WARREN — Fr. Fabian Slominski’s “catch phrase,” if he had one, was familiar to many of the parishioners he served over his 68-year ministry: “So, what’s the good news?”

It wasn’t just a catch phrase, said Michael Gulaszewski, a friend and parishioner of Fr. Slominski at St. Cletus Parish (now Our Lady of Grace) in Warren. For Fr. Slominski, it wasn’t a rhetorical question, either.

“He was very genuine in his concern for people and his love for people. I’ve known people who feign sincerity and concern, but when he asked how you were doing, he listened and cared. And if things weren’t going so good, he listened and he would talk to you about that,” Gulaszewski said.

Fr. Slominski died Feb. 1 at the age of 92, and for the last month of his life was the longest-serving priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Fr. Slominski served several parishes throughout his ministry, including St. Cletus, where he was pastor from 1984-90.

In his younger days, Fr. Slominski loved to play golf and attend social functions with parishioners and fellow priests, but his heart was always with those he served. After retirement, the priest suffered from many health ailments — including the loss of his eyesight and hearing — but still always seemed more concerned with others, said Gulaszewski, who developed a close friendship with Fr. Slominski over the past seven years while helping the priest with appointments and errands.

“I had some back issues that caused me to take some time off of work, and it if I didn’t touch base with him once in a while, within a day or two he would be on the phone calling to see how I was,” Gulaszewski said.

While Fr. Slominski was slow to anger, Gulaszewski said, his fierce love for the faith on rare occasion got the better of him. Gulaszewski recalled one instance when, while praying with and anointing a woman who was in hospice care, a doctor interrupted with some non-consequential news.

“We were having a very solemn moment,” Gulaszewski said. “Father was very polite and let him finish, but after the doctor left and as we were walking out, he goes, ‘I’m gonna turn around and give him a piece of my mind.’ And sure enough, he turned on his heel and the next thing I know he’s walking in the opposite direction.”

Because of his outgoing nature, Gulaszewski said, failing health couldn’t stop Fr. Slominski from doing what he loved most: sharing the Gospel with others.

“When he couldn’t celebrate Mass anymore, he and I would go to the Catholic supply store in Warren and he would buy silver medallions with different inscriptions about the Blessed Mother or Jesus or St. Francis of Assisi,” Gulaszewski said. “He would buy literally dozens of them at a time and give them out to anybody.”

That included waitresses at restaurants, the children of the parish or even strangers.

“That was his way of professing the faith. It was his way in his limited capacity to spread God’s love. He always wanted people to know that God is love and to love one another,” Gulaszewski said. “He was in the right line of work for what he did.”

Fr. Slominski was born May 12, 1924, in Duluth, Minn. He was ordained for the Archdiocese of Detroit on May 22, 1948.

Fr. Slominski’s first assignment was as associate pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Wyandotte (1948-53). He went on to serve as associate pastor of three more parishes — SS. Peter and Paul (Westside) Parish (1953-58) and St. Bartholomew Parish in Detroit (1958-62), and St. Florian Parish in Hamtramck (1962-67) — before being named pastor of Corpus Christi Parish in Detroit in 1967.

Fr. Slominski served as pastor of Corpus Christi Parish for three years, and later served as pastor of St. Anne Parish (1970-83) and St. Cletus Parish, both in Warren, before being granted senior priest status in 1990. Fr. Slominski also served as chaplain to Macomb Health Center in Warren.

A funeral Mass was celebrated Feb. 6 at Our Lady of Grace Parish in Warren. Interment was to be at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Detroit.