BEVERLY — The Rev. Matthew Litak still remembers being just a boy and thinking of his own homilies while at Mass alongside his five brothers and two sisters.
Litak, 28, grew up in suburban Evergreen Park and attended both religious services and elementary school at St. Bernadette Parish. He was ordained May 21 and said his first Mass the following day in the same church where he once prayed as a child.
He is now associate pastor of Christ the King Parish in North Beverly. He said his first Mass in the church at 9235 S. Hamilton Ave. on June 26. He also moved into the adjacent rectory, sharing a home with the Rev. Lawrence Sullivan, who serves as pastor at Christ the King. His other roommates include Msgr. Dennis Lyle and Msgr. Michael Adams.
He said the fellow priests and members of Christ the King have been very welcoming. And hailing from nearby St. Bernadette allows him to bond with those in the pews over their favorite South Side restaurants, share tips on the best neighborhood bike trails and more.
"Hardly anybody goes that close to where they came from," Litak said of his assignment to Christ the King. "There is an automatic trust level."
In fact, his sister, Mary Litak, has worked at Christ the King's after-school program for the past four years. All but one of his siblings still reside in the Chicago area.
Litak said he wanted to be a priest, a cowboy and a movie director when he was just a child. He shrugged off religious life as time went on, graduating from Evergreen Park High School and later Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills.
"I made a deal with God to be a good dad and to raise good kids," he said after morning Mass on Thursday.
It wasn't until he attended Benedictine University in suburban Lisle with the intent of becoming an English teacher that he began to rethink his path. Litak volunteered to work with the Catholic school's retreat program.
He soon found others who were drawn toward religious vocation, including the Rev. Matt Jamesson. Before they were priests, the pair began attending daily Mass together. And with bit of divine providence, both started down a path that ended in ordination.
Since becoming a priest, Litak said he's noticed how Catholics are drawn to him. They often comment on his age and seem to get a bit of a thrill from meeting a young priest. Thus, Litak hopes to be a role model for others considering religious life.
"It's easier for young men to picture themselves as a priest when they see a young priest," he said.
Litak said he's well aware of some of the issues facing the Catholic church, including declining participation, a need for more priests and what to do with a vast network of churches, schools and other buildings in the coming years.
"I don't think people see religion as bringing them closer to God," said Litak, adding that he believes the whole point of Catholicism is to do just that.
That said, the newbie priest who's also an avid reader and dabbles in poetry is confident the Catholic church can survive whatever changes are ahead. And as for his own legacy, he hopes to begin building a reputation as a good preacher and an equally good listener.
"The church has been around for 2000 years. It will go on after me," he said.
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