When God calls a man to the priesthood it often begins as just a whisper. In order to hear and respond to God’s call, it helps if the conditions of his life enable him to do so. When Fr. Peter Karalus was growing up, St. John Kanty Parish in Buffalo was not merely some place his family visited for an hour on Sundays; it was like a second home. His parents were very involved in the life of the parish, as was Peter and his two older sisters. All three children attended elementary school there and Peter was an altar server. He remembers well feeling very comfortable anywhere on the parish grounds, even sliding down the banister of the rectory staircase as a young first grader while his family spent time visiting the priests. Fr. Mark Wolski grew up with Fr. Peter’s mother and Fr. Peter remembers priests always being around in his life. When he entered the seminary, friends and relatives mentioned that they “told him so” when he was younger. They knew he would make a good priest and they often encouraged him in that direction. Finally, he was making good on their prediction. It brings a smile to his face to think that on his ordination day his picture was taken at the top of the rectory staircase…a place he knew well!
After graduating from St. John Kanty Elementary School, Peter followed in his sisters’ footsteps to St. Mary’s High School in Lancaster. Many of his classmates did the same as the Metro Bus made it easily accessible. He graduated in 1987 and went on to study at the University at Buffalo. At first he thought he might like to be an engineer but by Thanksgiving of his freshman year he came to realize that very few engineering students had developed a sense of humor and he couldn’t see himself working with them for the rest of his life. So he changed his major to Art History and graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts. He specialized in Museum Studies and wanted to work in a museum using art as a way to teach.
During the summer of 1989, Peter spent time studying at Richmond College in London England. He was awarded the Evelyn Rumsey Lord Fellowship in 1990 which stipulated that he study in a country whose language he did not speak. He spent time in Eastern and Western Europe just after the fall of the Berlin Wall and had his first real experience of the Catholic Church as Universal. While attending Mass in Budapest, he felt connected to home as he was comforted by the ebb and flow of things while not understanding much of what was being said. It was then that he began to seriously address the issue of becoming a priest.
In 1996 Peter earned a Master of Divinity from Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora. While studying Theology and Church History at the seminary, Peter felt especially prepared because of all the visual aids he had accumulated in his Art History classes pertaining to the Church. He was ordained a Transitional Deacon that same year and on May 17, 1997 was ordained to the priesthood. There were six men ordained that day. It was the biggest group the Diocese of Buffalo had seen in a long time and remains the largest group to be ordained together to this day. Fr. Peter remembers feeling like they were brothers in Priesthood journeying together. They tried to stagger their first Masses and receptions so that they could attend each others events and celebrate together. With family in town staying at his parents’ house, Fr. Peter decided to spend the night before ordination at St. Joseph’s Cathedral. He remembers the long walk down the aisle of the packed cathedral as they processed in and the cold floor as they lay prostrate. He profoundly recalls the Laying on of Hands when he felt, as he put it, “the infusing of the spirit of ordination flowing through the hands of the bishop and his brother priests.”
Fr. Peter spent his year of Diaconate and his first year as a priest at St. Joseph & St. Mary’s Parishes now called Holy Family in Albion. He was then assigned as Parochial Vicar at St. Gabriel Parish in Elma from July 1998 to December 2003. Bishop Henry Mansell, who ordained Fr. Peter, then named him administrator of St. Martin Parish in Langford, St. Mary Parish in New Oregon and St. Frances Cabrini Parish in Collins Center from December 2003 to February of 2006 at which time Bishop Kmiec named him Pastor of the three churches. Along came the Journey in Faith and Grace and the three parishes merged into one at the Langford site called Epiphany of Our Lord. Fr. Peter is currently the pastor there.
In addition to his responsibilities in Langford, Fr. Peter continues on the Council of Priests, a position he has held since June of 2005. He is currently the secretary of that group as well as a delegate to the Priests’ Council of New York State. For four years he has been on the College of Consultors in the Diocese of Buffalo and has been the Episcopal Vicar of the Tri-County Vicariate since September 2009.
Fr. Peter serves on the Board of Trustees at St. Mary’s High School in Lancaster, his alma mater. He also serves as the Coordinator for the Diocesan Delegation to the Summer High School Youth Conferences at the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio and has done so since 1999. One of Fr. Peter’s great gifts is working with and inspiring young people. He has served as World Youth Day Coordinator for groups in the Buffalo area and has accompanied delegations to Paris, France in 1997, Toronto, Canada in 2002, Cologne, Germany in 2005 and is looking forward to Madrid, Spain in 2011. He is thrilled to be able to combine his love of traveling with inspiring the youth of the Diocese of Buffalo to be proud of their Catholic Faith.
Besides traveling, Fr. Peter enjoys photography, swimming, biking, reading and of course, the arts – both visual and performing. He spends time whenever he can with his family. His two sisters each have two daughters and keeping up with all the events and celebrations connected to his family fills what little room is left in his schedule.
Fr. Peter finds the celebration of the Eucharist to be “the most amazing thing I do every day.” Standing in the person of Christ and being able to be the instrument the Lord is using to feed his people, forgive sins, lead people to marriage, welcome their children through the waters of Baptism and send their loved ones home to the Lord when their earthly lives have ended is totally exhilarating, totally exhausting and totally what ordination is all about. His priesthood is not just for him, it is for him and his community. He has enjoyed every community he has had the pleasure to serve; all have graciously welcomed him and even made his family feel as if they belonged.
“It’s not all a bed of roses, though”, admits Fr. Peter. The schedule of a priest can be really challenging. “There are challenges across the board and you have to keep reminding yourself and others that you’re only one person and you can’t do it all.” It’s difficult to address all issues in a timely manner. Another difficult aspect of the priesthood is dealing with tragedy. When people are going through a tough time they often look to their priest for answers. Fr. Peter admits he doesn’t have all the answers, no one really does. He feels that even if he can’t give answers, at least he can provide a sense of comfort just by being there for them.
When Fr. Peter entered the seminary, he recalls the priest who was the parochial vicar in his parish while he was growing up telling him, “It’s a wonderful life!” Fr. Peter stresses that priesthood, like life in general, is what you make of it. Men considering priesthood should ask themselves what gifts they have that they can bring to their priesthood. A priest needs to be joyful and happy and show this to the world. It is a privilege to be a priest, admits Fr. Peter but if you think you are going to be privileged as a priest then you are in it for the wrong reasons. He feels that, “nothing great comes easy.” God calls but He does not do all the work. The men who respond have to do their part as well. Jesus called certain men to be his disciples. They had their specific gifts and talents but they had their flaws as well just like those who are called to the priesthood today. It’s good to be open and to let your vocation unfold with a joyful spirit. A sense of humor is important. You have to be able to laugh. God gave us this life, it is a gift and He wants us to enjoy it all while loving and serving Him. A man who entered the seminary once told Fr. Peter that it was at World Youth Day in Germany when Fr. Peter was asking him to be involved in a powerful evening of prayer and music with people from many nations that he felt called to serve God as a priest. Once again, the Universal Church setting was inspiring a vocation to the priesthood and this time Fr. Peter was the instrument God was using to inspire someone else.