St. Stanislaus Kostka Church (Wilmington, Delaware)
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St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in
History
During the late years of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century, many
As time went on, the Polish population began to expand into the East Side of Wilmington, attracted by the shipbuilding and leather works industries. The immigrants faced the problem of not being able to send their children all the way across town to St. Hedwig's parish school.[2] Faced with the problem of establishing a home and raising their children, they had little money. Most troubling of all, they could not worship in their native tongue. The immigrants requested Monsignor Gulcz to establish a new parish on the East Side of Wilmington where they could worship closer to their homes.
On November 8, 1912, Monsignor Gulcz obtained permission from Bishop
The first pastor, Rev. John Supinski, was appointed in October 1912, but only stayed about fifteen days. The church was originally called "Holy Spirit", but during Supinski's brief tenure it was renamed at the request of the parishioners "St. Stanislaus Kostka".[3][4] The parochial school was staffed by the Felician Sisters. It closed in 1972. The parish, throughout its many years, was credited with inspiring many religious vocations.
The parish remained active for about ninety-seven years and was an integral part of the Diocese of Wilmington. St. Stanislaus was instrumental in preserving many of the traditional Polish religious customs:
Eventually many of the parishioners migrated to the suburbs. Due to the reduced number of parishioners and a decline in the number of available priests, the parish of St. Stanislaus Kostka closed on February 15, 2009. A final closing Mass was celebrated by Bishop Michael Angelo Saltarelli. More than 500 people attended, including many former parishioners and school students.
A list of the past Pastors (Priests) of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, in chronological order:
- John Supinski[3]
- Szymon Nawrocki
- Anthoni C. Oleksinski[1]
- Sylvester Hosinski
- Stanley Delikat
- Alex Gorski
- Francis Szperka
- Edward Kaczorowski
Today
Many of St. Stanislaus' former parishioners now attend St. Hedwig Church in Wilmington, located on the corner of Linden and South Harrison Streets. A special remembrance Mass on November 24, 2013, was celebrated by Fr. Christopher Coffiey, who grew up in St. Stanislaus parish.
A great number of the religious articles and objects in the church were distributed to various churches in the Diocese. The marble crucifix and marble side altar from St. Stanislaus Kostka went to St. Polycarp's in Smyrna. Additionally, the main marble altar from the closed church was placed in St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sharpley, DE.[5]
The present church building, which was
References
- ^ ISBN 9781439612163.
- ^ St. Hedwig Church
- ^ a b c "History of St.Stanislaus Kostka Church", 75th Anniversary Celebration of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Wilmington, Delaware
- ^ Lafort, Remigius. "The Diocese of Wilmington", The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X. Volume 3: The Province of Baltimore and the Province of New York,(New York City: The Catholic Editing Company, 1914), p.218
- ^ "A farewell for Father Flowers at Smyrna's St. Polycarp - Delaware State News". Delaware State News. 2015-06-06. Retrieved 2017-06-03.
- ^ Highway Word of Faith Church