St. Mary of Czestochowa Parish (Middletown, Connecticut)
This article has an unclear citation style.(February 2011) |
St. Mary of Czestochowa Parish | |
---|---|
The Parish Family of Saint Mary of Czestochowa | |
Coordinates: 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 | |
Deanery | Middletown |
Diocese | Norwich |
Province | Hartford |
Clergy | |
Bishop(s) | Most Rev. Michael Richard Cote |
Pastor(s) | Rev. Richard Sliwinski |
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.
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[]
With 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[]
After 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[]
The Parish owns and maintains Calvary Cemetery which is located at 305 Bow Lane in Middletown. [1]
School[]
The 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 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[]
The parish has a local Knights of Columbus chapter, denoted Pope John Paul II Council #14017[11]
Further reading[]
- 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[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c http://www.stmarymiddletown.com/parish/
- ^ "Ask the Courant". Hartford Courant. April 11, 2005.
- ^ "Their Own Stories: Voices from Middletown's Melting Pot". Middlesex County Historical Society.
- ^ http://articles.courant.com/2010-02-28/community/hc-middletown-memorial-service.artfeb28_1_middletown-plant-explosion-ronald-crabb-middletown-common-council
- ^ Jump up to: a b Hubbard, Robert; Hubbard, Kathleen (2009). Middletown. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738562131.
- ^ http://www.stmarymiddletown.com/faqs/
- ^ http://www.stmarymiddletown.com/past-present-and-future/
- ^ http://www.middletownplanning.com/Committees/DRPB/historicpropertieslist.html[dead link]
- ^ "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.
- ^ http://kofcmiddletown.org/KofC_14017/Welcome.html
External links[]
- Roman Catholic parishes of Diocese of Norwich
- Polish-American Roman Catholic parishes in Connecticut
- Roman Catholic churches in Connecticut
- Churches in Middletown, Connecticut