About St. Stanislaus · Buffalo, New York
St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr Roman Catholic Church, located at 123 Townsend Street on Buffalo's East Side, is the oldest Polish parish in New York State and proudly bears the title 'Mother Church of Polonia' for Western New York. Founded in 1873 by Rev. Jan Pitass and the Society of St. Stanislaus, the parish grew to become the spiritual and cultural heart of what was once the second-largest Polish-American colony in North America. The current Romanesque church, inspired by the Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Piekary Śląskie, Poland, was completed in 1886 and houses twin towers rising 217 feet, three Carrara marble altars, and an 1893 Johnson & Son pipe organ. Re-designated a diocesan shrine to St. Stanislaus and all Polish martyrs in 2009, the church remains an active parish of the Diocese of Buffalo under the pastoral care of the Pauline Fathers (Order of St. Paul the Hermit).
- Established
- 1873
- Patron
- Saint Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr
- Rector
- Rev. Cole T. Webster (Pastor of Buffalo Vicariate Family #30; Fr. Mariusz Dymek, OSPPE remains Pastor of Corpus Christi within the same family, with Fr. Marek Kreis, OSPPE as Senior Parochial Vicar)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Buffalo
Why belong here
St. Stanislaus invites you into a living piece of Buffalo's immigrant heritage — a Romanesque landmark that has welcomed Polish-Americans for 150 years and still offers daily Mass in Polish alongside English. The parish is grouped with neighboring Corpus Christi, St. John Kanty, St. John Gualbert, and St. Katherine Drexel under the Pauline Fathers, ensuring regular priestly ministry and a rich devotional life that includes weekly Eucharistic Adoration, devotions to St. John Paul II and Our Lady of Czestochowa, and a Saturday evening Mass of Renewal in the Holy Spirit. With its Social Hall, Marian Hall, and the adjacent parish-school gym available for community activities, St. Stan's is both a shrine to Polish Catholic heritage and a working parish that welcomes new members of any background.
Mass times at St. Stanislaus
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Weekdays: 5:30 PM (before evening Mass)
- Saturday: 30 minutes before the 7:00 PM Mass
- Sunday, holy days and celebrations: before every Mass
Adoration times
- Tuesday: 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
- Friday: 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
- 1st Thursdays: 6:30 PM after Mass — Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and devotion to the Most Holy Name of Jesus
History & Heritage of St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr Parish
Founded on June 8, 1873 by Silesian-born Rev. Jan Pitass and the Society of St. Stanislaus, St. Stanislaus is the oldest Polish parish in New York State and the 'Mother Church of Polonia' for Western New York. German landowner Joseph Bork donated land at Peckham and Townsend Streets on Buffalo's East Side, and Bishop Ryan dedicated the original wood-frame church, rectory, and school on January 25, 1874. The current Romanesque church, designed by Buffalo architect T.O. Sullivan and modeled on the Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Piekary Śląskie, Poland, was completed in 1886 after groundbreaking in 1882. By 1904 the parish numbered close to 20,000 — among the largest in the United States — and in 2009 it was re-designated a diocesan shrine to St. Stanislaus and all Polish martyrs.
- Parish founded June 8, 1873 by Rev. Jan Pitass
- Oldest Polish parish in New York State
- 'Mother Church of Polonia' for Western New York
- Current church completed 1886; towers finished 1908
- Re-designated a diocesan shrine in 2009
- Pastoral care entrusted to the Pauline Fathers (OSPPE) in 2015
Architecture & Sacred Art
The present church is a Romanesque landmark 192 feet deep and 104 feet wide, built of Jammerthal flint stone with Lockport limestone trim. Its twin towers, topped with steeples, bells, cupolas, and 6.5-foot clock faces completed in 1908, rise 217 feet above the East Side. Inside, the sanctuary holds three Carrara marble altars — the main altar standing 34 feet tall — and an 1893 Johnson & Son pipe organ in the choir loft. Handmade wooden doors, stained-glass windows, and a gold-leaf vestibule frieze reflect the building's century-old craftsmanship.
- Architect: T.O. Sullivan of Buffalo
- Materials: Jammerthal flint stone with Lockport limestone trim
- Three Carrara marble altars (main altar 34 ft high)
- 1893 Johnson & Son pipe organ in the choir loft
- Twin towers rising 217 feet, completed 1908
Devotions & Parish Prayer Life
Beyond the Mass schedule, St. Stanislaus sustains a rich devotional life rooted in Polish Catholic tradition: the Rosary is prayed daily after the 8:00 AM Mass; on Tuesdays at 6:30 PM (after Mass) the parish gathers for devotion to St. John Paul II; on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM (after Mass) for devotion to Our Lady of Czestochowa; the Divine Mercy Chaplet is recited on Sundays at 1:00 PM after the noon Mass; and on Saturday evenings at 7:00 PM a Polish Mass of Renewal in the Holy Spirit is celebrated.
