Piotr Basinski, born in Jarocin in 1855, was educated in Srem. After graduation (1878), he served in the Prussian Army as an artillery soldier. Upon completion of his army stint, Basinski taught in Warsaw for eight years before sailing for the United states. Once here, he studied for the priesthood at the newly organized Polish seminary in Detroit, MI. He also served as a part-time instructor there because of the serious problem of a lack of qualified teachers in the school's early days.

Ordained for the Buffalo Diocese in March 1893, Basinski then served as assistant to Ks. Jan Pitass and Ks. Wiktor Zareczny of St. Stanislaus and St. Adalbert Parishes respectively. In September, 1893 he was appointed to organize and serve as first pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Salamanca, NY. He remained in Salamanca until 1895; in January, 1896, the bishop assigned him to organize a new parish in Depew, NY (Sts. Peter and Paul). Later that year (November), the bishop reassigned Basinski to the pastorate of the Polish parish of Assumption in Albion, NY, a post he held until 1900. Chronicles also report that Basinski served as pastor of St. John Kanty Parish in Buffalo, NY for approximately one year (1900-1901).

The next reference to Ks. Basinski notes that he served as pastor of St. Stanislaus Parish in Fall River, MA. Under his direction, a parochial school staffed by Felician nuns was opened there in 1906. According to parish records, he then traveled to Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in New Britain, CT to serve as assistant to Ks. Pralat Lucjan Bojnowski from February 8, 1912 to December 2, 1912.