Father Stanley J. Dombrowski, an Oblate of St. Francis de Sales who served in the Diocese of Wilmington, died Oct. 8. He was 78 and a professed member of the Oblates for 46 years, a priest for 42.
A Philadelphia native, Father Dombrowski entered the Oblates after graduating from Father Judge High School, but after a period of discernment, he left. He became an assistant principal at Allentown Central Catholic High School, but in the late 1970s, he returned to the congregation. He was ordained at St. Anthony of Padua Church in 1983, telling people with a smile, “I am a recycled vocation.”
Father Dombrowski spent his first year as a priest at Padua Academy in Wilmington, teaching science and religion. He then entered chaplaincy work and, after receiving training in Washington, D.C., he returned to Delaware as part of the pastoral care department at St. Francis Hospital. He served three stints at St. Francis.
He also served as a military chaplain. A member of the Navy Reserve, he entered active duty in 1991 and spent almost four months in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm. After returning to St. Francis, he left in 1994 for military duty once again.
In 1998, he became parochial vicar at St. Cecilia Parish in Fort Myers, Fla., and was named pastor in 2001. He remained at the parish until 2020. In retirement, he remained at St. Cecilia and assisted the new pastor, Father Paul Dechant, with sacramental ministry, and he helped at area parishes. He loved to cook and shared his culinary talents with his brother Oblates, parishioners and friends, according to the Oblates.
Services were Oct. 16 at St. Cecilia Parish. A visitation and memorial Mass were held in Childs, Md., on Oct. 21. Burial was in the Oblate Cemetery in Childs. Donations in his memory can be made to various ministries of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales at https://wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E12206&id=27.
