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FR BOGDAN PALKA SDS (1963-2024)

Official biography of the Fr Bogdan Palka SDS (1963-2024)

Bogdan Pałka was born on November 1, 1963 in Krzeszowice, located between Trzebinia and Krakow. Together with his younger siblings, sister and brother, he was raised in the home of Adam and Marianna, née Piechowicz. On November 24, 1963, Bogdan’s parents brought him to the church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in his native Paczółtowice, where he received the sacrament of holy baptism. In the years 1970-78, he attended primary school in his native town. In 1977, in his native parish, he received the sacrament of confirmation. Then he continued his education at the Wood Industry Technical School in Krzeszowice. 

As he recalled in his biography, during his secondary school years, the voice of his calling began to reach him more and more loudly. After graduating from secondary school, Bogdan took up work at the “Staszic” Coal Mine in Katowice. However, after a year of professional work, he finally made the decision to follow his religious and priestly vocation. On May 20, 1984, he submitted an application to the provincial of the Salvatorians, requesting admission to the novitiate as a candidate for priesthood. At the end of August 1984, he arrived in Bagno, where on September 7, he began a one-year novitiate. After a year of formation, after the acceptance of his superiors, on September 8, 1985, he made his first religious profession. The next stage on the path to the sacrament of priesthood for cleric Bogdan was his studies and seminary formation. 

In the years 1985-92 he studied philosophical and theological disciplines at the Salvatorian Major Seminary in Bagno. During this period, the decision to commit himself for life to the apostolic work of Blessed Francis Jordan matured in him. Therefore, on September 8, 1989, in Bagno, he made his perpetual profession in the Society of the Divine Savior. Then, on June 28, 1990, he was ordained a deacon. 

The next stage of the formation of the deacon from Paczółtowice was a one-year pastoral practice in Dobroszyce, where from 15 October 1990 he undertook pastoral and catechetical duties in the parish of St. Hedwig of Silesia. On February 29, 1991, at the Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Wrocław, Deacon Bogdan Pałka defended his master’s thesis in the field of liturgy. The crowning achievement of his seminary formation is his ordination to the priesthood. Fr Bogdan Pałka was ordained a priest on May 8, 1992, in the church of Our Lady Queen of Poland, by Bishop Gerard Bernacki. On May 16 of that year, he celebrated his first Holy Mass in his family parish in Paczółtowice. Fr Bogdan’s first pastoral ministry was the monastic community in Piastów, where from 1 July 1992 he took on the duties of vicar at the parish of St. Michael the Archangel. 

After a year, by decision of his superiors, he was also entrusted with the office of consultor of the local monastic community. During this period, a desire arose in Fr Bogdan’s heart to go overseas and take up pastoral ministry for the Polish community in the USA. Therefore, on October 18, 1993, he submitted an application requesting permission to go to pastoral work in the USA. By virtue of a letter dated December 28, 1993, Fr. Bogdan Pałka received permission from the religious authorities to travel abroad and to undertake efforts and settle the formalities related to this. Fr. Bogdan Pałka began his service overseas in the parish of St. Joseph in New York (Jamaica), where from November 18, 1994, he undertook the duties of vicar. He was then transferred to Garfield, New Jersey, where, from December 1, 1995, he held the position of vicar in the parish of St. Stanislaus Kostka. 

After two years, on January 30, 1997, Fr Bogdan received a decree directing him to the American community in Milwaukee, where he was to continue his English studies. His next place of service was the parish of St. Rita in Baltimore. On July 1, 1998, Fr Bogdan Pałka began a three-year contract in the Salvatorian Province in the USA. It was also a time to improve English during the course and an opportunity to inculturate and learn about the specifics of pastoral care in the USA. During this period, Fr Bogdan Pałka was involved in pastoral care for the sick, serving as a chaplain in the hospital. 

In 2010, Father Bogdan Pałka ended his service overseas, where, while belonging to the community in Verona (NJ), he served as a hospital chaplain and pastor at the parish of St. Pius X in Maryland. On September 15, 2010, he was transferred to the monastic community in Trzebnica, (Poland), where he undertook pastoral ministry in the parish of St. Bartholomew the Apostle and St. Hedwig in Trzebnica. Then, by decision of his superiors, from 15 November 2013, he was transferred to Bystra. In the local parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, he undertook the ministry of a pastor and confessor. In addition, from 1 December 2013, he was also entrusted with the function of chaplain of the hospital in Bystra. 

