As Father Joe Classen makes the 5,000-plus mile journey to Alaska to
start a new assignment, he'll be taking along with him an important
piece of his childhood.
In mid July, Father Classen begins his work as pastor of St. Mary
Parish in Kodiak, Alaska.
Ordained for the Archdiocese of St. Louis in
2003, he previously had been serving as associate pastor of Holy Spirit
Parish in Maryland Heights.
Coming along with him on the journey is a decades-old chalice that
once belonged to his childhood pastor, Msgr. Michael Owens. Father
Classen got to know the priest, who died in 1988, assisting him as a
server at Mass at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in St. Charles.
"A huge inspiration"
Known as "Iron Mike" for his no-nonsense ways, Msgr. Owens' example and devotion to the Eucharist left a mark on Father Classen.
"I tell people the original seeds in my vocation were planted in
serving Mass for Msgr. Owens," said Father Classen.
"When he was
celebrating the Eucharist, using this very chalice and patent, going
through the words of the Eucharistic Prayer, even as a little kid, I was
aware that something profoundly sacred was taking place. That was a
huge inspiration to me."
The story of how Father Classen obtained the chalice is laced with
providence. Nearly eight years ago as a seminarian, Father Classen had
been volunteering his summers helping out at St. Charles Borromeo.
There, he began talking to parish employee Kathy Kasprzyk, who had
worked with Msgr. Owens for years.
"Kathy was Msgr. Owens' number-one fan," said Father Classen. "As I
was getting closer to ordination, we were kicking around the idea of
tracking down his chalice."
Through the help of Kasprzyk and others,
Father Classen was able to track down the chalice to Father Thomas
Begley, now a retired priest of the archdiocese.
It seemed that Father Begley had a family connection to Msgr. Owens
and received the chalice after his own ordination.
Father Classen
contacted him and discovered that Father Begley had placed the chalice
in storage in the midst of a priest reassignment. Sadly, he was unable
to immediately locate the chalice.
Six months ago, Father Classen once again crossed paths with Father
Begley, where the conversation turned to Msgr. Owens and the missing
chalice.
"As we were talking, (Father Begley) said, 'Eight years ago, a
seminarian called me, asking about his chalice.' I said, 'Well, that was
me.'" Father Begley told him he had recently located the chalice and
would clean it up and give it to him. Father Classen received it on the
anniversary of Msgr. Owens' death, Feb. 24.
Father Classen was eager to share the news with Kasprzyk. The day he
received the chalice from Father Begley, he returned to the rectory to
receive a message that Kasprzyk had passed away that morning. Father
Classen used the chalice for the first time at her funeral Mass.
"I kept thinking how excited Kathy was going to be," he recalled. "Like everything, this came full circle."
Moving to Alaska
In his move to Alaska, Father Classen will serve as pastor of St.
Mary's Parish, which serves about 300 households and includes a school
with approximately 100 students. Kodiak Island is on the southern coast
of Alaska.
The assignment came after Archbishop Robert J. Carlson sent a letter
earlier this year to archdiocesan priests, asking if someone would be
willing to help out the Archdiocese of Anchorage.
Father Classen's
assignment will last three years.
"I've always had an interest in doing short-term mission work --
something within the United States," said Father Classen.
"The idea of
serving a smaller community appealed to me very much. And there's a real
community spirit on Kodiak Island -- not just the parish but the whole
island."
St. Mary's dates back to 1944, after the first Catholic priests and
sisters arrived at Kodiak, first to assist with a hospital on the
island. A decade later, the school was founded.
Father Classen said the
parish boasts a mutlicultural presence, including Filipinos, Hispanics
and Samoans. There also is a presence of Russian Orthodox and native
Yupik Eskimos on the island, he noted.
The avid outdoorsman also should find himself right at home in
Kodiak, which is primarily known for its fishing industry.
The island
also is home to the Kodiak brown bear, the largest subspecies of the
brown bear, and the largest U.S. Coast Guard base.
"People tell me that once you get there, if you don't love the
outdoors and you don't love fishing, you're going to be miserable here,"
he joked.