Walenty Swinarski was born in 1832 in the area of Warszawa (then Russian-occupied Poland). His mother was Julia Krauze Swinarski; his father, Faustyn, belonged to a noble family entitled to use the family crest "Poraita". After having been ordained to the priesthood in 1855, Walenty’s first assignments included assisting at parishes in Zdunia and Leczyce and administration of parishes in Jemiolno and Rudultowa. He then led the parish in Nieborowia for 17 years. Swinarski distinguished himself in the performance of his duties and was consequently appointed pastor of the Church of the Holy Ghost in the city of Lodz. After that tenure, the diocesan authorities assigned him to direct the seminary and serve as canon of the archdiocese.

The now Monsignor Swinarski was in time assigned to the Warszawa Archdiocese’s largest parish, All Saints. Because of his abilities and popularity, he was suggested as a possible candidate for the office of bishop. This appointment, however, had to be approved by the civil authorities in whose favor he did not find himself because of his strong patriotic sentiments. Forced to leave his native land, Swinarski sailed for the United States to serve the growing immigrant population here.

By 1888, he was hard at work organizing the new parish of St. Joseph in Mill Creek, PA. His stay in Mill Creek lasted approximately two years. 1890 saw him in Trenton, NJ helping Poles build a church of their own in honor of the Holy Cross.

Swinarski’s service to the people in the Diocese of Buffalo, NY began about 1894 at St. Stanislalaus Parish. He subsequently worked in Buffalo’s young emerging parishes - St. Adalbert, St. Casimir, and Transfiguration. His name is also closely linked to the Felician nuns for whom he served as chaplain at the new motherhouse on William Street and Kennedy Road in Cheektowaga. Besides ministering to the nuns, he worked with the children at the orphanage and the people in the home for the aged (which he was instrumental in establishing).

Swinarski reached a milestone in his life when he celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination in 1905. (According to Ks. Kruszka, he was only the second Polish priest in the United States to have done so.)

Being an avid patriot, the Rev. Msgr. Swinarski was very active in the various organizations existing at the time the Polish Falcons, Adam Mickiewicz Literary Society, Polish Falcons, Polish Library, and the Polish Roman Catholic Union. He presided at the blessing of the cornerstones of Dom Polski and Broadway (in the heart of Buffalo’s Polonia) and the Church of the Transfiguration.

This great leader died at the Felician motherhouse on December 29, 1913. His remains are buried in the circle of the old St. Stanislaus Cemetery on Pine Ridge Road in Cheektowaga, NY (along with those of Ks. Dziekan Jan Pitass founder of the Buffalo’s Polonia - and the Felician and Franciscan nuns.