Divine Child, Exchange Club Dedicate Freedom Shrine to Church's Late Priest

“Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought,” Dearborn Exchange Club President Dennis Scanland quoted from the late Pope John Paul II Wednesday afternoon, as the club helped to install and dedicate a Freedom Shrine at .

The date of the dedication appropriately fell during the 100th anniversary of the national Exchange Club, and also on the 91st birthday of the pope.

The Freedom Shrine is a collection of 32 reprinted historical documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Gettysburg Address and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Each installation, all of which are performed by Exchange Club branches across the country, honors a particular member in the community who exemplifies the ideals of freedom.

’s Freedom Shrine honors the church’s late priest, Fr. Herman Kucyk, who served the church and school for 40 years.

“Every one of these shrines has a person who we recognize with the installation of the shrine as a person who really reflects the goals of America and reflects the leadership and the public service,” explained Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly at the dedication. “Father Kucyk … is the person chosen to be honored for this shrine. And it’s a tremendous honor and one well deserved.”

O’Reilly, whose three children were all baptized by Fr. Kucyk, spoke highly of the late priest as someone who nurtured each and every student who went to Divine Child.

“He’s well known as a gardener … he was responsible and loved to grow plants and keep a beautiful environment,” O’Reilly said of Fr. Kucyk. “But what people miss is that he was a gardener of souls and a mentor, or gardener, of the young people who came through the school.”

Kucyk’s sister Jan Pierce, a teacher at , accepted the plaque on behalf of her brother, and explained how much Kucyk cared about the church.

“He loved this place with his whole heart and soul, and he would be honored to have this freedom wall dedicated to him,” Pierce said. “I know that my brother is looking down at us today and saying, ‘Thank you for this honor, thank you for the students who will see this and see where our roots are.’

“His roots and his family meant a lot to him, but his biggest and deepest roots were here at Divine Child.”

And the Freedom Shrine, added DCHS Principal Peggy Knuth, will remind students of the things America's forefathers–and people like Fr. Kucyk–stood for.

"We citizens need to cherish our freedoms, understand them and take responsibility for upholding them," Knuth said. "This wall will help us do just that. These documents on this wall will help remind us of what our nation stands for, what our forefathers fought for and what we need to work to protect throughout our lives."