In 2014 he expressed his readiness to work in the Scottish Foundation and he was sent to the diocese of Dunkeld, where he was appointed to serve in the parishes of St. John the Baptist and St. Mary Magdalene in Perth, a city with a large Polish community. 

In the memory of his brothers priests he will remain as a calm and kind man. For many people who met him on their path of life, he will remain in grateful memory as a committed pastor and a priest open to initiatives. Fr. Bogdan Pałka died suddenly on May 18, 2024 in his parish in Scotland. He ended his earthly pilgrimage in the 61st year of life, in the 32nd year of priesthood and in the 39th year of religious life.

Fr Bogdan’s message on First Communion Day

On Saturday 5th May 2024, the Polish Community gathered with their children at St Mary Magdalene’s Church in Craigie, for First Holy Communions.

Fr Bogdan addressed them:

Dear Children, Parents, godparents and all, who today are enjoying this solemn celebration of First Holy Communion, I have told you many times during our preparation together in catechesis to remember this celebration today for the rest of your lives. And I would even like that, years later, when you are already adults, maybe even when you bring your children to church, that you remember this great event that is taking place today. Because it is one of the greatest events of your entire lives.

And that is why all of us who are here today, including me, have tried to make this celebration really great.

We began this Mass today with such solemnity, because it is a special Mass. You might say, it is, after all, the same as any Mass on a Sunday, but it is probably a little different.

Why is it different? Because today for the first time we are to receive the Lord Jesus in Holy Communion.

That’s why this Mass is really different and you will receive for the first time the Lord Jesus as will all the adults and that’s why this is such a big event for you. You will already be able from today to eat this food that the Lord Jesus will give you.

His Holy Body hidden in this small white host of bread which we have eaten, having had a trial. Great indeed is the miracle and great also the mystery. 

Therefore, in this incomprehensible miracle, no matter who celebrates this Mass, whether it is the Pope even, whether it is a bishop, whether it is a priest, the Lord Jesus is always the same.

He is always present in this White Host and he says, take and eat, this is my body.

And just today especially, to you the Lord Jesus says, come and take my body and with my body live and with my body feed yourself.

So these words are certainly especially addressed to you today.

And we all know that we eat bread, don’t we? We eat bread for breakfast, we eat bread for lunch, we eat bread sometimes for dinner or even during the day. Why do we eat bread? What does bread give us? It gives us strength, it gives us that we can live; it gives us that we can enjoy life. And that’s the same thing this white bread gives us, that we take in only it gives us a different life. It gives us eternal life, meaning that one day we can be with the Lord Jesus together in heaven. We must devour it as often as possible, because then we can gain a life that is infinite in eternity.

And listen now to a fable that I will tell you.

The fable was that there was a young man, a little older than you, and he wanted to go on a journey to explore the world. And his mother says, well, go, but money I can’t give you, because I don’t have any. Whereas go with the bread I’m giving you and as long as you eat this bread, as long as you share it with others, this bread will not be lacking for you. And so the young man at that moment went out into the world. He ate this bread when he was hungry. He also shared this bread with others who were hungry. And amazing indeed, this bread never ran out for him. It was always the same as his mother had given him. 

And one day he came to a large city where a powerful king lived. He would give his most beautiful daughter, whom he has for wife, to one who was richer than he and who had more power than he. And so he erected a mighty set of scales in the middle of the city.

And on one side of this scale he placed all the jewels, all the wealth that he possessed, and said, I will give my daughter to the one who places more jewels on the other scale and outweighs all those of mine.

And everyone who wanted to marry his daughter tried. Different kings came from different parts of the world, they laid down their treasures, but no one could outweigh what the king had put down in this city. And that’s why His daughter was very sad, because she says, I don’t think I’m going to find a husband, I think I’m going to be lonely in my life evermore. One time she was walking along the river and at one point she saw some young boy sitting there eating his meal, eating his bread and he invited her in and shared with her with just this bread of his.

