[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17891]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    COMMENDING REV. THADDEUS SWIRSKI

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SHERROD BROWN

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 12, 2006

  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise to thank the Rev. Thaddeus 
Swirski, pastor of St. Hedwig's Church, in Akron, Ohio, for his service 
to his parish, the community, and our nation.
  A member of the faculty of the University of Akron, Rev. Swirski 
serves as Chaplain for ROTC Army and Air Force, and the Ohio Military 
Reserve in the rank of Colonel. He has received six distinguished 
medals for his military service.
  Father Swirski grew up in German-occupied Poland. Born on April 26, 
1930, and orphaned at age 3, he spent his first years in Warsaw and 
later in an orphanage near the Russian border. As an elementary school 
student, he became active in the Polish underground and joined the 
resistance against Nazi occupation. He was decorated for his 
participation in the resistance.
  At age 14, Father Swirski joined the First Polish Army, which was 
organized in the former Polish territory then occupied by Russia. As a 
young soldier, he participated in the battlefield near Moscow, in 
Warsaw, then in Berlin, and the River Elba as well as in the Baltic 
region and Western Polish territory. He was highly decorated by the end 
of the war. After the collapse of communism in East Europe, Father 
Swirski was promoted to the rank of Colonel.
  Though he was homeless at the end of the war, he became a full-time 
student, attending day, evening, and summer classes in order to finish 
high school, working to support himself as he studied. After completing 
high school, he exchanged his rifle for the Chalice, Cross and Bible 
and entered the Seminary. He was ordained into the priesthood on June 
29, 1954, in Warmia, Poland.
  In August, 1962, he emigrated to the United States and subsequently 
earned his Master's degree from Case Western Reserve University. He was 
incardinated into the Diocese of Cleveland and taught Slavic languages 
and literature at Ursuline College. He also studied for his Ph.D. at 
the University of Ottawa, Canada. For seven years, Father Swirski 
hosted a religious program on Sunday mornings on WXEN FM in Cleveland. 
He is also the author of two novels and four books of poetry.
  Father Swirski considers his priesthood his most important vocation 
and has worked diligently to keep St. Hedwig's Parish spiritually and 
financially viable. Though his parish is small, thanks to Father 
Swirski, St. Hedwig's has helped the needy through donations of food 
for many years. Father Swirski never refuses to help meet the spiritual 
needs of his parishioners, their families, and their relatives.
  Father Swirski is the longest serving pastor of St. Hedwig's Parish, 
serving from July, 1974, to the present. I am grateful for his 
unfaltering and compassionate service to his parish and to the United 
States of America.

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