Archbishop Fulton Sheen remarked in The Priest is Not His Own “A good priest lives for his vocation, an avaricious priest lives on his vocation.” Father Koterski (Fr. K) was a Jesuit priest at Fordham University who served as Master of Queen’s Court residence, Associate Professor of Philosophy (including being my wife’s mentor as she completes her dissertation), and many other posts both within and outside the Archdiocese of New York. As I read through his copy of Sheen’s book, I cannot help but know that he was an incredible embodiment of the good priest who lived for his vocation.
Fr. Joseph McShane, who presided over Fr. K’s funeral, said that he would often say to people “Koterski never sleeps.” I remember when I was in my master’s program at Fordham, Fr. K remarked that he was blessed with a constitution that required little sleep to function. Instead of using this extra time for any sort of rest or self-centered activity, he was constantly reaching out to others. Fr. K went on mission trips to Central and South America nearly every year, he was a spiritual director and confessor to many including former students, lead retreats for the Sisters of Life and for young women in the care of the sisters. He also served as a professor and spiritual director at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers.
Hearing from people both during the funeral and speaking to them afterward, every story had the same central theme i.e. an act of selfless kindness without the slightest wish to be paid back or complimented for it. From doing the dishes with the sisters to driving a friend of a friend to the airport, and giving time for a long talk about vocations and spiritual direction, all of these stories laid bare the character of a man who was a true servant at heart and a tireless laborer for the Lord.
Life and Work
One of his favorite labors was pursuing and defending what was right and just not only in action but in the realm of philosophical debate. Fr. K’s CV shows hundreds of works from articles, to talks, homilies, a monograph on medieval philosophy, book reviews, editorials etc. Of special note is an interview he gave to the Jesuit magazine, America. Fr Koterski was asked, “What do you want people to take away from your life and work?” The reply is typical Fr. Koterski, “A greater love for God, a greater desire for union with Jesus Christ, a greater respect for the teachings of the church and a greater ability to reason in a sound way as a grateful response to God’s gift to us of the power of reasoning.”
Fr. Koterski did not want his life or his work to aggrandize himself in any way. He wanted it all to be merely a vessel by which the Lord could reach the lives of countless many, and there is no doubt in my mind that Fr. K has fulfilled the desire he had for his life’s work.
There is nothing I can do or say to add to the immense work and treasure of Fr. K’s life. I can only commend what he said and did to anyone who may read this. I urge you to take a look at his CV, look up his talks on Youtube and find anything you can of what he wrote and take it to heart. There you will see a man whose character, intellect, and selflessness will inspire and unsettle you.
The inspiration will come from his insight and wisdom and the feeling of unsettlement will come from recognizing a man whose character is a challenge to those of us who fall so short of such a holy and selfless servant of the Lord. Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him and may his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed through your mercy, rest in peace.
