LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending The Very Reverend Canon Thomas C.
Machalski upon the occasion of celebrating the 25th Anniversary of his
Ordination on May 14, 2010

WHEREAS, The character and richness of religious and community life in
this noble Empire State is nourished and fulfilled through the faithful
concern and selfless devotion of those who would commit their energies
and purpose to the ministry of others; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to bring full recog-
nition and just tribute to those individuals who distinguish themselves
and the ministry through their unremitting commitment and preeminence of
service; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commend The Very
Reverend Canon Thomas C. Machalski upon the occasion of the 25th Anni-
versary of his Ordination to be celebrated on Friday, May 14, 2010, at
the Polonaise Terrace, Brooklyn, New York; and
WHEREAS, In addition, on Sunday, May 16, 2010, Father Machalski will
offer a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Josaphat's Church, Bayside, New
York; and
WHEREAS, Born on September 17, 1958, Father Machalski is the son of
the late Thomas C., Sr. and Regina Machalski; he was raised in Maspeth,
New York, and attended Holy Cross Church, where he was an altar boy,
choirboy, lector and member of the teen club; he also attended the
parish's Polish Saturday School; and
WHEREAS, Father Machalski graduated from St. Mary's Preparatory in
Orchard Lake, Michigan on May 31, 1976; while at St. Mary's he was
involved in many extracurricular activities and clubs and was consist-
ently on the honor roll; he was also nominated to the Society of Distin-
guished American High School Students and Who's Who Among American High
School Students; and
WHEREAS, In the fall of 1976, Father Machalski entered St. Mary's
College in Orchard Lake, where he was active in many clubs, served as a
Prefect in the Preparatory and was consistently named to the Dean's
List; he earned a Bachelors of Arts degree in Philosophy Magna Cum Laude
on May 3, 1980, and was nominated to "Who's Who Among American College
and University Students" as well as the Society of Outstanding Young
Americans; and
WHEREAS, In the fall of 1980, Father Machalski began his theological
studies at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, Huntington, New
York, where he received a Master's of Divinity degree; upon completion
of his studies, he spent his pastoral formation year at the parish of
Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, Bayside, New York; in 1984, he was
sent to the Catholic University of Lublin, Poland (KUL) to improve his
fluency in Polish; on May 18, 1985, Father was ordained to the priest-
hood for the Diocese of Brooklyn by the late Bishop Francis J. Mugavero;
and
WHEREAS, Father Machalski's first assignment was to the parish of SS.
Cyril and Methodius in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn; in 1988,
Father Machalski once again traveled to Poland and participated in the
program of language, history and culture at the Catholic University of
Poland for foreigners and also worked as a curate in the parish of Our
Lady Queen of Poland in Lublin; and
WHEREAS, In 1986, Father Machalski was appointed as a part-time Advo-
cate in the Tribunal of the Diocese of Brooklyn and continued in this
capacity until 1997; and
WHEREAS, In April 1991, Father Machalski was appointed Administrator
of the parish of Our Lady of Czestochowa-St. Casimir's, Brooklyn; Father

served in this parish until July 14, 1993, when he was transferred to
the parish of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, Bayside, where he
served as a parochial vicar until June 1997; and
WHEREAS, On September 1, 1997, Father Machalski was assigned to the
Marriage Tribunal and as a part-time Parochial Vicar in his home parish,
Holy Cross, Maspeth; Father is a member of the Diocese of Brooklyn's
Ecumenical Commission having served on the following subcommittees:
Anglican-Roman Catholic Bi-lateral Committee, the Lutheran-Catholic
dialogue and is presently on the Orthodox-Roman Catholic Dialogue
Committee; and
WHEREAS, In 1996, Father Machalski graduated from Fordham University
in New York with a Master's of Science degree in Educational Adminis-
tration and Supervision; he has also attended Nassau Community College
in the evenings to study Spanish; and
WHEREAS, In 1996, Father Machalski was appointed the Coordinator of
the Diocese of Brooklyn's Pilgrimage to the 46th International Eucharis-
tic Congress in Wroclaw, Poland; and
WHEREAS, In 1997, Father Machalski began studies in canon law at the
Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, D.C.; after complet-
ing the summer session at CUA, Father was assigned as a part-time staff
member of the Diocese of Brooklyn's Tribunal and as part-time Parochial
Vicar at his home parish, Holy Cross in Maspeth; and
WHEREAS, Father Machalski eventually continued his studies at CUA full
time and was awarded a Licentiate in Canon Law on May 15, 1999; and
WHEREAS, On July 1, 1999, Father Machalski was appointed as Associate
Judicial Vicar (Vice-Officialis) of the Tribunal of the Diocese of
Brooklyn and is currently one of its presiding judges; he was also a
Judge in the appellate court (Court of Second Instance) of the Eparchy
of St. Maron, Brooklyn, for Maronite Rite Catholics; at the same time,
he was assigned as a Resident to St. Josaphat's Parish in Bayside, New
York, where he also served as a Weekend Assistant to the Pastor; in
December of 1999, Father was appointed to serve as Secretary/Master of
Ceremonies to the Most Reverend Rene A. Valero, Auxiliary Bishop of
Brooklyn; and
WHEREAS, Father Machalski serves as an Instructor in the Diocese of
Brooklyn's Pastoral Institute lecturing on Canon Law and Ecumenical and
Inter-religious Dialogue; he also serves as a member of the Evaluations
committee of the Permanent Diaconate Program of the Diocese of Brooklyn;
and
WHEREAS, Father Machalski is the Secretary of the Polish Apostolate of
the Diocese of Brooklyn; Chairman of the Diocese's Annual Polish-Ameri-
can Heritage Day; Faithful Friar of the Stephen Moyolan Assembly Knights
of Columbia; Chaplain of the Ridgewood Council No. 1814 Knights of
Columbus and the Pope Pius XII Council No. 4255 Knights of Columbus;
Faithful Friar of the Fourth Degree, St. Isaac Jogues, S.J. Province,
New York District No. 1; Chaplain of the Matinecock Chapter, Suanhacky
Lodge No. 49; and Chaplain of the Pulaski Association of the Uniformed
Sanitation Workers of the City of New York; he also serves on the Advi-
sory Board of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament School, Bayside, New
York, and is the current Chaplain of the Queens Board of District Depu-
ties, Knights of Columbus; and
WHEREAS, Furthermore, Father Machalski is a member of the following
organizations: Kosciuszko Foundation, the Polish National Alliance Group
No. 52, Polish National Alliance of Brooklyn - Michael and Natalie
Kencki Society No. 264 (which has since become the Polish National Alli-
ance of North America), The Polish-American Congress Downstate New York
Division, the Polish-American Historical Association, the General Casi-
mir Pulaski Memorial Parade Committee, and The Canon Law Society of

