From Poland to the Middle East

Since, God willing, I am going to stay a bit longer in the Province of Middle East, which brings me a real joy, it would be more than appropriate to present myself in some way. The most basic thing is always one’s name – in my case it is Tomasz Matyka. And as for the most recent big event in my life which could be understood as news, this June I was ordained to priest.

I will not hide that writing about myself is difficult to me, as I prefer to show myself through spending time together. Some of you may already know me a bit. My life started in the faraway country of Poland in the capital of the industrial region of Upper Silesia, which is named Katowice. God made a small benevolent prank letting me to be born on the Feast of Saint Ignatius. My parents, mathematics teachers, also gave me a gift of not being an only child, even if by a small margin – I have one older brother. Since childhood I was interested in history (particularly Middle Eastern, to be completely honest), music (well, singing), literature, theatre and liturgy among other things. A bit later came my love of languages and linguistics.

I entered the Society right after my high school education, after more or less a two yearlong discernment. My life as a Jesuit has been indeed full of grace. After the novitiate in Starawieś (the Old Village), permeated by the history and spirituality of the place (which was the oldest still working of our novitiates in the world) and after Philosophy studies in Krakow, I was sent to Palermo, Italy. There I had two years of wonderous regency at our school, which was succeeded by a year at the Vatican Radio. And then, as is normal in my province, I studied theology in Warsaw, while also serving at the local Ukrainian Greek-Catholic community. Almost right after defending my Master’s thesis in Theology (translation and analysis of Abu Qurra’s ‘في إكرام الأيقونات’), I received my diaconal ordination, which opened to me truly new ways of service and I loved that enormously.

Then my old dream of getting to live in the Middle East, which comes from my childhood fascination with history, became more real. I came last year to Beirut to do my second cycle in studies. I am now getting my Master’s degree in Muslim-Christian Relations at the USJ, and am living at the community of Saint Ignatius. As I mentioned earlier, I also received a grace of presbyterial ordination on 26th of June in Krakow, in our Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with two of my co-brothers from my Province. For all that I am deeply honored and happy to be able to be where I am right now.

Tomasz Matyka SJ