Primus Inter Pares

The first among equals...This ancient Latin sentence I can proudly use in a special, personal context, as on last Saturday, the Apostolic Nunciature in Poland announced that the Holy Father raised two priests of Archdiocese of Krakow to the episcopal dignity. One of them is my classmate, Rev. Father Grzegorz Rys, with whom (and more than sixty other colleagues) I studied for priesthood in Krakow's major seminary from 1982 till 1988 when on May 22 we were ordained as priests. Our ordination class of 1988 has been specially blessed with this choice of a great priest and illustrious scholar, current rector of the same seminary we were studying in years back... I am very happy and proud and must say that this choice is excellent and very correct. I admire my classmate, his qualities as a human being, Christian, priest and professor. God is great and our archdiocese is lucky to have him as its auxiliary bishop. And I think this is not the end for him. He will go to greater heights. I am honored to share the same class with him and pray for him to Merciful God that he may be richly blessed in his episcopal service for the benefit of the People of God of Krakow and the whole Church.