St. Casimir Parish, Terryville
| St. Casimir Parish | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates: 41°40′38.8″N 73°00′11.2″W / 41.677444°N 73.003111°W | |
| Location |
17 Allen Street Terryville, Connecticut |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | Parish website |
| History | |
| Founded | 1906 |
| Founder(s) | Polish immigrants |
| Dedication | St. Casimir |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Hartford |
| Province | Hartford |
| Division | Vicariate: Waterbury |
| Subdivision | Bristol |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Most Rev. Leonard Blairl, |
| Pastor(s) | Rev. Marcin P Pluciennik |
St. Casimir Parish - Roman Catholic Church in Terryville, Connecticut, United States.
- Founded in 1906. It is one of the Polish-American Roman Catholic parishes in New England in the Archdiocese of Hartford.
Parish shares a Pastor with the Immaculate Conception parish in 1999.
History
The journey of Saint Casimir Church began in the early 1890s when the number of Polish immigrants in Terryville sharply increased. At first, they worshipped at Immaculate Conception. However, like other nationalities, these early Polish Catholics yearned for a church with a priest to administer to their needs in their native language.
In December 1900, a Polish fraternal organization, the St. Casimir Society, was formed and became the major force in pursuit of a Polish parish in Terryville. After the establishment of by-laws and a resolution to form their own parish, the St. Casimir Society immediately organized a monthly, door-to-door fund drive to raise money to build a church. Within a year, enough money was collected to purchase land. Despite the on-going fund drives and the purchase of land, local and diocesan opposition seemed insurmountable, but this did not deter these early parishioners from pursuing their dream for a Polish parish. In January 1905, a meeting was held with the Apostolic Delegate in Washington, D.C. and, as a result, in March 1906, Father Joseph Raniszewski was appointed pastor of Saint Casimir Parish.
During his first months in Terryville, Father Raniszewski held Sunday Mass at the Immaculate Conception Church and, then, at rented halls, including the original Lyceum Building. However, since the construction of the church and rectory was started simultaneously upon the new pastor’s arrival, the rectory was completed first and was used for daily masses. As of May 1906, the cornerstone of the church was laid in place and, on Labor Day of that same year, Bishop Tierney consecrated St. Casimir Church.
Over the past 110 years, the faithful parishioners of Saint Casimir Church have worked to continue to fulfill the beautiful legacy that has been entrusted to them. We pray that God will continue to bless our Saint Casimir Church!
Pastors
- Rev. Joseph Raniszewski (1906 – 1911)
- Rev. Ludwig Rusin (1911 – 1918)
- Rev. Paul Koszczyk (1918 – 1920)
- Rev. Peter Kaczmarski (1920 – 1932)
- Rev. Peter Sroka (1932 – 1959)
- Rev. Julius Pac (1959 – 1975)
- Rev. Stephen Ptaszynski (1976 – 1993)
- Rev. Daniel Karpey (1993 – 1999)
- Rev. Gerald Dziedzic (1999 - 2012)
- Rev. Marcin P Pluciennik (2012 - 2015)
- Rev. Tomasz Sztuber (2015 - 2017)(Administrator)
Bibliography
- The 150'th Anniversary of Polish-American Pastoral Ministry. Webster, Massachusetts: St. Joseph Basilica. September 11, 2005.
- The Official Catholic Directory in United States
