Historia Parafii Św. Kazimierza, Królewicza

Historia Parafii Św. Kazimierza, Królewicza

Historia Parafii Św. Kazimierza, Królewicza.
Jubilee Book Commemorating Fiftieth Anniversary of
the Dedication of the First Church 1899-1949, South Bend,
IN., p. 27-47. CAP at Orchard Lake.
PARAFIA ŚW. KAZIMIERZA obchodzi swój złoty jubileusz założenia! Miło jest słyszeć takie
słowa, bo okazuje się, iż parafia nasza jeszcze do dziś dnia zachowała tę samą siłę i solidarność,
którą miała na początku. Parafia Św. Jadwigi służyła w tych czasach wszystkim Polakom, nie
tylko w South Bend, ale w całej okolicy. Ale jak ludność polska się stosunkowo pomnażała, to i
także pokazała się idea, aby utworzyć nowe polskie parafie. Tak też przez kilka lat domagano się
akcji, aby utworzono nową parafię na południe od tor kolejowych Grand Trunk, jak popularnie
mówiono "za trekami."
W niedzielę dn. 13-go marca 1893 roku Ks. Czyżewski ogłasza w kościele tę wiadomość: "O
godzinie trzeciej Polacy, mieszkający po południowej stronie kolei Grand Trunk, ale tylko właściciele
lot, zejdą się na naradę, względem wyboru miejsca pod kościół w tejże miejscowości." Przyszły
potem inne ogłoszenia oraz inne narady, aż w roku 1896 proboszcz parafii Św. Jadwigi postarał
się, aby zakupiono grunt przy ulicach Dunham, Webster i Fisher. Dwa lata później rozpoczęto
budować wielki budynek przy rogu ulicy Fisher i Webster, który miał służyć, jako kościół i zarazem
szkoła.
PIERWSZY GMACH — Kamień węgielny na naszym najstarszym budynku opiewa "rok 1898".
Właściwie ten rok powinien naznaczyć nasz początek. Ale z powodu, iż nabożeństwa odprawiały się jeszcze na Jadwigowie, i dzieci chodziły do tejże szkoły, liczymy osobne życie parafii Św.
Kazimierza dopiero od roku 1899, kiedy poświęcono nowy budynek, szkoła była rozpoczęta
i nabożeństwa poczęto odprawiać w nowym budynku. Dlatego też Towarzystwo Niewiast
Różańcowych na przykład obchodziło już swój złoty jubileusz w roku 1948, bo właściwie w tym
roku już istniało jako osobne towarzystwo.
Pierwszy Proboszcz
Pierwszy proboszcz parafii był naznaczony przez prowincjonalnego superiora w Notre Dame,
dn. 11-go czerwca, 1898, w osobie Ks. Antoniego Zubowicza, C.S.C. On mieszkał w plebanii Św.
Jadwigi, a nabożeństwa odprawiał na sali Św. Jadwigi. Nowy budynek na Kazimierzowie był
poświęcony przez administratora diecezji Fort Wayne, Ks. Jana Guendling, bo w tym czasie nie
było biskupa. To odbyło się w sam dzień patrona parafii, dn. 4-go marca, 1899 r.
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Pierwsi Parafianie
Książki parafialne rozpoczynają się w marcu, 1899 roku. Widzimy tu, że pierwszy zapis w tych
książkach, jest chrzest, dn. 11-go marca, Józefa Bartkowiak, syna Michała i Heleny Bartkowiaków.
Na tej stronicy widzimy następujące chrzty: Józefa Kosińska, córka Andrzeja i Jadwigi Kosińskich;
Franciszek Dalka, syn Franciszka i Francziszki Dalków; Jan Nowicki, syn Jakóba i Magdaleny Nowickich; Józefa Błaszczak, córka Józefa i Julianny Blaszczaków; te chrzty są podpisane przez Ks.
Antoniego Zubowicza.
Pierwszy pogrzeb zapisany dn. 4-go maja, przez Ks. Eligiusza Raczyńskiego jest ten trzynasto-miesięcznej córki Zuzanny, państwa Bartłomieja i Agnieszki Stachowiaków. Drugi pogrzeb
jest dziewięcio miesięcznej córki Marii, państwa Jana i Marii Wieczorek.
