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Msgr. Arthur Michalka
Path to the Priesthood
My name is Arthur Martin Michael Michalka. I am the seventh in a family of eight children, four boys and four girls. I was born on August 4, 1927, in Cameron, Texas.
My life has been greatly influenced by my Mom and Dad, Marie and Frank Michalka, by my brothers and sisters, by many aunts, uncles, cousins, and by neighbors and classmates at St. Anthony's Catholic School, Yoe High School, and St. Mary's Seminary in La Porte, Texas.
Mom and Dad were very much influenced by their Catholic faith and the practices of the Catholic church in our upbringing as family and members of St. Monica's Catholic Church in Cameron.
I was baptized at St. Monica's Church shortly after my birth. After six years of growth in the home and influenced by all around me, I started going to school at St. Anthony's Catholic School.
Our family had the practice of praying the Rosary every day as a family and we always gave thanks to God for the food and drink we had to nourish our bodies. We would not say the prayer until everyone was present at the table.
Everyone in the family had chores to do. My chore was to clear the table after we ate; the girls' chores were to clean the dishes and help clean the house. My other chores were to feed the chickens, feed the hogs, bring in the eggs, milk the cow, stack firewood in the wintertime and be sure the wood box had plenty of wood. Besides these chores, we had to do our homework after we got home from school. This was all before the days of TV. For entertainment we listened to the radio. We were kept busy with the responsibilities of our chores.
After seven years at St. Anthony's School, I went to Yoe High School. It was during my days in elementary school that it was decided by those in authority that we would have eight years in elementary thereby increasing one's schooling from 11 to 12 years. I was exempt because I was in a class that would still graduate in 11 years, but my sister Christine had to go the full 12 years.
While going to Yoe High School, I started taking lessons in playing the cornet during the summertime. I consider it a privilege to have been taught by Mr. Francis Cox, the band director. Everyone in our family has played an instrument in Yoe High Band. Although I would have liked to play sports, it was the policy that you could not take part in band and sports at the same time. That being the case, with the tradition in our family, I decided to play in the band.
I started on the cornet, but Mr. Cox changed me to the French horn. I succeeded my sister, Catherine, as first chair in the band on French horn.
After graduating as salutatorian of our class, I was undecided as to where to go to college. I was thinking about going to Texas A&M University because two of my brothers had gone to A&M. My oldest brother, Ernest, went one year to A&M before going to the seminary. He became the first Aggie to be ordained a priest. My brother, Rudy, got a degree in mechanical engineering from A&M.
That summer after graduation, Father Carl Kermit, a professor of the Seminary and a friend of my two older priest brothers, came to visit and while in our home he asked me if I had ever thought about becoming a priest and I said "Yes." He told me I ought to go to La Porte where the seminary is and give it a try.
I decided to go and I got a letter of recommendation to enter the seminary from my pastor, Father George Duda. My parents took me to the seminary at the tender age of 17.
Thus began my training and formation to become a priest. After three years of college classes and four years of theology, sometimes questions about whether I could be a good priest and whether this was what God wanted me to be, I was called to be ordained a deacon and then a priest. My ordination took place at St. Mary's in Brenham on May 26, 1951, along with Louis Wozniak and Harry Mazurkiewicz. Thus began my 48 years as a priest in the Diocese of Austin.
The duties as a priest encompassed the ministry of service to others, celebrating the Mass and other sacraments, baptizing, reconciling sinners, anointing of the sick, giving instructions to become a Catholic, preparing people for the sacraments, counseling, and comforting those who are grieving.
Besides these responsibilities, I was very much involved in working with young people in Catholic schools in Granger, Taylor, and Temple. Our ordination class was influential in getting the CYO-Catholic Youth Organization-started in the diocese. We have been active in the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women for all these years. I was Diocesan Spiritual Moderator of the DCCW for about five years. I served as coach for football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, softball, and baseball in my years with the schools. I was also involved in music as a choir director. My training in music from Francis Cox helped me in this matter of being choir director and anything that had to do with music.
I have also been active in the area of Boy Scouts. I have been active all these years in the Scouting movement. At present, I am the Diocesan Spiritual Director of the Scouts.
I would like to now indicate those parishes in the Austin Diocese that I have served as pastor or an associate pastor. After ordination, I was assigned to St. Mary's, Temple, for three months to allow priests to go on vacation. On Sept. 1, 1951, I was assigned as associate pastor to Msgr. Vanicek at Sts. Cyril & Methodius, Granger. In September 1955, I was assigned to St. Mary's, Taylor, to succeed Fr. Polansky who was killed in a car accident. I served there for seven years with Fr. Brown and Fr. Braden as associate pastors. In June 1962, I was assigned as pastor of St. Michael's, Burlington, with mission parishes in Rosebud and Cyclone. I served these three parishes until January, 1967, with Fr. Benedict Goertz as my associate pastor. I was assigned as pastor of St. Paul's, Smithville, to replace Fr. Holtman. I was in Smithville for five and one-half months when Fr. Holtman wanted to return to Smithville. I took his place at St. Mary's, Temple, in June 1967. I was stationed at St. Mary's, Temple, until June 1, 1990. During my time at St. Mary's, the Catholic Church in Temple grew into two new parishes, St. Luke's, Temple, with Fr. John Driscoll as first pastor and Christ the King, Belton, with Fr. Fred Schmidt, C.S.C., as the first pastor. These new parishes started around Aug. 1, 1969.
While in Temple, Deacon Fred Bandas and I worked together to establish Martha's Kitchen to take care of the poor, hungry, and homeless. This social work has grown into a much needed Christian social activity. Martha's Kitchen served its first meal on Thanksgiving Day 1985 on the spot in the kitchen where I celebrated Mass with about 15 people present.
On June 1, 1990, I was assigned as pastor of Holy Trinity, Corn Hill, in Williamson County, Texas. I have worked in various capacities as visiting priest and pastor at St. Stephen's in Salado in Bell County. St. Stephen's was established as a parish in May 1989 with Deacon Jordan Pfuntner as the Pastoral Administrator until 1994. I then became the pastor of St. Stephen's with full responsibilities. While pastor I was assisted by Deacon John Petter as associate pastor until Feb. 1, 2000.
I thank the Lord Jesus for these many years as a human being, as a priest of Jesus according to the Order of Melchizedek, all of my family and all the people who have served me in the service of others. May we all live with faith in Jesus hoping to receive the fulfillment of our expectations with love for all.
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Mission Statement