Włodzimierz Borowiec was born in 1888 in Sieniawice, cieszanowski county) later 1944 Lubaczów county). He finished primary school named after A. Mickiewicz in Lviv, and then the private Jesuit junior high school in Chyrow, which were the base of his later spiritual and patriotic development. After the Matura exam passed in 1907, he began his studies at Faculty of Law at the Lviv University; which were disrupted with the beginning of World War I. After the take over of Galicia by the Russian troops he was drafted into the army. He was evacuated together with the group of civilians along the retreating front line. In 1918 he began his studies at the Lviv Seminary, the last year of his studies he attended the Greek-Catholic Seminary in Przemyśl. On the 17th January 1921 he married Olena Chomińska (daughter of Eugeniusz Chomiński). His ordain of priesthood was accepted on 17th of September 1922 from the hand of the Przemyśl Bishop-Josafat Kocołowski. First he was a vicar, later an administrator in Lipie, (Dobromilski county). In the autumn of 1924 he undertook the duties of the administrator in Małkowice in Przemyśl county. During the next 2 years he was the administrator in Barycz. From 1930 he was nominated as an independent vicar in Pohorce, Rudki county. Between1937-47 he was a pastor in Sarny, Jaworowski county.
From 1939 he fulfilled the pastoral duties (including Latin rite) in parishes: Kraków, Gnojnice and Lubienie. In spite of the persecution of Greek- Catholic priests and its followers, father Borowiec had not converted to Orthodox faith, which resulted in his arrest by NKWD. Together with his wife and his mother-in-law (Józefa Chomińska) he was sent to Syberia, to the collective farm” The proper way” in Osinniki, kemerowski district. During the trip Mrs Józefa passed away and she was buried near Czelabińsk. In the state farm priest Borowiec worked as a warehouseman, and Mrs Olena at the post office. The daughters of priest Borowiec Tatiana and Olena, who during the war studied medicine in Lviv were also sent to Syberia to the city of Anżerka in the Anżerka district. They lived there for half a year. Next, they were relocated to Ałdan, in Jakuck district. In 1952 Ocena and Włodzimierz received permission for their daughters to join them. At the beginning priest Borowiec took a job of a night watch in the hospital and later he was managing a cinema. Both of the daughters worked in the hospital, Tania in the gynaecology ward and Sonia in the surgery ward. They both got married in Syberia, Tania married Włodzimierz Trzeciak, Sonia married Roman Mosor.
In January 1957. NKWD allowed Tania and her family to return to Poland. According to priest Borowiec account the return from Syberia was possible due to the intervention of Olena’s brother- Józef Chomiński, who was the professor at the Music Institute of Warsaw University. After the return of the whole family to Poland priest Borowiec with his wife and their daughter Tania and her husband moved to Szczecin. Daughter Sonia joined the family with her husband after 3 years and they lived in Chojnów. Soon after Tania together with her husband, left for Canada, to join his brother Igor. On the 15th of September 1957 priest Borowiec celebrated the first mass in Greek- Catholic rite in the garrison church at Zwycięstwa Square in Szczecin. Since that date the beginning of Parrish in Szczecin has been established.
In November 1957 priest Borowiec received a permit to celebrate the mass in Trzebiatów, in Saint Paul and Peter church on Wojska Polskiego Street. Liturgy was also celebrated in Korzystno near Trzebiatów and Gryfice, however it didn’t last long. Priest Włodzimierz Borowiec had started his service in Stargard (Stargard Szczeciński during that time) in Saint Virgin Mary’s Church. Priest Borowiec led the “migrant church”. He fulfilled pastoral duties without having his own parish, nor the legal authorisation for Greek- Catholic rite. Between 1957-1959 the mass was celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Wojciech (Garrison Church) at Zwycięstwa Square.The deacon was Jan Świętojański. During the years from 1959-1963, priest Borowiec celebrated masses in Saint Kazimierz Church, at Broniewskiego Street 18, and the deacons were: Luka Pawłenko and Teodor Dopiłko. Due to the difficulties of elderly to church access, Priest Borowiec started a search for a new location.
In 1963 the Greek Catholic community was moved to Saint John the Evangelist Church (OO Pollotynów), then at Pod Bramą 9 (presently Nad Odrą 9). Until 1973 the altar boys were mentioned in the past Luka Pawłenko and Jan Maciupa, and next Włodzimierz Malicki and Anatol Łazoryszczak. During a short period of time the church choir was under the management of Maria Madaj and Piotr Kolada. For more than 10 years the altar boy of Priest Borowiec was a Polish national Henryk Marian and later until the last days of Priest Borowiec, his younger brother Andrzej. The priest fulfilled his duties in Szczecin and Stargard between 1957-1980, in Trzebiatów between 1957-1959 and between 1963-1969. In 1978 he retired.
On the 28 of August in 1975 Olena passed away, with whom they had an agreeable marriage for 53 years. The death of his wife was a very difficult experience for the 83 year old priest. His health started to fade and his daughter and the altar boy Andrzej Henryk were looking after him.The steadfast priest passed away on January 2 nd 1989, at 90 years old. He was buried at Central Cemetery in Szczecin. His 23 year old service gave the beginning of Ukrainian Church in Szczecin.