Body of Christ

From being a sacristan to feeding the hungry, serving Mass to coaching girls basketball and providing regular Communion Services to seniors, Erv Lesczynski has done it all at Holy Family Parish in Fond du Lac. This year, he again joins dozens of other parishioners to make Bethlehem come to life in the biannual indoor Living Nativity on Sunday, Dec. 7.

  • Born and raised in Athens, Wisconsin, Lesczynski grew up on a dairy farm, attended St. Anthony Catholic Grade School and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a degree in soil science.
  • He worked for the USDA’s Soil Conservation Service for 39 years before retiring in 2006, and continues to work part time for the Land and Water Conservation Department in Fond du Lac County.
  • Leszczynski moved to Fond du Lac in 1975 and joined Sacred Heart Parish, which later became part of Holy Family. He has served the parish in many ways, including serving on the Human Concerns Committee.

How did you come to study soil science in college?

I became very interested in that type of work because I grew up on an 80-acre dairy farm. Especially when I was in high school, my interests began to be steered toward the use of the land and how our soil and water resources need to be protected.

How does your work in conservation interact with your Catholic faith?

Well, our soil and water resources — we only have those once. The Earth was created for us, for our use, but it’s got to be here for a lot of folks, for however many generations are going to come. So, it’s extremely important that we protect our natural resources.

What was it like growing up on a dairy farm?

There’s a lot of long, hard work to get things done, but it turned out to be a very rewarding way to grow up. The work ethic we learned from Mom and Dad was fantastic. They’re both my heroes, they really are. My mom and dad, sister and brother and I farmed those acres with about 15 to 20 cows until I was 18 years old. We were up early in the morning before school, and when we got home, we did farm work until we had to do our studies and go to bed and start it over the next day. Oftentimes on Sunday mornings, we attended the 5 a.m. Mass before we would come back to do the farm work.

So, the Catholic faith was always a big part of your life, then?

It really has, and I have to thank my mom and dad for that. I started serving Mass in second grade, and I did that because they encouraged me to. I didn’t think about it when I was growing up, but as time went on, all the things they did for their religion literally rubbed off on the three of us kids.

Who will you be playing in the Living Nativity this year?

I play what’s called a “gift-bearer” to one of the Three Kings, and I carry gold down the aisle, just prior to the king coming down the center aisle with the camels.

What is it like to take part in that huge production, with all those live animals?

I am always totally amazed how this production is put together and that it comes off with literally not a problem. I don’t know how many people are involved, but it’s in the dozens and dozens — all the choirs are put together — and I think the neatest thing is the looks on people’s faces, especially young kids, when they see the camels come down the main aisle. They just cannot believe it. The church is always absolutely packed — moms and dads, kids, grandpas and grandmas.

What are your main interests and hobbies?

One of my favorite hobbies is golf. I’m a social golfer — when I go golfing, it has to be with other folks. I’m also a big fan of NASCAR racing and have been since the early ’60s. When I was in grade school, before the bus came to pick us up from school, we had the opportunity to go down to the local pharmacy once a month, and I would hope to have enough money to buy the racing magazine, and I read it from cover to cover. I still love racing today — I love it more than I did back then.

Have you ever been to a race?

A group of us have been to the Brickyard 400, which is in Indianapolis, probably six or seven times. But my greatest “accomplishment” in racing is when I had the opportunity, with two others, back in about 2010, to drive a NASCAR race car down at Chicagoland Speedway. It’s one of the greatest things I’ve ever done.

What are you thankful for this year?

Not just this year but every year, I’m thankful for great friends and family. Because we’re all scattered around different states, one of the things we do as a family is we all get together for a week somewhere in the United States for a family reunion — my sister, my late brother’s wife, nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews. We try to find a place that everybody will enjoy.

What has been the coolest place you visited?

Everybody had a blast two years ago when we had the opportunity to go to the Grand Teton National Park for a week. We rented two houses, saw deer and elk and everything, right outside our buildings.