EAST CHICAGO – It was a bittersweet occasion on Sept. 21 as the St. Stanislaus faith community celebrated the parish’s 125th anniversary and its closing at Sunday Mass.
“St. Stanislaus has seen many seasons of great joy and spiritual heritage,” said main celebrant Bishop Robert J. McClory, noting that the parish’s last Mass fell on the final day of summer.
“It’s okay to shed a tear today, but also to say a prayer for the future as (St. Stanislaus) school continues,” he added. “The Savior is always with us … Let his love shine through St. Stanislaus parish.”
Concelebrants included Father Jeff Burton, Father Tim McFarland, C.PP.S. of nearby Calumet College of St. Joseph, and Father Peter Muha, who grew up in the parish and attended St. Stanislaus School.
Father Burton, who has served as parish administrator for seven years, said the three Colombian-born priests serving East Chicago will celebrate a weekly all-school Mass at St. Stanislaus church, open to its former parishioners, while other services, such as Stations of the Cross during Lent, will also be scheduled. “Funerals and weddings can be requested through the school,” he added.
“The church will serve as a chapel, the Eucharist is still there,” he said. “The people of St. Stanislaus have been incredibly understanding (of the planning process that led to the closing of the parish), and a big part of that comes from (retired pastor) Msgr. John Siekierski being honest for a long time about the challenges he knew we were going to face in the Diocese of Gary.
“For me, it’s been a joy serving at St. Stanislaus, getting to know the people and the school students and seeing the Polish families of my childhood celebrate their faith,” Father Burton said. “The school kids are phenomenal, some of the most reverent and well-behaved I’ve ever encountered. They are the lasting culture of that building.”
Jim Zmuda, the parish financial director who chaired the St. Stanislaus 125th Anniversary Committee that, in recent months, added planning for the parish closing, said 15-20 parishioners came to a consensus on plans for the final Sunday Mass. That included displaying the parish’s relics of both the True Cross of Christ and St. Stanislaus, singing Polish hymns, decorating with red and white flowers and banners of parish organizations, and also honoring the parish’s more recent Hispanic contingent by displaying a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
“We also decided to host what we named ‘The Last CBS (chicken, beef and sausage) Dinner after the Mass, honoring the tradition of Polish dinners that celebrated special events for many years,” Zmuda said. The dinner, hosted at the East Chicago Knights of Columbus Hall, presented each guest with a ticket embossed with the parish seal and a commemorative plate crafted in Poland.
Kevin Klocek, a 1975 graduate of St. Stanislaus School, recalls “getting in trouble and frequently visiting the principal’s office and the pastor” as a youth. “There were still six nuns teaching us, and they were very disciplined with us, but lay teachers were getting involved. The nuns taught us the faith and it was a great experience to prepare you well for living a Catholic life.”
While Klocek’s family joined St. Mary in Griffith, where his two sons attended school, about 20 years ago, a special Klocek presence remains at St. Stanislaus.
Klocek chaired the 100th parish anniversary committee, which spearheaded a major renovation of the church building, including redoing the stained-glass windows, moving the side pews to angle them inward, installing new carpeting and doors, and replacing the roof.
“There had been a mural of angels on the ceiling, and our contractor hired a local artist, Jessica Zdonek, to do all of the decorative painting when we renovated,” recalled Klocek. “She painted the new mural of Jesus, and added the faces of four children at his feet.”
Among the models for those children was Eric Klocek, the three-year-old son of Kevin and Chrissy (Breclaw) Klocek. “The names of all of the young children of the committee members were put in a lottery, and Eric was one of the children whose names were selected,” explained his mother. The artist used photos of the kids to paint them, she added.
Now grown, Eric Klocek, a teacher at St. Mary School in Griffith, attended the closing Mass with his parents. While he admits he doesn’t remember the mural being painted, he said he is “proud to be a part” of a history that continues at his home church.
Also leaving her mark on St. Stanislaus is Maria Teneyuca, a lector at the last Mass who taught faith formation classes at the parish through last spring.
“That’s what I’ll miss most,” said Teneyuca, a St. Stanislaus parishioner for 30 years. “I enjoyed having the children prepare for their First Holy Communion and teaching about the sacraments. The students would rather see visuals, and they asked about the vestments and the altar.”
Irene Lukowski, who proclaimed the Intentions for the Mass on Sept. 21, is a 50-year parishioner whose family “grew up here. My memories include the friendliness of all the families, the priests whom we loved. We all looked to serve,” she said.
Caption: Bishop Robert J. McClory (center) celebrates the closing parish Mass at St. Stanislaus in East Chicago, although the church will remain open as a chapel for the adjacent school and for special services. With the bishop on Sept. 21 are (from left) Deacon Micky Henry, St. Stanislaus administrator Father Jeff Burton, Father Peter Muha and Father Tim McFarland, C.PP.S. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)
