About our parish
The history of Oregon's only Polish Catholic Church
The early 1900s
For over one hundred years, the parish of St. Stanislaus has contributed to Oregon’s vibrant history. The earliest mention of an organized Polish community in Portland, Oregon was in 1892, when the Polish National Alliance built a lodge in North Portland. For years, members of the Polish community attended parishes nearby.
In 1906, Archbishop Alexander Christie commissioned Father Charles Seroski (Karol Sieroczynski) to build a church for the Polish Catholic community in Portland. Father Seroski had recently moved from Missouri.
Parishioners and local craftsmen built the church from wood and stone. Donations from the local Polish community paid for construction costs. On July 4th 1907, they laid the first cornerstone.
Together with Father Seroski, they dug relief ditches for the foundation, carried lumbar on their backs from a nearby lumber mill and transported water from the Willamette river. Father Seroski even fell off the roof of the church and broke several ribs.
Built in the Romanesque style, the church was named after Saint Stanislaus, an eleventh-century bishop in Krakow and the patron saint of Poland.
On Sunday, December 6th 1908, Archbishop Alexander Christie consecrated the church with considerable fanfare.
A growing parish
Following World War I, the community fundraised to build a parochial school. After running into obstacles, however, it donated the money to the Polish Library Association.
After years of service to the new parish, Father Seroski was succeeded by Father Florian Matuszewski. Father Matuszewski served the community for over two decades. During his tenor, the parish remodeled the rectory, added a sacristy, and rebuilt the front steps of the Church.
The Polish community in Portland was not large, but it grew considerably during the early 1950s. Many Poles emigrated to the United States following World War II. Many were refugees who had survived the war. Some were from prisoner-of-war camps.
This influx of new Polish immigrants to Portland occurred simultaneously as other residents of North Portland were moving to neighborhoods elsewhere in the city. Older members of the Polish community, those from the pre-World War I generation, were starting to live their last years.
The construction of Interstate 5 in the early 1960s further displaced families living near the Church, as their homes were destroyed. These families also moved to other neighborhoods in the city.
A time of change
By 1957, two Croatian Franciscan cousins, Father Mililan Mikulich and Father Joseph Mikulich, were appointed as pastors.
During the next 25 years, the church expanded its services and ministry. It began offering masses in Croatian for the Croatian community that had also immigrated to Oregon following World War II. Thanks to Father Millian’s efforts, St. Stanislaus was able to offer the last Sunday evening mass in the city, a mass in English.
Whereas Croatian participation at the parish grew, Polish services were reduced to a monthly Mass. By the early 1980s, the St. Stanislaus congregation only had 30 families and the future of the parish was in question.
With the election of Pope John Paul II in 1979, Poles in Poland and abroad was invigorated. The Pope supported the efforts to bring a Polish pastor to the parish.
He delegated a representative to work together with the Archdiocese of Portland and the Society of Christ to find a Polish pastor. (The Society of Christ, founded after World War I, is a congregation of priests who serve the religious needs of Polish communities around the world.)
Parish renaissance
The desire for a Polish priest was strengthened in the 1980s with the arrival of another wave of immigrants. Many Poles left Poland in the early 1980s after the Community Party enacted martial law in 1981. Many of these refugees were involved with the Solidarity movement.
As a result of this new influx, St. Stanislaus parish welcomed its first Polish pastor in decades, Father Stanislaw Herba. In 1993 he was succeeded by Father Richard Philipowski.
The parish underwent a renaissance in the 1990s. Parishioners organized special events and Polish dinners as fundraisers to help cover operating costs and building improvements. In 1993, the City of Portland designated the Church building as a historic landmark.
One year later, parishioners and the Polish community organized the first Polish Festival, in cooperation with the Polish Library Building Association (PLBA). The festival made thousands of people aware of the existence of the parish and of the Polish community in Portland.
In 1997, a special album, complete with photos of parishioners and a directory, was released on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the parish.
Next chapters
St. Stanislaus welcomed a new parish priest, Father Henryk Kociołek, in 1999. He continued the work begun by Fr. Philiposki and the number of parishioners increased.
A few years later, in 2004, Father Tadeusz Rusnak joined the parish. In 2007, the church was repainted, and the interior was renovated for the 100th anniversary of the parish.
In honor of the 100th anniversary, the jubilee mass was presided by Archbishop Wlazny on November 4th of that year. After the mass, parishioners celebrated at a banquet at the Red Lion Hotel.
Pope John Paul II passed away in 2005. Many people attended the memorial service at St. Stanislaus, held in honor of the Polish pope.
In August 2010, the parish welcomed Fr. Piotr Dzikowski, S.CH. Over the past decade, the church presbytery was renovated, altars were repainted, the church got new floors, parishioners built a a new pulpit, and a local parishioner, Bruno Drozdek, created a new sculpture St. John Paul II. New church organs were purchased and installed in 2021.
Additionally, two local artists, Tomasz Misztal and Sarah Crowe, painted a new version of the 14 Station of the Cross. Crowe also painted a picture of Merciful Jesus. Misztal painted pictures of Sister Faustina, Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński and Fr. Michał Sopocki.
Today, St. Stanislaus still serves his mission as the only Polish parish in Oregon.
Our parish priests
A chronological history since the 1900s
1907 – 1912: Rev. K.A. Sieroczynski
1912 – 1932: Rev. Florian Matuszewski
1932 – 1933: The Church was served by Holy Rosary Parish priests
1933 – 1935: Rev. Valentine L. Moffenbeler
1935 – 1957: Rev. Stanley Smigiel
1957 – 1962: Rev. Milian Mikulich
1962 – 1982: Rev. Joseph Mikulich
1982 – 1988: Rev. Stanislaw Herba
1988 – 1989: Rev. Stanislaw Parol
1989 – 1993: Rev. Stanislaw Drzal
1993 – 1998: Rev. Richard Philiposki
1998 – 1999: Rev. Adam Barcz
1999 – 2004: Rev. Henryk Kociolek
2004 – 2010: Rev. Tadeusz Rusnak
2010 – present day: Rev. Piotr Dzikowski
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