By Antonina Zielinska

The Diocese of Brooklyn and Father Dariusz Blicharz made it official June 28 at a small ceremony in the chapel at diocesan headquarters in Park Slope.

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio officially welcomed the Polish-born priest into the diocesan clergy through incardination, a process that allows a priest to change his diocese of affiliation. Father Blicharz has been ministering in New York for 15 years, and specifically in the Brooklyn Diocese since 2002. He was ordained and first served in Poland.

Radiating joy as he took the final steps before entering the chapel, he had a realization.

“I’m about to sign a document on the altar,” he said. “I have only done that twice before in my life: when I became a deacon and when I was ordained a priest.”

A canonical judge for the diocesan Tribunal and recently appointed parochial vicar of St. Matthias, Ridgewood, Father Blicharz promised his obedience to Bishop DiMarzio and his successors.

During his time in the U.S., he has worked at St. Stanislaus Kostka, S.I.; Epiphany, Manhattan; Our Lady of Czestochowa-St. Casimir, Sunset Park; St. Catharine of Alexandria, Borough Park; and Holy Cross, Maspeth.

Father Blicharz said it was an honor for him to officially bind himself to the brotherhood of priests in Brooklyn and Queens. He said that although he still treasures his family, friends and fellow priests in Poland, he now feels like he belongs here.

He originally came to the U.S. at the invitation of a priest friend to take his place as a canon lawyer and minister on Staten Island to Polish immigrants.

However, the young Polish priest soon caught the eye of then-Father Witold Mroziewski, who was the pastor of Our Lady of Czestochowa-St. Casimir. Father Mroziewski invited him to give a parish retreat and was impressed with the young canon lawyer.

“He has great values,” Auxiliary Bishop Mroziewski said at the reception celebrating Father Blicharz’s incardination. “He is willing to give everything to help others.”

Then-Father Mroziewski asked Father Blicharz’s bishop in Poland to release him from his current assignment and allow him to serve in Brooklyn.

“It was amazing,” Bishop Mroziewski said. “All the people loved him so much, especially the children whom he taught and prepared for the sacraments of reconciliation and First Communion and the children’s choir.”

Father Blicharz played the guitar for the children. A skill he picked up on a biking pilgrimage from Poland to Rome.

Although Father Blicharz attended technical high school to study mathematics and physics, he was very active in his home parish of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Bilgoraj. He used to attend a yearly 11-day walking pilgrimage to Our Lady of Czestochowa, the patroness of Poland. He said seeing people and priests from all over Poland join together to celebrate the feast of the Assumption made a strong impression on his young mind.

He entered the seminary after high school and was ordained with a class of 56 priests. He knew he may be called to serve somewhere far from home, but had not thought of the U.S. He had studied German, Russian, Italian and Latin but was completely unfamiliar with English. He served in parishes in Poland for 10 years.

When he came to Brooklyn, he met people from many different backgrounds and cultures. Although he could not at first minister to the general parish population through the sacraments, he wanted to give his presence. He said he learned a great deal from the Spanish-speaking parishioners at Our Lady of Czestochowa-St. Casimir.

“Language doesn’t connect us,” he said. “But what we want to do connects us. Faith connects us.”

Bishop DiMarzio expressed his gratitude for Father Blicharz’s priesthood, noting that there are about 90,000-100,000 Polish speakers in the diocese and an ever-present need for canon lawyers who speak Polish.

“We are happy to have him,” the bishop said.