| 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 |
| Founder(s) | Jan Pitass |
| Dedicated | 1886 |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Functional status | "Active" |
| Architect(s) | T.O.Sullivan |
| Style | Romanesque |
| Completed | 1882 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 192 feet (58.5 m) |
| Width | 104 feet (31.7 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.
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The parish was established on Jun. 8, 1873 by Rev. Jan Pitass and the Society of Saint Stanislaus. In 1904, the church's parish was among the largest in the U.S. with close to 20,000 parishioners and nearly two-thousand children were enrolled in the school. In 1908, the church steeples and bells were installed. [1] The church features a 1893 Johnson & Son pipe organ in the chior loft.[2]
During the winter of 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 in July 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.[3]
In November of 2003 Bishop Edward M. Grosz was named only the 6th pastor of the historic parish. Because of dwindling attendance and parish population, the church was redesignated "a shrine to St. Stanislaus and all Polish martyrs" and a Polish cultural center on October 11, 2009. The Bishop also "linked" the parish with St. John Kanty's church.[4]