St Stanislaus Kostka Parish

The second cultural institute we selected for Polish ethnicity on Staten Island is St Stanislaus Kostka Parish in New Brighton.

The exterior of the church is a square, simple reddish-brown brick building that ends at a point with small cross on top. There are two rectangular sides withoff-white paneling and curved, narrowwindows. There is a statue out front, the first of many we would find inside. The door is square and plain, but the arch is painted in intricate designs. This reveals a taste Poland’s religious architectural designs.

When I arrived, the church itself was not holding a sermon, but we were welcome to walk around and observe the interior of the church.

The institution fits into “American” culture by presenting sermons in English as well as Polish. The setup as a church itself is similar to many other churches There are wooden benches in front of the slightly-elevated alter with a row down the middle. There is a narrow row that separates them in half.  There are candles and a large cross in the back of the church, in comparison to the others scattered around the church. However, there are multiple forms of art that provide a much more welcome and colorful atmosphere then past churches I’ve experienced. Several of these art pieces likely have a historical or cultural reference to Poland. An American flag and a Polish flag in front of the church, which is a symbol that St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish proudly recognizes and accepts the customs, both nations in peaceful unity.

The oil paintings, stain glass windows, and crosses in the church itself are likely to be inspired by Polish art or originate from the Poland itself. These artifacts clearly portray how the nation expresses the preferred icons of their religion as well as their artistic customs. There is also an oil painting of Jesus with light pigment, brown hair, and light eyes. This depiction of Jesus Christ may posses these qualities due to their physical similarities with the Polish people.  There are also portraits of saints that originate form or are close to the Polish religion.

Though there was a lot of art, I failed to see anything directly about the history of how the church originated or why. After researching, I discovered the church was built around the 1920s, and was creating because many Polish immigrant families wanted a place to practice their Catholicism in the comfort of their native language. This also gave the Polish immigrants a place to join together, help each other, and plan social events. This is especially important today, now that ethnic neighborhoods are not as tightly knit as they used to be.

Since we couldn’t speak to anybody at the time, we researched the history of the Parish on their church website. Similar to the flag, Father Marek, a Polish immigrant who has worked at St Stanislaus Kostka Parish for ten years,has a great influence in diversifying the lives of his church community, whether that is gaining a higher involvement in the Polish traditions or American society. When available, he organizes English language classes and religion classes, but the church itself goes beyond religious assistance. The church attempts to help Polish immigrants on the island with finding jobs, legal help, health issues, and counseling. He has established a Catholic school that teaches the Polish language and culture to American-born children. Reverend Wozny and Reverend Ciszkowski also participate in mass and other social events at the church.