St. Hedwig's (Milwaukee)
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St. Hedwig's Roman Catholic Church, referred to in Polish as Kościół Świętej Jadwigi is a Roman Catholic parish located at 1702 N. Humboldt Ave. on Milwaukee, Wisconsin's East Side.
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[edit] Dedication
This church is dedicated to St. Hedwig aka Jadwiga of Poland, queen and saint of Poland.
[edit] History
Polish immigrants congregated not only on Milwaukee’s south side, on its east side as well. Most of the settlers on there had come from Prussia and had suffered through Bismarck’s repressive “Kulturkampf”. This area was known as the “Kepa”, or "camp" as there had once been a military camp at the location. In the beginning Polish residents from Milwaukee’s east side who wished to attend mass in their native language made a long and arduous journey on foot to St. Stanislaus. Those who were not up to this task attended St. Mary’s on Broadway or St. John Nepomuc, a Bohemian church.
The Poles on Milwaukee's east side were energized by the construction of St. Stanislaus church on the south side, and 40 families met in 1871 to organize their own parish closer to home. A wooden church was erected on the corner of Brady and Humboldt and dedicated to St. Hedwig, who had been a queen of Poland.
In 1885 a major row broke out in the church over the choice of an organist. Riots ensued and the police were called in to bring order. The priest resigned and the parish was closed for three months by the Archdiocese. A new pastor, Father Clement Rogozinski was appointed and the first mass said on December 11. Reverend Rogozinski had been born in the Kingdom of Poland in 1835. He had been ordained in Łowicz in 1861 just as another national uprising was taking place against the Tsar. The provisional Polish government chose Rogozinski to administer the oath of allegiance to the rebels. After the uprising had failed, Rogozinski tried to escape to Galicia. However, he was detained by the Russian police and imprisoned in Olomuniec for 11 months. After his release, he journeyed to America and finally landed in Milwaukee. Father Rogozinski was revered by the local Polish community for his patriotic efforts, brought a calming presence to the parish, and the wounds were healed.
As the parish grew, the original church structure proved to be too small, having been originally designed for only 200 parishioners. It was now bursting at the seams with nearly 600 area families wishing to attend mass. Two lots were purchased from a Mr. Kowalski for $6000, and the parish borrowed an additional $15,000 to begin construction of a new church. In August of 1886, excavation for the new church began. The clay around Milwaukee lacked iron, so the church was built in the famous cream colored brick which was typical of Milwaukee structures at the time. This effect lead to Milwaukee being called "The Cream City" (which had nothing to do with its dairies nor breweries!)
Following the Second World War, the ethnic mix of the neighborhood began to change. Poles left the area to be replaced by Irish, Italians, and Hispanics. The Brady Street area would later become the hub of Milwaukee's counter culture and hippie movement in the 1960s as the neighborhood continued to change.
On July 1st 2000, St. Hedwig’s was consolidated with Holy Rosary Church, formerly an Irish church, and St. Rita’s, founded by Italians to form The Three Holy Women parish. It serves an ethnically and culturally diverse neighborhood.
[edit] Architecture
St Hedwig's was designed by local architect Henry Messmer. A Romanesque-influenced building, its decorative elements are drawn from Gothic, eighteenth century and Eastern European motifs. In particular the copper-clad spire of the central tower recalls the eighteenth and nineteenth century churches of Eastern Europe. Built using Cream City brick, one can inspect the brick, as well as other details of the church, closely from the sidewalks on Humboldt and Brady. St. Hedwig's, like other Polish churches in Milwaukee, is characterized by arched windows and domical towers and spires.
[edit] References
- St. Hedwig's Centennial Book 1971
- Kruszka, Wacław, A History of Poles In America to 1908 (Washington D.C. 2001)
- Borun, Thaddeus, We, the Milwaukee Poles (Milwaukee: Nowiny Publishing Co. 1946)
