April 3, 2011 Some wonderful priests have served the Diocese of La Crosse over its 143 year history. One of the best I ever knew spent most of his years in Washington D.C. John J. Rolbiecki earned a doctoral degree in theology at the Catholic University of America as a young priest. It appears that the faculty disputed one of his theological conclusions, so the case was taken to Rome. He was vindicated, and rumor has it that the Vatican instructed the University to hire him on.
J.J. Rolbiecki taught at the University for decades. Knowing his own field so well, he was free to study every other course at the school that caught his interest. He studied literature, cultures, languages, the sciences; he was a walking encyclopedia. At age 75 he faced mandatory retirement and came back home. He lived at the Holy Cross Seminary and taught fledgling philosophy majors. I was one of them. We were awe-struck by the expanse of his knowledge. Once he traced the word “buckwheat” in all the languages around the Mediterranean Sea. He knew the swear words of Egyptian camel boys! When he taught us about the theories of Rabanas Maurus who first explained the mysteries of the rainbow, he actually understood them. He awed us with his scholarship.
But there was another feature of the old man that endeared him to us. He got out of our field of philosophy once; he spoke of the marvelous creatures God had created that we call angels. His eyes lifted upwards; they opened wide and blinked several times; he spoke haltingly. It was as if he could see them while he spoke. He couldn’t wait to see them in person. To him they were not “cute mascots” as they are so often portrayed today. They were powerful and magnificent creatures.
Now he shares their company!