[The following was originally written for the Knights of Columbus (St. Ambrose Council #1463 in College Point, NY) St. Patrick's Dinner Dance of March 15, 2008. It was later edited for publication in the St. Clement's Parish; Saratoga Springs, NY Bulletin. The picture was taken at the Redemptorist European Youth Congress in August of 2007 at the University of Limerick, Ireland. From left to right: Fr. Paul Borowski, C.Ss.R., Danielle Asher, Very Rev. Joseph Tobin, C.Ss.R. -- Superior General of the C.Ss.R., Joe Osicki, Sara Ceglio.]
Fr. Paul J. Borowski, C.Ss.R. was born on March 7, 1960 in Baltimore, MD; the youngest of three boys. He attended the local Catholic Elementary School of Our Lady of Fatima, a parish staffed by the Redemptorists. During the Seventh Grade he began to feel the call to priesthood and in September of 1974 enrolled in the Redemptorists run St. Mary’s Seminary in North East, PA. From there his studies took him to St. Alphonsus College in Suffield, CT. After a year in the Redemptorist novitiate in Oconomowoc, WI, he professed religious vows in August of 1982. After that he obtained a Masters in Religious Education from Mount Saint Alphonsus in Esopus, NY and a Masters in Divinity from Washington Theological Union in Silver Spring, MD. Ordained on May 15, 1987, his first assignment was as Assistant Pastor at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Ellicott City, MD.
His major areas of responsibilities were as Director of Religious Education, Youth Minister and Chaplain to the Parish Elementary School. He is a Charter Member of the Knights of Columbus Council in the parish.
In September of 1989, Fr. Paul was sent off to higher studies at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. In July of 1992 he graduated with a Licentiate in philosophy (Cum Laude) from Leuven. He returned to the United States and was assigned to Saint Alphonsus Formation Residence in Whitestone, NY. From 1992 until 2002, he served as an Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at St. John’s University in Jamaica, NY. While teaching Introduction to Philosophy as well as Ethics, he soon started teaching mainly Business Ethics. During this time he also served as the Assistant Director of Formation for the Redemptorist seminarians. Since the summer months were time off from teaching and working with the seminarians, the summer of 1995 saw him and a fellow Redemptorist priest, Fr. Kevin Murray, begin a summer project that exists to this very day -- The Joseph Project. This Project entails getting young people (16 and up) to donate a week to help Habitat for Humanity. The summer of 1995 saw The Joseph Project work exclusively in Portland, ME. While Portland still continues to be the primary location to work with Habitat for Humanity, Fr. Paul has also led groups to work with Habitat affiliates in Philadelphia, PA, Camden, NJ and Bridgeport, CT. Some summers have seen Fr. Paul work anywhere from two to four weeks with Habitat for Humanity. In November of 2003 he was presented with the Golden Hammer Award from the Portland affiliate and in 2004 the same affiliate gave The Joseph Project a Certificate of Appreciation for ten years of dedicated service.
In January of 2001, Fr. Paul was asked to help out with the Youth Program at St. Martin of Tours, Bethpage, NY for a few weeks. A few weeks turned into six and a half years. With great joy, Fr. Paul helped out every Sunday with the 5:30pm Liturgy that was geared towards teens as well as working with the Youth Minister and a Core Team of Young Adults that lead activities for the teens every Sunday night. The Core Team of Young Adults would meet every Monday night for planning sessions, so Fr. Paul got to know the Long Island Expressway very well. In August of 2007, Fr. Paul stepped down from working with the Youth Group since the Redemptorist Formation Program at Whitestone was expanding by merging with Redemptorists from throughout the United States. Some highlights of his work with the Youth Group involved one or two weekend retreats a year, a week working with those in need in the city of Philadelphia, PA, World Youth Day in Toronto in 2002 and yearly trips to Portland to work with Habitat for Humanity.
During these years, Fr. Paul has also been faithful to giving numerous parish missions, which is a hallmark of the Redemptorist Congregation. Various mission experiences have been in upstate New York, Vermont, Gary, WV, several parishes in New York City and most recently parish missions on the islands of Grenada, Dominica and St. Croix.
In the summer of 2002, Fr. Paul was named as the Director of Formation for Redemptorist seminarians, a position he has held for the past six years. In January 2005 he was elected as a member of the Extraordinary Provincial Council for the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province and was re-elected to another three year term in January of 2008. While not being directly involved in parish ministry since 1989, Fr. Paul has kept involved by helping out at locla parishes whenever the opportunity has presented itself. To say that he is looking forward to working with the people of St. Clement's would be an understatement -- he is anxiously looking forward to journeying with all the parishioners as we deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ the Redeemer.
To you, Creator of nature and humanity, of truth and beauty, I pray:
