About Immaculate Conception · Indian Orchard, Massachusetts
Immaculate Conception Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in the Indian Orchard neighborhood of Springfield, Massachusetts, founded in 1904 by Polish immigrants as one of several ethnic parishes that served the mill village's diverse immigrant communities. Located at 25 Parker Street, it belongs to the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts and continues to celebrate Mass in both English and Polish, with a dedicated Polish-language Sunday Mass at 10:00 a.m. The parish is currently pastored by Very Rev. Piotr S. Calik, who also previously served as Vicar General of the diocese. The parish gained local fame in 2009–2010 when parishioners organized to save it from diocesan closure, ultimately winning protection of its church, rectory, and former school as a Local Historic District.
- Established
- 1904
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (under the title of the Immaculate Conception)
- Rector
- Very Rev. Piotr S. Calik
- Diocese
- Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts
Why belong here
Immaculate Conception is one of the oldest continuously operating Polish-American Catholic parishes in New England, with more than a century of worship rooted in the Indian Orchard neighborhood of Springfield. It offers the rare combination of a traditional Polish-language Sunday Mass (10:00 a.m.) and English-language Masses throughout the week, making it a welcoming home for both Polish-American families and English-speaking Catholics. As a small, close-knit community that famously saved itself from closure in 2010, the parish today combines bilingual liturgy, a strong devotional life (including a First Saturday Mass), and the dignity of a designated historic church campus.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 3:30 – 4:00 PM
- First Friday: before Mass (approximately 5:00 PM)
- First Saturday: before Mass (approximately 8:30 AM)
Parish History & Polish-American Heritage
Immaculate Conception was established in 1904 to serve the Polish immigrant community of Indian Orchard, one of the mill-village neighborhoods that grew up around the textile industries of Springfield. The parish belongs to a long-standing pattern of ethnic parishes in the neighborhood — preceded by St. Matthew's (Irish, on Pinevale Street) and St. Aloysius (French-Canadian, on Main Street) — that allowed new immigrant groups to worship in their own language while building tight community institutions around their churches. Immaculate Conception also operated a parochial school that served local Polish-American children for many decades.
- Founded 1904
- Founded by Polish immigrants
- Dedication: Immaculate Conception
- Part of the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts
- Province of Boston, Region 9
Saving the Parish (2009–2010)
In 2009 the Diocese of Springfield announced a plan to merge Immaculate Conception with a parish in Ludlow, and the parish was scheduled to close. More than 200 parishioners packed the church to fight the decision and, over the following year, pursued two parallel strategies: filing formal objections with the diocese and petitioning the Springfield Historical Commission to designate the entire church campus — the church, the rectory, and the former school — as a Historic District. The Historic District strategy proved decisive: it gave the property legal protection against demolition or exterior alteration and forced the diocese to reconsider. On September 18, 2010, the bishop accepted the parish's long-term plan and reversed the closure decision. Immaculate Conception has remained open ever since.
- Closure scheduled in 2009 by the Diocese of Springfield
- Parish given an extension to June 2010 during review
- Springfield Historical Commission created the Immaculate Conception Local Historic District
- Designation covers the church, rectory, and former school
- Bishop reversed the closure decision on September 18, 2010
Immaculate Conception Local Historic District
The Immaculate Conception property is the only Local Historic District in the Indian Orchard neighborhood. The Springfield Historical Commission created the district specifically to protect the parish's historic buildings — the church, the rectory, and the former parochial school — at a time when the parish's future was in doubt. Under Massachusetts historic-district law, any exterior change or demolition within a Local Historic District must be approved by the Historical Commission, giving the property lasting protection regardless of ownership.
- Includes church building, rectory, and former school
- Located at 25 Parker Street, Indian Orchard
- Approved by Springfield Historical Commission (circa 2010)
- Approved at the state level in Boston
- Indian Orchard's only Local Historic District
Devotions: First Saturday Mass
Immaculate Conception observes the First Saturday devotion, with a 9:00 a.m. Mass on the first Saturday of each month celebrated bilingually in Polish and English. The devotion is rooted in the apparitions at Fatima and is a distinctive element of the parish's devotional life, alongside the First Friday Polish-and-English Mass.
- First Saturday Mass at 9:00 AM in Polish and English
- First Friday Mass at 5:30 PM in Polish and English
- Featured on the parish website under 'News' / 'Learn More about First Saturday Masses'
Clergy & Diocesan Leadership
Immaculate Conception is pastored by Very Rev. Piotr S. Calik, who also served as Vicar General of the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts — a role in which he was publicly thanked by Bishop William D. Byrne for his service. The current diocesan bishop is Most Rev. William D. Byrne. Father Calik has continued as pastor of Immaculate Conception even while taking on senior diocesan responsibilities, and the parish remains a visible center of diocesan life: in July 2025, Father Calik led a group of 31 diocesan pilgrims, who boarded their bus at Immaculate Conception, on the pilgrimage to the Jubilee of Youth in Rome.
- Pastor: Very Rev. Piotr S. Calik
- Diocesan Bishop: Most Rev. William D. Byrne
- Father Calik previously served as Vicar General of the Diocese of Springfield (since 2021)
- Father Calik also appointed to the Priest Personnel Board
Immaculate Conception School (historic)
The parish operated Immaculate Conception School, a Catholic school that served Polish-American families in Indian Orchard for many decades. The school building, located at 34 Kopernick Street adjacent to the church, is part of the parcel included in the Immaculate Conception Local Historic District and has historically housed parish educational ministries. The campus — church, rectory, and former school — is preserved today under historic-district protections.
- Former school address: 34 Kopernick Street, Indian Orchard, MA 01151
- Included in the Local Historic District designation
- Historically served Polish-American Catholic families of Indian Orchard
Visiting & Contact
Parishioners and visitors are warmly welcomed at Immaculate Conception. The parish invites new arrivals to register at the office and notes that Mass is offered in both English and Polish. The office can be reached by phone or email, and bulletins are posted on the parish website.
- Address: 25 Parker Street, Indian Orchard, Springfield, MA 01151
- Phone: (413) 543-3627
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: indian-orchard-immaculate-conception.org
- Languages of worship: English and Polish