About Church of St. Stanislaus · Amsterdam, New York
Church of St. Stanislaus is a historic Polish-American Catholic parish in Amsterdam, New York, founded in the 1890s by Polish immigrants who came to the city seeking work in its carpet and knitting mills. Now part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, the parish serves roughly 450–500 members from its home on Cornell Street in the city of Amsterdam. The current church building dates to 1897 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, and it is one of four cooperating Catholic parishes in the Amsterdam area alongside Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, St. Mary's, and St. Stephen's.
- Established
- 1894
- Patron
- St. Stanislaus (Bishop and Martyr)
- Rector
- Very Rev. O. Robert DeMartinis, E.V.
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany
Why belong here
St. Stanislaus is a tight-knit, historic Polish-American parish that still celebrates its heritage through the annual Parish Festival with homemade pierogi and golumbki, the Palm Sunday Babka Bake Sale, and the Ladies' Rosary Society (founded 1892) and Holy Name Society (founded 1955). Members participate in faith formation for grades K–10, share the daily 8AM Mass with three other Amsterdam-area parishes, and support neighbors through the Lazarus Ministry, parish Food Pantry contributions to Catholic Charities, and the Comfort Zone interfaith project. Visitors will find a parish that takes seriously both its immigrant roots and its call to ongoing evangelization, education, and outreach.
Mass times at Church of St. Stanislaus
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- First Saturday of the month, 3:00–3:30 PM at St. Stanislaus Church
Our Parish History
St. Stanislaus is the Polish-American Catholic parish founded in 1894 by Polish immigrants who had come to Amsterdam, NY, seeking work in its mills. After attending St. Mary's and St. Joseph's parishes — neither of which could serve them in Polish — they organized a mutual aid society in 1888, purchased two Cornell Street homes in January 1894, and celebrated the first Mass in a converted chapel that March. The first resident pastor, Rev. Anton Gorski, was installed in September 1895 and led the construction of the present church, which was dedicated on June 27, 1897, and expanded to its current ~1,000-seat form in 1912. The parish marked its 125th anniversary in 2019 with a dinner at the Amsterdam Elks Lodge.
- Founded: 1894 (first Mass in the Cornell Street chapel)
- First resident pastor: Rev. Anton Gorski, installed Sept. 23, 1895
- Current church dedicated: June 27, 1897
- Expanded to present form: 1912
- Placed on the National Register of Historic Places: 1999
Pastoral Team & Staff
The parish is led by Very Rev. O. Robert DeMartinis, E.V., a native of Amsterdam who returned to the Albany Diocese in 1990 and was appointed pastor of St. Stanislaus in 2010 (and of St. Stephen's in Hagaman in July 2012). Deacon Michael C. Ryba serves as Director of Finance & Administration. Parish staff include Dolores Dybas (Parish Secretary), Brian Gaetano (Facilities Manager), Alice Sorensen (Director of Music), and Diane Madej (Faith Formation Coordinator).
- Rev. O. Robert DeMartinis, E.V. — Pastor
- Deacon Michael C. Ryba — Director of Finance & Administration
- Dolores Dybas — Parish Secretary
- Brian Gaetano — Facilities Manager
- Alice Sorensen — Director of Music
- Diane Madej — Faith Formation Coordinator
Faith Formation & Religious Education
St. Stanislaus participates in a shared Children's Faith Formation Program with three other Amsterdam-area parishes — Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, St. Mary's, and St. Stephen's — serving children in Grades K through 10 during the school year. Grades K–6 meet Sunday mornings at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (9–10:15 AM) or Monday evenings at St. Stanislaus (6:30–7:30 PM); Grades 7–10 meet Sunday mornings at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (9–10:15 AM) or twice a month on Sunday evenings at St. Stanislaus (6:30–8 PM). RCIA and adult sacramental preparation is available year-round by appointment.
- Grades K–6: Sunday 9–10:15 AM at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, or Monday 6:30–7:30 PM at St. Stanislaus
- Grades 7–10: Sunday 9–10:15 AM at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, or Sunday 6:30–8 PM (twice a month) at St. Stanislaus
- RCIA / Sacramental Preparation for Adults: Year-round, by appointment — call (518) 842-2771
- Faith Formation Office: (518) 843-5452
Parish Organizations & Societies
St. Stanislaus is home to two long-standing lay societies, the Ladies' Rosary Society (founded September 25, 1892 — even before the present church was built) and the Holy Name Society (founded 1955), along with several active fundraising and service groups. Together they keep the parish's Polish-American heritage alive through prayer, food traditions, and charitable works.
