A Brief History of
St. Mary's of Czestochowa Parish
A strong desire of the Polish community of Bound Brook to have a parish of its own worked to form an organization called St. John's Polish Catholic Organization. The organization purchased the property between Vosseller and Van Keuren Avenues for the sum of $3,000.
An American priest, Father John Pawloski of St. Mary's Church in South River, had met a young priest in Poland, Father Ceslaus Jasionowski. At. Fr. Pawloski's urging, Father Jasionowski came to America as his summer replacement. The Polish community of Bound Brook, determined to establish a parish of theri own, petitioned the Bishop of Trenton, Most Rev. James McFaul, DD, to institute a Polish parish with Father Jasionowski at the helm.
Their efforts were rewarded and in June of 1914, St. Mary of
Czestochowa Roman Catholic Church was established. Father Jasionowski made many decisions during his first years as pastor aimed at building a more suitable structure for St. Mary's.
The purchase of a Settlement House on Vosseller Avenue and Pine Street, as well as two lots on Vosselleer Avenue and Second Street were approved with the latter being slated as the site for the new church. In September 1919 the cornerstone of the combination church and school was laid.
A home on the corner of Vosseller Avenue and High Street was purchased to serve as the rectory. In May of 1920, the property on West Second Street was purchased as a convent for the good sisters of the parish.
As the number of parishioners increased, St. Mary's saw an influx of Italian Catholics. The Rev. Doctor Jasionowski could speak fluent Italian with those parishioners and often invited Italian priests to preach to them in their native tongue.
In June of 1942, Father John J. Nowak came to St. Mary's as an assistant, later to become pastor.
A new school was built on the church grounds in 1958 and the mortgage was paid off in 1977. Father Jasionowski passed away in January of 1960 and after an interim administration,Fr. John Nowak returned as the newly designated pastor.
For many years, St. Mary's sponsored a carnival on the church grounds. By the time of Father Nowak's death in September of 1977, the parish debt of over $300,000 had been relieved and St. Mary's, under Father Nowak, was returned to financial health.
St. Mary's was again assigned a temporary pastor, Father Richard c. Brietske. After serving two months, our next pastor, Father Eugene J. Prus was installed. He was instrumental in reactivating the Holy Name Society, and his involvement with the children of the parish was one of his top priorities.
In April 1985, Father Stanley J. Walega was installed as pastor and served St. Mary's until June of 2003. Under his leadership, St. Mary's Youth Group was formed. A Polish Mass was established in addition to several Polish traditions, such as Gorzkie Zale during Lent. On special occasions, recital are performed by talented people of Polish origin. Our parish school opened its doors for Polish Saturday School, which has grown and flourished unter the sponsorship of the Polish Falcons Nest 946.
On June 10, 2003, Father Leon S. Aniszczyk was installed as administrator of St. Mary's and on August 20, 2004, Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski installed Father Leon as the fifth pastor of St. Mary of Czestochowa. Since becoming pastor, Father Leon has overseen renovations of the church, both inside and out.
