About St. Hedwigs · Turin, New York
St. Hedwig's Church is a Catholic worship site at 5432 State Route 26 in the hamlet of Houseville, Turin, Lewis County, New York. Founded in 1922 by Polish immigrants who had settled the Tug Hill region after leaving the Pennsylvania coal mines, it is one of three worship sites of the Catholic Community of St. Peter, St. Mary and St. Hedwig, sharing clergy and staff with St. Peter's in Lowville (the parish hub) and St. Mary's in Glenfield. The parish belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg, and today it remains the spiritual home of a wide-spread rural congregation that keeps its Polish heritage alive through an annual Polish Festival and the traditional Chaplet of Divine Mercy each First Sunday.
- Established
- 1922 (parish founded); 1927 (church built)
- Patron
- St. Hedwig (Jadwiga) of Poland — 13th-century Queen of Poland
- Rector
- Reverend Sony G. Pulickal (pastor of the Catholic Community of St. Peter and St. Mary and St. Hedwig, effective July 2, 2025)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg (suffragan of the Archdiocese of New York)
Why belong here
St. Hedwig's is a small, living country Catholic church where descendants of the founding Polish families still worship together with new neighbors from across Lewis County. Weekly Sunday Mass is followed each First Sunday by the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and Benediction at 3 p.m., and every October the parish gathers for its beloved Polish Festival of Mass, traditional Polish food, basket raffles and music. As part of the Catholic Community of St. Peter, St. Mary and St. Hedwig, visitors can also tap weekday Masses, confession, faith formation, RCIA and a full staff of pastors, deacons and a pastoral associate — all in a single, tightly-knit parish family serving the southern Tug Hill region.
Mass times at St. Hedwigs
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- First Sunday of the month, 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM at St. Hedwig's Church (Houseville)
- Saturday, 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM at St. Peter's Church (Lowville)
- Friday, 12:30 PM at St. Peter's Chapel (Lowville)
Adoration times
- First Sunday of the month, Chaplet of Divine Mercy with Benediction at 3:00 PM at St. Hedwig's Church
Three Churches That Became One — The Catholic Community
St. Hedwig's is today one of three worship sites — alongside St. Peter's in Lowville and St. Mary's in Glenfield — that together form the Catholic Community of St. Peter, St. Mary and St. Hedwig, served by a single pastor, parochial vicar, pastoral associate and team of deacons. The parish website and Diocese of Ogdensburg page describe how the three historic parishes were brought together under one pastoral team, sharing an office, clergy and ministries while each church retains its own Sunday Mass schedule and identity.
- St. Peter's Church — 5449 Shady Avenue, Lowville, NY 13367 (parish hub / Saturday Vigil 4:00 PM, Sunday 9:00 AM, daily Mass Mon–Sat)
- St. Mary's Church — 6106 Blue Street, Glenfield, NY 13343 (Saturday Vigil 5:30 PM)
- St. Hedwig's Church — 5432 State Route 26, Turin (Houseville), NY 13473 (Sunday 11:00 AM)
- Parish Office: 5457 Shady Avenue, Lowville, NY 13367 — 315-376-6662 — [email protected] — open Monday–Thursday 8:30 a.m.–12 noon, 1:00–4:30 p.m.; Friday 8:30–11:30 a.m.
History of St. Hedwig's
The Polish parish of St. Hedwig was founded in 1922 with about 800 members, when immigrant families who had come from the Pennsylvania coal mines to farm the Tug Hill plateau organized to build their own church. The cornerstone was laid in 1927 and the building was completed that same year, named for the 13th-century Queen Jadwiga (Hedwig) of Poland. The men of the parish dug the basement out by hand with horses, and a Conventual Franciscan priest, Father Damian Wydro, boarded with the Matula family until the first rectory — moved piece by piece up the hill from Glenfield — was assembled in 1937.