And it was very strange, because when she ate that bread, immediately the sadness disappeared. She became more joyful and after this meeting she returned back to her palace.

And the next day this young man came to the market place of that city where there was this great weighing scale built by the king with all his riches, with all his treasures. He saw, that there were other kings who also tried to weigh down these treasures, but all was in vain. No one could manage.

The king was the so powerful and his wealth was so great.

This young man, without knowing it beforehand, recognised beside the king this girl whom he had met yesterday, with whom he had shared his bread. And now he knew that this was the princess.

And so he went up to the king and spoke to the king like this:

“My lord, give me your daughter for a wife. And I will put on this scale all my wealth that I possess. All my bread that I possess.”

Everyone, of course, started laughing at him. And the king even got upset and says, well what is he looking for here, he says, with bread I want to outweigh my treasures. 

But the princess says, “yes daddy, let him. Let him put the bread on the scales.”

The king agreed. So the man went up, put his bread on the scales and boom! Everything changed. His bread went down, the king’s wealth went up and no one could understand what happened. But the king wanted to be true to his word and he gave his daughter as his wife. And from then on they were happily married, they had a beautiful party and wedding and no one in their kingdom ever lacked bread.

Why have I told you this tale?

Because it is something we have in common today. Namely, maybe your thoughts are already somewhere with the presents you are going to get today, with all the things your family has prepared for you, but you remember when we did almost the last exercise, And in this exercise you learned who was the most important person for you today. 

What is the biggest treasure today? The Lord Jesus! He is the greatest gift you are receiving today because he will come into your heart as this beautiful, most important treasure.

And maybe you will also find people in your life, who will be good, for sure, but there will be people who will perhaps ridicule you, who will wish you badly, but I want to tell you today, and remember this, to always trust in the Lord Jesus, just like this boy trusted his mother, who told him, remember, if you share this bread with others, you will never lack this bread.

And this is precisely our greatest treasure on earth. Because whoever has the Lord Jesus in his life, that one has the greatest treasure and that one has everything. Therefore remember, just like this princess who tasted this bread that the boy shared with her, she immediately became joyful. She was immediately a different person. And that’s why this is the truth that even she had a rich father, and she was sad. And when she ate the bread, she was already different. And that is why your most important gift today is him, the Lord Jesus, whom in a moment you will receive into your heart.

And what will be your second most important gift after the Lord Jesus? What do you think? Who’s sitting next to you? That’s right. The second most important gift is your parents. And they too, like you, will be receiving the Lord Jesus in Holy Communion.

And who is the third most important gift? Or important at all? Probably all the things you get from your family today, they too are nice, they too are pleasant for you, but they are certainly not the most important. 

Therefore, dear children, one last sentence I wish you that these next days, even these next months, even these next years, will be as joyful for you as this day is today.

And that God grants that one day we may all meet in this house, where the Lord Jesus lives. 

Already see Him with our eyes and enjoy Him, just as today. we receive Him in the form of a small white wafer.

And this is what I sincerely wish for you, this is what I wish, of course, for your parents, your godparents and all of us who are gathered. Amen.

Congratulations to the children who received their First Holy Communion, Chris Bieda, Maja Chytryk, Dominik Maj, Łucja Nowak, Zuzanna Przybyś, Laura Świderska, Adrianna Szafran, Amelia Szóstak, Patrick Zieja and Natalia Urbańska.

Our prayers are with them and their families always.

And now our prayers are also for Fr Bogdan –

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,
and let Your perpetual light shine upon him.
May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed
rest in peace.

Amen.

Requiem Mass for Anne Doogan

This livestream has ended and an edited version of the Requiem Mass is now available here for viewing on demand and for the family to download a copy.

Peacefully after a short illness at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee on January 16th, 2024, Anne, aged 92, beloved wife of the late James (Jim), dearly loved mum of Bridget, Seamus, Joseph, Anne, Charles and David, a much loved mother in law and grandmother. RIP. 

Remains to be received into St Mary Magdalene’s RC Church, Glenearn Road, Perth on Tuesday January 23rd at 7pm. 

