Not many people can say they’ve seen Gandhi in person or met Mother Teresa.
Brother Bruno Karpinski can: he saw Gandhi in India and met Mother Teresa on three separate occasions.
With a life spent working as a missionary for over 40 years, many people who know the brother think he should write a book about his experiences.
However, Brother Karpinski now quietly spends retirement in Colombiere Center continuing the spiritual journey he embarked on during the 1940s.
Nestled in the Jesuit Community home on the 400- plus acre Colombiere Center on Big Lake Road, Karpinski spends much of his day in a shop producing religious crafts to sell at churches in the Metro-Detroit area.
In 1947, before becoming involved with the Jesuits, Karpinski, went to enlist in the Navy.
‘I hitchhiked to Buffalo to join the Navy. The recruiting officer looked at me and said go home and eat,? said Karpinski, a first generation Polish-American.
Shortly afterwards, Karpinski, raised religious by his Polish parents, visited a sister he knew at a Benedictine convent. That visit resulted in meeting a Jesuit brother who inspired Karpinski. A few days later with a small bag of possessions, he traveled to a seminary in Milford, Ohio.
From Milford, Karpinski would land in India, where he spent over 40 years working between there and Nepal.
Today, among nearly 50 retired priests, Brother Karpinski continues his service producing and selling religious artifacts.
The artifacts range from rosaries made from Chinese bamboo to glossy frames of iconic religious figures and paintings. Currently, Pope John Paul II is a customer favorite.
The popular glossy frames are made by pasting a reprinted picture or painting on an adequate piece of wood with rubber cement. Once the cement dries, Karpinski spreads a glossy substance called KraftKote over the picture with a spoon. The gloss is actually made up of two types of KraftKote substances mixed at a certain concentration.
‘Some people use a brush, but I like the spoon. There’s no waste of material,? said Karpinski.
With the picture glossed, a unique but curiously strong border is often added to each piece.
‘I take used coffee grounds and mix them with Elmer’s wood glue which creates a hard border. You have to use a file to knock it off,? said Karpinski.
When an opportunity presents itself, Brother Karpinski relies on local volunteer Tom Lyman to drive him to nearby parishes to sell the religious products.
In keeping with his vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, 25 percent of Karpinski’s proceeds go to the church where the sales are made and the remaining 75 percent goes to the Jesuit community at Colombiere.
Even at age 85, Karpinski’s devotion to the vows continues to dictate his decisions. The vow of poverty influences daily activities.
‘I go fishing most evenings on Deer Lake. I have permission from my superior to purchase worms. I took the vow of poverty and can’t have many possessions,? said Karpinski.
The impact of such a life-style is not lost on Lyman.
‘They’ve (the retired Jesuits) been all over the world for 50 years and the only possessions they have are in their rooms and those are mostly pictures,? said Lyman. ‘He doesn’t want a credit card and doesn’t own anything. He really didn’t even want a phone.?
Even at a time when many people would look back on a long missionary career and relax, Karpinski continues on as much as his age allows.
All the years of working as a brother provided Karpinski with insights about many things including his own life.
‘I’m happy. Happiness is having nothing and depending completely on the Lord. I don’t worry, I don’t buy things,? said Karpinski. ‘Depend on Christ. If you depend on him for everything you’re happy. If someone laughs at you, that’s life.?
For more information on the religious artifacts, or if you are interested in volunteering at Colombiere, call the Jesuit Community in Colombiere at 248-620-2572.