W książce małżeństw widzimy, iż pierwsze miejsce zajmują Michał i Maria Markiewicz, którzy
ślubowali dn. 2- go maja, 1899 r. Dalej widzimy nazwiska następujące, Stanisław i Mara Szmańda; Jan i Elżbieta Herman; Walenty i Stanisława Pająkowski; Marcin i Agnieszka Grześkowiak;
Franciszek i Franciszka Szymczak.
Ks. Eligiusz Raczyński, C.S.C.
Około miesiąc po otwarciu nowego kościoła na miejsce Ks. Zubowicza, przybył dn. 11go kwietnia Ks. Raczyński. Był to kapłan pełen młodzieńczego zapału, śmiały agresywny we
wszystkich sprawach, doskonały patriota i znakomity kaznodzieja. On to pobudował plebanię, i
zakupił doskonałe organy kościelne. Zorganizował kilka towarzystw, ale śmierć ograniczyła jego
urzędowanie do trzech ledwo lat, bo pożegnał się ze światem dn. 11-go czerwca, 1902 r.
Ks. Antoni Zubowicz, C.S.C.
W kilka dni po śmierci Ks. Raczyńskiego na stanowisko proboszcza wrócił Ks. Zubowicz. Ten
pracowity kapłan wziął się do dzieła, i począł dług spłacać, prócz zwykłej pracy kapłańskiej. Bo
już w roku 1907 dług parafii był zupełnie spłacony. Naturalnie i parafia po prostu się pomnożyła
do dwa lub trzy razy tego co była na początku, bo wtenczas liczyła przeszło 500 rodzin, a ogółem
2,800 przeszło dusz.
Kiedy zmarł wielce zasłużony organizator polskich parafii Ks. Walenty Czyżewski na Jadwigowie, Ks. Zubowicz naturalnie był wybrany na jego miejsce, więc Kazimierzowo opuścił, aby już
więcej nie powrócić. Do historii chyba policzony jest z Ks. Zubowiczem jego wielki pies popularnie
zwany "Bruce", o którym starsi obywatele lubili często wspominać.
Księża Wikarzy
Swego czasu Ks. Zubowicz miał bardzo dzielnych i pracowitych wikarych. Ks. Franciszek
Wałaszkiewicz i Ks. Kazimierz Olszewski pracowali po jeden rok każdy. Byli oni kapłani, którzy
pomagali po rozmaitych parafiach. Ks. Kazimierz Olszewski później otrzymał parafię polską w
Racine, Wisconsin, i zmarł roku 1916. Ks. Gruza, C.S.C. pracował w tutejszej parafii dwa lata od
roku 1907 do 1909. Ks. Iwaszewski, C.S.C, jeden rok, 1909 do 1910. Ks. Bolesław J. Sztuczko,
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C.S.C. także jeden rok, 1910 do 1911. Ks. Marcin Hanyż, jeden rok, od 1911 do 1912. Ks. Szybowicz, C.S.C. dwa lata, 1912 do 1914.
Potem nastąpili lata niepewne dla Kazimierzowa, dlatego iż nie było stałego proboszcza. Ks.
Bonifacy Iwaszewski, C.S.C. urzędował tylko kilka miesięcy od lipca do października roku 1913.
Ks. Mieczysław Szalewski był mianowany proboszczem, lecz tego urzędu właściwie nie objął.
Po niejakim czasie nastąpił Ks. Gruza, który był proboszczem trochę więcej jak jeden rok, i dn.
23-go września, 1915 r. opuścił Kazimierzowo.
Ks. Stanisław J. Górka, C.S.C.
W tym dniu przybył objąć urząd tutejszej parafii przez długi czas, Ks. Górka. Sam o tym nie
wiedział w tym czasie, ale czekała tego księdza długoletnia praca, bo aż do roku 1931, razem 16
lat. Ks. Górka wziął się zaraz do pracy, bo upiększył grunta parafialne na rogu Dunham i Webster
ulic. Przez długi czas parafia nie miała żadnej sali. Musiała się spuszczać przeważnie na użytek
sali tak zwanej "Warszawskiej" czyli "Warsaw Hall", w budynku na rogu Walnut i Dunham, który
należał do państwa Wincentego i Stanisławy Wituckich. A więc rozpoczęła się akcja, aby pobudować salę i ta nadzieja parafian urzeczywistniła się w roku 1916. Od tego czasu aż do budowy
kościoła to "Audytorium Św. Kazimierza" służyło parafii na wszelkie zebrania, przedsta¬wienia
i zabawy.
