THE CLOSING of a CHURCH....filled with so many Memories

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Click HERE for my post from last year's party.

This is a bittersweet story though.....

On June 3, 2012, St. Mary of Czestochowa Church closed it's doors for the Final Time.

Marge Palmer ( my Aunt)

Today , my parent's would have been married for 66 years.

They were married on June 6, 1946 in St. Mary's of Czestochowa Church in Swoyersville, Pa.

The church was build in 1911 by Polish immigrants including my paternal grand parents...

Pauline and Frank Kolojejchick
( My Parents)

They were married in the same church that each one of them was baptized in and received all their sacraments in .......


Both their daughters would also receive all their sacraments including the Sacrament of Marriage

in that same church.....

Pictures from my wedding

Many other newly married couples posed for pictures on these steps as we did on our Wedding Day......


Many were my Aunts and Uncles and most of my cousins.....

I am lucky to have some of the Cabinet Photos of my Aunt's and Uncle's Weddings.....

John and Henrietta Kolojejchick
(my Dad's oldest brother)

Aunt Henny died before I was born and my uncle John, who was my God Father, remarried many years later.

Joe and Helen Kolojejchick
( Dad's brother who was 2 years older than him)

I wish this photo was in color. I wonder what color are the bridesmaid's dresses????

Midge ( Michael) and Mary Kolojejchick
( Dad's brother who was 1 year younger)

People mistook my Dad and my uncle Midge as Twins...

Helen and Jack Heffers
( my Dad's Sister)

My Aunt Della is next to my Aunt Helen.
Don't they look like twins also???

Lenny and Marge Kolojejchick
( My Dad's youngest brother)

My Uncle Lenny was the first to pass away at the age of 49 years old , leaving my Aunt Marge with 9 children, which she raised in her own.

About 10- 12 years ago, she finally remarried and is now one of my only 2 living Aunts. The other is my Aunt Alberta who is my Uncle John's second wife.

This is my Aunt Marge with the glasses on the day of the closing of St. Mary's church after the final Mass.

In the beginning of the 1900's, this area was home to many Eastern European immigrants....
Italian, Polish, Slovak, Russian and Lithuanian. The Irish and Welsh had already settled here a century before.....

In many of the small towns, a church was built on virtually every street corner.

Each Nationality built their own church because they did not speak English when they came to this country and the parishioners and the priest of each church therefore spoke the same language and had immigrated from the same area...

Many of these immigrants never learned to speak English. Joe's maternal grandmother only spoke Polish until the day she died in 1977.

Now, there are too many churches and not enough parishioners to maintain these churches so our Diocese has been closing churches left and right.

It is an unfortunate necessity.

Please Click HERE to Read the Article in one of our local Newspapers about the closing of St. Mary's.

And PLEASE take some time and click HERE to see the video shown on one of our local TV stations on the closing of the church and the news anchor also shows pictures of his own wedding which was held at St. Mary's.

I was planning on attending the last Mass in honor of my parents but to be truthful, I forgot about it.

When I saw it on the News on Sunday evening, I was glad that I did not go because I think it would have upset me for the rest of my life.

Not only were Joe and I married in St. Mary's but both of our sons were also christened there and by the same priest who I was christening by , received all my sacraments from, married me and later said my Dad's Funeral Mass.

These are pictures from a local newspaper taken on Sunday at the Closing.....

It was a beautiful church....

I know they sang all the songs in Polish which I remember so fondly while growing up especially the Polish Christmas Carols......

In one article, I read they sang Serdenczna Matko ( Beloved Mother) as the last song.

I was lucky to find a video on You Tube of this song
Please click on the video and please turn off my Music at top of Post



This was my Dad's favorite and he always sang it to the top of his lungs. This is the song we sang at the end of his funeral Mass as we left the church .....

Click on video.....
I couldn't place this in the right place...SORRY!!

In the end, parishioners were invited up to kiss the altar....

And one of the oldest parishioners, 97 years old, locks the doors of the church for the last time.......

This parish has now merged with another church in the same town and went there for a Welcoming Mass.

I am glad that my parents were not alive to attend this last Mass as I know it would have ripped their hearts out .

in the later years, sadly, my memories of St. Mary's church were of funerals. My Aunts and Uncles, a cousin and my own Parents with my Mom's funeral being the second to the last time I was in this church. The last time was to attend my Aunt Della's funeral . She was the youngest and the last of the Kolojejchick brothers and sisters to pass away.

My Dad was also janitor there for some time and I remember going up into the choir as a little girl and my Dad having to ring the Bells by hand before Mass. He would let me hold on tight to the rope and I would fly up in the air hanging on to the rope as he rang the Bells.

This is how I will remember St. Mary's of Czestochowa Church in Swoyersville, Pa.

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Thanks so much for stopping by today and every day that you take the time to visit with me!

Hugs,
Debbie