Timeline

TIMELINE OF IMPORTANT CHURCH EVENTS
		by Claudia and Joanne Dzengielewski
1893	28-May	Rev John M. Chmielinski assigned to new Italian church of Sacred Heart, North Square, (North End), Boston, MA
	Summer	Telegram delivered to Rev. Chmielinski by Western Union messenger, Stefan Borowski. Word spreads throughout Polish community of Polish priest in the area.
	2-Oct	Our Lady of Czestochowa founded - First Polish Catholic parish in Eastern New England. At the request of a delegation of men from Polish families, Archbishop John J. Williams appoints Fr. Chmielinski to minister to the spiritual needs of the Polish Catholics of Boston, Salem and elsewhere.
		Archbishop John J. Williams arranges to have Masses for the Polish people in the basement of the German Church of the Holy Trinity on Shawmut Avenue
	29-Nov	28,000 sq. feet of land purchased between Dorchester Avenue to Boston Street near Andrew Square for $7,000 ($3,000 already raised towards purchase of land)
1894	15-Jun	Ground is broken for construction of the church
	15-Jul	Corner stone is blessed by Auxiliary Bishop Brady
	18-Nov	Archbishop Williams dedicates the edifice on Boston Street to Our Lady of Czestochowa
1897	11-Apr	The bronze church bell created by the Blake Bell Co. is presented to OLC from "The German American Friends of the Polish Catholic Church of South Boston"
1898		There are now 600 parishioners from Cambridge, Chelsea and Boston proper. It now becomes necessary to organize religion classes for their children. Due to the rapid growth of the congregation, assistants are assigned to help Fr. Chmielinski.
1899	Fall	Relocation of the tracks of the Old Colony Division of the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad necessitate the "turn around" of the church and placing it on Dorchester Avenue.
		Fully plastered basement with hard pine flooring, new arched entrance, granite stairs and stone walls capped with granite and running along the front in line with the sidewalk, steam heating system and electric lights are installed
1900		Parish rectory is erected adjacent to the church on Dorchester Avenue
1906-08		3 Felician sisters from Buffalo are brought in to teach in the basement of the church
		A residence for the sisters is purchased; a 2-family house across from the rectory is converted into a convent (666 Dorchester Avenue)
1911		School is completed including a hall in the basement for parish functions
1916		A fire takes place in the school auditorium during excavation to extend the subway system from Andrew Square to Ashmont. The school is severely damaged from the fire and dynamiting and is declared unsafe for occupation. A suit is brought against the City of Boston by the Archdiocese. Temporary buildings are erected in the school yard which remain for 4 1/2 years.
1921	July	A settlement of $37,500 is made by the City of Boston.
	August	Repairs begin on the school.
	7-Nov	Repairs are completed and the children moved back into the school building
1926		School enrollment increased from the initial 103 to 642
		8 sisters and 2 lay teachers are hired with approximately 60 students per class
1936		Under the guidance of William Grynkiewicz, a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, organizes and directs OLC choir and initiates the Annual Polish Choirs Conventions
1937	February	Fr. Chmielinski dies at age 69
		Rev. Peter Bartula is appointed pastor
		Rev. Edward B. Naguszewski succeeds Fr. Bartula as pastor
1940		Cardinal William Henry O'Connell entrusts the parish to the Franciscan fathers
		Fr. Michael Cieslik, O.F.M. is the 1st Franciscan pastor. He serves as pastor until August 6, 1942
1941	25-Oct	A new organ is purchased and dedicated through the fund-raising efforts of the choir
		Rev. Anthony Songin, O.F.M. Conv becomes Assistant
1942		Father Stephen Musielak, O.F.M. serves as pastor until 1957
		Financial debt of $100,000 is paid off
		Oil furnaces are installed, and new roofs replace the old ones on the church, rectory & school
		St. Mary's Club for teenagers and young adults is organized using the lower church hall table tennis, pool, TV viewing, reading and dancing including juke box music
		Girls and boys bowling teams and parish C.Y.O. (Catholic Youth Organization) baseball team functions as part of St. Mary's Club
		? Portion of the school yard is blacktopped for a volleyball court which was in constant use
1943-51		Fr. Musielak played a leading role in the settling of the post World War II wave of new Polish immigrants helping them locate family and friends in the U.S., finding lodging, securing employment, establishing residence, and obtaining medical care
		Post WWII immigrants and non-Polish families from Old Colony Housing Project create mixed school enrollment. Classes are divided into two separate groups --1) exclusively in English 2) Polish language as well as English
1955		Fr. Anthony Songin dies at the early age of 38
1956	1-Mar	Ralston Street is rededicated as "Father Anthony Songin Way"
1957		Fr. Angelus Zator, O.F.M. Conv., serves as pastor until 1966
		St. Mary's Drum and Bugle Corps is established
		Parent Teachers Association is organized
		Installation of new lighting and plumbing; and renovations to the interior and kitchen facilities in the school are done
		Aluminum windows are installed in the school and rectory
		Fire damages the convent chapel. The chapel and interior are renovated and a large enclosed porch is added.
