The hard working pastor of Holy Cross Parish, the Very Rev. Walter Madej, is a gifted sculptor and he has been commissioned to produce art works for numerous churches and institutions.

Fr. Sr. Madej’s many works include a collaboration on the bell monument project in New York Mills with fellow sculptor Jim McDermid. The design and sculpture of the Reredos for Blessed Virgin Mary of Czestochowa Parish in Latham, New York, and the Crucifix for All Saints Parish in Rome, New York. One of his works, still in progress, is the interior design and carvings for the Cathedral of the Blessed Mother of the Rosary in Buffalo, New York, including a depiction of the mysteries of the rosary.

Fr. Madej’s credentials are impressive. He graduated from the Catholic Seminary of Philosophy and Theology at Gdansk, Poland in 1968. That same year he was ordained to the priesthood. From 1971 to 1975 he continued his studies on the sociology of religion at the Catholic University of Lublin. His education continued and in 1991 he completed studies at the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy. He has served God at a variety of church communities in the Polish National Catholic Church.