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) |
St. Stanislaus Cathedral is a very important church. It is the main church, or "headquarters," of the Polish National Catholic Church. It was also one of the first churches built for this group. The cathedral is named after a saint called Stanislaus of Szczepanów.
Contents
How the Church Began
A New Start for Polish Catholics
The St. Stanislaus church started because of a disagreement. Polish families in Scranton were unhappy with their Roman Catholic church. They felt they did not have enough say in how the church's money was used. Also, most of the church leaders were not Polish.
In 1895, things got difficult. The families would not let the priest lead a church service. Because of this, the priest asked them to leave. Many Polish families then left that church. They decided to start their own church instead.
Soon, this new group of people decided to form their own church. They separated from the Roman Catholic Church. On March 14, 1897, the church members chose Franciszek Hodur as their pastor. He was a Polish-American Catholic priest.
A New Bishop and New Traditions
Franciszek Hodur became a bishop in 1907. Three bishops from the Old Catholic Church helped make him a bishop. This happened in a city called Utrecht in the Netherlands. The Polish National Catholic Church sees him as their founder. They also consider him their first bishop.
In 1898, Hodur and others were told they were no longer part of the Roman Catholic Church. They showed they were breaking away by burning their letters of excommunication. They threw these letters into a river.
In 1900, Hodur changed a long-standing tradition. He led the Christmas Eve midnight service in Polish. Before this, such services were always in Latin. This was a big step for the new church.
The Church Today
Leadership and Community
On November 21, 2010, Anthony Mikovsky became the main bishop. He leads the Polish National Catholic Church. Other bishops attended the event.
The cathedral also helps the community in other ways. It runs the St. Stanislaus cemetery. A famous soldier named Michael Sevensky is buried there. He was a member of the church. The cathedral also has a youth center in Scranton. This center helps young people in the area.
Serving Many Members
Today, St. Stanislaus Cathedral is the main church for the Central Diocese. This area stretches from Albany, N.Y. to Washington, D.C.. About 25,000 people are members of the Polish National Catholic Church in this region.
School Closure
In December 2016, the church shared some news. St. Stanislaus Elementary School would close in June 2017. The cathedral had run this school for over 120 years. The reason for closing was that fewer and fewer students were joining the school. Enrollment had dropped a lot in the five years before.
