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| Address: | 253 Ridge Road Lackawanna, New York 14218 |
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| Telephone: | 716-823-0845 | |
| Founded: | Aug 1910 | |
| Pastor: | Rev. Henry Orszulak | |
| Mass Schedule: | Saturday 4 PM ; Sundays 9:30 and noon | |
| Parish census: | 148 Families | |
| School: | Parish school closed | |
| Year Built: | 1963 | |
| Style: | Unknown |
The chief reason for the founding of St. Hyacinth Parish "over the bridge" in Lackawanna, N.Y. was the fact that the steel industry was booming and living near the place of employment was a benefit to the employee. The steel plant also enticed the workers by constructing low cost rental homes in the immediate area of the plant. By 1910, there was a sizable Polish population in the area. Those living in the "over the bridge" section had to make the long trip to St. Barbara's . This led to the petitioning of the Diocese for permission to establish another Catholic church. Bishop Colton after consulting with Msgr. Nelson Baker, who thought a church along Ridge Road near Holland St. would be the most appropriate site, sent the Rev. Konstanty Sliszewski to organize a parish under the patronage of St. Hyacinth, a Polish saint.
Land was purchased and a temporary frame church was erected; a temporary school for the parishioner's children opened in Dec. 1910 in the home of the Stankowskis on Ingham Street. The Felician Sisters from St. Barbara's commuted daily to teach. In the late spring of 1911, a new temporary church was opened in the basement of the newly constructed combination building . The finished upper church was not opened until 1962, thanks to a successful building campaign spearheaded by the pastor, Mieczyslaw Kobielski.
At this time the school was brought into this new space, occupying the floor above the school. The basement, where the church was formerly housed was renovated into a social hall. Under the pastorship of Rev. Francis Lubacz, the parish paid off the mortgage and was debt free, but only a few years later saw the closing of the parish school because of declining enrollment. The convent building was luckily sold to the social agency, Friendship House, avoiding leaving it vacant and possibly falling into neglect. In 1982, the Diocese tried unsuccessfully to combine St. Hyacinth Parish with All Saints Church, a predominately Hispanic parish. St. Hyacinth's parishioners vocally objected to the closing of their parish and won. With the death of Fr. Lubacz, the Diocese did not appoint a new pastor, the Rev. Henry Orszulak was appointed administrator of the church, a position he has held for 14 years.