Help Polish Seminarian of the ICKSP

My name is Radek. I am a polish seminarian of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest in Gricigliano. I will be moving in there to start my formation at the end of August 2021, and I'm expected to pay a fee to contribute to the functioning of our overfilled seminary.

I was born and raised on the farm in the village called Aleksandrów near the town Biłgoraj (lubelskie).I was a 5th and a last child in my family. Since my very early years of childhood I had a desire to become a Catholic Priest. Ever since, it never left me. I became an altar boy as soon as I could, in my local parish (Our Lady, of Perpetual Succour), and became heavily involved with the life of the diocese in my early teens.

At the age of 16 I moved out to continue my studies in London. I lived with my Father and sister who worked there for over 10 years by then. It was in London that I discovered the Traditional Latin Mass. Only few years later I would learn that this discovery will be life changing.

I became an altar server of the weekly Sung Mass at Our Lady of the Assumption (Warwick Street) weeks after I first attended my first Latin Mass. My skills, knowledge and love for the Tradition Liturgy kept growing. I became more zealous for the Solemn Liturgy, which led me to serve at very memorable occasions in London, like:

Pontifical High Mass for the Feast of Corpus Christi 2018;

Pontifical High Mass for the Feast of Corpus Christi 2019;

Pontifical Low Mass with Cardinal Burke in September 2019;

Later in 2019, I became one of key persons in organising weekly High Masses on Wednesday night at Our Lady of the Assumption (Warwick Street)

At that stage I knew very well that I would like to continue to live the liturgical life as fully and solemnly as possible. That was when I discovered the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.

After few visits to the house of discernment and months of prayer, I applied for the candidacy in Preston and was accepted. It started in the late October 2020. That was when I had to say goodbye to my beard and ponytail. 

My time in Preston as a candidate and my visit to the Seminary in Gricigliano in April have been very grace filled. And with approval of my superiors I decided to go on to pursue my vocation with the Institute, now as a seminarian.

The Seminary fees are 700 EUR per person per month, which all of us need to raise ourselves in order for the Seminary to function. It is beyond the possibility that my parents who are in the their 60s will be able to help me to cover these costs on top of my travel and other seminary expenses, while my Father still has mortgage to pay, and my Mother cannot go to work due to ill health.

Thank you very much for taking your time to read this.

I do count on your generosity and assure you of my prayers and gratitude. 

In Christo Regis,

Radek