On September 3, 2022 Fr. Stanisław Pomykała died in the Jesuits Collegium in Warsaw. He was born on January 4, 1950 in Brzeg Dolny near Wołów. He entered the Jesuit Society on July 30, 1965. After the novitiate in Stara Wieś and finishing his education within the scope of secondary school, he studied philosophy at the Jesuit Faculty of Philosophy in Kraków during 1970-1973. Afterwards, he did his regency in WAM Publishing House (1973-1974). He studied theology at the Jesuit Faculty of Theology Bobolanum in Warsaw (1974-1978) and in Academy of Catholic Theology in Warsaw (1978-1979). He was ordained a priest on July 30, 1977 in Warsaw by bishop Jerzy Modzelewski.
After theology in 1980, he started working in Vatican Radio Polish Section in Rome. He accompanied Jan Paul II on many pilgrimages. He did his tertianship in 1982-1983 in Trosly Breuil in France with the guidance of Fr. André de Jaer. He made a solemn religious profession on April 22, 1985 in Rome. He was involved in Neocatechumenal Way communities, in which he served for many years.
In 1991, after finishing his work in Vatican Radio in 1990 and after a sabbatical year, he was sent to Novosibirsk, supporting bishop Joseph Werth SJ – the first ordinary of Novosibirsk Apostolic Administration, which covered at the time the whole of Siberia. After a year he became a member of the Independent Russian Region of the Society of Jesus. During that time he was a founder and director of Spiritual Center “Inigo” in Novosibirsk as well as gave retreats, also in other cities of Russian Federation and in some former Soviet Union countries. He gave lectures on spirituality and Ignatian pedagogy in the local university. From the end of 2011 he worked in Belarus, first in the parish of Holy Trinity in Głębokie in diocese of Vitebsk (2012-2014), and later in Vitebsk – in St. Anthony Parish (until 2017) and in the parish of St. Vladislav, which Jesuits formally received in 2019 and where they built a church dedicated to St. Ignatius Loyola, consecrated in July 2022. He was a spiritual father of priests in diocese of Vitebsk.
After the restructuration of religious provinces, on July 31, 2020 he was assigned to Greater Poland and Mazovia Province. In the beginning of 2020, he began his struggle with cancer, which was followed by the move to Poland for treatment. He lived in the Jesuits Collegium in Warsaw at Rakowiecka 61 street.
He passed away in 73rd year of life, 58th year of his religious vocation and 46th year of priesthood.
We will say goodbye to Fr. Stanisław on Friday, September 9th, at 11:00 am at St. Andrew Bobola National Sanctuary in Warsaw. Thanking God for the time of his ministry in the Society, especially in the Vatican Radio and in Russian Region, let us pray for his eternal happiness alongside the Risen Christ.
