(Originally published in MercySong Enews, Issue No. 7. To read more, click here)
There are so many things I could say about this man of God — so many memories, so much laughter, so much spiritual goodness. But certain things were such a part of his life, such a part of who he was here, that every memory, every mention even of his name, calls them to mind. Those are the things I thought I’d share. The lessons he taught simply by who he was and the way he lived his life.
JOY
To know Fr. George was to know his laughter and contagious joy! Even during his later years when he was living in even greater seclusion as a hermit, he was always very warm, human, relatable … and he loved the time he spent with people talking, 
laughing, eating, and praying.
From the time I was in my early teens, Dad and I would often travel with him to retreats or conferences where they were both speaking and where we were providing music. Whether it was our schedules being messed up, people being unpleasant, sitting around delayed in airports, or waiting in a car at the border, he had a ready laugh and a patient joy that could be felt by everyone involved in the situation — and which often diffused an otherwise tense situation!
Here I was, traveling with a priest who typically lived as much of a hermit’s life as possible and who was very well known, and yet who dealt with real-life situations with such ease, and who encountered each person, no matter who, as a brother or sister, witnessing to them the joy of the Lord. One of his favorite scriptures to quote, which had become something of a motto for his life, was Phil. 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
TRUST
One of the main reasons Fr. George handled everything with grace and a smile, was because he truly lived out his other motto: “Trust Even More!” No matter what was going on, no matter how difficult something seemed, these words would be on his lips: “Jesus, I trust in You!” And he would always encourage us all to have more and more trust in the Lord, reminding us of the words Jesus said to St. Faustina,
“The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is – trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive” (Diary, 1578). But he was so human. And that made it all seem even more accessible to me. This message wasn’t just for old, holy souls, but for everyone! Even Fr. George needed to be reminded to practice this trust throughout his life; And to that end, he would stick little post-it notes or index cards around his house with those messages of trust on them. What a legacy to leave … this great message of trust. I love finding random notes that he sent me over the years, signed with, “Trust Even More.”
LIVING THE GOSPEL
Even now I can hear his sing-song voice entering our home and calling out in obedience to Luke 10:5, “Peace to this house and all in it!” He was a man of the gospel placing all of his talents (he had many) a
t the service of the Lord and responding in obedience to wherever he was sent. He always seemed to have an abundance of hope, and even when encountering difficult situations and people, his charity remained. He’s also the one who would always say, “Let’s pray” when we would be on an airplane or in the airport or when we would hear emergency sirens. It seems a bit like, “well of course” now, but to a young girl it seemed so radical that one would always and everywhere praise and bear witness to Jesus Christ with such zeal. Sometimes I’d think of how perfect he would’ve been in another era. But he was here, right here in our world, in our house, in our lifetime, showing us what it looks like — and how possible it is — to truly live out the gospel like one of the first apostles.
DIVINE RADIATION THERAPY
Fr. George’s presence was powerful, his virtue was inspiring, and the man just got so much done! The source of all his goodness, his stamina, his energy, his effect (he would tell you this himself), was consistent adoration and reception of the Holy Eucharist. Gazing on the Lord and receiving Him into our bodies transforms us. The more we do it, the more we are transformed (and our level of receptivity is key). I always loved this image from Fr. George’s description of adoration: Divine Radiation Therapy. How perfect is that!? And he 
was a living example of how much God will heal us and transform us into His image, if we open ourselves up to those rays of mercy.
Fr. George celebrated daily Mass and also spent 3 hours a day in adoration. Three hours a day. Yet he was also one of the most productive people I’ve ever met in my life! Like saints have already told us, if you are especially busy, pray more. If you have no time to do a holy hour, do two holy hours!
It seems counterintuitive, right? But there is something to be said about God “multiplying our time” when we spend time with Him. Part of it, I think, is simply grace. God is never outdone in generosity. But part of it is very practical too … grace builds upon nature. So Fr. George was a great teacher of discipline. It takes discipline to create a habit like spending time in prayer no matter what’s going on that day. And that discipline was also found in the rest of his day. When he was active he was truly focused on the task at hand. And when he thought of something that needed to be done, he would sit down and do it right away. This is a lesson I am constantly trying to implement and it is one of the best things I ever learned from him.
I grew up knowing many famous priests and Catholic speakers, Theologians, etc. I’d love to say it was always a wonderful, edifying experience, but it wasn’t. Sometimes the goodness of the message was lost because of the brokenness or grandeur of the messenger. With Fr. George, it was the actual consistent living out of the message he preached that made such a deep impression on me.
I am really missing him after journeying through these memories. But just revisiting all of these lessons has inspired me anew. I’ll leave you with mine and Mary’s tribute to this great and holy man we were privileged to grow up with. These are two short little songs that he loved. The first one is yet another motto he lived out. “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever.” The 2nd is one he taught me very early on. It is “Jesus I trust in You,” and it is in his beloved Polish. If you ever heard him speak you’ll probably recognize it. He loved to teach it to audiences and have them sing it with him. Feel free to sing along! (Oh, and sorry for the hastily done video where we accidentally shot it vertical instead of horizontal … that’s why it’s so little!)
Fr. George, pray for us! May we live out the gospel with greater joy, trust, and zeal, allowing our lives to be shaped by the mercy of God — ever-renewed, strengthened and transformed by His Presence in the Eucharist.
