Priests

Fr. Edward Estok
Pastor		 Father Edward Estok was named by Bishop Lennon as pastor of St. Albert the Great Church effective June 15, 2009. 

Fr Estok was born on 5/17/58 and was ordained a priest on January 12, 1985. His assignments include:

  • Parochial Vicar, St. Bridget Church, Parma, from January 29, 1985 to June 16, 1988
  • Team Ministry member at St. Monica Church in Garfield Heights from June 16, 1988 to May 1, 1995
  • Coordinator of St. Monica's Team, May 1, 1995 to July 5, 1996
  • Parochial Vicar, St. William, Euclid, July 5, 1996 to June 17, 1997
  • Director of Continuing Education and Formation of Ministers, in residence at St. Dominic, Shaker Heights, from June 17, 1997 to June 8, 2004
  • Administrative Assistant to the Bishop, in residence at Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, from July 1, 2000 to June 15, 2009
  • Administrator, Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist from April 11, 2002 to August 3, 2004
  • Rector, Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist from August 3, 2004 to June 15, 2009
  • Auditor/Assessor, Tribunal, 1988

Fr. John Viall
Pastor Emeritus

 Father John L. Viall was born in Sandusky, Ohio.  When he was three years old, his family moved to Akron, Ohio, where he grew up and attended elementary school in St. Martha Parish.  In 1948 the Viall family, father, mother, and brother James, moved to Cuyahoga Falls.  By that time he was attending Akron-St. Vincent High School, graduating in1950.  After deciding upon the priesthood as a vocation, he attended St. Gregory Seminary in Cincinnati, Borromeo Seminary, and St. Mary Seminary. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Cleveland on May 23, 1959, in a class of nineteen men, by Bishop Floyd Begin, in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Cleveland.  Father Viall’s first assignment was to St. Augustine Parish in Barberton, Ohio, a downtown parish of about 1200 families.  After five years Father Viall was transferred to Sts. Philip and James Parish on Cleveland’s West Side, populated by middle-class working people. In 1972 he was assigned to St. William’s Parish in Euclid.  In 1976 he was called to take over St. Albert the Great Parish in North Royalton from the retiring pastor, Father Anthony Winters, and arrived for his new responsibilities on June 24, 1976.  Coming from St. William’s, a city parish, to such a rural area was quite a change for Father Viall, who previously had not even seen North Royalton.  Father Viall has served diligently, and has seen the parish grow from 1100 families in 1976, to its present 5,000 families, with a school of over 800 children, a 1500 seat church, and Eucharistic Chapel.  He retired after 33 years as pastor of St. Albert the Great Parish on June 15, 2009, and 50 years as a priest.
Fr. Thomas Pajk
Parochial Vicar		 Fr. Tom Pajk (pronounced "Pike") is a new priest for our parish, but he is also a unique person with a personal biography and a ministry history that makes him distinct from other priests who have served us.  Born in 1945 and ordained in 1987, this assignment is Fr. Pajk's seventh.  He was born on Cleveland's east side, attended St. Casimir school, Benedictine H.S., the Ohio State University, and Cleveland State, St Mary Seminary, and John Carroll Graduate Schools.  He has three Masters Degrees (Biology, Theology, and Counseling) and is a veteran of the U.S. Army.  His dad is still living and is 97 years old, he also has a brother and his family in Fairlawn.  His mother and a younger brother are deceased.  Fr. Pajk is new to St. Albert and he brings a fresh perspective on life, faith, church, and the priesthood.  Personal warmth, service to others, and the ability to see God in others are hallmarks of this uniquely experienced parish priest.
Fr. Charles Butkowski
Parochial Vicar		 Fr. Chuck Butkowski was ordained on May 21 (the day before his 32nd birthday), Fr. Butkowski hails from North Ridgeville where his Mom and Dad still live.  A St. Edward H. S. Graduate, Fr. Butkowski went to Eastern Michigan University on a football scholarship and, as a business major, he worked in industry for awhile before entering the seminary.  At his First Mass of Thanksgiving at his home parish of St. Peter where he went to grade school, Fr. Butkowski mentioned that our "relationship to God is rooted in faith and trust."  He encouraged all of us to join him in "dwelling in God's mansion in our hearts where God has chosen to dwell with us.".  Everything is pretty new to Fr. Butkowski and he is completely new to all of us. His fresh take on faith, priesthood, and parish life will open all of our eyes to the light and love of Christ, the Good Shepherd. This newness in priestly ministry will greatly affect the leadership of our parish.  The wisdom of the Church in transferring priests brings us fresh and new insights to the Word of God, the Truth of Jesus Christ, and the experience of Christ the Good Shepherd. Lets welcome this newness.
Fr. Albert Tesek
In Residence		 Father Albert J. Tesek was born in Cleveland and attended St. Ignatius and St. Vincent DePaul grade schools and St. Ignatius High School. He graduated from St. Ignatius in June, 1944.  He attended his first and second years of college at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit and then came to St. Mary’s Seminary in Cleveland the last six years of preparation for the priesthood.  He was ordained on April 28, 1951, by Archbishop Edward F. Hoban at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in downtown Cleveland. Father Tesek was assigned to St. Boniface Parish after ordination and five years later was transferred to St. Catherine Parish on East 93rd near Union Avenue.  After five more years, he was sent to St. Robert Bellarmine Parish in Euclid.  After completing five years at that assignment, he went to Annunciation Parish on West 139 St., and remained there for a little over a year, when the Bishop sent him to St. Justin Martyr Parish in Eastlake.  From there he went to Christ the King Parish in East Cleveland. Father Tesek’s next assignment was a team coordinator on the pastoral team at St. Monica Church in Garfield Heights.  In 1980 Bishop James F. Hickey asked Father Tesek to become Clergy Personnel Director in the Diocese of Cleveland.  This was a five-year assignment, but after two years Bishop Anthony Pilla gave him the additional assignment of Secretary for Services to Clergy and Religious Personnel of the Diocese, without relinquishing his other assignment.  He finished seven years as Secretary in June, 1989, at which time Bishop Pilla assigned him as Associate to St. Albert the Great Parish. After his retirement in 1997 he continued to reside at St. Albert the Great, providing whatever services needed.