Fr. Maka to be only U.S. Navy chaplain from Archdiocese of Detroit

Anchorville — From Newport, Mich., to Newport, R.I., Fr. Tomek Maka is setting sail in a new direction in his vocation for Christ.

Answering a calling to serve his country, the former pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Ira Township was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy, hearing God’s call to minister to the United States military’s 1.8 million active-duty Catholics and their families as a chaplain.

“I have so much respect for the military,” Fr. Maka said Aug. 9 at the parish, where he was commissioned after a noon Mass. “I just wanted to give back to the people who serve and protect our country by committing my service to the military and serving those who serve us.”

Born in Poland, Fr. Maka came to the United States in 1998 as part of a foreign-exchange program with Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. Fr. Maka always had a desire in the back of his mind to be out at sea — he considered joining the U.S. Merchant Marines before opting instead for the seminary.

After ordination, he served on the faculty of SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary in Orchard Lake before moving to parish ministry as associate pastor of the National Shrine of the Little Flower Parish in Royal Oak (2004-07) and St. Patrick Parish, White Lake (2007-08), before becoming pastor of Immaculate Conception from 2008 to 2012.

During his time in the U.S., he came to love the country and grow a deep appreciation for those in the military — his sister, Teresa, married U.S. Army Maj. Ken Kozak, who officiated at Fr.

Maka’s oath of office ceremony at Immaculate Conception.

“I just have so much love and support for this country,” Fr. Maka said. “Like so many other first-generation Americans, I want to serve this country, to be there for people who are out there for your safety. To preach and share the word of God with them until they come home.”

Maj. Kozak spoke after the swearing in, expressing his gratitude for Fr. Maka joining the service and the urgent need for more military chaplains.

“Sometime back in January, I joked with him where his next assignment was,” Maj. Kozak said. “He surprised me when he was he was joining the military. Last month, I came with him to Washington, D.C., and met with the archbishop of the United States military; I didn’t even know we had a United States military archdiocese.”

Maj. Kozak detailed the pressing need for more priests to become chaplains, saying the U.S. Navy has an estimated 80,000 active-duty Catholics, but only 48 active-duty priest-chaplains. These chaplains also serve the Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines, an estimated 25 percent of whom identify as Catholics.

“Fr. Maka is facing a tremendous responsibility,” Maj. Kozak said. “It’s a special appointment by the United States president to be an officer, to share the burden of command. During a deployment, morality is of the utmost importance, and that’s where priests help.”

The need for priests to serve as active duty chaplains in paramount for the Archdiocese of Military Services, U.S.A., which had as many as 200 chaplains as recently as a decade ago.

Fr. Maka understands the vital role of chaplains in the military, serving especially those on the front lines who are in special need of grace.



“Sometimes, our military is facing evil, truly evil men,” Fr. Maka said. “Today, we have ISIS, and it’s important for us to stand up against ISIS and evil in the world. It was a complex decision for me, but I talked to Msgr. Hogan about the process.”

Msgr. Timothy Hogan, Vicar for Clergy and Consecrated Life for the Archdiocese of Detroit, served in the Navy for 30 years, retiring as a lieutenant commander. Msgr. Hogan and Fr. Maka met in 2011, and the two were in communication on and off as Fr. Maka’s interest in becoming a military chaplain grew.

“It starts with communication with the archbishop, getting permission to further explore the military option,” Msgr. Hogan said. “You are also talking to a Navy recruiter about the process, getting all the forms filled out. From there you have to go through basic training — though not as intense as regular physical training in the military — then it’s officer school followed by chaplain school.”

Msgr. Hogan was a chaplain in the Navy from 1986 to 2007, serving tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. He recalled the importance of his ministry to the Sailors and Marines with whom he interacted as a form of mission work.

“By being there to assist my Marines and Sailors, I become their pastor,” Msgr. Hogan said. “My battalion was my parish. I provided the sacramental and pastoral needs, facilitated religious services for all groups of faith and provided care to all.”

Msgr. Hogan recalled a story during the buildup to the Iraq War in 2003 when U.S. Marines were in Kuwait, preparing for the invasion.

“I was walking down the street, and a Marine stopped and asked, ‘When we go forward, are you going with us, Chaps?’ I pointed to our battalion patch on my helmet and said, ‘See this patch? I’m one of you. I go where you go.’ He said ‘Roger, that.’ It’s the one-on-one care our service members need, that’s why we need more chaplains.”

Fr. Maka said he is “fully committed” to service in the Navy, but admits there are parts of being a parish priest he will miss.

“What I will miss the most about being away from a parish are the people,” Fr. Maka said. “Archbishop (Allen) Vigneron was very supportive, and sometimes you have to leave where you are and not be settled with what you are already doing. I probably could be settled with a parish in a few years, but I had a different calling.”

Fr. Maka encourages priests not to settle and be ready to listen for God’s calling.

“My advice to other priests who may be considering the priesthood in the military (is), don’t be steady with the priesthood, don’t be complacent. Keep searching,” Fr. Maka said. “I’m the only active-duty chaplain from the Archdiocese of Detroit, so I feel I’m an ambassador for my country and my archdiocese.”

Upon finishing officer training in Rhode Island, the newly commissioned lieutenant will be off to Ft. Jackson, S.C., for Chaplain School. After that, Fr. Maka’s destination will be in the hands of the U.S. Navy, but he takes comfort in the support from the Archdiocese of Detroit.

“I’m privileged to have a supporting family and community behind me,” Fr. Maka said. “I’m now waiting for my orders, not sure of where I will go, but I know I’ll have all of you praying for me.”