America, The Eastern Regional Conference of Canonists, and Phi Beta
Kappan - Fordham University Chapter; and
WHEREAS, Father Machalski is also President of the New York Metro
District Alumni of the Orchard Lake Schools and Chaplain of the Metro
New York Chapter of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Orchard Lake Schools -
Chapter 26; he is also a Regent of the Orchard Lake Schools and serves
on the Board of Regents as well as on the Board of Trustees of SS. Cyril
and Methodius Seminary; on July 13, 2000, Father Machalski was elected
National President of the Alumni Association of the Orchard Lake
Schools; and
WHEREAS, An active member of the Polish American Priests' Association,
in 1995, Father Machalski was General Chairman of the Polish American
Priests' Association's 5th Annual Convention that was held in the Dioc-
ese of Brooklyn and was Chairman again when the Diocese of Brooklyn
hosted the 20th Annual Convention in 2009; in 1998, Father was elected
to an unprecedented third term as Secretary of the Polish American
Priests' Association and was elected as President of the Association on
May 3, 2000; he was re-elected to a second term as President in April
2002 and upon the completion of his second term as President, he was
once again elected Secretary; in 2006, he was re-elected as Secretary
and after completing this term he was elected to membership on the Board
of Directors; and
WHEREAS, Father Machalski also served on the National Polish Aposto-
late Committee and on the Committee of the Papal and Polish Heritage
Room of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. as the
Polish American Priests' Association's representative; and
WHEREAS, Father Machalski has appeared on television and spoken on
radio regarding various Polish topics on numerous occasions; in 1997, he
appeared in the PBS documentary "The Polish Americans" which was broad-
cast on public television nationwide; and
WHEREAS, On November 2, 2005, His Grace, the Most Reverend Jozef
Zycinski, Archbishop of Lublin, informed Father Machalski that with the
consent of The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Ph.D., D.D., Bishop of
Brooklyn, he was named an Honorary Canon of the Chapter of Canons of the
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist; this most
prestigious honor recognized Father Machalski's untiring efforts to aid
the Church in Poland and particularly the Church in Lublin as well as
recognizing the pastoral care he has exercised on behalf of Polonia in
the Diocese of Brooklyn and the United States; and
WHEREAS, On September 30, 2006, Father Machalski was invested as a
member of the Equestrian Order of the Knights and Ladies of the Holy
Sepulchre, Eastern Lieutenancy in St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
City; on September 26, 2009, Father was advanced to the rank of Knight
Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Knights and Ladies of the Holy
Sepulchre in a ceremony conducted by His Eminence Edward Cardinal Eagan,
Archbishop Emeritus and the Archdiocese of New York; and
WHEREAS, On September 8, 2007, Father Machalski was installed as
Pastor of St. Josaphat Church in Bayside, New York by the Most Reverend
Nicholas DiMarzio, Ph.D., D.D., Bishop of Brooklyn; and
WHEREAS, In the fall of 2008, Father Machalski was given the added
responsibility of being Vocation Director for Polish-speaking vocations
as well as appointed to serve on the Seminary Board of Admissions of the
Diocese of Brooklyn and as a Liaison for the Bishop to SS. Cyril and
Methodius Seminary, Orchard Lake, Michigan; and
WHEREAS, In the fall of 2009, Bishop DiMarzio appointed Father the
Facilitator of the Queen North No. 8 Cluster for a period of three
years; and

WHEREAS, Father Machalski has brought to his ministry an overwhelming
spirit of charity and compassion, acting from vision and enlightenment
in conducting his administrative and spiritual duties, while always
displaying the highest standards of personal and professional integrity
and dedication; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when a person
of such noble aims and accomplishments is brought to our attention it is
appropriate to publicly and jubilantly proclaim and commend that indi-
vidual for the edification of others; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend The Very Reverend Canon Thomas C. Machalski upon the occasion of
celebrating the 25th Anniversary of his Ordination, noting his unremit-
ting and compassionate faith and his exemplary service to God, man, and
his community, and extending to him the heartfelt best wishes of this
Legislative Body for a future of purposeful success and well-being; and
be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Father Thomas C. Machalski.