St. Mary Polish American Society

05/18/2026

We occasionally receive requests from people looking for support with genealogical research. Late last year, I began working with Daniel Bućko, a professional genealogist, based in Kraków in Poland. After providing him with the information I knew about my family, and what American primary source documents I had, he was able to track down each of the villages that the various parts of my family came from, including finding primary baptismal, marriage, and death records from Poland and translate these documents into English for me. I couldn't recommend his services more highly. His email address is [email protected]. Daniel indicated that he is open to accepting new clients and would be happy to help anyone else from the St. Mary Polish American Society family interested in learning more about their family. I am hoping to do a larger genealogical project with the Montgomery County Polish community in the future but am still working on the details and logistics for how to do this. Stay tuned for more information.

05/18/2026

We are very happy to announce that a beautiful yearly tradition will continue this year. An outdoor Mass will be celebrated at 9:30 am on Monday May 25th at St. Benedict's Cemetery in observance of Memorial Day. Prior to the Mass, Conshohocken VFW 1074 will have its annual memorial service at 9:00 at St. Benedict's.

Please plan to attend both events as we gather together to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom.

05/16/2026

Today we celebrate the feast day of one of Poland’s patrons, St. Andrew Bobola (Święty Andrzej Bobola), who lived from 1591 to 1657. Known as “God’s Hunter of Souls’’ and the “Apostle of Lithuania”, Bobola was a Jesuit who served as a missionary to Lithuania during a tumultuous time of conflict between Catholics and Orthodox Christians that formed part of the war between Polish and Russian forces in the mid-17th Century. Despite attempts to resolve these conflicts, a movement arose to drive the Catholics from this area, and Andrew went to Pinsk, a city now in Belarus, to encourage Catholics in the area to remain firm despite this persecution.

Unfortunately, Cossack forces soon took control of the region and drove the Polish Catholics from cities and towns to hide in the forests. Bobola was soon captured and refused to renounce his Catholic faith when given the opportunity. In response to his refusal to apostatize, he was cruelly tortured for hours before eventually being brutally murdered at the hands of the Cossacks. Even during his torture, he prayed for his tormentors, as Jesus did during his Passion.

His body was initially buried at the Jesuit Church in the city of Pinsk, but was later moved. It was eventually discovered that his body displayed the remarkable quality of incorruptibility, by which particularly holy individuals do not experience bodily decay after death. Andrew Bobola was canonized in 1938 by Pope Pius XI, and declared a patron of Poland and the Archdiocese of Warsaw (where his body has been venerated at a shrine since 1938) by Pope John Paul II on his feast day in 2002.

05/07/2026

Stanisław Szczepanowski was born in 1030, southern Poland, the only son of a noble family. At this time, Christianity was still new to Poland, having been introduced less than a century earlier. He studied at the cathedral school of Gniezno, then in Paris and Liège. Stanislaus returned to Poland after his studies and was ordained a priest. In 1072, the Bishop of Krakow died and Stanislaus was elected successor. He was hesitant to accept but did after the command of Pope Alexander II and Stanislaus became the first Polish-born bishop. Stanislaus was murdered by the Polish king Bolesław II.

Stanislaus bought a parcel of land for his diocese and the seller, a man named Piotr, died shortly thereafter. Piotr's family still claimed the land even though the diocese paid for it and a legal case developed. King Bolesław II decided in favor of the seller's family but Stanislaus challenged the decision. According to legend, St. Stanislaus went to Piotr's grave and commanded him to rise. Piotr rose, three years after his death, testified in court, and defended Stanislaus. The diocese kept the land and Piotr returned to his grave.

King Bolesław II was known for his promiscuity, corruption, as well as cruel treatment of soldiers and their families. These all led to his excommunication by St. Stanislaus in 1079. For this, the bishop was accused of treason and soldiers were ordered to kill him but they refused. The king attacked St. Stanislaus while he was celebrating Mass and killed him. Outrage over the murder forced Bolesław to renounce the throne and go into exile in Hungary.

The remains of St. Stanislaus are interred at Wawel Cathedral in Krakow. As the first native Polish saint, Stanislaus is the patron of Poland and Kraków, and of some Polish dioceses. He shares the patronage of Poland with Saint Adalbert of Prague, Florian, and Our Lady the Queen of Poland. His feast day is celebrated on one of three days: April 11 (post Vatican II Missal), May 7 (1962 Missal), or May 8 (in Poland).