Funeral on Wednesday January 24th, Requiem Mass in church at 11am to which all family and friends are respectfully invited. Interment in Donegal, Ireland on Friday January 26th. 

The family would like to thank all the staff of Ninewells Hospital for their outstanding care.


Enrolment for Polish Confirmation Class – 2023-24

Applications are being submitted to the class for those preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation (in Polish) in the 2023/24 school year. Applications are available in the sacristy after Mass. Confirmation in our parish will take place in the month of November. Anyone interested please contact Fr Bogdan in person or by phone by calling the parish number 01738 336141.

Sakrament Bierzmowania – zapisy na rok szkolny 2023/24

Trwa składanie podań do klasy dla przygotowujących się do Sakramentu Bierzmowania w roku szkolnym 2023/24. Aplikacje są dostępne w zakrystii po Mszy św. Bierzmowanie w naszej parafii odbędzie się w miesiącu listopadzie. Wszystkich zainteresowanych proszę o kontakt z ks. Bogdanem osobiście lub telefonicznie dzwoniąc na numer parafii 01738 336141.

Parish Pastoral Council

The Parish Pastoral Council is an independent advisory body whose members are appointed by the Parish Priest to support him in his decision making concerning the day to day running of the Parish. This includes Social and Spiritual planning, also church building maintenance and development.

Our Parish Pastoral Council and the Fabric Committee meeting will be on Tuesday 25th April 2023 at the back of the church. Please ‘welcome’ our new team members of PPC and Fabric Committee: Ivan Carnegie (chairman), Fiona O’Brien, Danny Byrne, Remigiusz Dubany, Zbigniew Wąsik and Fr Bogdan Palka SDS. Great thanks to all of our members for being a part of this group and for helping me to make the best decisions for our Parish Community. Much appreciated!

Bishop’s Pastoral Visit

On Sunday 2nd October, Bishop Stephen Robson visited the parish of St Mary Magdalene’s in Perth. It was his first visit to the parish since Fr Bogdan’s appointment in July this year, and the first since the the city’s Polish Community moved to its new home.

Among his words of welcome Fr Bogdan, parish priest, said, “Today, with great joy, we welcome His Lordship Bishop Stephen Robson to our St Mary Magdalene’s Parish community. We invite him to preside at the Holy Eucharist; support us with God’s Word; and to give us all his pastoral blessing.”

“Thank you Bishop Stephen for being with us and we wish you to feel comfortable in our Parish Family.” 

Among those who take part in the celebrations – the Singing Angels directed by Magda Dubanowska.

(l-r) Deacon Kris Jablonski, Bishop Stephen Robson and Fr Bogdan Palka SDS

Sad news of the death of Monsignor Hendry

St Mary Magdalene’s, Perth

30th April 2020

Dear parishioners of St Mary Magdalene’s, Perth

It is with a heavy heart that I share with you the sad news of the death of Monsignor Charles Hendry. Many words will be used in the coming days to describe his ministry amongst you. The memories we treasure, of a parish priest and pastor and teacher, of a friend and colleague and mentor, will form I am sure, a tribute to someone who gave so much to so many.

Everything Monsignor did as a priest – every Holy Mass celebrated, every sermon preached, every baby baptised, every couple married, every sick person anointed, every lonely person visited, every child affirmed and taught, every parishioner supported and upheld, every hospital ward attended, every deathbed sat beside, every soul commended to God, every mourning family comforted – every one of these things is nothing other than the love of God lived out in our world and in our lives, lived out in the ministry of the church which is the body of Christ, and through the Sacred order of the priesthood to which Monsignor Hendry was called sixty-five years ago.

As we celebrate God’s love in the life of our departed brother, we are marking the end of a life. But we are also celebrating the end of a life, not end in the sense of termination, but end in the sense of purpose or goal. Monsignor’s life was directed by, and directed towards, the love of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Easter faith which he proclaimed sustains and assures us that if there is an end of things, it is only the end, the goal, of the love which will not be contained and bursts the realms of emptiness and death.

I commend his grieving family and his sweet soul to your prayers.

Canon Mulholland