IN REMEMBRANCE: Frank Kriski, C.Ss.R.
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April 13, 2023Fr. Frank Kriski, a devout and traditional religious, died at the age of 86 on April 5 at St. Clement Redemptorist Mission Community in Liguori.
A humble man who kept his own counsel and always did his best to be of service, Fr. Frank continued to celebrate the Tridentine Mass throughout his nearly six decades of priestly ministry.
Fr. Frank was born on August 30, 1936 in Elba, a farming community northwest of Grand Island, NE. His father, Sigmund Krzycki, held President Franklin D. Roosevelt in such high esteem that he named his newborn son Franklin Dean Krzycki. (Decades later, he hoped to simplify his life by legally changing his name to the phonetic English spelling – Kriski.)
He developed a serious ear infection a few weeks after his birth. The pastor of St. Joseph Church, the little country parish his family attended, was away but a baptism was quickly arranged. Bishop Stanislaus Bona personally officiated at the baptism, and then said to the baby’s uncle and godfather, “Now it’s up to you to make him a priest.”
Young Frank was a middle child, sandwiched between four older sisters and three younger brothers and a younger sister. The nine children grew up in a very close, religious family. Frank enjoyed pretending to celebrate Mass for his siblings, using a colorful old rug as a chasuble. His great-uncle was a prominent Franciscan friar, so when he completed eighth grade he entered a Franciscan minor seminary in Chicago.
At only 13 he was soon homesick, so he returned to Elba and graduated from high school. His vocation call persisted, and his family supported his religious vocation. An uncle had always praised the Redemptorists in Omaha, so an introduction to Fr. Robert Oelerich was made and Frank entered St. Joseph Preparatory College in Kirkwood, MO.
A practical and hardworking student, he professed temporary vows on August 2, 1958 and perpetual vows on September 2, 1961. He was ordained to the priesthood on July 2, 1963 – shortly after Vatican II was initiated – at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Oconomowoc.
In his first assignments, Fr. Frank served in parish ministry at St. Alphonsus Parish in Chicago, St. Joseph Parish in Lebanon, IN and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Parish in Kansas City. He enlisted as a Military Chaplain in the US Army and served in 1972- 1975, the last three years of the Vietnam War. When he returned to civilian life, he served a year as a Hospital Chaplain at the Veteran’s Hospital in St. Louis.
Fr. Frank resumed parish ministry in 1983 at St. Joseph Parish in Denver, where he was a Hospital Chaplain at nearby Denver General Hospital, a national leader in emergency and trauma care. He returned to Chicago to serve at St. Michael Parish for two years, and then transferred to the Vice Province of New Orleans in 1992.
He joined the Redemptorist community at Holy Redeemer Parish in Odessa, TX until the parish was returned to the Diocese of San Angelo in 1996.
Fr. Frank returned to the Denver Province in 1996 and was assigned as a Hospital Chaplain based at Holy Redeemer in Oakland, CA. Three years later, he returned to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Parish in Kansas City. He was appointed pastor of nearby Our Lady of Peace Parish, a Latin Mass community, in 1999. Parishioners described him as a gentle and humble pastor, always listening and soliciting ideas to accommodate the needs of the Polish, German and Mexican families in the parish community. They noted the pride he took in the grotto he created, and how tenderly he cared for the flowers he had planted. He remained pastor until 2009, a year after his Golden Jubilee as a priest.
Although he no longer had a specific appointment, Fr. Frank continued to help out in nearby parishes and maintained a steady schedule of travel to preach Foreign Mission Appeals and promote Liguorian Magazine. He was granted retirement status in 2017, but remained in Kansas City and gladly volunteered to drive his confreres to appointments and to special celebrations.
Health issues necessitated his move to St. Clement Redemptorist Mission Community in August of 2022. The St. Clement’s community hosted funeral services earlier this week. Family, friends and confreres gathered for a rosary at 3:00 pm and a vigil at 7:00 pm on Monday, April 10.
A Mass of Resurrection was celebrated at 10:00 am on Tuesday, April 11, followed by burial in the Redemptorist Cemetery. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.