		The rectory's front porch is enclosed.
1965		Fr. Stanislaw Sobiech, O.F.M., is assigned from Poland to assist with the new influx of Polish-speaking parishioners by celebrating Mass in Polish and assisting them in their integration into a new environment
1966		Rev. Alfred Stopyra, O.F.M. Conv., becomes pastor
		Modernization of the church is done including new aluminum windows and white aluminum siding as well as a new cement front porch and a new side entrance. New lighting replaces the old chandeliers. Wall paneling covers the old painted murals on the walls; and the stations of the cross are replaced with modern ones. New confessionals are also installed.
		The aluminum sculpture of Our Lady of Czestochowa is added to the front edifice. Artist: Josef Stawinski Sculptor: Edward Steuer
		Steel girders are added to support the new side passageway between the church and rectory
1967		Rev. Edwin Agonis, O.F.M., Conv. becomes pastor
		Completion of the church renovations include heavy duty linoleum for the entire floor, carpeting in the vestibule and sanctuary, a new wooden altar facing the congregation and new statues of St. Francis and St. Anthony
		Improvements to the church hall and kitchen area are done
1968	28-Sep	Diamond Jubilee Celebration (75 Yrs.) begins with a Jubilee Dance
	20-Oct	Concelebrated Mass of Thanksgiving with Cardinal Richard Cushing presiding
	30-Oct	Solemn High Mass of Thanksgiving in Polish followed by a Dinner-Dance closes the Jubilee festivities
1970	December	Parish Council is formed and elections held
		School is faced with closing due to lack of funds. Fewer religious sisters were assigned, thereby necessitating the hiring of lay teachers
1971	June	Operation of Bingo games begins to help with financing salaries of the lay teachers
1973	December	Rev. Manual Wolkanowski, O.F.M., Conv., is appointed pastor through 1979
		Fire ravages the church causing disastrous damage. Damage is assessed by the Chancery engineers and permission is granted by Cardinal Humberto Medeiros to repair and rebuild the church
		A reconstruction Fund Committee and Building Committee are formed. The Chancery obtains the services of an engineer and contractors in rebuilding the church. Members of the 2 committees as well as parishioners contribute their time, energy and money in reaching their goal.
1978	16-Oct	Karol Józef Wojtyla is elected Pope and takes the name, John Paul II.
1979		Father John Bambol, O.F.M. Conv., is assigned pastor through 1985
		Fr. John continues improvements to the church property. Remodelling takes place in the rectory, convent, church interior, and school
		New stained glass doors for the church are installed
		Special Mass is celebrated on the day of Pope John Paul II's visit to Boston followed by a procession of parishioners to a vantage point on Preble Street to view the Pope's motorcade through the neighborhoods of Boston
1982		Fr. Stephen Majewski (past assistant 1957-1966) is assigned as priest in residence, but not until he fills the role as confessor in the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome (1982-1986).
1983	9-Oct	90th Anniversary Jubilee Mass and gala Dinner Dance
1985		Rev. Andrew Skiba, O.F.M., Conv., becomes pastor through 1991
1985		Father Andrzej Sujka, O.F.M., Conv., is assigned from Poland to fill the role of Parochial Vicar, working almost exclusively with Polish immigrants.
