A Franciscan Odyssey

New version of the popular memoir, "A Franciscan Odyssey," by Franciscan friar, Father Lucjan Krolikowski was translated from Polish into English by Dr. Gosia Brykczynska. & ; & ; Father Lucjan, of Chicopee, MA was encouraged to write his autobiography by 150 WW II orphans whom he adopted as their foster parent and guardian after the war. & ; & ; Father Lucjan was arrested at the outbreak of WW II and deported to Siberia with one and a half million other Poles (officers, statesmen, intellectuals, policemen, clergy and civilians) by the Stalin regime. Eventually freed because of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile (in London, England) and Stalin, Lucjan became a soldier in the Free Polish Army established to fight the Nazis.& ; & ; After the war, he was ordained a Franciscan priest and became foster parent to 150 war orphans who had lost their parents in the Siberian Gulag. & ; & ; Following an arduous journey, Fr. Lucjan cared for the orphans in Tanzania, East Africa where they recuperated. The children had been exposed to the Communist 'worker's paradise' in Siberia and they had no desire to return to Poland which was under the control of Stalin and the Red Army so Fr Lucjan took them to Canada. & ; & ; The Polish Communist government then accused Fr. Lucjan of 'kidnapping on a grand scale.' In spite of attempts by the Polish Communist police to intercept the children, they went with Father Lucjan to Canada. The children had tasted the so called Communist 'workers paradise' in Soviet Russia and had no desire to return to Poland which had become a new Communist 'paradise' after the war. They remained in Canada.& ; & ; This true story has the potential as an exciting epic movie with a strong spiritual message and serious consideration is being given to such a project in Poland.