Fr. Janik was born in Rzeszow, Poland on July 15, 1935. He completed his elementary and secondary education in Poland, entering the seminary of Przemysl in Rzeszow in 1960. He completed his seminary studies and was ordained in 1966 in Rzeszow. From 1968 to 1972, Fr. Janik studied at the Catholic University in Lublin, Poland, earning his masters in Theology in 1972.
From 1966 to 1977, he completed pastoral assignments in Poland, serving at four different parishes. He came to the U.S.in 1977 and was a student at Edinboro State College in northwestern Pennsylvania until 1978, when he came to Chicago and was assigned to Five Holy Martyrs Parish in Chicago. He served there as an assistant pastor until 1981. In that year, he was name associate pastor at St. John Vianney Parish, in Flint, Michigan, where he served for one year. He served briefly at St. Stanislaus Parish in Jackson, Michigan in 1983 before returning to Chicago.
From 1983 to 1985, he served as associate pastor of St. Constance Parish in Chicago, moving to St. James on Fullerton Avenue as associate pastor from 1985 to 1990, and then to St. Ladislaus Parish on the northwest side from 1990 to 1995. In that year, he was made associate pastor of St. Albert the Great Parish in Burbank, serving there until his retirement in 2005.
A funeral Mass for Fr. Janik was held on Monday, March 18, at St. Hedwig Church in Rzeszow, Poland, and burial took place in the same city. Most Rev. Andrew Wypych, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, will be the main celebrant at the 10:30 a.m., bi-lingual Mass on Sunday, April 14, at St. Albert the Great Church, 5555 West State Road in Burbank, in memory of Fr. Janik.