Rev. Kryzsztof Sobanski: A Missionary’s Journey

Growing up, Fr. Krzysztof (Chris) Sobanski, SDS, had a keen attraction to the missionary life, especially in far-flung fields from his native Poland. What started out as a dream to work in Africa later led to a missionary life in Canada, where he is now the associate pastor at St. Albert the Great Parish in Prestwick, Calgary.

Fr. Chris was raised in a religiously observant family in Poland. His father had aspirations to become a priest, but was unable to enter seminary due to his financial circumstances. Fr. Cris and his sister are only a year apart, and she now lives in the UK, married with four children. Discernment began in high school, when a friend was invited to a retreat with the Salvatorian Fathers. A good portion of his reading at this time was about missionary work, particularly in Africa. After a basic retreat over the winter break, he was invited to two-week retreat that was much more focused on vocations. These were hybrid summer camps and retreats — they were held in touristic areas of Poland such as the Baltic coast, and had lots of opportunities for fun and games, but also had an emphasis on Mass and spiritual talks and spiritual works. Fr. Chris was quite taken, and entered the Salvatorian noviciate in 1975 after high school.  After completing the usual course of studies, he was ordained in Trzebinia, Poland on May 8th, 1982.

Having been drawn first by the missionary activities of the Salvatorians, Fr. Chris was dismayed to be on local assignments in Poland for the first few years of his ministry. He later found out that this was because his father went to his provincial superior every year and asked that he not be transferred abroad. However, in 1986, Fr. Chris was sent to Switzerland to study French, with the intention that he become a missionary in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). Originally, it was thought that French would be the necessary language in the Congo, having been a Belgian colony, but it quickly became apparent that Swahili was necessary for daily function. Initially, Fr. Chris tried studying the literary form of Swahili using books from Tanzania, but quickly found out that Kingwana Swahili in his region of the Congo used very little Swahili grammar. He also began to learn Lunda, although he could read and pronounce some words, he never gained fluency.

However, it was certain aspects of the missionary life that caused Fr. Chris to re-evaluate his life in the Congo. Most strikingly, when one of the Salvatorians died, he was buried in a simple grave with nearly no marker, which was the complete opposite of the funeral tradition in Poland, where graves are well-marked and regularly visited. After realizing that this was likely to be his end as well, he applied for a transfer, and was asked to come to Canada.

In Canada, Fr. Chris was assigned first for two years as associate at St. Joseph’s Basilica in Edmonton, then for four years in Lacombe and Ponoka, and then for two years at Saint-Thomas-d’Aquin Parish in Edmonton. It was this last parish that proved to be the greatest challenge in Fr. Chris’ life as a missionary, requiring all of his skill in inculturation to bring the parish into line with regular liturgical practice.  Since then, he has been associate pastor at St. Patrick’s, Calgary, and now serves as associate pastor at St. Albert the Great, Calgary.

Despite all this, Fr. Chris insists his spiritual adventures are not those of great miraculousness. He has stayed rooted to the spiritual centre of his priestly life, the celebration of the Eucharist, the hearing of Confessions, and praying the breviary.  He prays his act of consecration to the Blessed Mother daily, a reminder that Mary has been chosen as the keeper of the priesthood. 

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When asked for his advice for those discerning a religious vocation, Fr. Chris’ replies are still missionary in spirit, that the central mandate of a Christian is to go to all nations, baptize and evangelize. For Fr. Chris, being a missionary in the Congo is much more simple than being one in Canada: in the Congo, importance was placed on the family, and the people lived in a holy poverty; in Canada, society has stopped believing in life according to God’s commandments. He believes that those with a religious vocation must be of deep spirituality and good formation, these being necessary to speak to those who are well-versed in worldly education. Above all, he insists on the necessity that one witness to Christ to one’s brothers and sisters, and having the wisdom to preach the gospel in difficult conditions, which only comes with good relationships with the Holy Trinity and Our Lady. Despite changing times, Christ’s request will never be cancelled — that the Church help people to find God and respect His commandments. Following this mandate must be key for those entering religious life — words can convince people, but only actions can be imitated.

It seems that despite no longer working in the most obvious of mission territories, Fr. Chris is still putting his missionary skills to good use here in the Diocese of Calgary, and instilling the same missionary spirit into his flock today. We are grateful to God for his 40 years of evangelism and service to God’s people, preaching the Gospel both near and far. 

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Written by Solomon Ip for Faithfully
Photos courtesy of Fr. Chris

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Fr. Kryzsztof (Chris) Sobanski, SDS
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​Ordained: May 8, 1982

Pastoral Placements in the Diocese of Calgary:

• Associate Pastor: St. Patrick’s, Calgary, August 1 (2014-2018)
• Associate Pastor: St. Albert the Great, Calgary (2018-present)