St. Stanislaus Kostka History
In the second half of the nineteenth century, Polish refugees who escaped Prussian domination settled in Bay City. In 1874 they formed a society under the patronage of Saint Stanislaus Kostka of Poland. To fill the needs of this Polish-speaking community, a wooden church was built and dedicated on December 13, 1874.
During the pastorate of Fr. Marian Matkowski, this grand Neo-Gothic church was erected at a cost of over $60,000. The cornerstone was blessed on June 24, 1890, and the church was dedicated on July 17, 1892 by Bishop Henry J. Richter of Grand Rapids.
Later additions to the parish included a convent built in 1927, a rectory, a high school built in 1951, and a grade school, which celebrated 100 years as a school in 2011. In the 1980's, a portion of the rectory was sectioned off for use by the remaining sisters, and the convent was demolished.
In 2007, under the leadership of Fr. William Rutkowski, the Parish began construction of a new Parish Center, as well as site improvements and parking upgrades. As part of the Parish Campus Project, the High School building housing the former parish offices was demolished, Grant Street in front of the parish was closed, and additional parking added, creating an enclosed Parish Campus with central access to all buildings.
St. Stanislaus Church itself is a registered Michigan Historic Site. Click on the picture above to view a larger image of the historic marker, which is marked in both Polish and English.
