![]() ![]() As I watched him meet the challenges of advanced age with grace, patience, and never a complaint, my appreciation of him grew beyond measure. He definitely had a special place in his heart for these boys who now will soon be off to college! To say that I and my family love this gentle soul is a true understatement. Our boys did well by God’s Grace and Stephen’s place in our family was cemented, spending holidays, celebrations, and even vacations together. Stephen kept us all hopeful, encouraging us to trust God… always praying, not only for our little ones in the NICU but for all the children and anxious families there, once again being an instrument of God’s love to all there who needed it. As our family faced the challenges of gestation and birth of triplet grandsons born 3.5 months early at over slightly more than a pound each, Stephen faithfully came with me to the hospital in Abington every single day to offer prayer, comfort, love, and support to all of us as we hoped for the best and tried to prepare for the worst for these precious little boys. I don’t know how many people ever got to experience this side of him… the soft and very human side that often comes as people advance in age, illness, and experience. I was able as an Advance Practice Nurse to help him navigate his many health challenges of older age and he became a cherished member of my extended family, bringing his patience, Faith, wisdom, and loving friendship into our lives. For over two decades, we never so much as exchanged a Christmas card, and when I learned of his retirement, I was once again living in NJ and called the Chancery to wish my former pastor a beautiful retirement. I moved out of state with my new family and he a short time after became Archbishop. As the years passed as my pastor, he married my husband and me over 50 years ago, buried my grandmother, my father, remarried my mother after my father died, eventually buried my mother and baptized our first child, Michael. He visited the hospital giving support and kindness along with Communion. I had been in an automobile accident and was hospitalized with some mild injuries. I first met Stephen when he was assigned to Assumption parish in Perth Amboy and I was only a mere 15-year-old and we met on his first days there. Such were the times and nature of things nearly a century ago! So dear Stephen’s legally recorded birthdate has always been October 2, 1924.Īs I placed the bouquets of roses near the crypt, and prayed, my heart wandered to how this dear man came to be part of my life and that of my family and how God worked His ways, weaving a relationship of several decades with gaps here and there as He destined. ![]() And the priest, having already recorded a birth for October 2 nd, would not agree to enter one for an earlier date. I stopped by the Cathedral on Oct 1 st, to pay respects at the crypt of Metropolitan Archbishop-emeritus, Stephen Sulyk on his true birthday and second birthday since leaving this earthly world for a far better place.īy now, most know the story that Stephen was born on October 1 st, 1924 but his father did not bring that fact to the village priest until October 2 nd of that year. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |