From Our Pastor          Welcome to the St. Stanislaus Kostka Preservation website, where we celebrate and safeguard the rich spiritual heritage of our church.  As a community rooted in faith, we invite you to explore the history and artistry of St. Stan's, and the ongoing effort to preserve it for generations to come.  Whether you're a visitor, a parishioner, or a supporter, your interest and contributions help us honor our shared heritage and ensure that this house of worship remains a testament to our Catholic hope and faith. Thank you for joining us in this sacred journey of preservation and renewal!.

This Week's Spotlight         This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. A window dedicated to this great mystery of our faith was installed in the 1950s on the front right wall of St. Stan's. At the bottom, the Polish inscription reads "Gift of the Rosary Sodality."        The top medallion holds the Eye of Providence, a long-standing Christian symbol for the omniscience and omnipotence of God, here specifically representing God the Father, the First Person of the Trinity. The lower left panel portrays Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, as the victorious Lamb of God bearing the Resurrection banner. The lower right panel depicts the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, as a dove descending upon the world..

Join the effort to save and preserve St. Stanislaus Kostka Church    in Adams, MA ✠ An interior graced with splendid wall and ceiling paintings, vivid stained-glass windows, century-old wood carvings, and sacred sculptures   ✠ An enduring icon of the spiritual and cultural heritage of the Polish Catholic immigrant population ✠ Intimately connected with the Divine Mercy revelations: An early recipient and disseminator of the message of Divine Mercy Home of the first publicly displayed image of Divine Mercy in the Western Hemisphere Custodian of a first-class relic of St. Faustina, Apostle of Divine Mercy Key contributor to the founding of the National Shrine of Divine Mercy and the Marian Fathers Novitiate (Eden Hill in Stockbridge, MA) Native church of Revs. Seraphim Michalenko and Walter Pełczyński, M.I.C., promoters of Divine Mercy

     Nestled in the scenic Berkshire Hills of Adams, MA, the church of St. Stanislaus Kostka has served the Catholic community of Adams and neighboring towns for over 100 years.

        Dubbed "The Gem of the Berkshires," its stunning interior artistry features resplendent wall and ceiling paintings, extensive statuary, and magnificent stained-glass windows, rivaling those of many major basilicas around the world.  Century-old hand-carved wooden altars, confessionals, and Stations of the Cross, imported from renowned workshops in today's Austria and Italy, bear witness to the profound faith of the congregation.

        But like any historic building, St. Stan's needs periodic maintenance to keep everything in good repair.  Long years of Berkshire wind, rain, and snow have loosened roof slates, snapped snow guards, clogged gutters, and deteriorated steeple ornaments.  Most recently, water leakage has led to mold growth in the church basement (Kolbe Hall).

        Professional assessments have determined that the church is structurally sound and safe to use for services, but it does require urgent repairs now and other eventual restorations and improvements.

        A church as uniquely beautiful and historically significant as St. Stan's cannot be allowed to deteriorate.  Our Preservation Committee has  developed a four-phase plan totaling approximately $5.1 million to address the repairs and restoration. The Diocese of Springfield has approved fundraising for the $1.3 million Phase I of the preservation plan, stipulating that the funds must be raised by March 30, 2026.

        As significant as the projected costs are, the Committee believes that with the grace of God, we can achieve that goal.  Your assistance can help save and preserve St. Stan's to inspire the glory of God in future generations.

The target goal of $1.3 million for Phase I must be met by March 30, 2026.    Join us today in preserving this magnificent church.    Thank you so much for your kind support, and may God richly reward your generosity!  Let us know if you cannot donate now but would like to be on our email list.   Funds raised and pledged as of May 31, 2025:   $760,744 (59% of goal) (details)  ($539,256 remaining to reach goal of $1.3 million)

April 27, 2025 - Feast of Divine Mercy, Conclusion of Easter Week Join us at St. Stan's on April 27 for the conclusion of Easter Week with the observance of Divine Mercy Sunday.  The chaplet will be sung at 3:00 pm, followed by recitation of the rosary.  We are mindful of Our Lord's words to St. Faustina regarding Mercy Sunday: “The soul that will go to confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day, all the Divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though his sins be as scarlet." (Diary, 699)

March 30, 2025 - New Window Well Covers You may have noticed the new covers installed over St. Stan's basement window wells.  They were placed to help prevent rainwater from penetrating into the church's basement hall.  Made of rust-resistant metal and coated in industrial-grade paint, they blend in well with the yellow brickwork of the church's exterior.  Another fine job by Atlantis Corporation East, who has contributed so much to the improvement of our church!

