Humility means having a lower view of one’s own importance; freedom from pride and arrogance; and, in a religious sense realizing that without God one is and can do nothing. Often, in order to understand humility, one has to experience it—see it with one’s own eyes and feel it in the heart. It is both simple and profound.
A HUMBLE SPIRIT
Three weeks ago, a wonderful Marian priest of the Immaculate Conception, Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, passed away. A humble man, Fr. Seraphim is known for his devotion and life’s work spreading the message of Jesus’ Divine Mercy around the globe. He is also widely known for his role serving as Vice-Postulator for North America in the cause of canonization of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska. Fr. Seraphim was also a witness to the first healing miracle attributed to the intercession of St. Faustina, aiding her in becoming a canonized saint in the Catholic Church.
TOUCHED BY HUMILITY
I first met Fr. Seraphim in 1994. He was serving as the current “Father Joseph” of the Marian Helpers Center, where St. Faustina’s Diary and all things Divine Mercy related are published and distributed throughout the world. The Marian Helpers Center is on the grounds of the National Shrine of Divine Mercy located in Stockbridge, MA. My husband, Paul, was working as Controller of the Center at the time. Father was one of the many well known religious folks my husband got to interact with on a daily basis as an employee working on those widely televised and visited grounds—much to my delight and (holy!) envy.
During the years of Paul’s employment at the Center, he and I suffered two miscarriages. We had two healthy boys at home and wished to expand our family. The moment Fr. Seraphim heard the news of our miscarriages, he immediately told Paul he wanted to have a mass said for our two babies with both of us present. Unwavering was he in stressing this mass to be extremely important, and he wanted to do this for us.
THE MOST SUBLIME GIFT
On a quiet Saturday, as the Center was closed, Fr. Seraphim said mass for Timothy and Krystyna in the Center’s Chapel. Father previously asked us to name our babies. He spelled “Krystyna” differently than my intended spelling of the name. However, the moment I saw his beautiful Polish spelling of her name, I said to myself, “That’s the way it’s spelled.”
We never asked Father for this gift. Frankly, having a mass said for our babies never even occurred to us. Hearing about our loss from someone else at the Center, Father came of his own volition to offer us a comfort beyond anything we could have imagined. That was the kind of man he was. That was the kind of priest he was. Wishing to perform this act of charity, he gave of his time and himself, sacrificially and in pure humility.
A HUMBLE SURPRISE
Years later, my husband’s father passed away. Our whole extended family had just been seated for his funeral mass. When the priests entered the sanctuary to begin Holy Mass, there was Fr. Seraphim Michalenko ready to concelebrate. To say the least, Paul and I were in awe. Important to note, Paul no longer worked at the Center at that point, having changed jobs several years prior. The funeral mass was also located a few towns from the Marian Helpers Center. Father’s thoughtfulness in taking time out of his busy schedule for my husband and our family was, yet again, astounding. I also believe the gift of Fr. Seraphim’s concelebration of this mass to be a heavenly nod to my late father-in-law, as well—a pro-life advocate in his own unassuming way in life and work. [My husband and I were privy to my father-in-law’s stories told around his kitchen table about how he stood up for life in the operating room on multiple occasions—suffering chastisement from his peers—all for his refusal to harm a life in the womb.]
NOT COUNTING THE COST
In summation, humility shows itself differently based on charity perceived in the eyes of the humble for another and then acted upon. It puts service to another above cost to self and is a mark of holiness. Present in a person such as Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, humility expresses itself in not only time and thoughtfulness but also in one’s holy quiet demeanor and action.
God bless you, Fr. Seraphim. We are eternally grateful for your humble intercession on our behalf here on earth and your anticipated intercession, henceforth, from your Heavenly abode. We stand with countless others, too, hoping, praying and longing to witness your canonization one fine day in our Church, as well.
