Campus Minister
About Father Jacek Kopera, O.P.
Father Jacek (prounounced "YAH-sik") was born in Częstochowa, Poland in 1970. His patron, St. Hyacinth, brought the Dominican Order to Poland in the thirteenth century after receiving the habit from St. Dominic. As a young man, Father Jacek made frequent visits to the icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa in his hometown. It was during a self-led walking pilgrimage from Warsaw back to Częstochowa as a teenager that he felt his first stirrings toward the priesthood.
Father Jacek studied English literature in college and was pursuing his master's degree on Faulkner when, in the year 2000, he put his studies aside and entered the Polish Province of the Dominican Order. During his formation he studied in Poznań, Warsaw, and, eventually, at St. Hyacinth's Priory in Kraków. Soon after his ordination, Father Jacek was appointed co-chaplain at Columbia University in New York City, where he put his English skills to good use. During his time at Columbia, he helped implement a variety of new programming for the students, led retreats and discussion groups, and was in charge of the RCIA classes at the Church of Notre Dame where he lived. He worked at Columbia for four years and oversaw a great deal of growth and enrichment in the Catholic community there.
Father Jacek's interests include Southern modernist literature, mysticism, speedway racing, music of all kinds, Dominican spirituality, and the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Did you know?
Mass is offered daily in St. Jude’s Chapel during the fall and spring semesters and during the summer session depending on the availability of a priest. Dates and times for Mass are regularly posted.