Thirty-four-year-old Fr. Tomasz Dzida of the Society of Christ for Polish Migrants suffered a massive stroke while on pilgrimage with members of his religious community in Jordan Saturday, Aug. 27. Dzida was rushed to Al Khalidi Hospital and Medical Centre in Amman, Jordan but never regained consciousness. By Tuesday morning Dzida’s religious superiors had asked people to pray for a miracle.

“Because only a miracle can save him. From a medical point of view, there’s no hope,” Our Lady Queen of Poland pastor Fr. Adam Bobola told The Catholic Register.

The last two months Dzida had been almost constantly on pilgrimage. In July he led a group of 30 young parishioners from Toronto on pilgrimage to Krakow, Poland for World Youth Day. He returned at the beginning of August to lead one of three groups of walking pilgrims in the annual Polish trek to the Martyrs’ Shrine in Midland, Ont. The Midland pilgrimage ended Aug. 14, but Dzidic was again on pilgrimage Aug. 21. He flew to Tel Aviv to begin a Holy Land pilgrimage to Israel and Jordan with members of his religious congregation.

He was due to return to Toronto Sept. 2 to resume duties as associate pastor at Our Lady Queen of Poland.

Dzida had been active in youth and family ministry at his new parish over the last year. He was also active on the parish Facebook page.

He had come to Our Lady Queen of Poland after two years at Divine Mercy Polish Mission in Lombard, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. His ministry and education through his 20s had all been in Poland.

Dzida’s congregation, the Society of Christ, has about 500 members serving expatriate Polish communities all over the world. In the Archdiocese of Toronto the religious order operates Our Lady Queen of Poland in Scarborough and St. Hedwig’s in Oshawa.