Guide to the Records of Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church (Braddock, PA), 1895-1986
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Records of Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church (Braddock, PA)
- Creator
- Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church (Braddock, PA)
- Collection Number
- MSS#345
- Extent
- 1.75 cubic feet (3 boxes and 2 shelf volumes)
- Date
- 1895-1986
- Abstract
- Polish immigrants in Braddock, PA first dedicated the church as the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on property bought on Talbot Avenue at Sixth Street on February 14, 1897. Prior to the formation of the church, Polish immigrants in Braddock had begun to meet and formed an organization known as the Saint Adalbert Society in 1895. This fraternal society was formed to preserve Polish culture, serve the Roman Catholic tradition and to provide help to members in times of illness and poverty. The collection includes financial material, programs, biographies, journals, and dues books. It should be noted that all records are in Polish.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Sponsor
- This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
Historical Sketch of Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church (Braddock, PA)
Polish immigrants in Braddock, PA first dedicated the church as the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on property bought on Talbot Avenue at Sixth Street on February 14, 1897. Prior to the formation of the church, Polish immigrants in Braddock had begun to meet and formed an organization known as the Saint Adalbert Society in 1895. This fraternal society was formed to preserve Polish culture, serve the Roman Catholic tradition and to provide help to members in times of illness and poverty. Through the continued association within the Polish community, the desire to form a Polish church grew. They chose to make St. Adalbert the patron saint of their new parish.
Father Antoni Smelsz organized the parish with the permission of Bishop Richard Phelan. Father Smelsz was assigned to the new parish and left his work in Duquesne for Braddock. As the parish began to grow, the church soon became too small to house it. In 1902 a lot on the corner of Sixth Street and Talbot Avenue was purchased and Archbishop A. Symon dedicated the new church on August 27, 1905. Father Smelsz was sent to a larger parish and was replaced by Father A. Torkowski shortly following the purchase of the new lot.
In 1906, Father Torkowski left the parish and was replaced by Father Jan A. Rykaczewski, who immediately began to improve the parish further. He began by building a new school in 1908, then adding a second and third floor in 1914. A rectory was purchased in 1912 on Talbot Avenue and another rectory was built to house the Felician Sisters who taught in the school. Additional space for housing was added in 1926. A number of societies sprung up in the church and provided an opportunity for people of all ages to get involved with the church. A project to beautify the church soon began, financed by the societies of the church.
Father Rykaczewski served the church until his death on June 17, 1955. Following his passing, Rev. Joseph A. Stankiewicz became pastor of the parish. He renovated and improved the church and its buildings further during his administration. Due to a dwindling population, however, the Sacred Heart Parochial School closed its doors in June 1970. As of 2001, the parish is housed at 1600 Brinton Road in Braddock Hills, PA and the administrator is Rev. Thomas A. Wagner.
Scope and Content Notes
The collection includes financial material, programs, biographies, journals, and dues books. It should be noted that all records are in Polish.
Arrangement
The collection has been divided into four series, denoting the St. Adalbert society in Series I, financial records of the St. Joseph Society in Series II, topical records for Series III, and financial records for an unidentified organization in Series IV. It should be noted that all records are in Polish.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church (Braddock, PA), Records, are housed in three archival boxes and two shelf volumes, with folders arranged alphabetically and/or chronologically.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection came in one accession in June 2001.
Acc# 2001.0103 Gift of Dorothy Gray, in Memory of the Zygmunt Family of Braddock and Penn Hills, PA.
Preferred Citation
Records of Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church (Braddock, PA), 1895-1986, MSS #345, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Kaitlin E. Ehrhardt in August 2001.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Robert O. Stakeley on October 31, 2003.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.