ST. STANISLAUS CATHOLIC PARISH
- FOUNDED 1889 -
ABOUT
ST. STANISLAUS
PATRON OF OUR CHURCH & PARISH
BISHOP & MARTYR
St. Stanislaus was born to a noble family in Szczepanow, Poland in 1030 A.D. He was well educated in the Cathedral school in Gniezno and probably in Paris. He was ordained a priest in 1066 and became a bishop of Krakow in 1072.
Bishop Stanislaus was dedicated in his service to the people of his native country. He was an outspoken voice against social and political injustice. One important figure of whom the bishop was particularly critical was the king, Boleslaw the Bold. The monarch had a pattern of inciting war among his neighbors, leading a
licentious lifestyle and treating those who he ruled over cruelly. Despite St. Stanislaus' pleading and admonishments, the king refused to repent.
Eventually, tensions rose to the point that Bishop Stanislaus found himself compelled to excommunicate the king. In retaliation, the king struck back, accusing the bishop of treason. King ordered his knights to set out and execute Bishop Stanislaus. When knights refused to murder the prelate, king Boleslaw took it upon himself to carry out the execution by his own hand. He is said to have slain St. Stanislaus on the steps of the church or in it, where the Bishop celebrated Holy Mass on April 11, 1079.
According to tradition, the saint's body was cut into several pieces, and cast out to be scavenged upon by wild beasts. Miraculously however, the pieces rejoined themselves.
The king lost his authority and had to exile from Poland to Hungary, where he died in 1081.
Bishop Stanislaus, almost immediately following his death, was venerated as a martyr-saint. He was canonized (declared saint) by Pope Innocent IV on September 17, in 1253 at the church of St. Francis in Assisi. He is venerated today as the primary patron saint of Poland.
OUR PARISH HISTORY
The original church, built in 1894 of wooden structure, was leveled on September 9, 1900 during the Great Hurricane of 1900.
The following year the community unitedand built a new church. This second church stood until it's unfortunate destruction by an accidental fire on December 4, 1921.
Construction on the third church, a large stone structure in Spanish missionstyle, began in January 1922 and was completed in October 1924. This building is the current place of worship for the St. Stanislaus community.
ABOUT OUR CHURCH
Our current church was first dedicated on November 25, 1924. Since then, the church has provided the Chappell Hill Catholic community with a beautiful place of worship.
Our parish family is proud to honor our Polish roots and integrates several Polish traditions into our community calendar. Our annual Parish Bazaar has been held on the first Sunday ofSeptember since 1937. It was linked with our traditional annual Polish Harvest Festival, Dozynki since 2017. Annual Christmas Caroling includes visiting some of the residences of our Parishioners known as Koledy takes place on the Saturday after Christmas.
RESTORATION
Beginning in 2011, an extensive renovation and restoration of the church began. Projects included: new stained-glass windows, repainting of outside and interior, new air conditioning, heating system, new electrical wiring, refurbishing of the pews and floors, etc.
Special care was taken to preserve and honor this historical architecture, while breathing new life into our worship place.
Rededication of the church on November 14, 2015 was officiated by the Auxiliary of Austin, Bishop Daniel Garcia.