Parafia dalej się rozwijała. Siostry Nauczycielki mieszkały w domu zaraz naprzeciw obecnego
kościoła. W roku, więc 1919 parafianie sprawili naszym Czcigodnym Siostrom Nauczycielkom
piękny nowy dom, który nawet do dziś dnia jest zupełnie wygodny. Z powodu, iż wtenczas
było tylko sześć klas w szkole, nie było potrzeba tyle Sióstr, co obecnie, kiedy mamy dziewięć,
dlatego Dom Sióstr jest poniekąd troszeczkę za mały. Ale jeżeli kiedyś w przyszłości dom ten się
powiększy nasze Siostry będą mogły lepiej się pomieścić. Można by im wyszkować strych, czyli
"attic", i również przybudować dwa pokoje na froncie, co by powiększyło kapliczkę, i "parlor",
a dałoby dwa dodatkowe pokoje na drugim piętrze.
Inne Ulepszenia
W dalszym ciągu Ks. Górka przebudował plebanię na więcej moderną rezydencję w roku
1922. Zaprowadzone zostało zaś później centralne ogrzewanie parowe — tak, że dziś wszystkie
budynki ogrzewane są z jednego miejsca. W szkole zainstalowano umywalnie i ustępy nowoczesne. Na podwórzu ustawiono statuę patrona parafii, Św. Kazimierza, królewicza. W końcu zakupiono dwa nowe dzwony. Dzwon "Stanisław" ważący 1,500 funtów, i dzwon "Antoni" ważący
450 funtów. Stary "Kazimierz" waży 800. Nowe dzwony poświęcił dawniejszy proboszcz śp. Ks.
Antoni Zubowicz, w październiku 1922. Te ulepszenia kosztowały parafię przeszło $45,- 000.00
i zapłacone były gotówką. Parafia z początkiem roku jubileuszowego 1924 miała gotówki w
kasie przeszło $6,000.00. Wtenczas przygotowano się do budowy nowego kościoła, i Ks. Górka obchodził parafię, aby wszyscy złożyli swoją ofiarę na ten cel. Grunt pod nowy kościół był
solennie poświęcony dn. 23- go marca, 1924, o godz. 3-ej. po południu, jako część programu
jubileuszowego. Kamień węgielny pod nowy koś¬ciół został poświęcony przez śp. Przew. Ks.
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Biskupa Pawła P. Rhode, D.D., wtedy biskupa diecezji Green Bay, Wisconsin, rychło w jesieni.
Kościół miał być pod dachem przed zimą.
PARISH HISTORY 1924
We shall continue the parish history from the time of the Silver Jubilee up to the present time
in the English language. Our thought behind this is that there would be a lot of our older parishioners interested in the former years, while the younger set would rather be interested in
the later years. In the first World War we had a total of 209 men in the armed forces, while in
the last war we had 375. In the first war there were also eleven in General Haller's Polish Army,
making a grand total for World War 1 of 220 men in service. Our service list for the last war is
printed elsewhere in this book. The casualty list, for the first war was six and for this war, eight.
During the last war U. S. Savings Bonds were bought thru the payroll savings plan, and of course
there is no record what the parishioners purchased. But in the previous war the parishioners
bought Liberty Bonds to the amount of $75,000.00; Polish Government Bonds amounting to
$16,000.00, and other bonds for $3,000.00. There was a total amount of $5,000.00 collected
for Polish orphans during that time.
