Fr. Stanislaw Herba's retirement celebrated

IC photo/Marie Mischel

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Fr. Stan Herba cuts the cake at the July 13, 2018 celebration in honor of his retirement. Around the cake were flags of the countries in which he ministered, including the United States, Brazil and Poland.

PARK CITY — Hundreds of people crowded into the social hall of St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church after the 11:30 a.m. Mass on July 15, filling their plates with pot-luck goodies brought by visitors and barbecue items provided by the Knights of Columbus. Clusters of red, white and yellow balloons – the colors of the Vatican flag, adorned the table. A slideshow of photos from Father Stanislaw Herba’s life played on a large screen.

Seeing all the photos from the time he was in his teens to the present, Fr. Herba said, “Looking back at my life, one thing is certain: If I had to do it again, I would choose the same thing I am doing now.”

Fr. Herba, who has been a priest for 54 years, will retire effective Aug. 1. Originally a member of the Society of Christ Fathers for Poles Living Abroad, a missionary order, he ministered in Brazil for 10 years and in other places in the United States before coming to Utah in 1989. He was incardinated into the Diocese of Salt Lake City in 2001. During his years with the diocese he served at numerous parishes throughout the state. In 2010 he became pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish; his eight years there was his longest assignment as a pastor in any one place, he said.   

In his homily, he reminisced about serving in the diocese. His first assignment as pastor in Utah was at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Magna, where he was for six years.

“I would have liked to have stayed longer,” he said, “but Bishop Niederauer came and said, ‘Oh, I need you in another parish because of your Spanish.’ And I said, ‘I don’t speak Spanish, I speak Portuguese.’ And he said, ‘Close enough.’ And it was close enough, because I opened my ears to hear Spanish” and, after taking one class in the language, he could communicate with Spanish-speaking congregants, he said.

The Mass was concelebrated by Fr. Rogelio Felix-Rosas, parochial vicar of St. Mary of the Assumption, and Fr. Jorge Roldan-Sanchez, parochial vicar of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish. Deacon Robert Hardy and Deacon Tom Tosti were the Deacons of the Mass; Deacon George Reade, chancellor, and other deacons of the diocese assisted.

Fr. Roldan, who was assigned to St. Mary of the Assumption just after his ordination, said that Fr. Herba was not only a good priest but a good mentor.

In the parish hall at the celebration after the Mass, Deacon Tosti said it was impossible to say all the ways Fr. Herba’s ministry has touched parishioners, and all the things he has accomplished, in his nearly 30 years with the diocese. During that time Fr. Herba witnessed the marriages, baptized the children and buried the dead of hundreds of parishioners, Deacon Tosti said, adding that the priest “has a very special way about him. His bedside manner and his way of ministering to people who are hurting is unparalleled.”

As a going-away gift, the parish collected funds to send Fr. Herba and a friend on a trip to Brazil.