HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – Father Filip Wodecki joined the Hanscom Chapel as a civilian Catholic priest Sept. 12.
He said he had always been interested in working with the military due to family and friend connections. His brother, who is an Army chaplain stationed at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, is the one who told Wodecki about three Air Force civilian priest positions being open.
Wodecki brings a wealth of experience to the job, working for the past 12 years at prisons, schools, hospitals, parishes and even helping out at the base chapel at Parris Island, South Carolina. He hopes that what he brought to those personnel he can share here as well.
“I want to serve people,” he said. “I want to bring service in Christ, and I want to bring Christ to the people.”
Wodecki also joked that he would have liked to bring shrimp and grits, too, but it wasn’t allowed on the plane.
Chaplain (Capt.) Kimberly Hall, installation chaplain, said that the Hanscom Chapel is “delighted to welcome Father Wodecki.”
“He truly has a pastor's heart,” she said. “He is kind, wise, and has a fantastic sense of humor. He also is a wonderful singer. The Catholic community is already blessed beyond compare by his humble and gracious leadership."
Wodecki said he understands being here will be a learning experience for him as well, never having worked full-time on a military base.
“I’m coming from being an associate pastor/co-pastor at a parish with 6,000 families to now supporting a little parish community,” he said. “Right now everything is still new for me.
Wodecki did say he was happy to see that Hanscom already has some religious programs in place and that he wouldn’t need to “build everything from zero,” as he had to in other places.
“Once I meet the people, I’ll be able to see what’s happening and what else may be needed,” he said.
Wodecki also said when he got to Hanscom he still didn’t know much about it, other than what he saw on the internet. However, he said he likes to travel, including a journey through much of the U.S. with his brother on motorcycles, but hadn’t yet been to this region of the country.
“I figured it was a good time to discover. I get to see a new state, explore the nature and new wildlife,” he said. And after riding his bicycle near the base, he noted it’s a “very beautiful area.”
Wodecki will be available during regular chapel hours Sunday through Thursday. For those needing to get in touch with him, call the chapel’s main number at 781-225-5501 and ask to speak to the Catholic chaplain.
For additional information about services or programs at the chapel, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/HanscomChapel/.