Father Henry K. Kropiwnicki, 91, a retired priest of the Diocese of Fall River, died Sunday, December 24, 2023, at Charlton Memorial Hospital after a brief illness.

He was the son of the late Walter and Lilliana Kropiwnicki. Father Kropiwnicki was ordained by Bishop Wladyslaw Suszynski for the Diocese of Vilnius, which is now in Lithuania, on June 22, 1958. He attended the Catholic University of Lublin and served many parishes before coming to the United States in 1968, when he was first assigned by Bishop James L. Connolly to St. Casimir Parish in New Bedford. He later served at Our Lady of Fatima and St. Anne parishes, both in New Bedford, and was then reassigned to St. Casimir’s by Bishop Daniel A. Cronin in 1978, where he remained until retiring in 2000.

He is survived by his two sisters, Fredzia and Henia; 3 nephews; and 1 niece.

Visiting hours are Wednesday, January 3, 2024, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, 121 Mount Pleasant Street, New Bedford. His funeral Mass will be held Thursday, January 4, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. at the church. Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery, New Bedford.

Arrangements are with Machnowski Funeral Home, 472 Ashley Blvd., New Bedford.

Diocese of Fall River
Diocese of Fall River
Office of Communications