Fr. John Wladyslaw Juszczak, C.Ss.R. was born in Poland in 1960 and in 1988 was ordained a priest in Poland for the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the Redemptorists). After ordination, Fr. John has served as a missionary in northwest Africa, in Burkina Faso-Niger, for eight years. There, Father served in many capacities, including working with a team to develop programs for the betterment of poor village life. Later, in the Archdiocese of Chicago, Father served as a pastor in American, Polish, and Spanish communities, and directed a Polish Catholic school while there. In California, Father served in the US Air Force as a chaplain and is a veteran of the Iraq war. He is in the Air Force Reserve. After California, he served as a missionary in St. Lucia, before moving to St. Croix. Fr. John was awarded high honors in receiving his bachelor’s degree at the Redemptory’s Theological Seminary in Tuchow, Poland. He studied French culture and language at the Sorbonne in Paris. He has also studied at Loyola University of Chicago and the Catholic University of Lublin, Poland, where he obtained a Ph.D. (involving Psychotherapeutic aspect of the Sacrament of Reconciliation). He has written two books and many articles. Besides his native Polish, to better help those he has served, Fr. John has learned various languages, including French, Gurrmashe (an African language), and English; and he is now refreshing his Spanish. Fr. John notes that all he has accomplished has been for the glory of God and love of sisters and brothers through the Immaculate heart of Mother Mary.

Fr. Andrzej Szorc,C.Ss.R. arrived at Holy Cross Catholic Church on September 18, 2009 directly from Poland. He was ordained in his native Poland in 1983 after attending a Redemptorist Seminary in Poland. Thus, he belongs to the Redemptorist Province of Poland. Since his ordination, he studied in Rome, taught at the Polish Seminary he attended and worked at a mission in Lagos, Nigeria. He volunteered to spend two years in Nigeria but ended up staying for five years. This is where he had many opportunities to learn to speak the English language. Nigerian Pidgin, or what he referred to as "Pidgin" English, is commonly spoken across Nigeria. Fr. Szorc is no stranger to learning new languages, however- he is fluent in Polish, Russian, Italian, and English. A challenge thus far has been to learn Spanish which he needs to celebrate the Sunday Spanish Mass here at Holy Cross Church.

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