 a really little trophy for his fishing feat. |
from the ice of
Saskatchewan
to the waters of
the Indian Ocean
On Jan. 4, 2005 in an ice house on the frozen waters of Tobin Lake in Saskatchewan, Father Mariusz Zajak was doing what he often does while fishing. He was praying "The Magnificat" (Luke 1:46-55). He was also jigging with a Five of Diamonds spoon tipped with a minnow when he got what he called "the nibble."
That nibble resulted in a 36.5-inch long, 22.5-inch-in-girth, 18.3-pound walleye. It broke the Saskatchewan provincial record by .24 pounds and set the ice fishing world record for walleye according to the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame.
newspaper report on the catch in the Nipawin Journal, quoted Father Mariusz as saying, "I always pray when I fish, including the times when my brother priest and I are fishing in Poland. We'll sing and praise the Lord and sing 'The Magnificat' when we catch a fish."
McLane was only the first media person to take notice of the big walleye and the story behind it. There were many others, both in the United States and Canada.
He did a CTV television interview broadcast across Canada and there was a front-page Saskatoon Star Phoenix article. He was featured in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and his catch was reported in Toronto and Edmonton newspapers. Zajac did radio show interviews with CBC in Canada and a station in Minnesota. He was contacted by a number of fishing magazines about his catch and e-mails came in from all across North America.
Frankly, it was a lot of publicity for the Catholic priest serving parishes in Carrot River, Nipawin and Choiceland. And frankly, too, he wasn't sure quite what to do with it until he learned about the troubles of Indian Ocean fishermen in the wake of the Dec. 26, 2004 tsunami that hit there. Maybe he could use his new media pulpit to help those fishermen.
His interviews began to include talk of a relief fund asking fishermen in the United States and Canada to help the fishermen of India purchase fishing equipment to replace what was lost in the tsunami. He set up an account at the local credit union in Carrot River to accept donations. He contacted Catholic priests in India already involved in relief work with the fishermen there.
The end result was the Tsunami Fishermen Relief Fund to help purchase boats, nets and fishing equipment. The single criteria that would determine who received relief was the need for it. It is not a religious relief fund. It is inter-faith for fishermen of all religions to help put their lives back together.
In the end, Father Mariusz was really happy about catching that huge walleye. But he admitted he'd be happier still if that big fish caught in Saskatchewan wound up helping fishermen of the Indian Ocean to rebuild their lives and catch even more fish there.
If you want to help, here's where to send your donations:
Carrot River & District Credit Union
Box 639
Carrot River, SK S0E 0L0
CANADA
canmartyrs@sasktel.net