A few years ago, someone asked Friar Valentine Jankowski, ‘What’s your hobby?’ Fr. Valentine thought about it for a minute – other friars paint, woodwork, write. He remembered raising chickens when he was a child, so he answered ‘chickens.’ The next day, a parishioner brought him six chickens. He now has more than 30 birds in his backyard.
Following the example of St. Francis, Fr. Valentine values the birds as God’s creatures. They, in turn, offer him a steady supply of fresh eggs which he shares with others, sometimes receiving donations to help purchase feed for the chickens.
Fr. Valentine, 88 years of age, works full time as pastor at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He has four Masses each weekend, three in English and one in Spanish.
In 2021, Fr. Valentine celebrated 60 years of ordination. The Diocesan news, Agua Viva, featured him in a story by David McNamara:
Whether it is as a spiritual counselor, a retreat director, a confessor, or in fulfilling the multi-faceted demands of a parish leader, this indefatigable priest seems to thrive on working with spiritually needy. And his parishioners react, much like Fr. Val’s chickens, with much deserved gratitude and appreciation, “I have been inspired by the faith of so many people – they have been a gift to me,” he reflects while surveying his past 60 years of priesthood.
