St. Stanislaus Cathedral (Scranton, Pennsylvania) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Stanislaus Cathedral |
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| St. Stanislaus Cathedral Polish Catholic Church | |
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| 41°23′37.5″N 75°40′10.1″W / 41.393750°N 75.669472°W | |
| Location | 529 E Locust St, Scranton, Pennsylvania |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Polish National Catholic Church |
| Website | http://saintstanislauspncc.org/ |
| History | |
| Founded | 1895 |
| Consecrated | 1897 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 600 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Central Diocese (PNCC) |
Saint Stanislaus Cathedral is a very important church. It is the main church, or 'headquarters,' for the Polish National Catholic Church. It was also one of the first churches built for this group. The church is named after a saint called Stanislaus of Szczepanów.
Contents
The Story of St. Stanislaus Cathedral
How the Church Started
The St. Stanislaus church started because of a disagreement. Polish church members in Scranton had problems with their Roman Catholic priest. They disagreed about how the church's money was handled. They also wanted more say in church matters. For many years, Polish Catholics felt unhappy with the church leaders. Most of these leaders were not Polish.
In 1895, a big event happened. The church members would not let the priest lead a service. Because of this, the priest asked them to leave. Many Polish families then left their old church. They decided to start their own new church. Soon, this new group separated from the Roman Catholic Church. They created their own church group.
On March 14, 1897, the church members chose Franciszek Hodur as their pastor. He was a Polish-American Catholic priest. Hodur later became a bishop in 1907. This happened in Utrecht, Netherlands. Three Old Catholic bishops helped make him a bishop. The Polish National Catholic Church sees him as their founder. They also consider him their first bishop.
In 1898, Hodur and others were officially removed from the Roman Catholic Church. They showed they were breaking away by burning their letters of removal. They threw these letters into a river. In 1900, Hodur did something new. He led the Christmas Eve midnight service in Polish. Before this, it was always done in Latin.
Recent Events at the Cathedral
On November 21, 2010, Anthony Mikovsky became the main bishop. He was installed as the prime bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church. Bishop emeritus Robert M. Nemkovich led the ceremony. The Roman Catholic bishop of Scranton, Joseph Bambera, also attended. Bishop emeritus James Timlin was there too.
In December 2016, the church made an announcement. They said that St. Stanislaus Elementary School would close. The cathedral had run this school for over 120 years. It closed in June 2017. The reason was that fewer and fewer students were joining the school. Enrollment had dropped a lot over the past five years.
What the Cathedral Does Today
The Cathedral is the main church for the Central Diocese. This is a large area of the Polish National Catholic Church. It stretches from Albany, N.Y. to Washington, D.C.. About 25,000 members are part of this diocese.
The church also takes care of St. Stanislaus cemetery. A person named Michael Sevensky is buried there. He was a church member and part of a famous group called Merrill's Marauders. The cathedral also runs the Saint Stanislaus Youth Center in Scranton. This center helps young people in the area.
