Parishioners remember the witness of Redemptorists priests

This January two retired and beloved Redemptorist priests residing in our archdiocese passed away.

On January 21st, Fr. Albert Sterzer, CSsR passed away at 89 years old. And just a few days later on January 29th, Fr. Rajmund Dorawa, CSsR passed away at age 75.

Both Fr. Albert and Fr. Rajmund served in the archdiocese for many years, with their final assignments before retirement being with St. Joseph Church in Grande Prairie. Fr. Albert’s funeral was held on January 27th and Fr. Rajmund’s funeral was held on February 3rd at St. Joseph Church.

The priests leave behind an important legacy in the region. Though they have now moved beyond this mortal coil, the memory and impact of their lives continue here on earth in the hearts of the parishioners and fellow priests who knew them.

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Fr. Albert Sterzer was born on August 1, 1936. He came from a devoted religious family, with many of his relatives having taken the path of religious life. Fr. Albert followed suite, but discerned his vocation with an order none of his relatives had – the Congregation of the Holy Redeemer. He entered the novitiate with the Redemptorists in 1956 and was ordained a priest on June 23rd, 1963.

Reflecting on his life of witness, St. Joseph pastor Fr. Ed Eherer, CSsR emphasized that Fr. Albert’s life could rightly be described as a lifelong response to God’s call.

“Once he was convinced of God’s call and God’s providence, he would follow through to the end,” Fr. Ed said, during his homily at Fr. Albert’s requiem Mass. “He was a stellar example of what it means to bring good news to the poor, to have CSsR after one’s name.

“We thank him for his service; he was a good mentor to many of us.”

Fr. Albert himself emphasized how much the call to serve God was the central mission of his life. As he noted in a 1996 interview: “The greatest influence on my life was the all-encompassing conviction that happiness in this life would be achieved only by doing what God wanted me to do. … When it became clear to me that being a Redemptorist is what God wanted me to do, I followed that prompting. So far I have not been disappointed.”

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Parishioner Ray Biggs was a faithful visitor and helper to Fr. Albert in his final years, as his health struggles intensified. But even as those struggles grew, Ray notes that Fr. Albert never lost his humility or his sense of humour.

“I remember one Mass where, because he had started to lose some of his memory, he had lost his way a bit in the order of the Mass,” Ray recalled. “But he just paused, laughed and said ‘Now where were we?’ He didn’t take himself too seriously.

“As well, I remember when I took him to get re-assessed for his driving. And even though he passed his driving test, he said to me that he realized he was no longer safe on the road, and it was time to give up driving. To me, that really spoke of his character.”

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Only a few days after Fr. Albert’s passing, the other retired Redemptorist priest in the archdiocese, Fr. Rajmund Dorawa, also passed away. At that time, he was residing at Pearson Place Care Home in Hythe, about one hour outside of Grande Prairie.

At Fr. Rajmund’s funeral, some noted that there was a something symbolic in the two priests passing one after the other, for Fr. Albert was the man who first welcomed this Polish priest to Canada.

Fr. Rajmund was born in Inowrocław, Poland on August 25th, 1950 and ordained a priest on June 17th, 1976. He arrived in Canada in April of 1979 to study English as a second language, and was first appointed associate pastor in St. Joseph Church in Grande Prairie from 1980 to 1982. He returned again to serve as an associate pastor in Grande Prairie in 2014.

Grande Prairie parishioner Beata Bator notes that when Fr. Rajmund came to serve in Grande Prairie, it was especially a blessing to the local Polish community, as he would celebrate an annual Polish Mass in Webster for them each year.

“We cherished every opportunity to spend time with Father Rajmund,” said Beata. “He was genuinely interested in our family life and always prayed for our intentions. Six years ago, when Mirosław and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary, he gave us a beautiful blessing that we will never forget. When he became ill and was confined to his home, we visited him regularly—bringing pizza, sitting together, and talking about life. Those simple moments meant so much.”

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This is only an excerpt. Read the full story in the March 2026 edition of Northern Light