About St. Adalbert · Schenectady, New York
The Church of St. Adalbert is a Roman Catholic parish on the Crane Street Hill in Schenectady, New York, founded in 1903 to serve the growing Polish immigrant community in the Mont Pleasant and Rotterdam neighborhoods. A parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, it is named after St. Adalbert of Prague, a Bohemian missionary bishop and martyr who was a friend of Prince Boleslaus the Brave of Poland. From its 120-year history of serving Polish-American Catholics, St. Adalbert today offers Sunday and weekday Mass, a Faith Formation program for children in grades K through 11, and live-streamed Masses on YouTube. The parish is part of a collaborative grouping with sister parishes Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Paul the Apostle.
- Established
- 1903
- Patron
- St. Adalbert of Prague (Wojciech), Bohemian missionary bishop and martyr
- Rector
- Rev. Matthew H. Frisoni
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany
Why belong here
St. Adalbert is a small, historically Polish-American parish where the same family names have been praying on Crane Street Hill for over a century. It offers Sunday and Wednesday Mass in person and a live-streamed Sunday Mass on YouTube, Faith Formation classes for children in grades K through 11, an active Unity Outreach Ministry, and a Parish Board of Trustees that includes lay members Susan Costanzo and Michael Ostrowski. The parish is also part of a collaborative grouping of three sister parishes (Our Lady of Mount Carmel, St. Paul the Apostle, and St. Adalbert), so visitors and parishioners are welcomed into a wider community of worship, formation, and outreach in the Schenectady area.
Mass times at St. Adalbert
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday — in English and Polish (per 2019 diocesan reporting)
Adoration times
- 24-Hour Prayer Vigil (see parish website)
About the Parish
The Church of St. Adalbert is a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Albany, located on Crane Street Hill in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1903 by Polish immigrants, it carries the name of St. Adalbert of Prague and is part of a collaborative of three parishes along with Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Paul the Apostle. The parish serves its community through Sunday and weekday Mass, a K–11 Faith Formation program, a Unity Outreach Ministry, and live-streamed Mass on YouTube.
- Parish address: 550 Lansing Street, Schenectady, NY 12303
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany
- Part of collaborative with Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Paul the Apostle
History of St. Adalbert
The story of St. Adalbert is the story of Polish-Catholic Schenectady. By 1900, Polish-speaking immigrants fleeing the partitions of Poland, the insurrections of 1830 and 1863, and compulsory military service had settled in the Mont Pleasant and Rotterdam areas, drawn by jobs at the Edison Machine Works (later General Electric) and the Schenectady Locomotive Works. Two committees of parishioners — Louis Leszczynski, Anthony Predel, John Bietka, Louis Kania, and Anthony Przybylek to pick a site, and Francis Trojakowski, Paul Pieszczoch, Leon Laskowski, Alexander Rupinski, and Joseph Bruzdzinski to seek episcopal approval — petitioned Bishop Thomas Burke of Albany. He approved a site between Lansing and Crane Streets and suggested the name St. Adalbert.
- December 1, 1902 — $25 deposit on seven lots from the Veeder Estate
- Spring 1903 — site cleared, foundation of the wooden church begun
- May 30, 1903 — first Mass on the foundation of Francis Trojakowski's home
- June 4, 1903 — Certificate of Incorporation signed
- July 4, 1903 — first outdoor Mass on parish property
- July 5, 1903 — first baptism (Eugenia Kulczyk)
- September 8, 1903 — parish school opens with ~200 students
- December 1903 — rectory completed; school, church, and rectory all built in seven months
Pastor and Clergy
St. Adalbert is served today by Rev. Matthew H. Frisoni, Pastor, who also serves as Judicial Vicar of the Diocese of Albany. He is assisted by Rev. Adam J. Feisthamel, Parochial Vicar, who has been assigned by Bishop Mark O'Connell to become Parochial Vicar of St. Joseph Parish in Fort Edward and St. Mary/St. Paul Parish in Hudson Falls, effective July 1. The parish's first pastor, Rev. Joseph Gogolewski, led the founding community from 1903 to 1916 and was assisted by Rev. John Szczypta, Rev. Stanislaus Pruski, and Rev. Peter Kujawski.
