SS. Peter and Paul Parish, Three Rivers

SS Peter & Paul Parish
SS. Peter and Paul Parish
Coordinates: 42°11′.3″N 72°21′19.5″W / 42.183417°N 72.355417°W / 42.183417; -72.355417
Location	2267 Main Street Three Rivers, Massachusetts
Country	United States
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	Parish website
History
Founded	1903 (1903)
Founder(s)	Polish immigrants
Dedication	SS Peter & Paul
Architecture
Closed	2010
Administration
Diocese	Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts
Province	Boston
Division	Region 8
Clergy
Bishop(s)	Most Rev. Timothy A. McDonnell

SS Peter & Paul Parish is a Roman Catholic parish, designated for Polish immigrants in Three Rivers, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded 1903. It is one of the Polish-American Roman Catholic parishes in New England in the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts.

Sts. Peter and Paul Parish merged with St. Anne Parish in 2010 to form Divine Mercy Parish in Sts. Peter and Paul's facilities.

History

According to the record, the first Polish immigrant came to the town of Palmer in the year 1886. Through the efforts of Fr. Franciszek Chalupka, the small but respected group of Polish settlers in Three Rivers, Thorndike and Bondsville were organized the St. Joseph Men's Society of Thorndike in April 1895.

In 1899 the St. Joseph's Society chose representatives and the committee visited the Most Rev. Bishop Daniel T. Beaven and with the assistance of a young lawyer, David Dillon, they finally were granted permission to organize and to establish the SS. Peter and Paul Parish at Four Corners^[1] in Three Rivers.

In July 1902, the Most Rev. Bishop Daniel T. Beaven appointed the Rev. Venceslaus Lenz as the first pastor for Polish descent residing in the towns at Four Corners. At the first meeting they decided to build the Church in the center of the town of Palmer and chose the present site in the village of Three Rivers opposite the Town Hall.

Pastors

Rev. Venceslaus Lenz (1902–1911)
Rev. Wladyslaw Kielbasinski (1911–1913)
Rev. Andrew Krzywda^[2] (1913–1947)
Rev. Joseph Szczepaniak (1947–1948)
Rev. Alphonse A. Skoniecki (1948–1972)
Rev. Robert J. Ceckowski (1972–1997)
Rev. Stefan Niemczyk (1997–2010)

References

↑ Named of four villages: Palmer, Three Rivers, Thorndike and Bondsville
↑ Born at Dembowiec, Poland, Rev. Andrew Krzywda came to this country at the age of seventeen to live for a time with a brother in Chicopee. He was educated at St. Mary's College in Detroit and the Grand Seminary in Montreal where he was ordained Dec. 18, 1909

Bibliography

A short parish history the 1955 Jubilee Book. SS Peter & Paul Parish - Three Rivers MA: the internet Polish Genealogical Source.
The 150'th Anniversary of Polish-American Pastoral Ministry. Webster, Massachusetts: St. Joseph Basilica. September 11, 2005.
The Official Catholic Directory in USA

External links

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