About Saint Stanislaus Kostka Church in Pittsburgh:
Saint Stanislaus Kostka Church was founded in 1875 as the first ethnic Polish parish in the Diocese of Pittsburgh at 15th and Penn Avenue. A second church was opened in 1880 on the third floor in the school hall at 22nd and Smallman. The third and current church was dedicated on July 31, 1892.
The historic stained glass windows have survived in what was the industrial hub that was the Strip. The Stained Glass Window cost was $ 6,000 at the time….an estimated $171,579.56 in 2021 value).
In 1932 a flood on Saint Patrick’s day filled the church to about 5 feet deep and in December an explosion at the banana warehouse pressure damaged the stained glass windows and the front towers of the Church.
The 1930’s, 40’s 50’s, 60’s saw the Depression, World War II, and the transformation of the Strip from heavy industry to the produce hub and the mass population migration to the suburbs. As a result, the Church is now part of the Shrine Churches of Pittsburgh Parish, and services are held at various shrine churches throughout the city.
On September 20, 1969, Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II, visited and offered prayers at St. Stanislaus Kostka. The Cardinal is quoted as commenting on how beautiful the church was and how it reminded him of the churches in Poland. He knelt in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and then to the Side Altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Finding Saint Stanislaus Kostka Church in Pittsburgh:
Address: 57 21st Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Tel: +1 (412) 471-4767
