‘Life Is Everything’

Jan. 28, 2026

The Steciak family’s commitment to life led them on a personal journey to care for the most vulnerable, including founding a children’s hospice in Kielce, Poland

By Jarosław Herman

Jan. 28, 2026

Michał Steciak, a member of St. John Bosco Council 16266 in Rembieszyce, Poland, and his wife, Angelika, stand with their children, Piotr and Marysia, on June 11, 2021. The Steciaks were named the Order’s International Family of the Year for 2021 for their pro-life witness and dedication to adoption. (Photo by Sebastian Nycz)

The pro-life cause is often associated with protests and legislative efforts — and rightly so. But for some who defend life, witnessing to human dignity also takes a deeply personal form: through quiet professional dedication, creativity, and the demanding work of raising a family.

Michał and Angelika Steciak, named the Knights of Columbus International Family of the Year at the 139th Supreme Convention in 2021, embody this witness. Faced with infertility, they opened their hearts to adoption and welcomed a son with Down syndrome. The couple went on to establish a children’s hospice in Kielce, Poland. Angelika now coordinates the hospice’s work, and Michał — a Knight and professional singer — contributes as a volunteer.

‘HE WAS WAITING FOR US’

Having children was not easy for Michał and Angelika. Less than two months after they were married in October 2011, Angelika was rushed to surgery in severe pain. Doctors discovered a cyst near one of her ovaries, and both had to be removed.

“It was a very difficult operation, life-threatening,” Michał recalled. “The doctors managed to save her, but then came the diagnosis that we would never be biological parents.”

While discerning whether adoption was right for them, the Steciaks became actively involved in their parish. They started a Bible study group with the help of the pastor, and in 2015, Michał joined St. John Bosco Council 16266 in Rembieszyce.

In 2020, after qualifying as adoptive parents, the Steciaks received the inspiration they had been praying for during a meeting in Kraków with a pro-life speaker.

“She asked, ‘If you love children so much, if you pray so hard for the unborn and for those born with disabilities, why don’t you give them a home? Why don’t you give them the love you could offer so they can feel loved too?’” Michał recalled. Two days later, they received a life-changing phone call.

“We learned about a boy, Piotr, who had been rejected by nine families before us,” Michał said. “They didn’t even want to hear his history. We felt that this was our son — that he was waiting for us.”

Piotr was born with Down syndrome. The Steciaks learned that had his biological mother known about the genetic condition during pregnancy, she likely would have chosen abortion.

“Nine families didn’t want him,” Michał said. “But for us — he is our miracle.”

Adopting Piotr, and later their daughter Marysia, transformed the Steciaks’ lives.

“Piotr has no filter,” Michał said. “He talks to everyone, high-fives everyone, laughs with everyone.”

‘THEIR CHILD HAS A NAME’

The Steciaks’ commitment to life didn’t stop at their own doorstep. Their desire to support others facing difficult prenatal diagnoses led them to found a children’s wing at the St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta Hospice in Kielce, operated by Caritas of the Diocese of Kielce. The couple settled on the idea during a pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of St. Pio of Pietrelcina in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.

“We entrusted the work to Padre Pio,” Michał said. “We asked him to help us expand hospice care to a new space [for children].”

Michał Steciak stands with his son, Piotr, while addressing Knights and others during a family picnic organized by the Knights of Columbus in Miechów, Poland, on Sept. 10, 2025.

Caritas provided the institutional support and the physical space — two rooms within an existing facility — allowing the Steciaks to focus on renovations and assembling a dedicated medical staff.

Brother Knights from Council 16266 and Fr. Maciej Miechowita Council 18320 in Miechów stepped in to renovate the facility, painting walls and upgrading electrical wiring.

The children’s hospice officially opened in July 2024, and in October 2025 a home hospice service was launched to provide medical and palliative support to young patients in the comfort of their homes.

A perinatal hospice program was also established in April 2025 to serve parents who receive a fatal prenatal diagnosis. From the moment of diagnosis, families receive free consultations with neonatologists and psychologists to help them prepare for both the birth and the anticipated death of their child — ensuring that each child is welcomed with dignity and love, no matter how short his or her life may be.

“A woman who chooses abortion often has no way to put her life back together after that loss,” Angelika said. “Our families can live through the grief [of losing a child]. They can remember their children in a natural way. They know their child has a name, was baptized, has dignity, is written in the memory of their hearts, and has preceded them on the way to heaven.”

Angelika, who serves as the hospice coordinator, is often the first point of contact for families facing the unimaginable.

“Patients leave the hospital after hearing, ‘You have a child who will live a month, two, maybe a year,’” Angelika explained. “They leave completely broken, without any hope.”

While acknowledging the gravity of such diagnoses, she emphasizes that medical predictions are not always accurate. “No one has the right to say, ‘Your child will live half a year,’ because you don’t know that,” she said.

Angelika’s role is to provide a safety net for these families — medical, psychological and spiritual.

“Suddenly, the family feels important, noticed at last,” Angelika said. “Systemically, they are often unnoticed — or there is simply no space for them.”

“Some are afraid or ashamed to tell their family [about the diagnosis],” she added. “But once they enter into this and hear what we can do, how we can accompany them, there is such a sense of relief. After a few meetings, there is a sudden awakening: ‘Why didn’t we call sooner?’”

Paweł Kozieł, a member of St. John Bosco Council 16266 in Rembieszyce, delivers essential supplies to the St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta Hospice in Kielce, Poland, in December 2025. Knights from across Poland support the facility by collecting hygiene products, food and medical equipment for the young patients.

A WELCOMING SPACE

The hospice has become a focal point for the charitable efforts of local Knights. Michał — who was a contestant on the reality talent show The Voice of Poland — uses his talent as a professional tenor to travel to parishes throughout the country, give concerts, share his family’s testimony, and raise awareness among Knights and parishioners about the hospice’s work.

The Poland State Council has officially taken the hospice under its patronage, helping coordinate support across the country. Many councils organize collections for essential supplies such as diapers and cleaning products, while larger fundraising efforts help purchase medical equipment.

St. Marcin Council 14566 in Myszyniec has hosted family picnics the past two years, raising more than $6,000 in support of the hospice. Council 18320 organized a family picnic last September, collecting more than $14,000 for the cause.

The impact of the Knights’ support is evident in the stories of the patients. One baby, Nikodem, came under the care of the home hospice in January 2024, before the inpatient facility opened.

After being discharged from the hospital, Nikodem’s family was referred to the home hospice.

“We quickly found a nurse, and the state council purchased a suction machine specifically for this child,” Angelika said. “So the support of the Knights was there from the very beginning.”

Nikodem died in June 2024. Yet his time with his family was filled with love and dignity, made possible by the hospice’s care.

“Nikodem’s mom, whose son lived for five months, told me that those were difficult, but very beautiful months of their life,” Angelika said. “That time brought them closer as a married couple and as a family. Above all, it brought them closer to God.”

For Angelika, gratitude from the families is the ultimate validation of their work.

“The words of the families in those most difficult moments — ‘We were not alone’ — that’s the reward,” she said. “Every child teaches us something. We want to teach children about life, but our children teach us that life is everything.”

*****

JAROSŁAW HERMAN writes from Kraków, Poland.

‘Life Is Everything’

‘HE WAS WAITING FOR US’

‘THEIR CHILD HAS A NAME’

A WELCOMING SPACE

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