SILVER JUBILEE
The Silver Jubilee was celebrated during the month of March, 1924. A mission was held from
March 8th, closing with Forty Hours' Devotion on March 18th. On Sunday, March 23rd a Solemn
Mass of thanksgiving was celebrated at 10:00 a. m. In the afternoon of the same day at 3:00
p.m. there was a solemn blessing of the ground for the new church. A jubilee dramatic play
was presented in the hall that evening. The corner stone for the church was laid and blessed
by the late bishop of Green Bay, Wisconsin, Most Rev. Paul P. Rhode. Among those present on
this occasion - 1949 was the Very Rev. Thomas A. Steiner, C.S.C., then professor at Notre Dame,
and now Provincial Superior of the Fathers of Holy Cross in the United States. The trowel was
wielded by a well-known Polish brick mason, Mr. Luzny, the father of one of our former assistant
pastors, the Rev. Francis X. Luzny, C.S.C.
THE NEW CHURCH
The new edifice was and will remain as the pride of the whole parish. It is one of the most beautiful and architecturally correct churches in this vicinity. It seats about 700 people. It was built
for a round sum of $106,000.00. The cost of moving from the old building into the new church,
and the arrangements brought another expense of some $10,- 000.00. At the parish meeting of
January 6, 1923 the following church-building committee was chosen: George Raj¬zer, Edward
Lewandowski, Stanley Podemski, Valentine Gadacz and Valentine Nowicki. They were to assist
the trustees for that year, who were: Joseph Duszyński, Martin Grześkowiak, Vincent Kaniewski,
Stanley Radecki, Martin Maćkowiak, and Adolf Bobiński.
RENOVATION OF HALL
When the church services were moved out of the old structure, there remained a question
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of what to do with it. It was temporarily used for every kind of activity, even the playing of
softball. The walls and ceiling were in a bad shape, and so was the lighting. So a movement
was started to raise money to completely renovate it and use it as a hall. That was done in
the winter months of 1929- 1930. Later on kitchen facilities were installed. Drapes were hung
on the windows, and the hall presented a better appearance.
CHURCH WINDOWS
In February of 1927 Father Gorka sent out an appeal to the parishioners for donations for
stained glass windows for the church. The appeal was for the sum of $8,000.00. During the
course of that year the donors kept coming in, so that the work of installation was completed
in October of 1928, and the donors and list of windows was made public in November of that
year. The work was done by the Columbia Plate Glass Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, of
which Mr. Gavin, a fine distinguished gentleman of Polish extraction, was manager. The list
of windows and donors is printed elsewhere in this book.
1915 -1931
These two dates represent a period of sixteen years during which the Rev. S. J. Gorka, C.S.C.,
was pastor. It was a long time, filled with many problems, many duties, many worries, and
many accomplishments. The outward development of the parish took place during that time,
the building of the school annex, the Sisters' home, the church, and the remodeling of the
rectory. Father Gorka found the parish in 1915 going through a process of complete reorganization after the turmoil of the preceding two years. He kept on doggedly, always devoted
to his work, taking very little interest in things outside the parish, but sticking very closely to
his church duties, the school children, and the finances of the parish. His record is really a
splendid one not only materially, but spiritually, since the parish became reunited again, and
really gained in solidarity. During these years he was ably assisted by the following priests: Rev.
Boleslaus J. Sztuczko, C.S.C., Rev. Anthony Rozewicz, C.S.C., Rev. Stanislaus Kuszynski, C.S.C.,
Rev. Francis X. Luzny, C.S.C., Rev. Francis Nowakowski, C.S.C., and at the end of this time by
the Rev. Stanislaus F. Lisewski, C.S.C.
ST. CASIMIR A. C.
One of the clubs and activities that denote the time of Father Lisewski is the St. Casimir Athletic
Club. It had its peak in the years from 1928 to 1932. The main spring in the organization was
of course Fr. Lisewski and Aloysius Przybysz. The club promoted especially a baseball team,
which at times Fr. Lisewski helped out personally in a pinch, by playing the position of catcher;
a football team, for which Dr. Libnoch acted as physician; a season of boxing in our parish hall.
The stage was equipped with a boxing ring, and this promotion was quite popular for some
time on the west side. With the death of its chief sponsor, Al. Przybysz, and the coming of the
financial depression the club slowly suspended its activities.
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REV. S. F. LISEWSKI, C.S.C.
