WILNO – Soaking up the sun is a common summer activity, but Father Wojciech Blach of St. Mary’s and St. Casimir’s parishes will be soaking up memories of the valley before he departs for Brampton this fall.
Come September, Fr. Blach will be serving as pastor at St. Eugene de Mazenod Parish in Brampton.
St. Eugene de Mazenod is a particularly large Polish Catholic parish in Ontario, within the Archdiocese of Toronto. Though a relatively young church, St. Eugene de Mazenod serves a particularly large congregation, and was founded back in 1990 when it became clear that St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish could not meet the needs of the large Polish Catholic community living in Mississauga.
Though he looks forward to tending to another flock, Fr. Blach admitted he’ll have trouble saying goodbye to the parishes of St. Mary’s and St. Casimir’s.
“I have mixed feelings,” said Fr. Blach. “I do like it here…but that’s the life.”
Fr. Blach first came to Wilno a little over three years ago, and soon found himself fitting in with the vibrant community. The role of a parish priest, especially in such a close-knit community, led to heavy community involvement, something Fr. Blach greatly enjoyed and saw as part of his priestly life.
“I was just doing my job, that’s it,” laughed Fr. Blach.
The functions of a priest are many in such communities.
“We had different functions, fundraising, picnics,” explained Fr. Blach. “The Chicken Supper – it was nice to see how many parishoners were involved with that.”
Fr. Blach also added that the parish seemed to extend beyond its geographical boundaries, and that there is a wider family that continuously supports the parish.
Get your June 24, 2015 edition of The Valley Gazette to read the full story.