My Story

Fr. Derek Sakowski is a priest in the Diocese of La Crosse, WI, ordained in 2003. After teaching for five years, he spent four years in Rome earning his doctorate in Ecclesiology. He dedicated eleven years as the Pastor of St. Mary and St. Raymond parishes.

 

Since 2017, Fr. Derek has been on quite a journey of spiritual and emotional healing. As he explored the areas of deep pain in his life with curiosity and compassion, he recognized how shame-fueled perfectionism and "spiritual bypass" were long-running coping mechanisms against areas of his life that had been too overwhelming to address. 

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Understanding that true leadership requires personal vulnerability, Fr. Derek has been committed to ongoing training in addictions and trauma since 2020. His goal is to foster compassionate curiosity about personal stories of hurt and acknowledge the inaccuracies in our self-narratives. The deeper he engaged with his own experiences, the more he discovered how to create a safe space for others to find meaning in their pain and struggles.

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In addition to guiding participants on Grief to Grace retreats, Fr. Derek serves as the Director of the "Rebuild My Church" Initiative for the Diocese of La Crosse, which focuses on renewing priests through integral human formation and healing.

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Fr. Derek enjoys hiking, nature, nerdy board games, and deep conversations. Middle Earth and Narnia feel like second homes to him. He is a sucker for 80’s nostalgia, and absolutely loves the TV series Psych.​​

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Follow Fr. Derek's insights into healing and the spiritual life at Abiding In Love and Truth - A Blog by Fr. Derek Sakowski