History of St. Hyacinth’s Church
Auburn, NY
Father Stanislaus J. Szupa was sent to Auburn in 1905 to organize the Polish people and to build a church. After a two-year fundraising campaign, the location for the new church was purchased at a cost of $3,150. The patron chosen for the new parish was St. Hyacinth and the first Mass was said on Easter Sunday, March 10, 1907. The people stood throughout the ceremonies, for there still were no pews in the church. The church measured 110 feet in length and 50 feet wide. Six classrooms below also contained the living quarters on the upper level of the building for the teaching Sisters. They were Polish speaking Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester; Sister Euphemia was the first principal with an enrollment of 20 boys and 31 girls.
On May 26, 1907, the new church was blessed by Bishop Bernard J. McQuaid.
By 1909 the census showed a total of 1,158 parishioners. The people chose to live close together selecting to live on such streets as Pulaski (formerly Pulsifer), Perrine, Cottage, Union, State, Chase and Seymour—all near the church and school.
On January 8, 1914, two houses were bought on State Street, one at 225 to be used as a rectory and the other at 227 as the Sisters’ convent.
Father Szupa administered the parish for 19 years until 1926 when he was appointed to a larger parish in Rochester. He died on April 13, 1944.
In 1926 the Franciscan Friars, Order Minor Conventuals took over direction of St. Hyacinth’s. The new pastor was Father
Jerome A. Holubowicz, Father Blaise Szymaszek was the assistant pastor and also Lay Brother Leo Walencewicz was assigned to the parish.
In August 1926, a school annex of two portable classrooms were built. In 1927 the church was redecorated and half of the parish debt was paid off. In 1928 a crystal chandelier for the church, imported from Germany, was donated by the Perpetual Help Society. In the same year a fund was started for the building of a new convent for the Sisters who were living in small quarters adjoining the rectory on State Street. The lot across the street from the church was purchased for $6,000. The new convent was designed by Rochester architect George F. Lorenz. It was finished in December 1929 and blessed by Bishop John Francis O’Hern.
In the years that followed, various church societies and sodalities were organized, recreation grounds for the school children were purchased, the basement of the church was rebuilt with a kitchen included.
In 1931 the Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester were replaced by the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph, a Polish community from Hamburg, NY. A permanent addition to the school, replacing the two portable classrooms, was made in 1937. On July 4, 1939, the burning of the mortgage on St. Hyacinth’s was an occasion for a parish rejoicing and celebration. The school in that year also had its largest registration of 606 pupils, the biggest in the city of Auburn at the time. The people of the parish raised $5,000 for aid in the Polish War Zone and during World War II, it gave 536 men to the services, 26 of whom gave their lives.
On January 12, 1946, a $40,000 fire swept through the Falcons’ Hall on Pulaski Street and on June 11 a microburst swept through Auburn causing millions of dollars damage in felled trees alone. The church roof lifted and was carried down Pulaski Street causing severe damage to the interior of the church.
In March of 1948 ground was broken for the new rectory and the old rectory on State Street was sold. On June 28, the new rectory was blessed by Bishop Kearney. On April 8, 1950, groundbreaking was made for the new Falcons’ Hall.
In 1962, permission was granted to proceed with the new church plans and on March 17, 1963, the new church cornerstone was blessed. On November 28, 1964, the new church was dedicated by Bishop Kearney and the next day, vernacular language – English and Polish– were introduced to the Liturgy.
On June 6, Senator Robert Kennedy came to Auburn to view the President John F. Kennedy memorial window that was installed in the church.
In 1978 the church interior was decorated and renovations were made. On February 8, the statue of St. Hyacinth was moved to the sanctuary.
In 1990, St. Hyacinth School was closed due to dwindling enrollment and financial constraints. This was happening to other parochial schools in Auburn. In 2006, the Provincial of the Franciscans Friars, who had been administrating the parish since 1926, informed the Bishop of Rochester that they could no longer continue at St. Hyacinth Church due to lack of personnel. Fr. Louis Vasile, then pastor of St. Alphonsus Church, was named temporary administrator. During that time, St. Hyacinth Parish celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2007.
Fr. Eugene Dobosz was then named administrator of St. Hyacinth Church, along with St. Francis of Assisi Church. In 2009, Deacon Gary DiLallo was named administrator of both St. Hyacinth & St. Francis during which time the two churches were juridically joined under the title of Saints Mary & Martha Parish. In 2014, Fr. Frank Lioi, pastor of St. Mary’s Church, was named pastor of Saints Mary & Martha Parish, while continuing as pastor of St. Mary’s.
While St. Hyacinth School was no longer functioning as a Catholic school, the building was used for Faith Formation, social events, and the on-going Pierogi ministry. The parking lots were resurfaced and lined. In 2020, St. Albert the Great Academy, a private Catholic School recognized by the Diocese of Rochester, leased the school building for the 4th to 6th grades. (Kindergarten to 3rd grade is located in the school building of Saints Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church. During these years, modifications have been made to the interior of the school building and new windows were installed on all three floors of the school building. Currently buildings and ground continue to be restored and updated.
Pastors and Administrators
- Stanislaus J. Szupa, June 1905-July 1, 1926
- Jerome A. Holubowicz OFM Conv, July 1, 1926-Sep. 1960 [First Franciscan Friar pastor]
- James Cholewka OFM Conv., Sep. 1960-1966
- Felix Bracikowski OFM Conv., 1966-1976
- Felix Mazur OFM Conv. 1976-1982/3
- David M. Stopyra OFM Conv., 1982/3-Aug. 20, 1991
- Robert Grzybowski OFM Conv., Aug. 20, 1991-1997
- Xavier Nawrocki OFM Conv, 1997-Aug. 2001
- Berard Dudek OFM Conv., Sep. 2001-2004
- Mark Curesky OFM Conv., 2004-June 27, 2006
- Michael Brown, 2005-2006 [Temporary administrator]
- Eugene Dobosz, June 27, 2006-June 30, 2009
- Gary DiLallo, June 30, 2009-June 24, 2014
- Frank E. Lioi, June 24, 2014-present