Community Corner
The Priesthood Has Been a Marvelous Fit for St. Pius X Pastor
"The job is a privilege. It is the collaborative effort of many good people. All I do is steer the boat," said Fr. Mark Andrew Olenowski.
- Name: Father Mark Andrew Olenowski has a Masters in Theology and a Doctorate of Ministry. “The 'SKI' stands for Skill, Knowledge, and Intelligence,” joked Olenowski while spelling his name. The Priest has been the Pastor of Saint Pius the X Church in Montville Township for 14 days. “The people have been gracious, and generous, and welcoming,” Olenowski said. “Beyond my expectations, they gave me a warm welcome. I am delighted and privileged to be here with a parish of this refinement and sophistication.” The pastor comes to Montville from Our Lady of the Mountain, in Long Valley, with 25 years of experience in the priesthood. “Long Valley is a community similar to this in the sense that a lot of successful, intelligent people made up the diversity of the community,” Olenowski noted.
- Age: Olenowski is 57-years-old and has been a priest since 1985. In 2000 he received his doctorate in homiletics, the art of giving sermons, from St. Louis University.
- Part of Town: Born and bred in Denville, Olenowski has 5 brothers, 2 sisters, and 15 nieces and nephews. With the exception of one brother, who lives in Arizona, most of his siblings are still in Denville. Many work in the family business, Denville Line Painting, which paints lines on highways. The family run company employs about 100 people, and has been in business for 42 years. Olenowski said he “went to Catholic School in Denville and attended Morris Knolls High School in Denville.” After graduation he studied for the priesthood at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, MD.
- Career: For 8 years, Olenowski served at "Assumption in Morristown." He then spent 4 years at Resurrection in Randolph. It was at that point that Olenowski said he “had a yearning to learn more about the art and science of being a good preacher.” That desire took him to St Louis for a year of intensive study in preaching. “It is about being united in mind and heart when it comes to preaching the gospel,” noted Olenowski, “What’s nice is that every week it’s an opportunity to share a perspective. A telescopic moment on the beauty of God’s work.” After completing his year at St. Louis University, Olenowski researched and wrote a dissertation at Drew University. “Mine really dealt with the understanding of feelings and trying, as a preacher, to image God through feelings and acknowledge that for the listener,” explained Olenowski. “To have a synthesis between the intellect and the effective emotions that people all experience.” His next assignment was for 6 years, at Holy Trinity in Passaic. There he learned to say mass in German. “One of the beautiful things about being a pastor in a Catholic church is that you get to bring about to people the experience of God and be a part of their life. For young and old, and all the celebratory moments of their life; baptisms, or getting married, anniversaries, or even at funerals, it’s a marvelous opportunity to be with people and show them the way that God is constantly interwoven in our lives, like a fancy tapestry. Sometimes we only see the knots and the tangles, but a lot of time, from the side of faith, you can see the beautiful picture of what God is doing in a person’s life.”
- Current Activities: “We have a wonderful school where we get a chance to empower the young people with self esteem,” Olenowski said. “To make sure that the school is safeguarded and secure with enrollment is very pivotal and paramount in my ministry.” In addition, Olenowski wants “to bring a spirit of kindness, care and concern” to the congregation, and hopes to build community through social activities. He hopes to unite people through the Eucharist, “the center of our celebration,” and by bringing out the best of the congregation’s abilities.
- Other Activities: “As I work with people, to be deserving of respect and admiration by earning it, as opposed to titles. Titles aren’t that important to me,” Olenowski noted. “What is important is the inherent goodness that comes from a prayerful connection with God.” The pastor feels, “other initiatives will become clear” as he settles into the routine of the St. Pius X community. “I listen to the people who serve the church,” added Olenowski. “The people who are in the trenches with me, trying to make it a better church, who are sustaining it with the energy of their lives, to me they are kings and queens and I serve them… They’re the ones that I listen to and I value their opinions as opposed to the transient masses who aren’t always active. It’s the active volunteers who I embrace.”
- Youth: “The roll of the Catholic church is to influence the young people to have a moral conscience,” explained Olenowski. “To have faith that comes from correct choices… that they can have a wonderful quality of life when they go with God.” Olenowski acknowledges that the nature of youth is rebellion. “Our role is to give them a balance; a home. And let them talk about their doubts, personalities, and lifestyles.” The priest, who is also an uncle, notes that “the Church gives them 4 solid anchors: the wisdom that comes with the ages, courage to be themselves, a home away from their home where they can come and be welcomed and appreciated, and the church teaches them to be loving and not selfish; to have that flamboyant generosity of spirit.”
- Time: “It takes at least one hour for every minute that you preach,” Olenowski explained about the time it takes to prepare a sermon. “It’s almost like mining for diamonds or gold. Even though you have a nice idea you always want to look at it through the lens of metaphors, illustrations, personal experiences, maybe general teachings of the church, and also through the notion of pop culture and ways that people connect with it.”
- On Montville: “As far as the wider community, I hope to be involved in many good causes,” Olenowski said. The pastor has moved into the St. Pius X rectory, and intends to be involved in this “delightful community.” While he is still new to the community and has yet to identify the area’s needs, Olenowski hopes to work with other community leaders. “I want to ‘be part of the solution’ and enhance it in any way that I can use my skills or talents to do that.”
- Favorite Thing About Montville: “I really like this community. It’s very spacious and open and very comfortable.” The pastor is pleased to find how centrally located his new home is to New York City. “I feel a lot closer to civilization,” he noted, saying he is looking forward to taking advantage of New York’s cultural offerings. But, he said he might also just make a quick drive to “the Chart House in Weehawken to watch the boats.”
- Most Memorable Moment: “Probably on my 25th anniversary when my mom and myself brought flowers to the blessed mother,” said Olenowski. “It was just a pivotal moment in which we shared many years of sacrifice, and prayers, and family life. And it all culminated and galvanized in one moment. It was really sweet to have achieved that moment of spiritual success and to share it with my mother.”
- Hobbies: Olenowski holds a black belt in Karate. In addition, “I work on my golf game,” he said. The priest is the reigning club champion at Minebrook in Hackettstown and has been the club champion three times at Spring Brook in Morristown.“I love to play golf with a passion,” he said.
- Philosophy: “Always remain on an upbeat because if you’re not there eventually you’ll get there… I always strive to have an attitude of Christ, but following Christ is like reaching for the stars. You don’t touch the stars, but, you can chart your course by them…I want to err on the side of humility, rather than arrogance. If I make a mistake in life, I would rather it be too merciful, rather than too strict. My philosophy is all of life is like a big mirror, and what you mirror to others usually comes back to you. I try to treat others the way I like to be treated.”
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