05/03/2026

In conjunction with the observance of Polish Constitution Day, May 3 also represents the feast of Mary, Queen of Poland. Poles especially celebrate Mary as the Black Madonna, Our Lady of Częstochowa, regarded as a fount of miracles. The image of Our Lady of Częstochowa depicts Mary holding the Christ Child, believed to be painted by St. Luke the Evangelist, enshrined at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland. This site is Poland's greatest place of pilgrimage and for many people, serves as its spiritual capital. Our Lady of Częstochowa is credited with miraculously saving the Jasna Góra monastery during a siege in the 17th Century. This great victory proved to be a tremendous boost to the morale of the entire Polish nation. As a result, King Jan Casimir, in 1656, made a solemn vow proclaiming the Mother of God to be the "Queen of the Polish Crown" and the Shrine of Jasna Góra to be the "Mount of Victory" and a spiritual capital for Poland. On May 3, Polish people throughout the world celebrate this beautiful dedication and devotion to Mary as Mother of God, Queen and Protectress of the Polish People.

05/03/2026

Each year, May 3 marks the declaration of Poland's Constitution of 1791, the second oldest Constitution in the world, and the first of its kind in Europe. This document was designed to redress long standing political defects of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, replacing the existing anarchy fostered by some of the country's nobility and replace it with a more democratic constitutional monarchy. It kept Poland's hopes for an independent and just society alive even through its darkest days of partition and its days under the reign of communism. It is viewed as a national symbol and all that is good and enlightened about Polish history and culture. This anniversary of its adoption has been celebrated as Poland's most important civil holiday since Poland regained independence in 1918. Celebrations of Trzeciego Maja (May 3) take place in Poland and Polish communities throughout the world, especially in Polish American communities like Chicago, where a parade is held each year, and locally at the Shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa in Doylestown.

05/02/2026

A very fascinating article by Culture.pl on Polish Flag Day which has been celebrated on May 2nd since 2004. According to the article, "It is celebrated between International Workers’ Day and Constitution Day on 3rd May. This date, May 2nd, was chosen for a reason: on this day in 1945, Polish soldiers who took part in the Battle of Berlin mounted the Polish flag on the Reichstag and on the column in the Grosser Tiergarten park. Moreover, May 2nd is the Day of Poles Abroad."

When did the Polish flag appear? What colour is it actually? What is the proper way to display it? What should you do with it when a storm is coming? And who wrote poems about it? Worthy of its very own Polish National Flag Day, let us tell you everything you ever wanted to know about one of Poland....

05/01/2026

Today marked the 121st anniversary of the founding of St. Mary's Parish and the celebration of the first Mass on May 1st, 1905 by Father Benedykt Tomiak (the namesake of St. Benedict's Cemetery).

The formation of St. Mary's Parish resulted from the growth of the Polish community in the Conshohocken area at the turn of the 20th Century. Previously, Poles had to travel to St. Josaphat's in Manayunk to worship in their native language. Father Tomiak served as the pastor of St. Josaphat's and saw the need for another parish to serve this rapidly growing Polish community in Conshohocken. With his own funds, Father Tomiak purchased a property owned by the prominent Wood family with a home (now serving as St. Mary's rectory) and garden located at Oak and Elm Streets. A chapel was constructed in this building which was site for this first Mass.

As the parish grew from its humble beginnings with approximately 60 families, a larger worship space was needed, as this original chapel had become too small. In 1908, the parish purchased a former protestant church located at Elm and Maple Streets. This larger building was renovated and served as the parish church from 1908 to 1951 when the current church was opened.

We stand on the shoulders of these early pioneers at St. Mary's, our ancestors, who sacrificed so much to be able to have a spiritual home in their new homeland where their Polish heritage could play a central role. We thank God every day that we have been blessed to play a role in this ongoing journey of St. Mary's which now plays home to the Latin Mass community for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia while still serving as a spiritual and cultural home for the Montgomery County Polish community through the work of St. Mary Polish American Society.

04/30/2026

A major development from Poland and Belarus as Polish and Belarusian journalist Andrzej Poczobut has been released from captivity after five years in a Belarusian prison. Poczobut has been a vocal critic of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko's authoritarian regime and an activist supporting Poland's minority in Belarus. No words are necessary to illustrate the immense suffering that this courageous man endured. Just look at images of him before and after his captivity. Pray for Andrzej's recovery and return to full health, that he may continue his work in defense of human rights in Belarus, and for an end to authoritarian regimes throughout the world.

04/28/2026

An intercessory prayer through the intercession of Blessed Hanna Chrzanowska

God, you called Blessed Hanna to serve the sick, poor, and abandoned, may she who with her whole heart answered that call, through her example constantly encourage us in assisting our neighbours. Through her intercession grant us the grace ................. for which we pray in faith and hope. Throu...