1986	July	Fr. Stephen Majewski joins the parochial staff as priest in residence
1988		Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy arrive from Poland to work in the apostolate of helping wayward women. They conduct religious classes for Polish speaking children.
		Blacktopping of the entire parking area and school yard
		Installation of new boiler in the school
		Plans are initiated for new lighting in the church
		School enrollment is 200 students of various nationalities
		John Paul II School (Polish Saturday School) is formed. Instruction in the Polish language and culture of newly arrived children of Polish families and those born of Polish parents
1991		Father Paul Miskiewicz, O.F.M., Conv., is appointed pastor
	13-Jun	With the guidance of the sisters of Our Lady of Mercy and the Felician Sisters, the Corpus Christi procession to the four outside altars is introduced
	26-Aug	On the annual Feast Day of Our Lady of Czestochowa, a pilgrimage of the the icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa begins
		Fr. Paul reintroduces the Children's Mass and makes it more meaningful for them by playing his guitar
		The church lighting project, repairs to the rectory, improvements to the church and church hall, new carpeting, interior and exterior painting are completed
1992	June	A Centennial Committee is organized and the first meeting is held
	2-Oct	Jubilee Mass - principal celebrant is Bernard Francis Cardinal Law
		Dinner Dance at Freeport Hall follows with pictorial display in the foyer which brought back memories for many parishioners
	11-Oct	Mass, reception and dinner honoring 50 sisters as well as priests who had ministered to parish needs or found their vocation at OLC
		Fr. Paul initiates a Bible Study Group for adults
		A Vision Fund is set up to aid blind children from Poland who come to Boston for surgery
1996		Fr. Andrzej Sujka, O.F.M., Conv., is the 1st Polish Franciscan Pastor
2000	12-Jun	Fr. Sujka celebrates his 25th Anniversary of Ordination with a Mass of Thanksgiving followed by a Reception at Florian Hall. Fr. Andrzej's family traveled from Poland to celebrate the occasion
	12-Nov	Katyn Memorial Service - 60th Anniversary of the Golgotha of the Polish Nation is commemorated with the installation of a placque remembering the victims of the Katyn Massacre. Many dignitaries, veterans groups, religious, and families of the victims from Poland, the United States and elsewhere are in attendance.
2001	23-Sep	Dozynki - Harvest Festival. Fr. Miroslaw Podymniak, Parochial Vicar, sees us through difficult times and carries on with the Harvest Festival making a considerable profit for school renovations, yard work in the backyard of the Saturday school (old convent), and the parish air conditioning systems
2002		Sacrificing a chance to study in Italy, Fr. Adam Cieslik, O.F.M., Conv., is sent to us from Poland to assist Fr. Miroslaw on a temporary basis
	September	The Second Annual Harvest Festival or Do?ynki is a success
2003	September	The touring Photographic Exhibit for the 25th Anniversary of the Pontificate of John Paul II, sponsored by the Polish Cultural Foundation, is exhibited in the church hall after all Masses
		Parish Capital Campaign gets underway
	December	Fr. Miroslaw Podymniak, O.F.M., Conv., is appointed pastor, retroactively to 2001 /web site/
2004	August	Fr. Miroslaw is delayed in Poland due to U.S. Homeland Security visa restrictions
	September	Fr. Miroslaw returns to us in time to organize the Dozynki celebration and sadly Fr. Adam Cieslik leaves to finally pursue his studies in Italy
2005	2-Apr	Pope John Paul II dies in the Vatican in Rome /web site/
	10-May	Fr. Stephen Majewski, OFM Conv. dies at age 94 at Carney Hospital, Dorchester. /web site/
	12-Jun	The parish lottery raises enough funds to allow the completion of the blacktopping of a portion of the lot at the corner of Kemp Street and Dorchester Avenue for extra parking /pictures/
2006	March 12	New Pastor, Fr Jerzy Auguscik's Installation /photos/

The church bell, 1897.