A priest who defied his Roman Catholic bishop to become pastor of a St. Louis parish at odds with the archdiocese has told parishioners he is willing to step down if it will help.The Rev. Marek Bozek is pastor of St. Stanislaus church.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that he told parishioners Sunday that he did not want his personal circumstances to impede what is best for the parish.
Bozek was defrocked by the Roman Catholic church in January.
In July 2008, the archdiocese filed a lawsuit against the St. Stanislaus board that, if successful, would allow it to regain the power to assign the church’s pastor and approve its board members.
The trial date is set for February.
But the announcement means the trial might not be necessary.
Bozek had served as an associate pastor of St. Agnes Cathedral in Springfield until December, 2005, when he decided to accept an invitation from the board of St. Stanislaus to become pastor there.
Bozek is a native of Poland, and St. Stanislaus served a primarily Polish population in St. Louis.
Bozek’s move from Springfield to St. Louis had not been approved by higher church officials.
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