St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church Stanford, Montana

05/24/2026

Msgr. Gluszek passed away of from cancer on September 19, 2002, at the age of 91, in Great Falls, MT. His last days in hospice were spent surrounded by numerous friends.

Msgr. Gluszek’s legacy is about more than just one person. It’s about a benefactor who sponsored a young man who had just lost his father. It’s about a young German girl who risked her life to offer an apple and some bread to a starving prisoner. It’s about a priest from Chicago who reached out and found a home for someone he had just met. It’s about an Irish sister who taught a fellow immigrant her language. It’s about a Cardinal who cared enough to cross a vast country to visit a friend against all advice. And yes, it’s also about a man from Poland who spent most of his life ministering to people in rural areas far from home in places where there was no prestige or fame; who knew everyone by name and cared deeply about the Blessed Virgin Mary, about the Eucharist, and about his faith.

In the last homily Msgr. Gluszek delivered, he said, “Learn from this day to turn to God in one’s need. Perseverance will always get an answer, better than hoped for. The God he spoke of has a wellspring deeper than we can imagine. As Msgr. Gluszek said, “Who are we to question God’s mercy? Death brings out virtues that will earn eternal life.”

Msgr. Gluszek has had buildings named in his honor, but the real testimony to his legacy is the light in every soul that knew him; the many times in which he answered Christ’s call to feed His sheep; the way he reflected the light of Christ in the midst of a darkness he knew all-too well. Msgr. Gluszek knew that he was not an island. He did not boast of his own abilities to persevere, but readily gave credit where credit was due. His life modeled a radical dependence on God and His blessings.

Application of Faith:

In Christ’s time on Earth, He ministered to us, and he also let others minister to Him. Msgr. Gluszek’s life was blessed by the compassion of caring individuals, and he extended the same grace to others. Let us all emulate the examples they gave us, and let God work through us in all aspects of our lives.

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi (Prayer for Peace)
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen

05/17/2026

Monsignor Gluszek’s life was fraught with hardship and difficult changes. After all of the things that Msgr. Gluszek experienced, what was he like?

Those who remember Msgr. Gluszek recall a very personable man with a distinctive voice. He knew everyone by name and was keenly interested in the lives of those in His flock. He always kept pockets full of candy for the children. He was often quiet about his time in Dachau, and did not use his past hardship as something to be exploited. He maintained a close, personal relationship with the Holy Father Pope John Paul II, but did not regard that friendship as a bargaining chip.

Msgr. Gluszek began his homilies with the welcoming address of “My dear friends . . .” His dear friends were not limited to the Catholics in the community, as many non-Catholics benefited from the friendship and support of Msgr. Gluszek.

Msgr. Gluszek loved to paint and credited his artwork with having saved him. A quick glance at his wall would reveal what was important to him. There was a picture of the Black Madonna of Czȩstochowa, a devotion to Mary and Jesus that is very important to the people of Poland. According to tradition, the image of Mary and Jesus was painted by St. Luke on wood that had been part of the table belonging to the Holy Family. This image spoke to his Polish identity, as well as his reverence for Mary and Christ present in the Eucharist. Also adorning his walls were photographs of his friend Pope John Paul II, whom he described as “more human than a human being can be,” and “very educated.”

Perhaps Msgr. Gluszek’s greatest example to us is one of impossible forgiveness and compassion. At Msgr. Gluszek’s funeral in 2002, Fr. Ted Szudera recounted, “Even the beatings, starvation and humiliation he suffered at Dachau couldn’t break his spirit. Yet as a Christian, he didn’t hate the N***s. He used to say his heart still bleeds for the 7 million Polish citizens who died during the war.” The Most Rev. Anthony Milone, Bishop of the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings, said, “He was a friend of the Pope, sure, but that’s not why he was so loved. He was a gentle, forgiving and supportive priest. That’s why we loved him.”

Application of Faith:

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2. Instead of being consumed by self-pity on account of his struggles, Msgr. Gluszek looked outward toward the people around him. Just as Christ placed our needs ahead of His own, we are called to imitate Him by looking beyond ourselves to help others. Let us all strive to use our time on Earth to love and serve others, as Msgr. Gluszek did.

05/11/2026

Announcement: There will be no Eucharistic Adoration or Daily Mass on Friday, May 15. Father Cornelius will be on retreat. We pray God's blessings on everyone involved in the retreat, and that the Holy Spirit continue to work in and through those who have been appointed to shepherd His flock.

05/10/2026

Happy Mother's Day! We pray that God continue to bless and keep our mothers in a special way today. We are grateful for the presence of our mothers in our lives, and we thank God for honoring motherhood through Mary, who points us to her son, Jesus.

05/10/2026

Msgr. Joseph Gluszek’s good friend Karol Wojtyła was inaugurated as Pope John Paul II on October 22, 1978. Msgr. Gluszek had recently been transferred to Big Timber, but that did not stop his friends in central Montana from raising funds for him to travel to Rome for the occasion.