Father Lisewski came to St. Casimir's as his first assignment in August of 1927. He had been
ordained before Easter of that year in Rome, and came to this country after getting his doctorate in theology in June. A history of this period of St. Casimir Parish would not be complete
without dealing of his activities. To summarize his work in the parish one could say that he
devoted himself to all angles of endeavor that an assistant in a Catholic parish can come in
contact with. As chaplain of the Koscuszko Civic Club he plunged into the problem of civic improvements, namely the track elevation project in the city and the problem of playgrounds.
He devoted a great deal of his time to the Ushers' Club. The school children and athletics took
a great deal of his attention. Under his sponsorship the "Warszawianka," a monthly, then a
quarterly publication was printed. But especially very dear to his heart was dramatic work,
with the Young Peoples' Progress Club, and the Friends of the Drama, a select group of young
people, and the Young Ladies Sodality.
DRAMATICS
The peak of this dramatic activity came in the years of 1929, 1930 and 1931. Those were the
years of plays like "Wonne Roze" (F'rangrant Roses), written by Fr. Lisewski himself and based
on the life of the Little Flower, St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, who had been just recently canonized by the church. "Ciotka Karola" (Charlie's Aunt), a famous play, which was staged over
and over again, and even in various neighboring communities. Other plays equally popular
were: "Jego Kapralska Mosc" (Captain Boots), "Chorus Girl", "Klub Kawalerow" (Bachelors'
Club), and "Maz z Grzecznosci" (The Refined Gentleman).
FIRST POLISH PLAY ON THE RADIO
At that time Mr. Flancis K. Czyzewski became quite popular locally with his Polish Hour on the
station WSBT. Under his sponsorship Father Lisewski produced what Mr. Czyzewski called the
first Polish play on the radio in the United States, the title of which was "Niewinność Prześladowana" (Innocence Persecuted). This was in March of 1930, and the characters were as follows: Sylvester Zwierzynski, Henry Brzezniak, Leo C. Markiewicz, and Mrs. Sophie (Stroyna)
Sibley. The other character was a young lady student from Poland who was visiting South Bend
at the time.
POLISH DANCE CONTESTS
Dances are always popular, especially among the younger set, but some people thought that
Polish dance music, the music that is "gay and carefree," was being neglected. So the South
Bend Tribune, through the managing ability of Francis K. Czyzewski, sponsored the so-called
Polish dance contests. A winning couple was picked in each of our four Polish parish halls, and
then the final contest was staged in rotation in these same halls. For a long time these contests
brought out a lot of talent and competition in mastering the steps of the Polish dances. One of
these finals was run off at St. Casimir Ballroom in February of 1930, when Edwin Stachowski
(who died during the last war as a soldier in France) and Miss Louise Markiewicz (now Andry6
siak) won the crown as the king and queen of the Polish dancers for that year.
During the year 1928 Father Lisewski popularized the devotion to St. Theresa, the Little Flower
of Jesus, lie preached the novena to that saint in St. Casimir church, and also in other churches
in the city. A statue of this saint was procured for our church, and her relics were gotten from
Rome. For many years this devotion was publicly carried on in our parish, but of late years it
was superseded by the Novena to our Sorrowful Mother. But the devotion to her remains in
the hearts of our parishioners, and her statue and relics remain in our church for public veneration. One of the finest statues of St. Theresa in the city is found at St. Hedwidge church,
and this is made of pure white Italian Carrara marble, completely executed and carved in Italy,
and imported into this country.
CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL
During the summer of 1928 the Rev. Stanislaus A. Gruza, C.S.C., pastor of St. Hedwige church in
South Bend, conceived a noble plan of starting a Catholic high school in South Bend. He received
the approbation of the bishop of the diocese, Most Rev. John F. Noll, and later obtained from
the other three Polish pastors their promise of mutual help and cooperation. These were the
Right Rev. John Osadnik, pastor of St. Adalbert church, our pastor, Father Gorka, and Father
Sztuczko, who had just become pastor of St. Stanislaus church, after the Rev. Roman Marciniak,
C.S.C., who had been pastor of that church for twenty-eight years, was transferred to Chicago.
