CHICOPEE – Polonia for Kids, a nonprofit supporting Polish culture, language and traditions, is developing a mural project in remembrance of friar and author Lucjan Krolikowski at 27 Grove St.

Vice President of Polonia for Kids’ Board of Directors Tomek Moczerniuk detailed the momentous journey Krolikowski experienced during his 100 years of life. While Krolikowski was completing his theological studies in 1940, he was arrested by Russian police and deported to a Siberia war camp during the advent of World War II. “The conditions there were beyond brutal,” said Moczerniuk.

After a year of tumultuous treatment, Krolikowski was freed from the camp and decided to join the Polish army in Africa. Moczerniuk shared that the friar served there until the end of the war before becoming a Chaplin in a Tengeru refugee camp. The camp, which was run by Great Britain, housed polish orphans that Krolikowski tutored and watched over. In 1948, a plan arose for 150 orphans to be indoctrinated back into communist-controlled Poland, but Krolikowski had other ideas.

Instead of following that plan, Krolikowski worked with the International Refugee Organization to transport orphans from a temporary camp in Italy to Canada. Moczerniuk said this decision made the Chaplin a wanted target, with Poland placing a bounty on his head and labeling Krolikowski the “kidnapper of the century,” for his actions. Once in Canada, Krolikowski watched over the orphans until they were 18, becoming a guiding paternal figure while serving as a pastor for the church, according to Moczerniuk. He also began to write about his escapades, crafting the first of his novels “Stolen Childhood: A Saga of Polish War Children”.

Krolikowski continued his prolific journey from there, serving in a church in Buffalo, NY before ultimately moving to the Chicopee area. In Chicopee, he worked as the Parochial Vicar at St. Stanislaus Basilica from 1999 to 2009 and continued to serve the community afterward as a Spiritual Advisor. “He was a very prestigious and humble resident of the community,” said Moczerniuk.

The long-serving clergyman passed away in 2019, with his death inspiring Moczerniuk and his organization to create a meaningful tribute. With donations from the Polish and Slavic Federal Credit Union and funds raised from Krolikowski’s 100th birthday, Polonia for Kids hired artist Rafal Pisarczyk to craft a mural in honor of the clergyman’s service. Pisarczyk shared that he was initially hesitant to take on the project but was ultimately won over by the magnitude of Korlikowski’s life story. “I wanted to capture his story. I created an image that would capture his whole journey,” said Pisarczyk. The early design includes an old photo of Krolikowski and the orphans being watched over by spiritual guardian angel, according to Pisarczyk.

The artist explained that the project has been a meaningful undertaking. “It is meaningful to me. I like doing projects that aren’t just pictures, rather ones that have important stories of humanity behind them. I want to show that there is good in people,” said Pisarczyk. Moczerniuk explained that the final project will be unveiled in a ceremony that will take place sometime at the end of November.

Readers can learn more about the Krolikowski mural and support the project’s fundraising for a lift rental at their GoFundMe page https://www.gofundme.com/f/mural-for-fr-lucjan-krolikowski?utm_medium=email&utm_source=product&utm_campaign=p_email%2B4803-donation-alert-v5.