This article has an unclear citation style. (February 2011) |
St. Mary of Czestochowa Parish (Polish: Parafia św. Marii Częstochowskiej w Middletown) is a Catholic church parish in Middletown, Connecticut that was founded for Polish immigrants. The St. Mary of Czestochowa Church is a church building at 79 South Main Street in Middletown.
| St. Mary of Czestochowa Parish | |
|---|---|
| The Parish Family of Saint Mary of Czestochowa | |
 St. Mary of Czestochowa | |
 | |
| 41°33′13.7″N 72°38′57.5″W / 41.553806°N 72.649306°W | |
| Location | 79 South Main Street Middletown, Connecticut[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | Parish web site |
| History | |
| Founded | 1903 |
| Founder(s) | Polish immigrants |
| Dedication | St. Mary of Czestochowa |
| Administration | |
| Province | Hartford |
| Diocese | Norwich |
| Deanery | Middletown |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Most Rev. Michael Richard Cote |
| Pastor(s) | Rev. Richard Sliwinski |
The parish was founded in 1903. It is one of the Polish-American Roman Catholic parishes in New England in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich.
History
editWith 300 Polish families resident in the city, Middletown’s Poles had determined to build a church of their own in 1902. A small group planned the organization of the St. Mary of Czestochowa parish, which gained formal approval from the bishop.[citation needed]
The Saint Kazimierz order of Polish Lancers (an organization which took its name and traditions from the Polish Uhlans) was a local organization that was founded in 1902 and existed until 1940, when it merged into another organization. It "was instrumental" in the founding of the church.[2][3]
On February 28, 2010, the church held a memorial mass for victims of a local disaster, the Kleen Energy plant explosion.[4]
Church buildings
editAfter the founding of the parish in 1903, a church was opened in a building on Hubbard St. in 1905. That building served as the church until 1907, after which it was used as a school.[5]
A more substantial and "beautiful" church building, with stained glass windows, was built next door and served the parish for many years, but was destroyed by fire in 1980. A convent building also existed but was demolished in 1979.[5]
The church is located at 79 South Main Street.[1]
Calvary Cemetery
editThe Parish owns and maintains Calvary Cemetery which is located at 305 Bow Lane in Middletown.[1]
School
editThe Saint Mary of Czestochowa School, at 87 South Main Street, is a K-8 elementary school with pre-school[6] founded in 1912. The current building was constructed in 1930[7] It was listed in an inventory of buildings of Middletown by the Greater Middletown Preservation Trust in 1979.[8] Architecturally, the school is a brick, two-story, Renaissance Revival building with some Art Deco details.[9] In 2013, St. Mary of Czestochowa School merged with Saint John School, another local parochial elementary school, to become Saint Pope John Paul II Regional Diocesan Elementary School.[10]
Parish groups
editThe parish has a local Knights of Columbus chapter, denoted Pope John Paul II Council #14017[11]
Further reading
edit- Saint Mary of Czestochowa parish Middletown, Connecticut : 100th anniversary, 1903-2003. Middletown, CT: St. Mary of Czestochowa Church. 2004.
- The 150th Anniversary of Polish-American Pastoral Ministry. Webster, Massachusetts: St. Joseph Basilica. September 11, 2005.
- Geller, Herbert F. Ethnic History Series: European Immigrants and the Catholic Church of Connecticut, 1870-1920. The Sunday Post: Dolores Liptak.
References
edit- ^ a b c "Parish-St Mary School". Archived from the original on 2011-07-03. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
- ^ "Ask the Courant". Hartford Courant. April 11, 2005.
- ^ "Their Own Stories: Voices from Middletown's Melting Pot". Middlesex County Historical Society. 23 July 2016.
- ^ Hartford Courant [bare URL]
- ^ a b Hubbard, Robert; Hubbard, Kathleen (2009). Middletown. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738562131.
- ^ "FAQ's-St Mary School". www.stmarymiddletown.com. Archived from the original on 2008-06-04.
- ^ "Past Present And Future-St Mary School". www.stmarymiddletown.com. Archived from the original on 2008-06-04.
- ^ "Design Review and Preservation Board". www.middletownplanning.com. Archived from the original on 2004-06-03.
- ^ "Middletown, Connecticut Historical and Architectural Resources, Volume 1" (PDF). p. 48 (p.102 of PDF).
- ^ "St. Mary and St. John schools in Middletown to combine". The Middletown Press. 25 January 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "Pope John Paul II Council #14017 P.O. Box 1171, Middletown, CT, 06457". kofcmiddletown.org. Archived from the original on 2011-07-25.