On Monday, August 13, I attended the Mass of Resurrection for Fr. Bernard P. Shulik at St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland. Bishop David A. Zubik, who knew him for 45 years, said that Fr. Bernie’s heart pulsated with God’s love and compassion. The Bishop presided, along with concelebrants Bishop William J. Walterscheid and Bishop William J. Winter. There were 23 priests present at the Mass. Fr. Gary Krummert delivered the homily to approximately 80 people in attendance. Fr. Bernie, who was a priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh for 38 years, died of natural causes at age 64. The son of the late William P. and Margaret Zavacky Shulik, he was born in Lyndora, Pa., a Butler County steel town, on February 7, 1948, and felt right at home serving those same steel town communities in the years of his priesthood. Fr. Bernie was ordained a priest by Bishop Vincent M. Leonard on May 4, 1974 and called home to God from Vincentian Regency Nursing Home on August 8, 2012. He is survived by his two brothers, David (Mary), of Clark, Pa. and William (Karen), of Bridgeville, Pa., along with 2 nephews, 3 nieces, 3 great-nephews, and a great niece. He was also preceded in death by his brother, James.
He served as pastor of St. Joseph Parish and St. Clare of Assisi in Clairton, St. Anthony Parish in Monongahela. He was Chaplain of Bishop Boyle High School in Homestead. He had an “un-common” touch with the “common” person. His last assignment was in service to the Felician Sisters and he was well-known to our community of St. Joseph Parish for over a decade.
Fr. Krummert mentioned at the onset of his homily that while Fr. Bernie was on a school bus at the close of 7th grade, a classmate mentioned to him that he would see him next year in 8th grade, to which Bernie replied, “No you won’t, I’m off to our Lady of Lourdes High School and Seminary in Cassadaga, NY.” At a tender age, he had a vision and a goal, to which he strove a passion to become a priest. He attended Duquesne University and St. Mary University in Rollins Park, MD (Baltimore).
When I came to St. Joseph over 4 years ago I remember the first weekend after Fr. Bernie listened to confessions. He told me that he was St. Joseph’s “assistant” for many years. He loved the church, the people and the community. He prayed that I would fall in love with it as well as quickly as he did. I was deeply moved by that comment and I begged, as I fell to my knees, a prayer to help sustain and strengthen me in this new ministry in this faith-community. Countless people told me of his measureless compassion and mercy in the confessional, which seemed to be a hallmark of his ministry. They would stand in long lines to hear a comforting and reassuring word to the sinner, to come back home to be in God’s graces, even calling the rectory to find out if he was hearing confessions. He had an uncanny ability in today’s “fast-paced” society to take one person at a time, face-to-face, and heart-to-heart. He never forgot a name. At the 10:00 AM Mass at St. Joseph there is a blind man who uses a seeing eye dog. Fr. Bernie made sure he spoke to him each week and petted his dog. When he celebrated a Mass with children it seemed to bring him back to life and give him hope and strength in his ministry as a priest. He would always end his Christmas and Easter Masses with a message in his native tongue of Croatian.
I soon found out that Fr. Bernie was a “circuit-rider” priest. He offered Masses at the Pittsburgh Greater International Airport, the 911th Air Base in Moon Twp. St. Margaret Mary, St. James and surrounding areas. He would always head out to St. Coleman Church in Turtle Creek on Sunday evenings to celebrate Mass at 5:30 PM for Fr. Jim Kunkel, who was a season ticket holder for the Steelers. He knew that it would be a small crowd in attendance for that Mass, but delighted that his friend could enjoy the football game and he knew that the Steelers needed their prayers!
Fr. Bernie was an avid skier, who loved to travel both home and abroad. He would regularly ski with other Pittsburgh priests. He had a great passion for music and loved playing the piano. He had 2 St. Bernard dogs (because of his own name sake), which were his canine companions, riding along with him wherever he went in his Jeep Cherokee. I spoke to a retired priest who remembered Fr. Bernie receiving frequent deliveries of various packages from UPS and FedEx to St. John Vianney Manor. He loved to watch the QVC shopping channel, and order things online.
His brother David commented, “His passion for the priesthood and touching people’s lives was the driving force in his priesthood.” The one thing that I learned first hand from my brother, Bernie, was how to embrace with resiliency long-suffering. He had countless battles with health issues which limited his ability to minister as much as he would have liked to. He persevered with faith through personal limitations, difficulties, challenges, and sickness.
Despite carrying many burdens himself, he sought to relieve the fears and sorrows of others. My life, priesthood, and ministry is far richer for having walked with my brother, Bernie. As his cross is now ended, may he share the victory of the Risen Christ.
