American population statistics from 1890 show that there were only 3,615 Poles in the State of New Jersey. Bishop Wigger of Newark, in his report of the same year, stated that there were 5,000 Poles in the Archdiocese of Newark. In 1910, statistics show 69,244 Poles living in the State of New Jersey, from which most came from small villages in southern Poland (former Galicia) near Cracow. Polish emigrants were mainly recruited to work in factories in Passaic and Paterson, where German textile factories were located. Poles, as well as other individuals of different nationalities, were often taken straight from Ellis Island by the owners of factories, to Passaic - to work in the factories. Other Polish immigrants, experienced in mining, sought work in the mines in Franklin and Ogdensburg. Poles were mostly Roman Catholics, and faithfully practiced their religion. Initially, the Polish Roman Catholics were forced to travel to St. Anthony Church in Jersey City, which was founded in 1884.
Holy Rosary Parish
The idea of the second Polish parish in the eastern part of the city Passaic (St. Joseph Parish, which exists from 1892) was established in 1908, when the church and Polish community grew extremely large. St. Joseph Church could not accommodate all of the faithful people. In 1913, Our Lady Queen of Poland Parish was founded, but did not have the official permission of the Ecclesiastical Authorities. Finally, it took 10 years to approve the boundaries of the new parish of Holy Rosary, and on February 19, 1918, the first Pastor was appointed - Father Stanisław Kruczek.
Many difficulties awaited the new Pastor, and most of them came from the Polish people's discouragements and disappointments caused by the 10 years of waiting. However, on the day of his appointment, the new pastor rented a house to use for the rectory - as well as the Crystal Ballroom on Eighth Street, to use as a temporary chapel. The chapel was blessed on March 5, 1918 by Reverend Canon Kernan, and despite the great frost, a great number of faithful participated in the opening of the new parish. From that moment, the enthusiasm and generosity started to increase to such an extent that during Easter of that same year, the faithful donated $10,000 to build a church. This great sacrifice brought an immediate benefit. Poles regained a good name, as well as the recognition of the Ecclesiastical Authorities and banks, that in seeing such generosity, they were willing to lend funds. After Easter of 1918, everything was done to speed up the building of the church. Architect F.J. Schwarz was selected to prepare construction plans, and the pastor visited parishioners every evening, to collect donations to build the church.
Beginning of Construction
After receiving the appropriate government approvals for purchasing the building materials, as well as after receiving a bank loan in Passaic, on July 18, 1918, Rev. Canon James Mooney - Rector of the Diocesan Seminary - blessed the land and dug the first shovel of land for the construction of the church. Work on the construction of the church progressed very quickly, so, that on February 9, 1919, Bishop O'Connor consecrated the church hall as a temporary chapel. In the spring of 1919, further construction of the church began to accommodate 1,000 parishioners, as well as 17 classrooms. The Holy Rosary Church School was opened on February 1, 1920. The Rectory building was completed on October 16, 1920. The church was dedicated on January 2, 1921 by Archbishop Felix Guerra from Santiago, Cuba. Wojciech Kossak, a famous Polish painter attended the dedication Mass, as well as Adam Didur, who sang in the church during this solemn celebration.
1922 - Year of Joy and Tragedy
The year 1922 was a year of spiritual joy, as well as the year of the tragedy of the parish. The spiritual joy was brought by the students’ play given on the occasion of the January Uprising, the "Miracle on the Vistula" play, as well as a fundraiser to support the army of General Haller. On May 25, 1922 – Rev. Kruczek hosted the Polish President - Master Ignacy Paderewski, who in gratitude for the pastor and parishioners’ hospitality, deigned to play the piano. Finally, the first son of the parish, Father Francis Kowalczyk, celebrated the First Holy Mass at Holy Rosary Church on June 11, 1922.
Church Building Fire
Judging from the human point of view, peaceful work, religious upbringing, and further development of the parish, was expected. However, the plans of the Divine Providence had yet another experience: the church fire on June 12, 1922. The fire started in a neighboring home, which greatly spread to the church building and within one hour the church and school building was destroyed, so that only the walls of the church were left. Besides material losses which amounted to about $150,000, the parish suffered a moral defeat. It was in fact devoid of the house of prayer, school, and the faithful fell into great disorganization and depression. The parish, however, under the leadership of Father Kruczek, quickly recovered from the dramatic experience, where enthusiasm and hope returned for a better tomorrow. Within a few weeks, the parishioners raised $6,000, which together with the money from the insurance, helped to rebuild the church and school. On December 10, 1922, new church bells were blessed. Their names were: St. Stanislaw Martyr, St. Michael the Archangel, St. Francis of Assisi. On April 8, 1923, the church building was blessed by Archbishop Ernest Koppo of Kimberley, Australia. New organs for the price of $15,000 were installed and blessed on October 4, 1924 by Rev. Canon Puchalski from Brooklyn.
Archbishop Jan Feliks Cieplak
One of the major events of the parish was the arrival of Rev. Archbishop Cieplak to Passaic on November 10, 1925, who chose the Holy Rosary Parish Rectory as his headquarter. He is a heroic figure and martyr of the Polish Roman Catholic Church. Archbishop Cieplak was appointed Bishop of St. Petersburg in the early twentieth century and carried his pastoral ministry, not only in his diocese, but also on large tracts of central Russia and Siberia, where the political exiles from the nineteenth-century Polish uprisings lived. After the Bolsheviks came to power in 1917, Archbishop Cieplak was imprisoned and sentenced to death. However, the great manifestations of the faithful, as well as external pressure, resulted in the Archbishop's release after a few years. He was brought close to the Polish border near Bialystok, and thrown into the snow. Once inside Poland, he traveled to Rome, and from there came to the United States of America on November 10, 1925 and for a temporary residence, he chose the Holy Rosary Church Rectory in Passaic. From there he began to visit other Polish parishes in the United States. His official welcoming ceremony to the parish and banquet took place on January 24, 1926. At the same time he was appointed Archbishop of Vilnius. However, all future plans were interrupted by illness. Archbishop Cieplak fell ill on February 10, 1926, and was taken to St. Mary's Hospital in Passaic, where he died on February 17, 1926. The funeral was held three days later in Holy Rosary Parish in Passaic. The Funeral Mass was celebrated by Bishop Shrembs from Cleveland, Ohio. Archbishop Cieplak’s remains were transported back to Poland.
Statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
After the establishment of the holy day of Christ the King by Pope Pius XI, Rev. Canon Kruczek decided to devote the entire parish to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was then agreed upon placing a bronze statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, resting on a solid granite base, with the words "JESUS, BLESS OUR PARISH”. The statue was donated by the family of Maria and Walenty Walter. The statue was placed in the garden between the church and the Rectory, and was blessed on June 12, 1927.
Rev. Canon Stanislaw Kuczek