Detroit— A local pastor has been named to head the organization that represents priests of Polish heritage throughout theUnited States.

Fr. Walter Ptak, 50, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Wyandotte, was elected to a two-year term as national president of the Polish American Priests Association during the group’s April 16-20 convention in Michigan City, Ind.

Besides the organization’s work of providing support for the nearly 2,700 Polish-American priests in the U.S. — whether PAPA members or not — Fr. Ptak said the group is also concerned with providing assistance to more recent arrivals from Poland who are experiencing immigration-law problems, such as obtaining a “green card” to legally work in the U.S.

One of the biggest challenges facing Polish-American Catholics is preserving their heritage in this country amid the closing or merging of some historically Polish parishes in older cities, Fr. Ptak said.

“It is not possible to keep every Polish parish open; it’s just no longer feasible, so we have to be selective. It’s a horrible situation to be in,” he said, so Polish-American parishes need to pass along their culture to younger generations.

PAPA is a member of the National Federation of Priests Councils and recognized by the U.S.Conference of Catholic Bishops as the representative of the interests of Polish-American clergy in the United States.

Msgr. Stanley Milewski, chancellor emeritus of the Orchard Lake Schools, said, “This is a great honor to have one of our priests elected to head this organization.”