The parish of St. Mary of Czestochowa in New Kensington was founded in 1893 by Polish immigrants who came to industrialize and farm the area. Now a Catholic community of various ethnic backgrounds still committed to our baptismal call to be the Body of Christ by hearing the Word of God, celebrating the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and becoming Christ to one another.
Called to use our unique and special gifts, bestowed upon us by our heavenly Father, we are committed to strengthening the faith of our members from the youngest to the oldest, continuing our journey of a lifetime, and reaching out to the wider community by education, service and evangelization. We seek to build a stronger community through the efforts of all parishioners, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
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PARISH HISTORY
St. Mary of Czestochowa Parish history begins with our parish patroness. In 1892, a small group of Polish immigrant families desired to worship God in their own language. They approached Father Ladislaus Miskiewicz, Pastor of St. Adalbert Church, South Side, Pittsburgh, begging him to intercede with Bishop Phelan (Diocese of Pittsburgh) on their behalf. It was through Father Miskiewicz's guidance that the Society of Our Lady of Czestochowa was formed.
In 1893, men of the society sought help from the Burrell Improvement Company and two lots located on Kenneth Avenue were donated. A small frame church was constructed, and St. Adalbert's clergy continued to minister to the needs of the newly formed parish. In November of 1893, the Diocese of Pittsburgh assigned our first resident pastor, Father Henry Cichocki. Our first annual report noted 63 families, 259 parishioners, 29 baptisms, 8 marriages, 3 deaths and 30 children receiving catechetical instructions.
The parish continued to grow, and in three years, an addition to the church structure was built with basement classrooms for a school. Over the years, additional lots were purchased under the guidance of the various clergy. Construction of the present church building began in 1911 under the pastorship of Father Francis Pikulski and was completed in 1912 under the pastorship of Father Francis Poszukanis. Once again, four classrooms were furnished in the church basement.
The school was originally staffed by lay teachers and in 1913 Father Poszukanis petitioned the Felician Sisters for help to staff the school. A convent was built and a year later, the Sisters had full charge of the school. In February of 1914, a fire slightly damaged the new church, but the old structure (which had been used as a parish social hall) and the rectory were completely demolished. As a result of the fire, a new rectory and a new eight classroom school (present structure) were built. The school was dedicated in 1922. The school closed in 1994.
In 1927 the parish acquired land for our present cemetery
under the leadership of Father Anthony Baron. Father Casimir Orlemanski began
the grand task of liquidating the parish debt in 1942 and added an addition to
the convent. In 1957 Father Edward Sierocki oversaw the building of the present
rectory. In the 1970's, Father Anthony Wozniak undertook the church renovation.
In 1986, Father Thaddeus J. Kaczmarek came to St. Mary's and served as pastor in
the centennial year. In 1997, Fr. Richard P. Karenbauer began an
11-year pastorate, followed by his appointment as administrator of our
parish from 2008 - 2010, with Fr. Alan W. Grote becoming Parochial Vicar. In
2010, Fr. John S. Szczesny was named administrator, with Fr. Alan continuing as
Parochial Vicar.
The parish has seen many changes and challenges. We have survived a dissent which formed the present St. Peter and Paul Polish National Catholic Church. We ministered to a mission parish in Harwick, Our Lady of Victory. We opened our doors to house the Hungarian Community, who as St. Elizabeth's Parish sought worship in their own tongue. We sent our Sisters to provide religious instruction for students at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Natrona Heights and students at All Saints Church, East Vandergrift, Pennsylvania. We have gone from three resident priests in the 1970's to a single pastor from 1990 - 2008, to an administrator from 2008 - present.
Link to MapQuest for directions on finding St. Marys
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