- Founders (1922): Jan Dalkiewicz, Winc. Dapkiewicz, Jan Gawlik, Jozef Lapkowski, Jozef Paczkowski, Andrzej Tarasek, Konstanty Zychowski
- Pastoral care through 1991: Polish Franciscan Order of Ellicott City, Maryland
- 1951: stained-glass windows installed (replacing sash windows; given by parish families)
- 1952: pews and altars refinished; hand-carved wooden altar from Transfiguration Church, Rome, NY
- 1991: St. Hedwig's becomes a mission of St. Peter's Church, Lowville; rectory sold
- September 23, 2012: Bishop Terry R. LaValley celebrates the 85th anniversary Mass; blesses the new Corpus on the façade and a new infant room
Polish Heritage & Devotions
The parish has kept its Polish heritage visibly alive for more than a century. On every First Sunday of the month the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is recited together with Benediction at 3 p.m., and each October the Annual Polish Festival gathers parishioners and friends for Mass followed by a traditional Polish meal, themed basket raffles and a 50/50 raffle. During the early days the gospel was read in both English and Polish at Mass, and women of the Sodality still adorn the church with red and white flowers while children process in traditional Polish dress at major celebrations.
- Annual Polish Festival — held in October, following the 11 a.m. Sunday Mass
- Chaplet of Divine Mercy with Benediction — First Sundays at 3:00 PM at St. Hedwig's
- Sodality (women's society) — responsible for flowers, Polish customs and festival support
- Founders' descendants remain active parishioners today
Faith Formation & Sacraments
Faith formation is offered to children and adults throughout the Catholic Community. The parish celebrates First Communion as a cluster-wide event and prepares eighth-graders for Confirmation (in recent years celebrated at St. Stephen's, Croghan). The parish website also lists online sign-ups for faith formation classes and parish volunteering, and parishioners are encouraged to 'continue to pray for vocations from your family,' in the words of the pastor.
- First Communion (cluster-wide)
- Confirmation preparation for 8th-graders
- RCIA-style adult faith formation through parish programs
- Sign-ups for Faith Formation or Volunteering via the parish website
Clergy & Staff
The Catholic Community is currently served by Father Sony G. Pulickal (a native of Kerpla, India, ordained April 14, 1983, incardinated into the Diocese of Ogdensburg in 2003 and appointed pastor on July 2, 2025), Father John Ojuok (Parochial Vicar), Deacon Ronny J. Gingerich (Pastoral Associate), and Deacons Ronald J. Pominville, Kenneth A. Seymour, Robert S. Uttendorfsky and Thomas J. Yousey. The previous pastor, Father Douglas A. Decker, served the community from June 29, 2022 until his retirement on July 2, 2025.
- Reverend Sony G. Pulickal — Pastor (since July 2, 2025)
- Reverend John Ojuok — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Ronny J. Gingerich — Pastoral Associate
- Deacon Ronald J. Pominville
- Deacon Kenneth A. Seymour
- Deacon Robert S. Uttendorfsky
- Deacon Thomas J. Yousey
Contact & Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office at 315-376-6662 or [email protected]. Office hours are Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 1:00 to 4:30 p.m., and Friday 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. The parish mailing address is 5457 Shady Avenue, Lowville, NY 13367, while St. Hedwig's Church itself is at 5432 State Route 26, Turin (Houseville), NY 13473.
- Phone: (315) 376-6662
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: spsmshcatholic.org
- Office: 5457 Shady Avenue, Lowville, NY 13367
- St. Hedwig's Church: 5432 State Route 26, Turin (Houseville), NY 13473
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Reverend Sony G. Pulickal2025–present
Became pastor effective July 2, 2025, from St. James Major (Lake Pleasant) and St. Ann's (Wells).
- Reverend Douglas A. Decker2022–2025
Appointed pastor of the Catholic Community of St. Peter and St. Mary and St. Hedwig effective June 29, 2022; retired effective July 2, 2025.
- Reverend Christopher Carraraserving in 2012
Pastor of the Lowville/Glenfield/Houseville cluster at the 85th anniversary Mass in September 2012.
- Conventual Franciscan Friars of Ellicott City, MD (Polish Order)early decades – 1991
Including Father Damian Wydro (from founding until at least 1937; boarded with the Matula family before the rectory was assembled), Father Innocent Kurkowski, and Father Paschal Rys (who made Polish vests with the women of the parish). After 1991 St. Hedwig's became a mission of St. Peter's, Lowville.