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| Address: | 33 Gualbert Street Cheektowaga, New York 14211 |
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| Telephone: | 716-892-5746 | |
| Fzx: | 897-390 | |
| Founded: | June 1917 | |
| Pastor: | Rev. Daniel Pokornowski | |
| Mass Schedule: | Saturdays 4 & 7 PM; Sundays 9 Am ,10:30 (Polish) & noon | |
| Parish Census: | 1250 Families | |
| School: | Kolbe Catholic combined | |
| Year Built: | 1929 | |
| Style: | Tudor Gothic |
As founder and organizer of Buffalo's Polonia, Father John Pitass could foresee the expansion of the Polish community beyond the city line. It was, therefore, according to the last will of Father Pitass, that after his death on December 11, 1913, his farm on Walden Avenue in Cheektowaga - originally intended to serve as a cemetery - be divided into lots for sale with a section on Doat and Gualbert Streets designated for a future parish in honor of his patron saint.
In 1916, Father Alexander Pitass, nephew of Father John Pitass and who succeeded Father John Pitass at St. Stanislaus Parish, began to organize the new parish. The beginnings were difficult, for as yet, very few Polish families resided in the new vicinity. However, in the spring of 1917, Father Alexander Pitass had a small frame combination church and school building under construction.
On June 3, 1917, Bishop Dennis Dougherty dedicated the new church. Father Pitass was administrator of the parish and every Sunday, either he or one of his assistants communted from St. Stanislaus Parish in Buffalo to say Mass for the parishioners. In 1917, a new school was established and two Felician Sisters began to teach 128 pupils.
On January 15, 1918, Bishop Charles Colton appointed Father Peter Adamski as the first resident pastor. Only 60 families belonged to the parish then, but when new houses were constructed in the vicinity in 1921, many more families moved to the neighborhood from Buffalo Both the parish membership and school registration increased. When the frame church became too small to accommodate the parishioners, ground was broken for a new church on May 13, 1928. A beautiful Tudor Gothic church, with a seating capacity of over 1,000, now majestically stands on the corner of Doat and Gualbert. The first services were held in the new church on Easter of 1929. In 1945, after 28 years of untiring service to his parish, Msgr. Adamski was transferred to St. Stanislaus Parish.
The 1950's continued to see new growth for the area, and the third pastor, Msgr. Michael Biniszkiewicz, taking advantage of the economic prosperity, erected a modern and spacious convent in 1956. In 1959, Msgr. Stanislaus Sierakowski followed by building one of the most modern parochial school buildings in the Buffalo area. With the construction of the new school, enrollment soared in the 1960's to figures above 600, with 1,800 families belonging to the parish.
Father Joseph Kuczka, who was ordained from the parish, became the fifth pastor in 1974, and was succeeded by Father Daniel Pokornowski in 1987 as sixth pastor. As the demographics began to shift and the area began to mature, the parish school enrollment began to decrease, which led to a regionalized school in 1990, with St. John Gualbert's being used as the site for what became Kolbe Catholic. The parish today numbers 1,200 families, with many single households of widows and widowers. The parish consists of a number of organizations, which continue to be active: the Holy Name Society, Ladies Guild, Ushers Club, Legion of Mary, and the RCIA.
In 1996, the parish became the site of the Msgr. Peter J. Adamski Polish Saturday School, which seeks to teach the Polish language to children. The parish has an active spiritual life, which includes an array of devotions and triduums throughout the year. One Sunday liturgy and many of the services are conducted in the Polish language as a means of promoting the culture, language, and traditions of the Polish immigrants who founded St. John Gualbert 80 years ago. Father John Pitass would be happy and proud, if he could he see his old farm now!
-By Father David Bialkowski, Parochial Vicar, St. John Gualbert