- Rev. Matthew H. Frisoni — Pastor and Judicial Vicar of the Diocese of Albany
- Rev. Adam J. Feisthamel — Parochial Vicar (departing to Fort Edward / Hudson Falls)
- Rev. Joseph Gogolewski — Founding pastor, 1903–1916
Board of Trustees
Under New York State not-for-profit religious corporation law, every parish in the Diocese of Albany has a Board of Trustees. Trustees sign financial reports and advise the pastor on administration and stewardship, and are appointed by the Bishop for a one-year term up to a maximum of six years.
- President: Most Rev. Mark O'Connell (Bishop of Albany)
- Vice President: Rev. Robert P. Longobucco
- Secretary-Treasurer: Rev. Matthew H. Frisoni
- Lay Trustees: Susan Costanzo and Michael Ostrowski
Pastoral Council
The Parish Pastoral Council supports the pastor in the spiritual and pastoral life of the parish community. (See the parish Pastoral Council page for current membership.)
Mass and Sacraments
The parish's current published Mass schedule (per the parish website and the Diocese of Albany directory) is Sunday at 11:00 AM and Wednesday at 8:00 AM. A live-streamed Sunday Mass is broadcast on YouTube beginning at 6:00 PM. The parish also maintains a 24-Hour Prayer Vigil. As of 2019, the church offered Saturday confessions in English and Polish. Sacramental records and Sacramental preparation are handled through the parish office.
- Sunday Mass — 11:00 AM
- Wednesday Mass — 8:00 AM
- Live-streamed Sunday Mass on YouTube — 6:00 PM
- 24-Hour Prayer Vigil
- Confession — Saturday in English and Polish
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The parish runs a Faith Formation and Religious Education program serving children in grades K through 11. Mrs. Arlene Parisi is the Director of Faith Formation and Religious Education and can be reached through the parish office. Registration for the 2026–2027 academic year is open via the parish website.
- Grades K through 11
- Director of Faith Formation: Mrs. Arlene Parisi
- Contact via the parish office: 518-346-4204
- Online registration available for 2026–2027
Unity Outreach Ministry
The Unity Outreach Ministry is a parish outreach initiative led with the close involvement of the pastorate. The parish publicly thanked Fr. Adam Feisthamel for his 'steady work with our Unity Outreach Ministry' as part of his farewell announcement.
Live-Streamed Mass on YouTube
The parish live-streams a Sunday Mass beginning at 6:00 PM, making it possible for the homebound and those away to remain connected to the St. Adalbert community. The link is available on the parish homepage under 'Join us here online for Mass every Sunday beginning at 6:00 PM.'
- Live-streamed Sunday Mass at 6:00 PM
- Available via the parish YouTube channel
Weekly Bulletin
The parish publishes a Weekly Bulletin with announcements, Mass intentions, and parish news. Bulletins are posted on the churchofstadalbert.org website under the 'Weekly Bulletin' page.
- Weekly Bulletin page on churchofstadalbert.org
120th Anniversary & 24-Hour Prayer Vigil
St. Adalbert celebrated its 120th Anniversary around 2023, marking 120 years since the parish's 1903 founding. The parish also hosts a 24-Hour Prayer Vigil, both highlighted on the parish website's main navigation. As of 2019 diocesan reporting, the parish had been served by nine pastors across its history.
- 120th Anniversary (commemorated 2023)
- 24-Hour Prayer Vigil
Polish Heritage and the Parish Cemetery
St. Adalbert has been a haven for Polish people and their cultural and religious traditions since 1903. The parish still carries Polish devotional life, including a Saturday confession in Polish and (as of 2019) a weekly Polish Sunday Mass. A 15-acre parish cemetery on Hamburg Street (formerly Guilderland Road) was established in 1903 from a five-acre gift of land by Mr. and Mrs. Władysław Sobieski; the first interment was Paul Zywicki, who died that summer.
- 15-acre parish cemetery on Hamburg Street
- Gift of five acres in 1903 by the Sobieski family
- Polish-language devotions and confession
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph Gogolewski1903–1916
First pastor, appointed by Bishop Thomas Burke on May 23, 1903. Born Aug. 10, 1867 in Russian-partition Poland; studied at the seminary in Włocławek; ordained 1890. Served a founding parish of about 70 families; celebrated the first outdoor Mass on parish property on July 4, 1903, and built the original wooden church, school, and rectory in seven months. Assistants included Rev. John Szczypta, Rev. Stanislaus Pruski, and Rev. Peter Kujawski.