Colby to get monsignor

By Elizabeth Putnam - For the News-Herald

A Colby priest will receive the title of Monsignor at a special Mass in La Crosse next month.

Bishop Jerome Listecki of the Diocese of La Crosse will bestow the papal honor upon the Rev. John Malik, pastor of St. Mary Help of Christian Parish in Colby, along with seven other priests in the La Crosse Diocese.

The Right Rev. Monsignor Joseph Andrezejewski was the last priest in the Diocese of La Crosse given the title of Monsignor. He was honored May 28, 1966.

"This is not merely an individual honor but rather a recognition of the great and tireless work of the entire presbyterate," Listecki said in a letter to all priests in the La Crosse Diocese, which comprises 19 counties, including Marathon County.

Malik, 79, was born in Clintonville and grew up in Stevens Point. He spent the first 17 years of his priesthood at Holy Cross Seminary in La Crosse. He then served as a chancellor for the La Crosse Diocese for about five years. He also served at The Cathedral of Saint Joseph the Workman in La Crosse.

Malik served as a pastor at St. Matthew Catholic Church in Wausau from 1982 to 1991 before becoming the pastor of Grace the King Catholic Church in Spencer. He served there for one year and then became a pastor at St. Mary Parish in Colby.

"It's an honor. To me, it's a nice feeling but perhaps a little awkward because people don't know whether to call me Father or Monsignor," Malik said.

If you go

What: Bishop Jerome Listecki of the Diocese of La Crosse will celebrate a special Mass and conferral for the Rev. John Malik and seven other priests in the La Crosse Diocese who have been honored by Pope Benedict XVI with the title of Monsignor.

When: 2 p.m. Dec. 18

Where: The Cathedral of Saint Joseph the Workman, 530 Main St., La Crosse

About the title of Monsignor

The title of Monsignor, which dates back to the 14th century, is given by the pope to certain priests in the Roman Catholic Church to recognize the priest's service to the Catholic Church.