Church of St. Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr (Buffalo, New York)

St. Stanislaus - Bishop & Martyr Church

Location	Buffalo, New York
Country	United States
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	Stanislaus Church in Buffalo
History
Founded	June 3, 1873 (1873-06-03)
Founder(s)	Jan Pitass
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	"Active"
Architect(s)	T.O.Sullivan
Style	Romanesque
Groundbreaking	August 10, 1882 (current church)
Completed	October 17, 1886
Specifications
Length	192 feet (58.5 m)
Width	104 feet (31.7 m)
Height	217 feet (66.1 m)
Materials	Jammerthal flint stone with lockport limestone trim
Administration
Parish	Theresa Gonciarz
Clergy
Bishop(s)	Edward M. Grosz

St. Stanislaus - Bishop & Martyr Church is located at 123 Townsend Street, Buffalo, New York on the city's east side. The Church is the oldest Polish church in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo and holds the title of "Mother Church of Polonia" for western New York.

History

The parish was established on June 8, 1873 by Rev. Jan Pitass and the Society of Saint Stanislaus. The original church was a two-story, wood frame church that was built in 1874. That church was converted to a school shortly after the present-day church was completed in 1886. In 1904, the church's parish was among the largest in the U.S. with close to 20,000 parishioners and nearly 2,000 children were enrolled in the school. The church contains an 1893 Johnson & Son pipe organ in the choir loft. There are three carrara marble altars in the sanctuary and the main altar is 34 ft high.^[1] In 1889, St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr Cemetery was established in nearby Cheektowaga, NY. The cemetery occupies 20 acres of land. In 1965, St. Stanislaus social center was constructed near the church.

Church Building

Ground breaking began on the present day church on August 10, 1882 and took nearly 4 years to complete. In 1908, the church steeples, bells, Cupolas, and 6.5 ft diameter clocks were installed.^[2] The massive church towers rise to a height of 217 ft.^[3]

Restoration

On November 20, 2000, a storm with severe winds resulted in the removal of the cross and cupola on the left tower of St. Stanislaus. Restoration of the cupola was completed on July 11, 2003 at a cost of $300,000. Of that cost, only one third was covered by insurance. As a result of this restoration, the left and right cupola are no longer matching in color.^[4] In 2005, the church underwent its most extensive restoration and renovation in the churches history. The work included 8 new clock faces and 4 new clock bells in the clock towers. Restoration work to the church's 1893 Johnson pipe organ, maintenance to the stained glass and handmade wooden doors, a gold-leaf frieze applied to the vestibule and new lighting for the fountain statue. The total cost approached US$2 million.^[5]

Present day

In 2009 Thaddeus Bocianowski was named only the seventh pastor of the historic parish. As part of the Roman Catholic Church's ongoing downsizing campaign, the church was re-designated "a shrine to St. Stanislaus and all Polish martyrs" and a Polish cultural center on October 11, 2009, ostensibly due to the declining populace, which had impacted attendance at the church. In 2008, the school on Wilson street was closed after enrollment fell to only 75. The school had lasted 127 years and was staffed by Felician sisters for its entire history.^[6]

Gallery

Front outside view
Plaque affixed to the right of the front entrance
Plaque affixed to the left of the front entrance
Statues of Christian saints
View of inside (from the second floor)

References

↑ Waymark. "St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr Church - Buffalo, NY". Retrieved 2011-05-21.
↑ "St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr R.C. Church". St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr R.C. Church.
↑ "St. Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr". Catholic Union and Times. January 24, 1924. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
↑ Hayden, Joe. "Buffalo's Faith Elevators". www.faithelevators.us. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
↑ Tokasz, Jay (September 28, 2004). "Polish Tradition Serves to Inspire 'Showcase' Restoration of Church". The Buffalo News. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
↑ "St. Stanislaus School to be closed - A victim of declining enrollment". The Buffalo News. February 2, 2008. |access-date= requires |url= (help)

External links

Diocese of Buffalo

Ordinaries	Bishops John Timon Stephen Michael Vincent Ryan James Edward Quigley Charles Henry Colton Dennis Joseph Dougherty William Turner John Aloysius Duffy John Francis O'Hara Joseph Aloysius Burke James Aloysius McNulty Edward Dennis Head Henry Joseph Mansell Edward Urban Kmiec Richard Joseph Malone Auxiliary bishops Joseph Aloysius Burke Leo Richard Smith Pius Anthony Benincasa Stanislaus Joseph Brzana Bernard Joseph McLaughlin Donald Walter Trautman Edward M. Grosz

Churches	Cathedral St. Joseph Cathedral, Buffalo Basilica Our Lady of Victory Basilica, Lackawanna Chapel Our Lady Help of Christians Chapel, Cheektowaga Parishes All Saints Roman Catholic Church, Buffalo Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic Church, Buffalo Church of St. Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr, Buffalo Corpus Christi Church, Buffalo Holy Angels Church, Buffalo St. Louis Roman Catholic Church, Buffalo Former parishs Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church Complex, Niagara Falls St. Adalbert's Basilica, Buffalo St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church, Buffalo St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Parish, Buffalo St. Gerard's Roman Catholic Church, Buffalo Saint Mary of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church, Buffalo

Education	Colleges and universities Canisius College, Buffalo D'Youville College, Buffalo Hilbert College, Hamburg Niagara University, Niagara County St. Bonaventure University, St. Bonaventure Trocaire College, Buffalo Villa Maria College, Buffalo Convents Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity Villa Maria Motherhouse Complex High schools Archbishop Walsh High School, Olean Bishop Timon – St. Jude High School, Buffalo Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart, Buffalo Canisius High School, Buffalo Cardinal O'Hara High School, Town of Tonawanda Immaculata Academy, Hamburg Mount Mercy Academy, Buffalo Mount Saint Mary Academy, Kenmore Nardin Academy, Buffalo Niagara Catholic High School, Niagara Falls Notre Dame High School, Batavia Saint Francis High School, Athol Springs St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute, Buffalo St. Mary's High School, Lancaster

Priests	Nelson Baker John P. Boland Celestine Joseph Damiano John Joseph Fitzpatrick Edmund Francis Gibbons Francis Xavier Krautbauer John Joseph McMahon James Johnston Navagh Thomas Joseph Walsh

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Coordinates: 42°53′17″N 78°50′26″W / 42.88806°N 78.84056°W / 42.88806; -78.84056

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