March 22, 2025 - Adams Thunderfest and Church Tour Stop by our information table at Thunderfest, the town's annual celebration of the Thunderbolt ski race, on Saturday, March 22 from noon to 5:00 pm (rain date Sunday March 23).  At 3:00 pm, join Adams town historian Eugene Michalenko for a guided tour of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church.  Meet in the plaza in front of the Church at 25 Hoosac Street.  (NOTE: $147 was raised at Thunderfest, and $225 at the church tour.  Special thanks to This Bud's For You and Eugene Michalenko for the raffle prize donations!)

February 2025- Polish American Journal Articles #2 and #3 Founded in 1911, the Polish American Journal is a bi-monthly periodical providing news on Polish activities in the United States, Poland, and other countries.  The February-March 2025 issue includes a welcoming article on St. Stan's recent Carol Sing and the status of the preservation effort, as well as a kind mention of St. Stan's in an article by Ed Ponieważ, The Pondering Pole.  We appreciate the kind support shown by our friends at the PAJ!

February 2025 - Spell-a-Thon Fundraiser St. Stanislaus Kostka School held a Spell-A-Thon fundraiser during Catholic Schools Week, raising $3,097.60 and donating it to the SSK Preservation Fund!  Our heartfelt thanks go out to the great students and staff of the school who made this generous donation possible!

January 2025 - Restoring the Prie-Dieu Kneeler Stands St. Stan's has nine short and one long "prie-dieu" kneeler stands. While the solid oak stands are in excellent condition, the velvet covering on the kneelers had become badly stained and worn over the decades. Volunteers cleaning out the church sacristies last year found discarded velvet confessional curtains stamped with the CA-VEL logo on the back. An internet search dates this company's velvets to the mid-1920s. They were likely purchased then for the church's confessionals (installed in 1914), and later replaced by the current curtains, perhaps during the church's 50th or 75th anniversary. The discarded velvet curtains were still in excellent condition, and the volunteers repurposed the fabric to replace the old unsightly coverings on the kneelers.

January 24, 2025 - Videos Posted of Polish/English Carol Sing Videos from December's Carol Sing have been posted to our Youtube channel.  Taken by parishioner Beverly LeFebvre, they can be viewed at this link, or on the Videos tab of our Albums/Videos page. Thank you, Beverly, for capturing the videos and sharing them with us all!

January 12, 2025 - Roundup Campaign Adams Hometown Market at 1 Myrtle Street in Adams has kindly offered to make the SSK Preservation Fund the designated charity for their Roundup program.  From Sunday January 12 through Saturday January 25, shoppers will be offered the option to round up their totals at checkout to the next dollar, with the roundup donated to the SSK fund.   Many thanks to Adams Hometown Market for this wonderful demonstration of community support for St. Stan's Church!

December 29, 2024 - Polish/English Carol Sing Celebrate the birth of Our Savior by joining our community Polish/English Carol Sing on Sunday, December 29, at 1pm in St. Stan's church. Our choir and organist will lead the assembly in singing favorite English and Polish carols (kolędy).  Harpist Karen Ketcham will play some selections on her Irish harp.  Some of our participants will be wearing Polish folk costumes to add to the festive atmosphere; bring your own if you have one!  There will be no charge, but donations to the preservation fund will be greatly appreciated.

