WYANDOTTE — Fr. George Kowalski was known in the Downriver community as an “old-fashioned, traditional Polish priest,” always ready to hear confessions and celebrate Mass at a moment's notice.
The Polish-born priest served as pastor of St. Helena Parish in Wyandotte for five years and was a familiar face for Our Lady of the Scapular parishioners in the later years of his life.
Fr. Kowalski died Jan. 30. He was 96.
George Kowalski was born Feb. 15, 1925, to Andrew and Adela (Zawistoska) Kowalski in Helenowo, Poland, one of 11 children. Fr. Kowalski was ordained a priest in Krakow, Poland, on June 29, 1956.
After Fr. Kowalski came to the United States, he served as an associate pastor at St. Aloysius Parish, Romulus (1972-76), Our Lady Queen of Apostles, Hamtramck (1976-78), and St. Bartholomew, Detroit (1978-79).
Fr. Kowalski was incardinated into the Archdiocese of Detroit by Cardinal John F. Dearden on May 17, 1979, continuing to serve as an associate pastor at St. Mel, Dearborn Heights (1979-82), Our Lady of Good Counsel, Plymouth (1982-87), and St. Cletus, Warren (1987-89).
Fr. Kowalski was named pastor of St. Helena Parish in Wyandotte in 1994, while also serving as chaplain of Henry Ford-Wyandotte General Hospital from 1989-95. Fr. Kowalski stayed at St. Helena until his retirement in 1998, but also was often seen around in the Downriver community.
“I first met him when I came to Our Lady of the Scapular, and he said, ‘I’m going to be helping you,’ so he did,” Fr. Mark Borkowski told Detroit Catholic. “He heard confessions here, concelebrated Masses here.”
Fr. Borkowski described Fr. Kowalski as a very old-school Polish priest with a dry, perhaps at times hard-to-understand sense of humor.
“He was able to keep a straight face when telling a joke or carrying on a trick on you,” Fr. Borkowski said. “He always kept a bottle of water on him for when he got thirsty, but he once joked with me saying it was vodka, and I could never really tell if he was being serious or not. He liked to tell jokes, but wasn’t very good at them.”
Fr. Kowalski also served as chaplain of the Downriver Club Polonia, a group of Polish natives who celebrated Polish culture in the area, with Fr. Kowalski offering invocation at their events.
Fr. Borkowski described Fr. Kowalski as a no-nonsense, dedicated priest, offering reverent liturgies, always being there for confessions and surprising him right before Mass started by saying he was going to concelebrate.
Beyond his devotion of being a “priest’s priest,” Fr. Kowalski was a frugal man, giving much of his salary to the St. Helena, and later Our Lady of the Scapular, communities.
“It was very fitting that his one pastoral assignment was this old-time Polish church at St. Helena, because that’s who he was, an old-time Polish priest,” Fr. Borkowski said.
Visitation for Fr. Kowalski will take place at Our Lady of the Scapular Parish, 976 Pope John Paul II, Wyandotte from 5-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 10; 10 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. with Mass at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 11; and on Saturday from 9 a.m. until his funeral Mass at 10 a.m. Burial will be in Mount Carmel Cemetery, Wyandotte.
Fr. Kowalski is predeceased by his parents, Andrew and Adela, and his six brothers and four sisters.
Copy Permalink