- Ladies' Rosary Society (est. 1892) — meets 2nd Sunday of the month, September–June, 2 PM in the Church Hall; open to women 21+; $10 annual dues
- Holy Name Society (est. 1955) — meets 2nd Sunday of the month, September–June, before the 10 AM Mass in the Parish Hall; open to men 18+
- Pierogi Angels — prepares pierogi and golumbki for the Parish Festival and November Pierogi Sale
- Festival Committee
- Fundraising Committee
- Hospitality Services
- Lazarus Ministry
Devotions & Parish Traditions
The Rosary is prayed publicly on weekends before each Mass — at 3:30 PM before the Saturday Vigil and at 9:30 AM before the Sunday Mass — and a small group of fifteen members take turns reciting one decade of the rosary daily. The Rosary Society also leads the parish's participation in the local October Rosary Rally in Amsterdam and provides flowers for the Virgin's altar that month.
- Weekend Rosary: 3:30 PM Saturday, 9:30 AM Sunday
- Daily Decade of the Rosary by rotating 15-member group
- October Rosary Rally in Amsterdam
- Easter Święconka (Blessing of the Easter Baskets) dinner in April
- Christmas Dinner (second Sunday in January)
- Palm Sunday Babka Bake Sale (~750 loaves baked each year)
Social Outreach & Charity
The parish operates an ongoing Food Pantry at all church entrances, with both grocery items and cash donated to Catholic Charities of Fulton-Montgomery (each dollar donated is said to purchase about eight dollars of food). St. Stanislaus also participates in the Comfort Zone, an interfaith project administered by Trinity Lutheran Church that distributes paper goods, soap, and personal care items to needy families year-round, with special collections at Christmas, Easter, and back-to-school time.
- Food Pantry — groceries and cash collected at all church entrances for Catholic Charities of Fulton-Montgomery
- Comfort Zone — interfaith project (administered by Trinity Lutheran Church) supporting needy families with paper goods and personal care items
- Lazarus Ministry
- Annual donations to the Bishop's Appeal and other parish needs
St. Stanislaus Cemetery & Columbarium
The St. Stanislaus Cemetery was purchased in February 1896 — 14.5 acres of the Marcellus Farm northwest of the city, bought for $2,137.50 — and was ceremoniously dedicated and blessed in mid-July 1896, even before the present church building was complete. The Holy Cross Memorial Columbarium sits on a hilltop in the cemetery in an area immediately adjacent to Steadwell Avenue, with two curved structures flanking a large granite cross that together contain 50 niches (25 on each side); each niche may hold up to two urns.
- Location: Upper Steadwell Avenue, Amsterdam, NY (just south of Rt. 67 East)
- Acquired: February 1896 (14.5 acres of the Marcellus Farm)
- Holy Cross Memorial Columbarium: two curved structures flanking a granite cross, 50 niches total, each holding up to two urns
Getting Involved
St. Stanislaus offers many ways to participate, from joining the Ladies' Rosary Society or Holy Name Society to rolling pierogi with the Pierogi Angels, baking babka for the Palm Sunday Bake Sale, or serving on the Festival, Fundraising, or Hospitality committees. Newcomers interested in faith formation for children or adult sacramental preparation (RCIA) are encouraged to call the Parish Office at (518) 842-2771.
- Call the Parish Office: (518) 842-2771
- Faith Formation Office: (518) 843-5452
- Email: [email protected]
- Office Hours: Monday & Thursday, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
- Office Address: Saint John Paul II Parish Center, 46 Cornell Street, Amsterdam, NY 12010
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Felix Orzechowskipre-1894 (visiting priest)
Polish priest who periodically came to the parish and encouraged immigrants to organize a mutual aid society and a congregation in December 1888.
- Rev. Joseph Dereszewski1894–1895
Celebrated the first Mass in the chapel on Cornell Street in early March 1894; installed Rev. Anton Gorski as the first resident pastor in September 1895.
- Rev. Anton Gorski1895–
First resident pastor; led fundraising for the larger church, purchase of cemetery land, and construction that was dedicated on June 27, 1897.