About St. Hedwig · Erie, Pennsylvania
St. Hedwig Catholic Church (521 East 3rd Street, Erie, PA) is a historic Polish-heritage parish founded in 1910 in what was then the heart of Erie's "Polonia" — the city's Polish community. Built as a Tudor Gothic church on the city's East Bayfront and dedicated on July 4, 1911, it served generations of Polish-American families before being merged into St. Stanislaus Parish in 2017. Since January 2022 the building has been reopened as the home of the Traditional Latin Apostolate of Saint Stanislaus, hosting the Diocese of Erie Latin Mass Community, with Sunday Latin Mass at 9:30 a.m. and Tuesday Latin Mass at 5:30 p.m.
- Established
- 1910
- Patron
- Saint Hedwig of Silesia (Jadwiga Śląska)
- Rector
- Msgr. Henry Kriegel
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie
Why belong here
St. Hedwig is one of Erie's architectural and cultural treasures: a Tudor Gothic Polish-American church on the East Bayfront where the parish family has worshipped without interruption since 1911. Today it serves the Diocese of Erie Latin Mass Community, offering the Extraordinary Form Mass in a setting that retains its devotional art, shrine lamps, and historic Catholic character. Visitors are warmly welcomed to Sunday and Tuesday Latin Masses, weekday confessions, and a continuing community life that keeps the parish's Polish-Catholic heritage alive within St. Stanislaus Parish.
Mass times at St. Hedwig
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday at 9:00 AM (30 minutes before Mass)
- Tuesday at 5:00 PM (30 minutes before Mass)
History of St. Hedwig Parish
St. Hedwig was founded in 1909–1910 by Erie's Polish community as the city's third Polish Catholic parish. The parish's story — from the laying of its cornerstone in 1911 through the 2017 merger into St. Stanislaus and the 2022 reopening as a Traditional Latin Mass apostolate — is documented in extensive detail by parish historian Bobby J. Sulecki and the Erie Diocese.
- 1909: Property at 3rd and Wallace purchased from the Amelia Melisina Brereton estate (Oct. 1, 1909)
- 1910: Parish officially established by the Diocese of Erie
- May 3, 1911: Rev. Franciszek (Francis) Robaczewski named first pastor
- May 11, 1911: First Solemn High Mass
- July 4, 1911: Church dedicated by Bishop John Fitzmaurice
- 1926–1927: New Tudor Gothic church begun; cornerstone blessed by Bishop John Mark Gannon on September 11, 1927
- October 16, 2011: 100th anniversary Mass and dinner on the feast of St. Hedwig
- February 13, 2017: Merged into St. Stanislaus Parish under diocesan Pastoral Planning Process
- January 2022: Reopened as the Traditional Latin Apostolate of Saint Stanislaus at St. Hedwig's
Architecture & Building
St. Hedwig's Tudor Gothic church is one of the architectural landmarks of Erie's East Bayfront. The original 1911 two-story structure (school on the first floor, 300-seat church on the second) was designed by architect Paweł (Paul) Rys, who also designed St. John Kanty College. The current Gothic church on the same corner was begun in 1926, with Bishop John Mark Gannon blessing the cornerstone of the temporary basement church on September 11, 1927.
- Style: Tudor Gothic
- Address: 521 East 3rd Street, corner of 3rd and Wallace Streets
- Listed by the Diocese of Erie as a designated pilgrimage church
- Group tours available (minimum 6 persons) by calling 814-824-1135
Clergy & Staff
St. Hedwig today is pastored as part of St. Stanislaus Parish. The parish's 100-year history of priests is recorded on the parish website, and a succession of pastors is documented in the Jubilee books (1961, 1986, 2011).
- Rev. Jason A. Glover — current Pastor (St. Stanislaus Parish)
- Rev. Msgr. Henry A. Kriegel — Pastor 2009–2017
- Rev. William Sutherland — Co-pastor 1992; Pastor 1998–2009
- Msgr. Lawrence Brandt — Resident Administrator 1998–2004 (later Bishop of Greensburg)
- Rev. Franciszek (Francis) Robaczewski — First Pastor, 1911
- Support Staff contact (historical): Kay Villa, (814) 882-6164
Ministries & Parish Life
Historically, St. Hedwig sustained a full parish life with liturgical, devotional, and social ministries staffed by parishioners and supported by the St. Hedwig Rosary Society. Today faith formation and RCIA are coordinated through the East Side Catholic Faith Formation Ministry shared with sister parishes.
- East Side Catholic Faith Formation Ministry (RCIA & Religious Education)
- St. Hedwig Rosary Society
- Liturgical ministries: Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Greeters, Ushers, Altar Servers
- Prayer wheel (parish prayer intentions; coordinated by Mary Alice Hartwell)
- New Parishioner Registration
Sacraments
The parish website directs inquiries about Baptism, marriage, and Religious Education to the parish office or to East Side Catholic Faith Formation Ministry. Confession is heard before each Mass in the current Latin Mass schedule.
