By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic
Photographer: FILE PHOTO
Father Edward F. Konopka, born July 23, 1919, ordained Oct. 26, 1945, died Feb. 27, 2016.
MIAMI | Archbishop Thomas Wenski will preside this Thursday, March 3, at the funeral Mass for Father Edward Konopka, 96, who died Feb. 27 after 70 years in the priesthood.
Father Konopka was a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit who came to South Florida after retiring from fulltime ministry in 1993. He helped out at St. Bernard Church in Sunrise from 1993 to 1997, and at Our Lady Queen of Heaven in North Lauderdale from 1998 to 2010.
His funeral Mass will be celebrated Thursday, March 3, at 11 a.m. at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, 1401 Coral Ridge Drive, Coral Springs. A viewing will precede the Mass, from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m., also in the church.
Burial will follow at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Cemetery, North Lauderdale.
Father Konopka was one of seven children born into a Polish family in Detroit, Mich., July 23, 1919. He entered Sacred Heart Seminary there while in high school and continued his studies for the priesthood at Sts. Cyril and Methodius Seminary in Orchard Lake, Mich. He was ordained Oct. 26, 1945.
In 1967, he obtained a Master of Divinity degree from St. Mary’s College in Orchard Lake.
In the Archdiocese of Detroit, he served as founding pastor of St. Colman Parish in Farmington Hills (1960-’65); and pastor of St. Michael’s in Pontiac (1965-’71), St. Isidore in Mt. Clements (1971-’74), Our Lady Queen of Heaven in Detroit (1974-’82), and St. Alan in Troy (1982-’93).
He also taught sociology at the high school level for three years and served as chaplain at Mount Carmel Hospital from 1945 to 1959. He coordinated the building of Pontiac High School and the opening of the first daycare in the Archdiocese of Detroit. He also served as secretary and later chairman of the Priests' Conference for Polish Affairs.
Father Konopka is survived by two siblings who also pursued a religious vocation: Sister Josetta of the order of St. Francis, and Brother Leo, with the Marian Fathers.
“Please pray for the repose of his soul and the consolation of his surviving relatives and friends,” said Msgr. Chanel Jeanty, archdiocesan chancellor for canonical affairs.
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