This article was originially published on Thurs. Jan 19, but we thought we'd put it back in our top spot after Fr. Shawn Daly kindly mentioned it to the crowd at his lovely - and packed - going away party Sunday at St. Joseph Church.

The Hartford Archdiocese has selected a 64-year-old priest from Terryville to replace St. Joseph and St. Mary's priest Shawn Daly, who will be taking over two parishes in Wethersfield this month.

Father Gerry Dziedzic will begin his role as head pastor of the two churches and St. Joseph School in Meriden on Feb. 1, 2011. Daly's last Mass in the city will be Jan. 22, and the churches' assistant pastor Father Augustin Okoroafor is slated to give services during the interim.

Dziedzic, (pronounced Dee-zic), grew up in nearby Plantsville, a section of Southington, he said in a phone interview Wednesday evening. He has been in Terryville, a part of the Town of Plymouth in Litchfield County for the last 15 years as pastor of Immaculate Conception and Saint Casimir Churches.

Dziedzic was given the post in Meriden about two weeks ago, he believes because he has previously served in academia.

"(The Archdiocese) wanted to get someone who is sensitive with a school – they want that school to continue working, particularly during this difficult time economically," Dziedzic said. Prior to his service in Terryville, Dziedzic spent 13 years as the chaplain at Lauralton Hall, a Catholic Girls Prep School in Milford.

During 10 of those years, Dziedzic did double duty as an Army Reserve chaplain. In addition to field training and other regular officer duties, he would travel all around the northeastern U.S. to counsel soldiers headed off to Desert Storm and their families.

"I do miss the soldiers – It’s a wonderful group to deal with" Dziedzic said, adding that because they face the possibility of death more than average citizens, "they have more reliance on God...and you're dealing ecumenically with other faiths as well."

Prior to his post at Lauralton, Dziedzic was at St. Stanislaus Church in Bristol for three years. Before that he served at St. Lawrence O'Toole Church in Hartford, his first post after being ordained in 1974. There he served as a curate, or associate priest, with Mark Jette, the longtime pastor at St. Joseph's in Meriden before Daly.

The move to Meriden will bring Dziedzic closer to his mother who still lives in Plantsville. She and his late father were longtime employees of Cooper Thermometer (now Cooper-Atkins) which is currently located in Middlefield, the pastor said.  

In Terryville, Dziedzic worked to make his congregrations more active, he said, and oversaw a $2 million construction project to rebuild a multi-purpose lyceum for the two.

"We're definitely sad to see him go – a lot of parishoners are heartbroken that he’s leaving,” said Immaculate Conception Church secretary Beverly Hoadley.

The pastor said he has no preconceived plans for his new parishes.

"I look forward to really learning about St. Joe’s and St. Mary’s and getting used to what they are doing – I don’t have any agenda in the least, but to serve them," Dziedzic said.

Dziedzic toured St. Joseph School on Tuesday and met with some faculty and staff. Most parishoners will likely meet him on Sunday, Feb. 5, for his first Masses at the two churches.

A going away party for the churches' outgoing pastor Daly will be held this Sunday, January 22, following 11 a.m. Mass.

"I'm going to miss everybody," Daly said of his move to Wethersfield. "It's been like family to me, it's really emotional to leave."