Today, “Colombiere is a place to gather to support one another,” Fr. Bukala says. “It’s a community of love. While we may not be in the fields anymore, we still do what we can, and we share our common experiences.”

For Fr. Bukala, those experiences took place largely at John Carroll University (JCU) — where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and to which he returned in 1970 to teach philosophy, serve as chaplain to campus groups, and more. His homecoming to JCU began a journey that impacted generations of students and alumni — through learning as well as lifelong friendships.

While teaching, he says the best part about his job was “getting to meet and know students, who became alumni … I’ve taught sons and daughters of former students, celebrated many weddings, and baptized many of their children.”

Those students valued getting to meet and know Fr. Bukala as well. In a jovial, caring style, he challenged those in his classes to take what philosophers had to say and develop personal responses, learning about themselves in the process. He also encouraged them to learn from each other by sharing common experiences – much like he does today with his Jesuit brothers.

As such, he continues to live out his trademark phrase: “Who I am is related to who I am yet to become.”

Father Bukala is also known for his passion on the topic of forgiveness. He created an “Ethics of Forgiveness” class and the Bukala Forgiveness Initiative at JCU.edu. “As we live our lives, it’s necessary to let go of many things, especially the bad,” he explains. “We’re all pretty much the same in being vulnerable. And hurts can impact us in a way that changes our lives forever. Yet with understanding and support, we can also come to understand that we don’t have to let these hurts fester within us, that we can let them go.”

Emphasizing that forgiveness is a gift the forgiver offers to him or herself, at least as much as it is to the forgiven person, Fr. Bukala also believes that sharing one’s stories is instrumental in healing. “Hopefully, everyone can find comfort and relief from the negative baggage they carry in life by sharing their stories,” he says. “A part of us dies when we hurt someone or are hurt by someone, as well as when we don’t forgive ourselves or others. There is no future without forgiveness.”