Published : 2024-11-13

St. Kunegunda Parish in McAdoo and Its Clergy as Presented by the Daily “Dziennik Chicagoski”, 1893-1920

Abstract

Present-day McAdoo, located in Schuylkill County, began as the small village of Saylor’s Hill, then Pleasant Hill, and was a mining town incorporated in 1896. Beginning in 1880, Poles, among others, arrived in the area to work in the mines, settling in two villages, now non-existent “Slabtown” and “Honeybrook”. This was land owned by the Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre coal company. At that time, Schuylkill County hosted the only Polish parish of St. Casimir in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. Given the considerable distance, Polish community benefited from the pastoral service of the Irish parish in Audendried. Back then, during the Easter season, Fr. Antoni Klawiter provided pastoral care to local Poles in the Irish church on a sporadic basis. In 1893, through his initiative in Pleasant Hill, Pa., the Society of “Knights of Casimir Pulaski” was founded. These pioneers attempted to integrate Polish community by establishing a Polish parish. In September 1893, Rev. Maciej Tarnowski became its first parish priest. The first services were held in the public school on Grant Street in Pleasant Hill. A few years later, between 1895-1896, Fr. Marek Januszkiewicz built the first chapel, located on the parish square. From August 1901, pastoral service in the parish was undertaken by Rev. Stanisław M. Olesiński; from July 1902, Rev. Józef Biela, Ph.D., and from the new year of 1904, Rev. Jan Dąbrowski. At the time, the parish consisted of 150 families and the same number of single people. The construction of a new church and parsonage was attempted. Subsequently, from March 1906, these works were continued by Rev. Ludwik Wojtyś; from September 1907, Rev. Paweł Guzik, and from February 2, 1908. – Rev. Stanisław Fróg.

Additional changes in the parish came with the appointment of a new pastor in January 1909, namely Fr. Józef Kuczyński, later on from May 1910 – Fr. Wojciech Sułek, then from December 1, 1910 – Fr. Franciszek Grzywacz, who continued preparations to open the school and bring in the Teaching Sisters of St. Dorothy, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts. Fr. Michał Pachucki took over these duties on September 1, 1913, and launched a school in the basement with 4 Bernardine Sisters. In November 1917, Fr. Leon Pateracki took his place. After his death, Fr. Józef Woda became the parish priest in November 1918. In turn, Fr. Sebastian Jerzak took over the post on June 24, 1919. This marked the beginning of the then longest period of a pastor’s stay in this parish. His major accomplishments included the repayment of parish obligations resulting from investments made in church equipment.

Keywords:

St. Kunegunda Parish in McAdoo, Polish diaspora McAdoo, Polish diaspora Saylor’s Hill, Polish diaspora Pleasant Hill, Polish clergy in McAdoo



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Studia Polonijne · ISSN 0137-5210 | eISSN 2544-526X | DOI: 10.18290/sp
© Towarzystwo Naukowe KUL & Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II


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