Wiktor Zareczny was born December 3, 1842 in the city of Lwow (Austrian-held Gelicja, Poland). His father was a military doctor; his mother, a Ruthenian. He was educated in Lwow, Krakow, Bohemia and Italy before being ordained to the priesthood in Bielsko Biala, Galicja by Alojzy Pukalski (the bishop of Tarnow) on July 26, 1868. After serving in Galicja approximately five years, he immigrated to the United States in 1873.

That same year, the young priest began his American mission by working among his fellow Poles in the community of Berea, OH (just east of Cleveland). He organized and was the first pastor of St. Adalbert Parish (on of the oldest Polish parishes between Buffalo and Chicago and still functioning today). While there, Zareczny was also responsible for building the first brick church (which was dedicated in September 1875), for purchasing land for the parish cemetery, and for establishing a parish school. Berea was the longest of his stays in any one community.

In February 1884, Zareczny was appointed pastor of yet another St. Adalbert Parish, this time in Pittsburgh, PA. Since a church had not yet been built, he held services at the neighboring St. John the Evangelist Church but immediately began raising monies to purchase land for the parish's own structure. His stay in this community lasted until June of that same year.

Zareczny then made his way to the state of Wisconsin where he served the Polish settlements at Eaton and Princton respectively. Ks. Kruszka's “Historja Polska w Ameryce” notes that he remained in the Wisconsin area for three years. In 1887 he began his stay in the Diocese of Buffalo; here he worked as an assistant to Ks. Jan Pitas

According to parish histories, Zareczny subsequently returned to Wisconsin for a short period of time to serve as pastor of a Pine Grove parish. His travels then led him to Detroit, MI where he ministered at St. Francis Parish. Upon his return to the Buffalo Diocese in 1891, he was appointed pastor of Assumption Church in the Black Rock area. This assignment was followed by a three-year tenure as pastor of St. Adalbert Parish (during which time there was a great influx of European immigrants).

(Shortly after Zareczny left St. Adalbert Parish, a serious division occurred among its members. Bishop Ryan replacing him with Ks. Tomasz Flaczek, a relative of Ks. Jan Pitass, literally set off a riot. The rift became so bad that the police needed to be called on several occasions. In time, the dissatisfied members left the parish and organized an Independent parish of their own - Holy Mother of the Rosary - on Sobieski Street. After having won a battle with the Diocese of Buffalo over ownership of the cathedral, they joined with Ks. Franciszek hodur, the leader of the Polish National Catholic Church based in Scranton, PA.)

Having left Buffalo in 1895, Zareczny traveled to Wisconsin one last time. There he served parishes in Beaver Dam, Kenosha, and Berlin respectively. In 1903, he left Wisconsin to accept a position as chaplain of the new St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago, IL. It was here that he spent his last days, dying on November 9, 1918 at the age of 76