St. Joseph Church in Ansonia Celebrates 100 Years
Story by Jim Tierney
A century after its founding by Ansonia’s Polish community, St. Joseph Church marked 100 years of faith, tradition and service with a celebration on May 31.
To mark its anniversary, the church in Ansonia celebrated with a Mass in English and Polish with Archbishop Christopher J. Coyne as the principal celebrant and concelebrated by several priests and deacons. A dinner followed at Warsaw Park.
Father Tadeusz Maciejewski, pastor, says he and Father Mitchell J. Wanat, who is in residence at the church, are “so thankful to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit for enabling us, Vincentian Fathers, to share in his divine plan with the parishioners and friends of our most cherished St. Joseph Parish. Praise the Lord.”
The church’s origins date back to 1923, when members of the local Polish community first gathered to advocate for the construction of a Catholic school in their hometown.
Through their determination, hard work and the support of local clergy, St. Joseph Church and school were established. The church, located at 32 Jewett St., was dedicated in 1926. Ten days later, St. Joseph School opened and was staffed by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. The parish school educated generations of students before closing in 2001.
“Many of the future members of St. Joseph Church would go to their daily jobs and then work on building the church as bricklayers and carpenters and work on the weekends,” says Ellen Amodeo, a church historian and former teacher at the school. “We still have a Polish Mass on Sundays at 10 a.m.”
In the “old days,” Amodeo adds, St. Joseph’s Church was known for its popular sports nights which were fundraisers for the church and school.
“Bob Skoronski of the Green Bay Packers would bring his teammates, including Bart Starr, to speak at our sports nights,” she says. Starr was a Hall of Fame quarterback and Skoronski played on five NFL Championship teams, including when Green Bay won Super Bowls I and II.
“Bob was a Derby boy who played on the championship teams under legendary Coach Vince Lombardi,” Amodeo explains.
St. Joseph Church was also the first one in the area to have a blessing of fire trucks, emergency vehicles and first responders from Ansonia and Derby. This annual event occurs at during the annual picnic held in September.
Today, the commitment of its parishioners remains strong, with four generations of some families having attended the church. St. Joseph Church continues to serve through charitable initiatives and its longstanding tradition — the annual Warsaw Park Picnic.
“Our picnic is known for its delicious Polish food,” Amodeo says. “Everyone is welcome to come to our picnic, usually held the third Sunday in September. There is no admission and plenty of parking at our beautiful Warsaw Park.”