Journey of a Homeboy:  Golden Jubilee Edition

Paperback Book

Msgr. Michael F. Kosak

Having grown up in Brooklyn, author Msgr. Michael Kosak looks back over a remarkable life that has been lived for the past half century as a devoted Catholic priest. For nearly all of those 50 years, “Fr. Mike” has had the rare distinction of serving one parish, St. Ann’s -- in a place completely unknown to him as a child: St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The year 2020 marks five decades in ministry, hence the subtitle of his memoir: “Golden Jubilee Edition.”

The book’s title, “Journey of a Homeboy,” refers to the fact that young Mike Kosak spent nearly 10 years of his childhood in three Catholic homes for boys. As he explains in the book’s introduction, “If a local person wanted to identify one of the residents at any of the homes, the phrase would sound something like this: ‘Oh, he’s one of the homeboys.’ “ Now, more than 60 years since he left St. Vincent s Home for Boys in Brooklyn, Monsignor Michael Kosak notes in his book: “Whenever I hear the word ‘homeboy’, it causes an emotional reaction, which helps this homeboy give thanks with a grateful heart.”

Born in 1938, the author offers a generously illustrated glimpse into the first three decades of his life’s story -- briefly and gratefully reflecting on his formative years in the Catholic orphanages, as well as the subsequent season of his life spent in the Marine Corps, college, and seminary.

Beginning with his priestly ordination in 1970, the second part of the book features a warm and revealing series of personal Christmas letters, written annually for a half century. Preserved in these letters are highlights and details of his life and ministry from 1970 to 2020, clearly enlivened by the Spirit of God, and strengthened by his Lord, his parish, and his family and friends. The memoir vividly recounts how the dedicated, well-traveled life of “Father Mike” Kosak has touched many people in the Virgin Islands and throughout the Caribbean region, as well as in several African countries. His firsthand account, spanning more than 80 years, captures the heart and soul of one man’s journey -- a journey well taken.