As unexpected as his appointment to the episcopacy was, Auxiliary Bishop Witold Mroziewski is used to the changes that come with a commitment to serve God and His people.

Soon after being ordained a priest in his native Poland, Auxiliary Bishop Witold Mroziewski was sent to the U.S. to minister to Polish immigrants. The estimated time of his ministry – about five years – turned into 22 years in a diocese that he has poured himself into with loving dedication.

“I was ordained and the next year I came to the great Diocese of Brooklyn. I have felt so accepted and it is joyful to serve the people of God in this place,” he said with a smile.

And his family, parishioners and those who have worked with him could not be more happy or confident that he would be a great bishop.

“He is a people’s person. He loves to meet with all kind of people from different nationalities,” said Martyna Mroziewski, bishop-elect’s niece. “Being a bishop will be another way for him to express this.”

Like those who know him, Martyna described him as a friendly and positive person who gives his time to others.

“His positivity and motivation is reflected in everything he does, being my uncle or a priest for the entire diocese,” she said. “He would be a bishop who is open and listens to everybody. He is a person who is first for the church.”

Edward Wawrynek, a longtime parishioner of Our Lady of Czestochowa who has known Father Mroziewski since he was a parochial vicar, said the day of his appointment was a happy day for the diocese and the parish who counts him as one of its own.

“When we heard the news, we were incredible surprised and delighted. I could not think of a more able priest and a more committed person to the Catholic Church,” he said.

The appointment of Bishop Mroziewski, members of the Polish community said, is a great honor for all Polish-Americans and all recent immigrants.

“We have a lot of cultural pride that he would represent us,” said Teresa Ornas, lay ecclesial minister at Holy Cross, Maspeth. “But as he told us, he represents all people of God.”

Father Dariusz Blicharz, parochial vicar at Holy Cross, says that the bishop’s pastoral experience as parochial vicar and then pastor means that he has always worked side by side with the people.

The priest, who worked with Bishop Mroziewski for seven years, first at Our Lady of Czestochowa-St. Casimir, Sunset Park, and now at Holy Cross, said all the things he does – adding spontaneous elements to devotional observances, meeting with parish groups, teaching youths and children ­– show his pastoral thinking and his ability to connect with younger generations and to be open to their needs. “He does all these so we can grow up faithfully,” he said.

Wawrynek recalled how the priest encouraged him to be more involved at the parish.

“I had attended the parish since I was 10 years old and never participated in anything but the Mass and he somehow convinced me to be a lector at the English Mass,” he said. “And to join the lay council. He was very persuasive.”

“He will be a dynamic bishop who spreads the word of Christ and the message of the main bishop effectively and devoutly,” he added.

Alina Kwasnicka, a trustee of Our Lady of Czestochowa who first met the bishop in 1993, said she is proud to see the man he has become.

“He came barely two years after ordination, a very young priest. … It is almost like seeing a child grow,” she said. “We feel proud and excited. I think it is great and is deserving; and this will bring a lot of good for the diocese and for us. Being a polish priest, the polish community is happy about it.”

Ornas said that the bishop “is the most humble, unassuming servant of God and he would never change.” “He would be the same person he was as a pastor and a priest. This is who he is.”

His parishioners at Holy Cross joke that as long as he remains their pastors, they are happy to share him with the diocese.

“He has been very empowering for the lay people,” she added. “And he thanks each individual person for their service, whether they are lectors or somebody who wishes to clean the church or take care of the linens. He is willing to accept and encourage people to use their gifts.”

As soon as the news spread about his appointment, dozens of Holy Cross parishioners started preparing for the daily evening Mass. More than 20 Polish and polish American priests from the diocese also joined in to celebrate his appointment and offer support.

“It was a surprise for me that they came and prayed with me around the altar,” Bishop Mroziewski said. “That was a great sign of, I would say, thoughtfulness and also a great feeling of the church’s community, of Holy Cross and the fraternity from the priests.”