Application of Faith:

Msgr. Gluszek had a difficult time coming to terms with his friend being the Pope. He held a deep reverence for the office of the Holy Father. In Rome, he strove to be close to the successor to St. Peter, who was appointed by Jesus to “feed my sheep.” Msgr. Gluszek knew the man Karol Wojtyła, with whom he had struck up a friendship years earlier, but he was struck with awe by the office he now held. He couldn’t fathom having a close friendship with someone so holy.

We as created beings experience so much more in the love that Jesus offers us. John 1 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made.” Then later, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son.” John 1:14.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

While this love applies to all of us, it is also given to each of us individually. St. Augustine of Hippo said, “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.”

Jesus is true God from true God, yet He humbled Himself to be the lowest among us and sacrificed Himself for us. God loves us not just as a collective, but personally. How do we comprehend that God, who is omnipotent, knows us and loves us deeply on a personal level? It can be intimidating to feel known and seen by God. Don’t let your brokenness get in the way of your relationship with God. When Zacchaeus, a tax collector, drew close to Jesus as He passed through Jericho, Jesus didn’t balk or disqualify him because of his low reputation in society. He immediately reached back, like Pope John Paul II reached back to Msgr. Gluszek, and drew Zacchaeus into His fold. Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “Today, salvation has come to this house . . . ” Luke 19:10

As Msgr. Gluszek grew closer to the Pope, we are called to be like Zacchaeus. Chase after Jesus, and don’t be afraid when he meets you where you are, even if you aren’t as presentable as you’d like to be.

05/08/2026

There are some free copies of Bishop Barron's book on Christian persecution avaliable by the entrance. Feel free to grab a copy as you walk by.

“We are called to stand in solidarity with the suffering Church and to give voice to those who cannot speak freely,” Bishop Barron said. “It is my hope that this book encourages concrete support for our brothers and sisters who face violence for the simple act of professing the name of Jesus.”

Lord Jesus, please be with your persecuted church on earth. Grant them your peace as they continue to place their trust in you. Amen.

05/07/2026

Today is the National Day of Prayer! May we all Glorify God Among the Nations, Seeking Him in All Generations.

Please join us as we commend our nation to God in prayer.

https://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/2026-national-prayer

2026 National Prayer

05/05/2026

O Come, let us adore Him! Starting this Friday, we will hold Eucharistic Adoration for one hour prior to daily Mass. Eucharistic Adoration will start at 6:10 a.m., and will be followed by Mass at 7:15 a.m. We hope to see you there!

05/03/2026

We are so grateful to be able to celebrate once more with Collin! He was confirmed last Sunday at Sacred Heart in Hobson, and today we celebrated as a parish at St. Rose of Lima. May the Holy Spirit continue to work in and through you, Collin. We are blessed to have you with us!

05/03/2026

One of Monsignor Gluszek’s cherished friendships across the years was his friendship with fellow Polish clergyman Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, now known to us as Pope John Paul II. Cardinal Wojtyła was from the village of Wadowice, where Fr. Gluszek had completed his secondary school. Gluszek was ten years older than Wojtyła, so the two were not close growing up. Gluszek used to pass Wojtyła on his way to school. Fr. Gluszek first wrote to Wojtyła when the younger clergyman became a bishop in 1958. That turned into a lifelong friendship.

They met in person once in Canada at a conference. Then in 1976, Cardinal Karol Wojtyła came to the U.S. for the 41st Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia, PA. Before returning for Poland, he was determined to visit his friend in Montana. The people of Philadelphia discouraged him from going. But Cardinal Wojtyła reminded them that Msgr. Gluszek was still a priest of the Diocese of Krakow, and as such, it was within his purview to visit a priest for whom he was cardinal. Cardinal Wojtyła spent the night in Geyser with his friend Msgr. Gluszek and celebrated Mass at St. Rose of Lima in Stanford before returning home.

Two years later, Msgr. Gluszek would travel to Rome for his friend’s inauguration as Pope John Paul II. Msgr. Gluszek would visit Rome over a half a dozen more times, and in 1990, he left a deposit of about 200 letters from the Pope at the Vatican for posterity to learn more about his good friend.

Fr. Ted Szudera recalls being a part of a tour group to Rome with Msgr. Gluszek, and losing sight of the monsignor during a papal audience. “In an audience of fifty thousand in Vatican Square, the group kept asking, ‘Where is your friend? Where is Monsignor?’ I said, ‘I don’t know.’ Finally, one of the tour group nuns said, ‘There he is! Right next to the Pope, standing right next to him with sixty cardinals in the back.’”

Application of Faith:

In the Bible, we see many examples of great friendships, such as those of David and Jonathan, and Ruth and Naomi. Both Msgr. Gluszek and Cardinal Wojtyła/Pope John Paul II benefited from their friendship. Each received support from the other as they faced the joys and challenges of their respective ministries. Who are the friends God has placed in your life? Take a moment to pray for them now.