Fr. George W. Kosicki, CSB
Known and loved throughout the world, Fr. George was truly a spiritual father, blessing people just by his presence, bringing light and joy to all wherever he went. His popular talks on Divine Mercy are a unique blend of strong teaching, spontaneous song, light-hearted anecdotes, and deep spirituality. And, with a doctorate in biochemistry, Fr. George was known to tickle your mind with a little “scientific formula” now and then to emphasize a special spiritual concept.
Above all, Fr. George was a man of prayer. Fueled by three hours a day in front of the Blessed Sacrament, he was incredibly productive. A leader in the Charismatic renewal for thirty years, Fr. George spread devotion to Divine Mercy and to Our Lady through hundreds of retreats all over the world, and hosted several TV series. In addition to his twenty-four research publications in biochemistry, he also produced several hundred articles, audio and video tapes, books and booklets – including a dozen books on Divine Mercy.
Fr. George was a spiritual father and mentor for Vinny Flynn and his family for many years (and baked many a cherry cobbler for Sunday afternoon tea). He was a constant source of blessing and an indispensible help with the family’s publications, music, and retreat projects. Spiritual Director and member of the Board of Trustees for MercySong, Fr. George lived a hermit’s life of prayer and writing for many years near the retreat center of the Companions of Christ the Lamb in the wilderness of Michigan’s Upper Penninsula.
After several workshops with a Russian iconographer, Fr. Kosicki was also spending his time “writing” icons as a further expression of the spirituality to which he had dedicated his life. Because of his health he had to leave his beloved hermitage, and was moved to a care facility for elderly priests in Ohio. Despite his declining health, he remained an integral part of the MercySong family, and always stayed up to date on the ministry’s projects and books, praying for us, and reading rough drafts of whatever Vinny was writing at the time.
On August 11th, 2014, at 4:03 pm, after a beautiful Hour of Mercy, filled with prayer and song and love, Fr. George went peacefully home to the Father of Mercy he had served so long. We are so grateful to you all for your outpouring of love and prayer during that time — and forever grateful for the blessing it was for Vinny to be able to keep vigil with him in this final stage of his journey back home.
Fr. George will always be a member of the MercySong Team, and he has entrusted all of his works to us in order to continue spreading the message of God’s unfathomable Mercy. Through his writings and talks — and no doubt in spirit — Fr. George continues to live out these words from one of his favorite songs: “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever!” To visit our memorial page go here.