- Daily Rosary after 8:00 AM Mass
- Tuesday: Devotion to St. John Paul II (6:30 PM)
- Wednesday: Devotion to Our Lady of Czestochowa (6:30 PM)
- Sunday: Divine Mercy Chaplet (1:00 PM after noon Mass)
- Saturday 7:00 PM: Polish Mass of Renewal in the Holy Spirit
Parish Ministries, Outreach & Facilities
St. Stanislaus operates an Outreach Center serving the local community, maintains the 20-acre St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr Cemetery in Cheektowaga (including the Marian Mausoleum built during Msgr. Gabalski's tenure), and offers three gathering spaces — the Social Hall (built 1965), Marian Hall, and the large gym in the adjacent former parish-school building — for religious and social activities for all ages. As a Pauline-Fathers-staffed parish grouped in Buffalo Vicariate Family #30, it collaborates closely with Corpus Christi, St. John Kanty, St. John Gualbert (Cheektowaga), and St. Katherine Drexel parishes under moderator Rev. Cole T. Webster.
- Parish Outreach Center
- St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr Cemetery (Cheektowaga) — 20 acres
- Marian Mausoleum at the cemetery
- Social Hall (built 1965) and Marian Hall
- Gym in adjacent parish-school building
- Vicariate Family #30 collaboration
Music & Liturgy
Worship at St. Stanislaus is supported by an 1893 Johnson & Son pipe organ housed in the choir loft — restored as part of the 2005 renovation — and a music ministry that sustains both English and Polish sung liturgies. The sanctuary's three Carrara marble altars provide a dignified setting for the regular Polish-language Mass of Renewal in the Holy Spirit on Saturday evenings, weekday Masses in Polish, and the Sunday noon Polish Mass.
- 1893 Johnson & Son pipe organ (restored 2005)
- Bilingual English/Polish sung liturgy
- Three Carrara marble altars
- Saturday Polish Mass of Renewal in the Holy Spirit
Getting Involved & Visiting
New parishioners are invited to register as members of the parish and to introduce themselves to the pastor after Mass or by visiting or calling the rectory during the week. The parish encourages participation in any of its many spiritual and social activities — Mass, adoration, devotions, the Outreach Center, the cemetery, and community gatherings in Social Hall, Marian Hall, and the gym — suitable for all ages. The parish bulletin, posted on the website, is the best source for current events.
- Parish Registration (online and via rectory)
- Introduce yourself to the pastor after Mass
- Weekly parish bulletin (ststansbuffalo.com/bulletin)
- Volunteer with the Outreach Center and Polonia programs
Contact & Location
St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr Roman Catholic Church is located in Buffalo's Historic Polonia District at 123 Townsend Street, Buffalo, NY 14212, on the East Side at the corner of Peckham and Townsend Streets. The rectory and parish office can be reached at (716) 854-5510, and the official website is http://www.ststansbuffalo.com/. The site of the original 1874 wood-frame church is today occupied by the current rectory, built in 1912.
- Address: 123 Townsend Street, Buffalo, NY 14212
- Phone: (716) 854-5510
- Website: http://www.ststansbuffalo.com/
- Historic Polonia District, East Side Buffalo
- Rectory on site of original 1874 church; current rectory built 1912
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Jan Pitass1873–1913
Founder; Silesian-born, ordained June 7, 1873 at Niagara University; established the parish June 8, 1873; served until his death on December 11, 1913.
- Right Rev. Alexander Pitass, D.D.1914–1944
Second pastor and nephew of the founder; educated and ordained in Rome in 1903; appointed January 12, 1914; died June 30, 1944.
- Right Rev. Peter J. Adamski, P.A.1945–1973
Came from Poland in 1909, ordained June 10, 1915; previously pastor of St. John Gualbert (1918); became St. Stanislaus pastor July 2, 1945; served until December 8, 1973; died September 21, 1982.
- Msgr. Chester A. Meloch1974–1978
Served January 5, 1974 to February 1, 1978; the first pastor baptized at St. Stanislaus; ordained September 21, 1943; hosted President Gerald Ford's visit on October 31, 1976.
- Msgr. John R. Gabalski1978–2003
Served from 1978 until his death on October 9, 2003; ordained May 22, 1948; previously pastor of Queen of Peace. Hosted visits by Karol Cardinal Wojtyla (later Pope John Paul II) and Polish President Lech Walesa; oversaw construction of Msgr. Adamski Apartments, Pope John Paul II Court housing, the Marian Mausoleum at the parish cemetery, and the Outreach Center.
- Bishop Edward M. Grosz2003–2009
Sixth pastor, assigned October 21, 2003 following the death of Msgr. Gabalski; led a multi-million-dollar renovation of the parish campus; served until December 1, 2009.
- Rev. Thaddeus Bocianowski2009–2015
Native of Poland; seventh pastor; assumed leadership in 2009; led the parish through its 2009 re-designation as a shrine; served until April 2015 when pastoral care was entrusted to the Pauline Fathers.
- Rev. Mariusz Dymek, OSPPE2015–
Native of Piła, Poland; Pauline Father (Order of St. Paul the Hermit); became 8th pastor in April 2015 when the Pauline order took over leadership; concurrently served as pastor of Corpus Christi Parish and (effective 2022) as administrator of St. Stanislaus Parish.
- Rev. Cole T. Webster2023–
Appointed Pastor of Buffalo Vicariate Family #30 (which includes St. Stanislaus) effective July 1, 2023 as part of the Diocese of Buffalo's Road to Renewal 'Family of Parishes' reorganization.