St. Edward's to close; St. Stanislaus becomes a mission

Warwick — A mission church established in Warwick more than 100 years ago will close, despite the efforts of parishioners to save it. The Archdiocese of New York announced its final plans for 21 parishes throughout the area, including closing St. Edward’s Mission Church in Florida and making St. Stanislaus in Pine Island a mission church. The archdiocese released the list last Friday. Parishioners in both parishes fought the changes, which were nonetheless expected. St. Edward’s has been a mission of St. Stephen’s in Warwick since 1889, when the archdiocese bought the former Presbyterian church in the Village of Florida. The Rev. Michael McLaughlin, pastor of St. Stephen’s, said it is still a difficult decision for those who attend the St. Edward’s mission. “This is hard for those who go to the chapel,” said The Rev. McLaughlin. “Some are deeply saddened. But we’ve been walking this journey together. They have been part of the process.” In 1895, St. Joseph’s was built just around the corner from St. Edwards, on Glenmere Avenue, as a Polish National Church, giving Catholics in the Florida area two churches to attend. The St. Edward’s church building and adjacent hall will remain the property of the archdiocese. The Rev. McLaughlin expects the buildings to be rented to another church. “The chapel will continue to be used for sacred worship,” he said. “That is the hope.” No date has been set for the closing of the mission. One Mass is celebrated at St. Edward’s at 7 p.m. on Saturdays, with approximately 100 people in attendance. St. Stanislaus will remain open but as a mission to St. Joseph’s in Florida beginning sometime in early 2008. In a twist of fate, St. Stanislaus began in 1912 as a mission church to St. Joseph’s. With the growing black dirt region, it became a full-fledged parish in 1923. The numbers in this small parish have fallen over the past few years, prompting the move from the archdiocese. The big difference to parishioners is that only one Sunday Mass will be celebrated each week. Weddings, funerals, and baptisms will still be conducted from this tiny white church amid the black dirt. Doris Tomczak has ties to both St. Stanislaus and St. Joseph’s parishes. When the announcement was made last year that St. Stanislaus may become a mission church, Tomczak was upset, along with many other parishioners. Now, after having time to digest the information, Tomczak looks at the change with a positive attitude. “Father Joseph is a people priest,” said Tomczak. “He will get involved with people and help to build up the congregation again. Pine Island is a growing area. There are a lot of opportunities to bring people into this parish again. And that is my hope — that someday, we will have enough people to be a full parish again. They didn’t shut our doors, and that is a positive thing.”