SCJ of the Month
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Fr. Franciszek Pupkowski, scj |
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Father
Franciszek Pupkowski was born on December 1, 1958 in
Koszalin, a middle size city in the north of Poland. He is
the elder of the two sons of +Edward and +Zofia Kordyl.
Since elementary school, his big dream was to become a
seaman and at the same time, being an altar boy, he wished
also to become a priest. Nevertheless, the passion to travel
won. After graduating from elementary school in 1973, he
applied to the Maritime School, but unfortunately was not
accepted. Without giving up his dream, he decided to take a
course in electrical engineering in one of the local
secondary schools in his hometown, hoping that one day he
will make it. The course he chose turned to be very
interesting and later on he decided not to change it. During
that time he became an active member of one catholic youth
movement called "Oasis". It was also the time when he met
for the first time one of the priests of the Sacred Heart.
During one of the visits of the SCJ House in Krakow, he got
attracted by the tales of one of the missionaries working in
Zaire in Africa. It was then when the wish of becoming
priest came back.
Upon
graduating from the school in 1979 he decided to become an
SCJ. He entered the Congregation. After one year of
Novitiate and six years of studies in the Seminary, he was
ordained in 1986. His wish was to work in Africa, but
instead he was assigned in one of the parishes in Poland,
Ostrowiec Sw. In 1988 he volunteered to become a member of
the first group coming to the Philippines. In the
Philippines, he was assigned in Margosatubig, Kumalarang,
Bacolod, Dumalinao and now, presently in Cagayan de Oro
City. |