St. Stanislaus Kotska Parish was founded in 1891 to serve Polish immigrants who came seeking financial stability and relief from oppression. The current building was completed in 1926, following ten years of construction that overlapped with World War I, the Spanish Flu pandemic, and local economic recessions. Original drawings and documentation have been lost, and the architect is presently unknown, but most of the construction and labor were completed by congregation members. St. Stanislaus is part of the Haskell and Barker Historic District, a National Register Historic District named for the local manufacturing company that produced freight rail cars and employed many community members and parishioners. 

Today, St. Stanislaus predominantly serves children and their families, offering a school open to community members with both before and after-school childcare programs for working parents. All four floors of St. Stanislaus’s former convent now house a thrift store, where the parish offers necessities – from furniture to clothing – at below market prices. In addition, members of the parish regularly volunteer with the Salvation Army and other agencies and rent their large hall to community members for events. 

A National Fund grant of $250,000 along with $500,000 in matching funds raised by the congregation will support the second phase of exterior masonry and stained glass rehabilitation.

St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish Photo by Camille Higdon

First Church in Oberlin