November, 2024 - Roof Repair, Rectory Entrance A long-standing leak over the rectory back entrance to St. Stan's was finally repaired. This was the most serious leak in the church proper, causing damage to the sacristy door jamb and storage cabinet above it. Further damage to the door jamb and cabinet has now been halted, and repairs can begin in a future phase.

November, 2024 - Drainage Repair, Summer Street Entrance United Rooter has excavated the ground near the Summer Street entrance and installed new pipes and cleanouts for the underground drainage system.

November, 2024 - Drainage Repair, Kolbe Hall Entrance United Rooter has cleared several downspouts of decades-old blockage, which was the culprit for much of our water infiltration issue. The drainage outside the exterior entrance to Kolbe Hall has been excavated, and a storm drain has been installed there to assist in diverting ground water from the church foundation.

November, 2024 - Masonry Repair, Hoosac Street Entrance Champlain Masonry has been contracted to repair the buttress separation above the Hoosac Street entrance. The company has brought in a lift and inspected the brickwork. With the onset of winter, scaffolding has been erected and netting installed for the protection of passersby. Actual repair work will commence in the spring.

November, 2024 - Masonry Repair, Summer Street Entrance Champlain Masonry has just completed repairs to the loose and deteriorating bricks in the buttress above the Summer Street entrance. This involved erecting scaffolding, rebuilding the inner structure of the wall, replacing the damaged bricks, rebuilding the outer structure, and securing the limestone capstone.

Monday, November 11, 2024 - Fence Painting Continues Work on the church fence continues. The fence has 44 sections, each eight feet wide, with each section requiring four hours of scraping off the rust and peeling paint, and four hours of painting with thick industrial-grade paint. To date, twelve sections have been scraped on the Summer Street side of the church, and eight of those have been painted. We hope breaks in the weather (must be above 50 degrees with no rain) will allow us to paint the remaining four sections before winter arrives. Thank you again to Atlantis Corporation East for so kindly donating the paint!

Sunday, November 3, 2024 - Fundraising Deadline Extended to March 30, 2026 Great news!  We have reached almost $600,000 of our $1.3 million goal.  Because of your generous commitment, Most Rev. Bishop Byrne has agreed to extend our fundraising deadline to March 30, 2026.  The current pew dedication plates are installed in the church, and exterior masonry repairs are about to begin.  Please keep the preservation project in your prayers and continue your kind support of our efforts!

Saturday, October 26, 2024 - First Pew Dedication Plates Installed The first round of pew dedication plates have been installed in St. Stan's.  More plates will be added as orders accumulate.  The brass metal plates are quite striking when the sun shines brightly in through the large stained-glass windows.  If you are interested in dedicating a pew in memory or in honor of family, friends, or someone important in your life, click here.

Sunday, October 13, 2024 - Adams RambleFest and Church Tour Stop by the SSK Preservation Committee's information table at the Adams RambleFest, to be held at the Adams Visitor Center from noon to 5 pm on October 13, 2024.   At 3 pm, join Adams town historian Eugene Michalenko for a guided tour of St. Stan's - meet in the Church vestibule at the Hoosac Street entrance.

Friday, October 11, 2024 - Summer Street Scaffolding On the advice of building inspectors and out of an abundance of caution, scaffolding was erected over the Summer Street entrance to St. Stan's as inspection and repair of the brickwork overhead commences.

September, 2024 - Status Update Letter #3 Our third Status Update letter, documenting news and activities from May to September 2024.

Tuesday, September 17, 2024 - Chicken Parmesan Dinner Join us at the Bounti-Fare Restaurant in Adams MA for a Chicken Parmesan dinner to benefit the SSK Preservation Fund on Tuesday September 17, 2024, from 4:30pm to 7:00pm, eat-in or take-out.  The meal includes chicken Parmesan with penne pasta, marina sauce, garlic bread, and a garden salad, with coffee and water in the dining room.  The event will also feature raffle baskets and a bake sale to top off your dinner with delicious desserts.  (Note: The dinner was a great success, serving 347 meals and raising $6,300 for the preservation fund.  Click here for a photo album of the dinner.)

Click here for earlier news items.