St. Stanislaus Kostka Church

St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish was founded in 1875 as the first ethnic Polish parish in the Diocese of Pittsburgh at 15th and Penn Avenue. A second church was opened in 1880 on the third floor in the school hall at 22nd and Smallman. The third and current church was dedicated on July 31, 1892.

The Stained Glass Window cost was $ 6,000 ($171,579.56 in 2021 value).  The historic stained glass windows have survived in what was the industrial hub that was the Strip. 

In 1932 a flood on Saint Patrick’s day filled the church to about 5 feet deep and in December the explosion at the banana warehouse pressure damaged the stained glass windows and the front towers of the Church.  

1930’s, 40’s 50’s, 60’s saw the Depression, World War II, and the transformation of the Strip from heavy industry to the produce hub and the mass population migration to the suburbs.

On September 20, 1969, Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II, visited and offered prayers at St. Stanislaus Kostka. After cordial greetings, the Cardinal is quoted as commenting on how beautiful the church was and how it reminded him of the churches in Poland. He knelt in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and then to the Side Altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary, now the location of a humble memorial to the Pope.

In 1970, St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish was listed on the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks register and in 1972 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The 1993 Pittsburgh Diocesan revitalization merged: Saint Patrick, Saint Stanislaus Kostka and Saint Elizabeth. The Parish is now named St. Patrick-St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish. 

In 2019 St. Stanislaus Kostka Church became one of the five Shrine churches of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.  The Shrines of Pittsburgh Parishes exist in hope to preserve these historic Churches that hold a very unique religious history. 

​​​​​​In January 2020, a Stained Glass Window Campaign began to raise the funds needed for the restoration of the historic windows, originally crafted by The Royal Bavarian Art Institute in "Munich style". 

Make a donation to the Stained Glass Window Fund by clicking on the image below:

The Church is open for those who wish to visit on...