- Baptism: By appointment (historical parish number 454-8085)
- Penance (Confession): Sunday 9:00 AM, Tuesday 5:00 PM
- RCIA & Religious Education: through East Side Catholic Faith Formation Ministry
- Weddings, funerals, and occasional weekday Masses: available at St. Hedwig as a secondary church of St. Stanislaus (no Sunday or holy day Masses per the 2017 decree of merger)
Status: Merger & the Latin Apostolate
St. Hedwig ceased to be an independent parish on February 13, 2017, when it was merged into St. Stanislaus Parish under Bishop Lawrence T. Persico's diocesan Pastoral Planning Process. In late 2021, after both Pastoral and Finance Councils of St. Stanislaus had voted to dismantle and sell the building, Father Jason Glover announced a new arrangement: Bishop Persico asked St. Stanislaus to host the diocesan Traditional Latin Mass community at St. Hedwig, since Pope Francis's July 2021 motu proprio restricted the Traditional Latin Mass in parish churches — and St. Hedwig was no longer classified as a parish church. Effective January 2022, the building reopened as 'The Traditional Latin Apostolate of Saint Stanislaus at St. Hedwig's.' The statue of St. Hedwig, an artistic rendering of St. John Paul II, and the icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa were relocated to St. Stanislaus; the statue of St. Joseph was sold to Our Lady of Peace School.
- Merged into St. Stanislaus Parish, effective February 13, 2017
- All sacramental records, assets, and liabilities transferred to St. Stanislaus Parish
- No Sunday or holy day of obligation Masses celebrated at St. Hedwig (per diocesan decree)
- Annual Mass on the solemnity of the church's dedication and on the feast of St. Hedwig
- Reopened January 2022 as the Traditional Latin Apostolate of Saint Stanislaus at St. Hedwig's
Visiting St. Hedwig
St. Hedwig welcomes visitors to the Traditional Latin Mass and is also a designated diocesan pilgrimage site. Group tours of six or more can be arranged in advance. The parish sits at the corner of 3rd and Wallace Streets on Erie's historic East Bayfront.
- Address: 521 East 3rd Street, Erie, PA 16507
- Phone: (814) 454-6232; Fax: (814) 454-8096
- Email: [email protected]
- Office Hours (historical): Wednesday 8:00 AM–3:30 PM
- From I-90: take State Street (Route 97) or Parade Street (Route 8) north to 3rd Street, then right one block
- Group tours: 814-824-1135
Contact & Administration
Parish office contact information, including the historic St. Hedwig/St. Patrick rectory at 130 East 4th Street, remains published on the parish website. As of the 2024 Erie County pastoral plan, St. Hedwig Church is listed as a 'Secondary mission church for the Latin Mass Apostolate' partnered with St. Stanislaus Parish.
- St. Hedwig Parish office: 521 East 3rd Street, Erie, PA 16507
- Phone: (814) 454-6232
- Fax: (814) 454-8096
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: sainthedwigparisherie.org
- Sister parish (historical): St. Patrick Parish, 130 East 4th Street, Erie, PA — www.saintpatrickparisherie.org
- Mailing address (post-merger): c/o St. Stanislaus Parish, 516 E. 13th St., Erie, PA 16503 — (814) 452-6606 — [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Franciszek (Francis) Robaczewski1911–
First pastor, appointed by Bishop John Fitzmaurice on May 3, 1911; previously pastor of St. Stanislaus Kostka, Tyler, PA. Served over 300 families by 1925.
- Msgr. Joseph Wardanski1986
Appointed Pastor.
- Msgr. John Dollinger1987
Appointed Pastor.
- Rev. William Sutherland1992–2009
Co-pastor from 1992; Pastor of both St. Hedwig and St. Patrick from 1998 to 2009. Oversaw restoration of the St. Hedwig statue and requisition of a relic of St. Hedwig. Transferred to Edinboro in 2009.
- Msgr. Lawrence Brandt1998–2004
Named resident administrator of St. Hedwig in 1998 to relieve Father Sutherland; placed St. Hedwig on the Diocesan list of churches to be toured. Later appointed Bishop of Greensburg.
- Rev. Msgr. Henry A. Kriegel2009–2017
Pastor of St. Hedwig and St. Patrick from 2009 through the 2017 merger into St. Stanislaus; led parish through its 100th anniversary in 2011.
- Rev. Jason A. Glover2017–present
Pastor of St. Stanislaus Parish; under his pastorate St. Hedwig Church was reopened in January 2022 as the home of the Traditional Latin Apostolate.