely.”

“Eventually, it became something I began to desire and, eventually, I had to go and check it out and go to seminary,” said Kowalcik.

He chose St. Paul Seminary because he had been working for National Evangelization Team Ministries, based in West St. Paul. Once he got into seminary, he knew it was the right choice.

“As I progressed through seminary, it became very clear, ‘It’s not just an idea. You didn’t come up with this, but the Lord made you for this and called you to this. Three years into it, it’s been confirmed more and more. There’s nothing more I’d rather do.”

Kowalcik is entering his first assignment as a priest, which officially began Monday. His first assignment was as an associate pastor at Divine Mercy in Faribault, followed by an assignment at Epiphany in Coon Rapids.

“Now I’ll be in charge, for better or worse,” Kowalcik said with a smile.

He believes he is prepared for the job.

“In seminary, it’s six years, and we’re learning everything from philosophy and theology to the practical things of hearing confessions and saying Mass, to some of the other things of running a parish,” Kowalcik said. “For both of my assignments, I worked under very experienced pastors who have been doing this for 25-plus years and learning from them.”

As a member of the Companions of Christ, Kowalcik got to know his predecessor, Father Nathan LaLiberte.

Because of that connection, he was vaguely familiar with Delano and the parish. He still turned to a search engine for a little more information.

“My first impression was, ‘Wow, those are two beautiful churches,’” Kowalcik said.

He has learned more about the parish firsthand, visiting Mass, saying Mass, meeting students, parishioners, the finance council, and staff.

“The thing I was most impressed by is, when I met the school kids, they already knew how to pronounce my last name,” said Kowalcik. “That’s very impressive because it’s not an easy name to pronounce. Father Nathan has obviously been helping prepare for the changing of the guard. It’s hard for parishioners, it’s hard for priests. The smoother we can make it, the better for everybody.”

He looks forward to getting to know more parishioners and continuing the mission of the church.

“Father Nathan has laid a lot of good groundwork, and I want to continue the work he’s been doing,” Kowalcik said. “I don’t want there to be a radical pause as we change. Let’s just keep going. The mission statement is ‘Letting the Eucharist lead.’ Let’s keep doing that. We have a good staff that knows the needs of the people and the parish, so I can trust them and count on them for the continuity.”

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