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Deacon Lawrence Ziemianski dies at 89

Zoey Maraist | Catholic Herald Staff Writer

Deacon Lawrence Leopold Ziemianski, 89, died in his home Feb. 23. COURTESY

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Deacon Lawrence Leopold Ziemianski, 89, died in his home Feb. 23. The dentist had served as a deacon for many years at St. Mark Church in Vienna before moving to Florida. 

He was born Oct. 4, 1931, to Leopold A. and Stella E. Szymd Ziemianski in Arnold, Pa. As a young man he played saxophone and clarinet in many bands. After graduating from dental school at the University of Pittsburgh, he served in the U.S. Army as the commander of dental surgery in Germany. He practiced dentistry in New Kensington, Pa., Oxon Hill, Md., and Vienna before his retirement. 

He was ordained a permanent deacon by Washington Cardinal William Baum Dec. 8, 1973. He served at St. Columba Church in Oxon Hill before moving to St. Mark in 1984. In 1996, he served at Mass with Pope John Paul II during the episcopal ordination of Bishop Antons Justs, former pastor of St. Mark. A gold chalice and paten provided by the parish was used at the Mass and blessed by the pope. The vessels now reside at St. Mark. 

In the Arlington diocese, he served as the Bishop’s Liaison to the Charismatic Renewal. He also served three terms as president of the Greater Washington, D.C. Chapter of the Friends of Pope John Paul II Foundation. The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great, one of the five orders of Knighthood of the Holy See, was bestowed upon Deacon Ziemianski by John Paul II in 2001. In 2003, he moved to Florida and served at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius of Loyola in Palm Beach Gardens. 

He is survived by son, Mark Ziemianski, and daughters Laurel Ziemianski and Lisa (Skip) Giordano, as well as five grandchildren and one great-grandson. He was buried with military honors next to his wife, Marjorie, at St. Mary Cemetery in Lower Burrell, Pa. 

Attend the memorial Mass

A memorial Mass will be offered April 16 at 11:30 a.m. at St. Mark Church, 9970 Vale Rd., Vienna, following 11 a.m. visitation in the narthex. 

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