Meet Fr. Rafal Pyrchla

I am Father Rafal Pyrchla. I was born in Straszecin, Poland. I am one of four kids. I have a twin brother. I came to the United States about 8 years ago. I studied to be a priest at the Cyril and Methodius Seminary in Michigan. I was ordained as a deacon on April 1, 2016. My home parish was Saint Paul in Highland. My first pastor was Father Charles Edwards (Fr. Chuck). He was a lot of fun. He did a great job of welcoming me to the U.S. He taught me, and I learned a lot from him. He took me to Wrigley Field for a Chicago Cubs game. Then I became a Cubs fan. I saw Downtown Chicago and the Polish stores there. I went shopping for some Polish things. We ate dinner in a Polish restaurant. The meal was very good. In this time, I became friends with Deanna Harlan. She was my “American mama”. She helped me a lot, especially with my English. We had a great time together.

After diaconate ordination, I was sent to Saint Anthony Parish in Effingham for my pastoral practice. It was a very beautiful time for me as I was preparing for priesthood ordination. Father Chris Brey took great care of me. I was ordained as a priest on May 27, 2017 at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception in Springfield, Illinois. My family from Poland came for that event to share the joy with me and gratitude to God for choosing me as His servant. I really enjoyed my time at this parish working with God’s people.

Now I’m so happy to start my new assignment. People are very nice and friendly here, so it is easier to adjust. Finally, I settled in. I would like to thank you for welcoming me to Saint Francis Solanus. Especially Fr. Arisman, he is so helpful. He is very nice and kind. He showed me around. He explained everything to me. We became friends. I think we are going to be a good team!

- Rev. Rafal Pyrchla