Barb Kleczka prepared children for sacraments at Sobieski parish
By Joan Koehne | For On Mission
SOBIESKI, WI — From the choir loft to the cry room, the church basement to a side room off the Sanctuary, Barb Kleczka shared her Catholic faith in a variety of places. Kleczka transformed these spaces, if only temporarily, into classroom settings, sharing her faith for nearly 40 years at St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Sobieski. For a while, Kleczka taught religious education classes in a former elementary school.
The location of the classroom was never as important as what transpired inside. Since 1989, Kleczka has been preparing second-grade students for first Reconciliation and first Communion. In May, Kleczka retired as a catechist after 37 years.
Allison Peshman, faith formation coordinator at St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, described Kleczka as a very caring teacher who loved her students.
“I can see just how proud she is of each of her students as they make their first Communion,” Peshman said.
Kleczka began teaching when her oldest daughter, Kim (married name Streckenbach), was in second grade.
“I was scared because I didn’t know exactly how or what to teach,” Kleczka said.
Classroom management was another challenge in the early years. “This year wasn’t bad. I had just six kids, but I had 22 to 25 kids when I first started,” Kleczka said.
She quickly got to know her students and the materials, so teaching became second nature.
Kleczka often supplemented the textbook with her own resources and sought advice from her brother, Donald Steck, who taught religion at a Catholic school in the Chicago area.
St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish has had four different priests and five different religious education coordinators during Kleczka’s tenure as a catechist. Kleczka taught on Wednesday nights at Sobieski and, for a couple of years, also taught on Monday nights at St. John the Baptist Parish in Howard. In addition to teaching her daughter, Kim, Kleczka also taught her younger daughter, Kari Kleczka.
For several families, Kleczka is teaching the second generation. She taught Peshman and Peshman’s son, Leo.
“Barb is a patient teacher, but she does have high expectations in punctuality and performance,” Peshman said. “She would always call home when a student was absent and make sure they were OK and that they didn’t fall behind in their lessons.”
Kleczka’s creativity also stood out.
“She loved giving the kids projects to work on, like banners and votive holders,” Peshman said. Students would decorate a purple felt banner to hang on their pew and a cup with a candle to light after making their first Reconciliation. For first Communion, students used Eucharistic themes to decorate a banner and a cup.
“I always tell the parents to help them and make it a family project,” Kleczka said.
Kleczka made her first Communion at St. Joseph Parish in Green Bay. She and Kenny were married in 1971 at St. Joseph Church and then joined St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, Kenny’s home parish. The couple lives on the family farm in Little Suamico.
Kleczka worked as a receptionist at SuperValu for 27 years, until 1995. Then she enrolled in computer classes at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College and worked at the college information desk. She worked in the office at Pulaski High School and later, as a special education paraprofessional from 2000-11.
Although Kleczka would joke about retiring as a catechist, she kept at it every year because she enjoyed it so much.
“I don’t want to quit, but for health reasons, I need to. I can always go back,” Kleczka said. She loves the kids and recruits them to be altar servers and volunteers in the hamburger stand at the church picnic.
In class, Kleczka focused on the basic concepts of the Catholic faith, teaching about forgiveness in preparation for first Reconciliation and the Real Presence of Jesus in preparation for first Communion. She helped students learn and pray the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be and encouraged them to grow in faith. She incorporated Bible crafts, puzzles, and worksheets into the classes to engage the students.
“I don’t expect second-graders to sit still after they’ve been in school all day. They have ants in their pants. They’re wiggly,” Kleczka said.
Fr. Francis Nusi, parish administrator at St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, said Kleczka was a good teacher of the faith.
“She taught children in a simple way and prepared many to have Jesus for the first time through the Eucharist. God bless her and grant her all graces,” he said.
St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish honored Kleczka on May 6 at a Mass celebrating the end of the catechetical year. With Fr. Nusi on vacation, Fr. Philip Dinh-Van-Thiep presided at the Mass. He invited everyone to extend a hand toward Kleczka as he prayed a blessing. Everyone enjoyed cake and ice cream after Mass, and the kids gave Kleczka the biggest hug she ever received.
That hug represented the love of hundreds of kids who spent time in her classroom, wherever the room happened to be that year.