Father Chris comes annually to Ann Arbor, where he serves for a month in summer, while Father Bill Ashbaugh is on leave as pastor. First coming in 2012, he has continued to give talks on Scripture, as well as celebrate daily Mass.

Recalling when he worked at a school for homeless Kenyan children, Father Chris said in an interview that he translated theology into “everyday language” for them. He told his seminary students to explain the faith in simple terms: “God is someone who wants to make you happy, and everybody wants to be happy.” Friends in Ann Arbor attest to his warmth and joy during his annual visits to St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Ann Arbor, where his smile and laughter light up a room.

A missionary by choice, Father Chris joined the Salesian Order in his native Poland, but his heart longed to serve where the need was greatest. “During my novitiate, I joined the missionary club. It piqued my curiosity: meeting missionaries and so on.” He recalled that when St. John Paul II first visited Africa in 1980, the Vatican newspaper L’osservatore Romano revealed the scarcity of priests among Catholics in Africa. So, he left the comfort of Poland.

“I knew that in Poland, there were more than 20,000 priests for 38 million people, so I was happy to come to Africa,” Father Chris said. He was to spend 17 years in Kenya, and four years in Tanzania. He taught high school and university courses on Scripture there and in Sicily. Holding a doctorate, he is also the author of several monographs, including one on ordination as revealed in the New Testament.

The multilingual priest said he was happy to see the faith and the Church grow in Africa. “Slowly, while I was there, there were enough local priests. There are now plenty of vocations in Africa. Half of Africa’s population is under 15. There are plenty of children and young people, so no matter how many schools are built, all will be filled,” he said. African priests who went to study in Rome returned to take positions held by missionaries.

Nostalgically, he said, “At the same time, I recognize as Jesus says, [Lk 17:7-10] ‘You unworthy servants’: We are only doing what we are supposed to do. There are already local people to take our place. If I were asked to go, I would go immediately. But that means I would elbow out someone. The local guys have more understanding of the people than us missionaries. They know better what is sensitive, what is not sensitive. As missionaries, we have to listen more and speak less.”

Now based in Germany, he serves Italians living there. Changes in Europe, he said, have caused African missionaries to come and share the faith there. “Europe is the new frontier of Christian evangelization. What I discovered when I came to Africa is that Africans are deeply religious. There is no question in Africa about the existence of God: It’s obvious, like the existence of oxygen. We can’t see oxygen, but we breathe. Oxygen is there. You live, and the world exists, so God must be there. That struck me right from the beginning,” he said.

“Here in America, you have the president saying, ‘God bless America.’ Politicians say it, sincerely or not. But it is an acceptable convention. In Europe, we never hear anything like this. No head of state will say, ‘God bless Germany’ or ‘God bless France.’ Total separation of church and state,” Father Chris continued.

“In Africa, when someone is interviewed after being nominated to parliament, as an athlete winning a competition, or as a student taking first place in national exams, the first thing they do is thank God. They thank God for allowing them to achieve,” he said.

As to differences between Africa and the U.S., Father Chris said, “In Africa, practically all Christians belong to small Christian communities. Six or seven families in a neighborhood regularly come together to share the Scripture and talk about their faith. That brings people together. Family is very very important in Africa. They say, ‘I am because we are.’ There is no individualism. The level of solidarity in Africa is amazing.” In Swahili, this concept is known as “ubuntu.” While in Ann Arbor, he frequently makes appeals for donations to missions in Kenya.

Praising Father Ashbaugh’s pastoral efforts, Father Chris said: “What I encountered was only kindness, the witness of faith, daily Mass with 50 to 60 people. I see so many people involved in different ministries.” Activities at the parish have paid off. He said, “By getting involved in the parish, people who had not been active find the joy that is there.”

In conversation with FAITH Magazine, several parishioners bore witness to Father Chris’ happiness and joy. “In his homilies, he emphasizes love and mercy,” Barbara Norman said as she recalled the Masses Father Chris has celebrated. For his part, Ken Norman said, “He is such a joy to be with. Despite arriving sleep-deprived, he is always joyful and can talk about anything.”

Whether he is in Africa, America, or Europe, his message remains the same. “Everybody understands that everyone wants to be happy. We have a God who wants you to be happy. To make you make something of your life. To be happy. Your life is saved!” Father Chris said with an infectious chuckle.