Society Matters | Volume 26 No. 1 | Autumn 2016

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Volume 26 No. 1 | Autumn 2016 8
Society Matters
A Newsletter of the Divine Word Missionaries Inc - Australia Province
Donations to the SVDAUS Province
Overseas Aid Fund can be made online at
or by mailing to
Divine Word Missionary Appeal Office,
Locked Bag 3, Epping NSW, 1710, Australia. svdaus @svdaus
Fr Marian Zelazek SVD
– a shining example of
holiness and service
“When the late Fr Marian Zelazek SVD started the SVD
Mission at Puri in India in 1970 he arrived to find the sick
and disabled sufferers of Leprosy living on the sides of
the road, with just a tarpaulin to cover them. Nobody
would assist them in their medical or material needs for
fear of catching the disease or being made unclean. They
could not earn a living or find food to eat. Fr Marian,
shocked by what he saw, dedicated his life to the care
and rehabilitation of the Leprosy patients of Puri.
Today, the Karunalaya Leprosy Care Centre, which was
established by Fr Marian and continues to be run by the
Divine Word Missionaries since his death in 2006, is a
well-established and successful centre providing medical,
educational and economic activities for people with
Hansen’s Disease.”
These words appeared in the Autumn 2014 edition of
Society Matters, in which Fr Marian’s life and work was
featured.
Fr Marian collapsed and died in India, while walking to his
car, falling into the arms of the people accompanying him,
the people of the Leper colony, with whom and for whom
he had spent so many years of his life. One of those
people was heard to proclaim: “Here is a great and holy
man, who by his presence at Puri for the last 31 years has
made the holy city of Lord Jagannath a holier city and a
better place to live”.
Fr Marian’s personal holiness was noted by many people
who worked with him over the years, and has been
recognised with the opening of his Cause for Beatification
– the first step towards being proclaimed a Saint.
The SVD India East Province in Odisha, to which Fr Marian
belonged and where he spent 56 years of his missionary
life, is promoting Fr Marian’s Cause and has asked people
to pray for his elevation to sainthood.
As the life and works of Fr Marian are well known to
readers of Society Matters, we pass on to you here the
official prayer for the Beatification of Fr Marian Zelazek
SVD. In this way, you, our Partners in Mission here in the
AUS Province, can join with others all over the world in
praying to promote Fr Marian’s cause for Sainthood in the
Church, so that, in the words of the SVD INE Provincial, Fr
Luvis Ronald Pereira SVD, “he can be a source of strength
to all who are suffering and a shining example to all who
are reaching out to them in service”.
Prayer of Petition for the Beatification
of Fr Marian Zelazek SVD
Loving God and compassionate Father, you chose Fr
Marian Zelazek to be a Religious, Priest and Missionary
in the Society of the Divine Word and sent him to India
from far away Poland to be your messenger of love and
compassion. As your faithful servant he preached your
word by his life and actions.
Many drew inspiration from his life of simplicity and
dedicated service to the poor, the needy and the
suffering, especially the leprosy affected people.
Irrespective of cast and creed, people from all walks of
life approached him in their material needs, psychological
distress and spiritual poverty. He became a true “Bapa” to
all through his Fatherly love and care.
Father most holy, we truly believe that as a result of his
total self-giving to you and your people, Fr Marian was
truly holy and noble and that he is in the assembly of your
Saints in your eternal presence.
Therefore, heavenly Father, we pray that you grant us the
favour of his being officially acknowledged as a Saint,
so that we all may be encouraged to look upon him as
a heavenly guide and role model in our daily mission
endeavours all over the world. Grant also to us that
through the favour of his heavenly intercession in our life
here on earth, like him, we too may be enabled to spend
our lives in true service of our brothers and sisters.
We make this prayer through the intercession of Mary
our Mother and in the name of your Son, our Lord, Jesus
Christ, Amen.
(Followed by Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be…).