REV. KAZIMIERZ ZABAWA

Adjust Text Size: A+ A-

REV. KAZIMIERZ ZABAWA December 11, 1928 - December 15, 2012 Rev. Kazimierz Zabawa, C.Ss.R. passed peacefully to God on December 15, 2012. Fr. Kaz was born on December 11, 1928 in Lqki Gorne, Poland. His parents were Anna and Michal Zabawa who was a police officer and later a blacksmith and farmer in Lqki, Poland where they raised five children. Predeceased by his sister Maria and brother Jozef, Father Kaz is survived by his older brother, Ludwik Zabawa, his younger sister Teresa Czerkawski, both residing in Poland and his sister-in-law, Ola Zabawa, of Winnipeg, as well as many nephews, nieces, great and great-great-nephews and nieces in Canada and Poland. When the Second World War began, he escaped into the forests of Poland to evade enemy soldiers and survived by hunting and became an expert in identifying wild mushrooms. His love for the wilderness followed him for the rest of his life. He was an avid beekeeper in Poland and later brought his skills to Canada where he also remained a keen hunter and fisher for many years. It was a great honour for any family to have one of their members choose to serve the Catholic Church and Fr. Kaz made his family very proud when he entered the Redemptorist Novitiate of the Warsaw Province, making his first profession of vows on August 2, 1948. Following ordination on June 19, 1955 at the Redemptorist seminary in Tuchow, Poland, he studied canon law under the mentorship of then Cardinal Karol Wojtyla who later became Pope John Paul II, at the Katolicki Uniwersytet at Lubelski, Poland, (1956 to 1960). Later he studied in Rome for a Doctorate of Theology. Returning to the seminary at Tuchow, Fr. Kaz taught canon law (1960 to 1976) and English (1973 to 1976). During this period, he also served as editor of Nasze Wiadomsci, the official periodical of the Warsaw Province, (1964 to 1966) and vice prefect of students (1968 to 1969). At the request of the Redemptorists of the Edmonton Province, Fr. Kaz came to Canada in April 1978. During his active apostolate, he was appointed to the Western Canadian Redemptorist parishes of Holy Trinity, Calgary, (1978 to 1979); St. Joseph's, Moose Jaw, (1979 to 1981, 1993 to 1996), and St. Alphonsus, Winnipeg, (1981 to 1993). Since 2002, he retired to St. Mary's parish in Saskatoon, where he celebrated the golden anniversary of his ordination in 2005. Fr. Kaz dedicated his life to serving God and enriched the lives of anyone who was fortunate enough to know him. He will be remembered with joy and sadly missed. Viewing and Vigil Prayers for Fr. Kaz will be on Wednesday, December 19 at 8:00 p.m. and Mass of Christian Burial on Thursday, December 20 at 10:30 a,m. Both will take place at St. Mary's Parish, 211 Avenue O South, Saskatoon. Interment will follow at Holy Cross cemetery in Edmonton, AB. Email condolences may be sent to mail@westwoodfuneralchapel.com Arrangements are entrusted to Westwood Funeral Chapel, Ph. 306-653-3434.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 18, 2012