The Rev. Marek Dzien, the pastor at St. Augustine Church, started his religious journey 20 years ago as a priest in Poland.
Back then, the 25-year-old Polish man would’ve never imagined that he would be celebrating his 20th anniversary as a priest in Gainesville, eating Baskin-Robbins ice cream and way too much cake.
The anniversary celebrations took place May 31 in the lounge of the Catholic Student Center, located on 1738 W University Ave. Parishioners were invited to attend a reception for Dzien after each mass.
“When people gather for him, to honor him or to do something for him, he is always surprised,” said Gail Fitzsimmons, Dzien’s administrative assistant. She said her greatest memory of Dzien is his daily humility, which can be seen every time he tells the story about his ordination to the priesthood.
When Dzien was discerning his call to priesthood, Poland was under communist rule. This meant that outside the Catholic Church, Dzien was not free to express his faith.
“The church in Poland in the time of communism was like an island of freedom,” Dzien said. “You could talk about everything, but outside of the church there was no free speech.”
It wasn’t until 1989, when Dzien entered the seminary, that Catholicism started to become accepted in Poland.
After being ordained, Dzien lived in Poland for six years. Next, he moved to Ecuador, where he was the priest for a local church for another six years. Once his contract ended, he decided he wanted to move to the U.S.
In 2008, he began studying English at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. Then, he moved to St. Augustine, where he was the associate pastor for San Sebastian Catholic Church. In 2012, he arrived in Gainesville, even though he said he wasn’t too thrilled to be here in the beginning.
“I came here very upset because I didn’t see myself working with young people,” Dzien said. “The first year was hard.”
A lot has changed since he got here. Dzien said thanks to the students, he’s been able to open up to the community.
“I think I speak for a lot of people here,” said Douglas Ghizzoni, the director of liturgy and music. “We are really blessed. ... He’s really a great shepherd for this community.”
[A version of this story ran on page 3 on 6/9/15]
The Rev. Marek Dzien cuts the cake at the celebration for his 20th aniversary as a priest on May 31.
