About St Stanislaus Kostka · Woonsocket, Rhode Island
St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, serving the city's longstanding Polish-American community. Founded in 1905 by Polish immigrants working in the Blackstone Valley textile mills, the parish is one of several Polish-American Catholic communities in the Diocese of Providence. It is known for its vibrant parish life — dances, bazaars, and flea markets hosted in its parish center — and for celebrating Mass in both English and Polish, a heritage it actively preserves more than a century after its founding.
- Established
- 1905
- Patron
- St. Stanislaus Kostka (Polish: św. Stanisław Kostka)
- Rector
- Rev. Dariusz G. Jonczyk (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Providence (Roman Catholic)
Why belong here
St. Stanislaus Kostka offers one of the few remaining Polish-language Mass liturgies in the Diocese of Providence — including a Sunday morning Mass in Polish and a Thursday evening Mass in Polish — making it a living home for Polish-American heritage in the Blackstone Valley. The parish also welcomes English-speaking faithful with daily and weekend Masses, weekly Eucharistic Adoration and Holy Hour, regular Confession, and a parish center that hosts community dances, bazaars, and flea markets throughout the year. For Catholics seeking a parish with deep immigrant roots, active devotional life, and a strong sense of ethnic and community identity, St. Stanislaus Kostka is a natural fit.
Mass times at St Stanislaus Kostka
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM (or by appointment)
- Saturday 4:15 PM – 5:15 PM
Adoration times
- Monday 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM (all-day Eucharistic Adoration)
- Monday 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Holy Hour, in conjunction with confessions)
History of St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish
St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish is one of the Polish-American Roman Catholic parishes established in the Diocese of Providence during the great wave of Polish immigration to the Blackstone Valley. Polish families began settling in Woonsocket around 1883 to work in the textile mills; for nearly two decades they worshipped in English at St. Charles Church (the city's first Catholic parish, founded 1846), then gathered in its basement and at Harris Hall on Main Street for Polish-language Sunday Masses celebrated by the Reverend Thomas J. Morys. In 1905, Father Morys asked and received permission from Bishop Matthew J. Harkins to found a separate parish. On March 1, 1905, St. Stanislaus Kostka Polish Roman Catholic Church was chartered, and the parish corporation purchased the Greene estate at 188 Harris Avenue for $10,000. The founding coincided with the rise of Polish civic institutions in the city — most notably Lodge 665 of the Polish National Alliance (chartered October 1902), which built the Dom Polski on River Street. The parish marked its Diamond Jubilee in 1980 with a printed history documenting its founders and clergy.
- Founded March 1, 1905, by Polish immigrants of Woonsocket under Bishop Matthew J. Harkins
- Founded by the Rev. Thomas J. Morys, who had previously celebrated Polish Masses for the Polish faithful at St. Charles Church basement and at Harris Hall on Main Street
- Original property: Greene estate at 188 Harris Avenue, purchased for $10,000
- Polish National Alliance Lodge 665 (PNA) chartered October 1902; later built the Dom Polski on River Street
- Diamond Jubilee (75th anniversary) history published 1905–1980
Polish-American Heritage & Identity
St. Stanislaus Kostka is among the Polish-American Roman Catholic parishes in New England in the Diocese of Providence, and it continues to actively preserve its Polish heritage through the regular celebration of Mass in Polish. The parish hosts Polish-American dances, bazaars, and flea markets in its parish center throughout the year, sustaining the cultural and devotional traditions that the founding immigrants brought from Poland. Wikipedia and parish histories note the parish's 'vibrant Polish-American community' and 'young parishioner base,' an unusual profile for many older ethnic parishes.
- Polish-language Sunday Mass at 8:00 AM
- Polish-language Thursday evening Mass at 7:00 PM
- Polish-American dances, bazaars, and flea markets in the parish center
- Diamond Jubilee history documenting the first 75 years of Polish Catholic life in Woonsocket
Parish Leadership & Clergy
The parish is administered by Rev. Dariusz G. Jonczyk. The parish was originally founded and led by the Rev. Thomas J. Morys, the Polish-speaking priest who had been sent to Woonsocket by Bishop Harkins to minister to Polish immigrants at St. Charles Church and who then spearheaded the founding of St. Stanislaus Kostka in 1905. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Providence, whose bishop at the time of the most recent published reference is Most Rev. Thomas J. Tobin, D.D. (Hartford Province).
- Current Administrator: Rev. Dariusz G. Jonczyk
- Founding pastor (1905): Rev. Thomas J. Morys
- Diocese: Providence (Ecclesiastical Province of Hartford)
Parish Center, Community Life & Events
In addition to its regular liturgical life, St. Stanislaus Kostka is known as a community hub for Woonsocket's Polish-American population. The parish's parish center, situated in the church's parking lot, hosts dances, bazaars, and flea markets throughout the year, serving both as fundraising activities for the parish and as cultural gathering points for the wider Polish-American community of northern Rhode Island.
- Parish dances
- Parish bazaars
- Flea markets and fundraising events
- Parish center located in the church's parking lot
Visiting St. Stanislaus Kostka
The parish is located at 188 Harris Avenue in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and can be reached by telephone at (401) 762-0021. Published online aggregators show two address variants in circulation — 174 Harris Avenue and 188 Harris Avenue — but the original 1905 parish corporation deed and current directory listings agree on 188 Harris Avenue as the parish's historic and present address. Visitors and parishioners are advised to call the parish office directly to confirm Mass times and to inquire about sacramental preparation for Baptism, Marriage, and other sacraments.
- Address: 188 Harris Avenue, Woonsocket, RI 02895
- Phone: (401) 762-0021
- Parish website (per Wikipedia listing): www.ststanswoonsocket.com
- Diocese: Diocese of Providence
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Thomas J. Morys1905–
Founding pastor; asked Bishop Harkins to establish the parish and oversaw the 1905 charter and purchase of the Greene estate at 188 Harris Avenue; had previously been saying Sunday Polish-language Masses in the basement of St. Charles Church and in Harris Hall on Main Street.