Fr. Nowakowski held several secular positions in the private and government sector prior to entering the formation program at the Redeemer House of Studies in Toronto, graduating from St. Michael's College, University of Toronto in 1984 with a Bachelor of Religious Studies and Philosophy. He was sent to St. Josaphat’s Ukrainian Catholic Pontifical College in Rome and received his Bachelor of Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in 1989. He was ordained a priest by Bishop Basil Filevich, of blessed memory for the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon on August 19, 1989, in St. George’s Cathedral in Saskatoon.
Fr. Nowakowski returned to Rome the autumn of 1989 for further studies in Eastern Canon Law. In response to a growing refugee presence in Italy, Fr. Nowakowski founded and directed the Ukrainian Catholic Refugee Office. In June of 1990 he was appointed vice chancellor and chief of staff to His Beatitude Myroslav Ivan Cardinal Lubachivsky, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church and Major Archbishop of Lviv of the Ukrainians.
In July of 1991, His Beatitude Myroslav Ivan ended his exile, returned to his Archiepiscopal See in Lviv, Ukraine, and appointed Fr. Nowakowski his chief of staff in Lviv. Fr. Nowakowski held that position until 1995. He also served as vice-rector of Holy Spirit Seminary in Lviv 1991-1992. In 1994 he was instrumental in founding the Ukrainian Catholic Church’s official charitable organization, Caritas Ukraine, and was its president until 2001. As president of Caritas Ukraine he oversaw its charitable works, including the Metropolitan Andrew Sheptytsky Hospital, the development of home- care projects, and the establishment of the eparchial branches of Caritas Ukraine.
During the visit of His Holiness John Paul II to Ukraine in June 2001, Fr. Nowakowski was the Director of the Press Office of the Catholic Churches in Ukraine.
Fr. Nowakowski was appointed rector of Holy Spirit Ukrainian Catholic Seminary in Ottawa in November 2001. In October 2002 he was also appointed Press Officer/Spokesperson of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada. During the 2002 World Youth Day in Canada he served as the Vatican Accredited Media Personnel Liaison and Assistant to Mr. Vic van Brantagem of the Press Office of the Holy See. During his tenure as rector he provided pastoral assistance to his own Eparchy of Saskatoon as well as other Ukrainian Catholic Eparchies in Canada in the summer months.
Fr. Nowakowski was a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Adult Catechesis.
In July of 2006, Fr. Nowakowski was appointed Chancellor of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon.
His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI announced the appointment of Fr. Ken Nowakowski as Third Eparch of New Westminster for Ukrainian Catholics in British Columbia and the Yukon on June 1st 2007. Bishop Ken was ordained a bishop by Most Rev. Lawrence Huculak OSBM, Metropolitan for Ukrainian Catholics in Canada and Archbishop of Winnipeg, Most Rev. Severian Yakymyshyn OSBM, Bishop Emeritus of New Westminster and Most Rev. Peter Stasiuk CSsR, Bishop of Ss. Peter & Paul Eparchy for Ukrainian Catholics in Australia and New Zealand on July 24, 2007 at St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Vancouver.