Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish, Boston

Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish
Coordinates: 42°19′40″N 71°03′26″W / 42.32778°N 71.05722°W
Location 655 Dorchester Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts
Country  United States
Denomination Catholic Church
Membership about 200 families (2000)
Weekly attendance about 400
Website Parish website
History
Founded October 2, 1893
Founder(s) Polish immigrants
Dedication Black Madonna of Częstochowa
Dedicated November 18, 1894
Administration
Parish Conventual Franciscans from Canadian Custody of Franciscans Conventuals St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe
Archdiocese Boston
Province Boston
District Central Pastoral Region
Division Vicariate II
Clergy
Archbishop Cardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley OFM Conv
Vicar(s) Fr. Jerzy Brzozowski OFM Conv
Pastor(s) Rev. Jan Lempicki OFM Conv
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Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish - designated for Polish immigrants at Dorchester Ave Dorchester, Massachusetts, was founded in 1893.

This is one of Polish-American Roman Catholic parishes in New England in the Archdiocese of Boston.

History

Among the immigrants of many ethnic groups, who come to the United States at the end of the nineteenth century, there was a significant number of Poles, who for various reasons left their homeland. Relatively many of them settled in Boston, especially in the southern part of the town of Dorchester. In 1893 to the Italian Sacred Heart Parish in Boston, arrived Polish priest, Fr. Jan M. Chmieliński

The group selected their representatives, who went to Archbishop John J. Williams, asking him to authorize Fr. Chmieliński to organize a Polish congregation. Archbishop John J. Williams has appointed Fr. Chmieliński, the pastor of the Polish Catholics of Boston, Salem and elsewhere.

In the meantime, a number of parish-related organizations were formed such as:

The architect for the 1903 building was T. Edward Sheehan of Dorchester, MA.

In 1986, Cardinal Bernard Law during pilgrimage to the shrine in Kraków-Łagiewniki Poland, asked the Mother General of The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy (pol. Zgromadzenie Sióstr Matki Bożej Miłosierdzia), Sr. Paulina Słomka, about the several sisters in Boston to establish a community of The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. The three sisters came to Boston on September 15 1988, where they set up temporarily at the Convent in the Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish. It was the first international house founded outside of Poland. On October 10 1993, the sisters moved to the current convent near St. Ann's Parish at the Neponset Ave. in Dorchester.

Pastors

In 1940 Cardinal William Henry O'Connell entrusted the parish to the care of the Conventual Franciscans Fathers:

In 1994 the parish was taken over by Conventual Franciscans from Polish Prowincja Matki Bożej Niepokalanej in Warszawa, Poland:

References

  1. ↑ Forced to return to Poland in connection with the scandal of sexual abuse Bishop-Accountability.org
  2. ↑ Archdiocese of Boston Places Rev. Andrzej Urbaniak on Administrative Leave of Absence following his arrest on child pornography charges

Bibliography

External links