From the very beginning of the school, St. Casimir parish has always cooperated with its activities and helped it financially. Our parish was probably a little backward in sending students to
the school, due, perhaps, to the proximity of the public high school, but it was usually willing
to back up the school in other ways. Father Gorka was always personally willing to attend the
school board meetings ; Father Lisewski helped out in giving lectures, in supporting athletics;
Father Rozewicz allowed the use of the hall in later years for dances to help finance the athletic program in that school. At one time Father Gorka remarked that he would be willing to
assume a debt on the parish, in the event the parish debt was paid, to help finance the building
of a new edifice to remedy the crowded condition of the St. Hedwige High School. That did
not become necessary when the Polish Central Civic Committee acting for the Polish people
obtained the lease of the public school on Laurel street, for the purpose of housing what then
became the South Bend Catholic High School. This happy change was made in the summer of
1935 under the guidance of the Rev. Francis X. Luzny, C.S.C., then pastor of St. Hedwige parish.
FATHER GORKA'S SICKNESS IN 1927
The years of intensive planning and administration told on Father Gorka's health. He was ordered
by Dr. B. J. Bolka to take an extended rest in August of 1927. He spent most of this time at St.
Edward's University in Austin, Texas, and then at Sacred Heart Sanitarium in Milwaukee, Wis.
His duties during that time were ably performed by the Rev. B. J. Sztuczko, C.S.C. When Father
Gorka returned, he set himself to work again, and in the fall of 1928 he put in the oil burner
in the school, and a giant oil tank holding 10,000 gallons of oil. In July of 1931 he was relieved
of his pastoral duties, and assigned to Holy Trinity church in Chicago, as as- istant pastor. This
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being the year of his silver jubilee the Very Rev. James A. Burns, C.S.C., gave him permission
to take a trip to Europe. Father Gorka celebrated his 25th anniversary Mass in Rome, over the
relics of his patron saint, St. Stanislaus Kostka.
FATHER ROZEWICZ, 1931-1937
The Rev. Anthony J. Rozewicz, C.S.C., was appointed pastor in July of 1931. He came during the
now historical financial and economic depression, which the older of us remember. Those were
the days when the income of practically all churches dependent upon working people went,
as they themselves did, through trying days. During those days the total church collection on
Sundays ran about $100 while now it
amounts to over $500. It was not uncommon for a pastor to have from five hundred to a thousand
dollars in unpaid bills, and no money to pay them. So Father Rozewicz was constantly scheming
to think up ideas to raise a little more money. During those days collections from house to house
were arranged pretty often. Father Witucki re-members one year when such a collection was
made three times, once during Lent, once in the summer and again in the fall for the bazaar.
During these years the pastor was in the habit of arranging banquets—for Father Lisewski to
raise some money for the parish. There were a few of these, most prominent among them
was the one when Father Lisewski was leaving for Poland to study, in June of 1934, and again
when he returned from Poland in the summer of 1936. Another such supper was arranged to
crown the "king and queen" of the parish. Mr. and Mrs. John Lentych were chosen then as the
"royalty" of the parish.
Mr. "Jack" Lentych had been active in the parish for some time. He was quite friendly with
Father Lisewski, going fishing with him, and also collecting chickens among our Polish farmers
for picnics and bazaars. On one occasion during such a trip the weather was extremely hot, and
Father Lisewski took off his Roman collar. The collection was going poorly. Then finally "Jack" says
to Fr. Lisewski, "You got to put on your collar. These farmers think we're bums." The collection
improved at once. At this "king and queen" banquet it was "Jack's" poor luck to get a piece of
an old chicken, one that must have, in his own words, "voted for Lincoln."
EVENTS DURING THE TIME OF FATHER ROZEWICZ
Fuel oil was getting expensive, so Father Rozewicz decided to equip one of our boilers with
stoker coal equipment. In September of 1935 the center aisle of the church was lined with
asphalt tile. To cover the cost a house-to-house collection brought in the money to pay for
this, a total of $323. During this summer a new coat of paint was given to the outside of the
church, school, convent and rectory. Bruno Luzny and Son did this work for a sum of $800. A
new steam main was installed to carry heat from the school to the rectory and the convent.
The hall came in for a few needed appointments. The checkroom was equipped with stands
for taking care of checking garments. To help heat the hall double windows were installed.
The first loud speaking system was purchased for use during picnics and bazaars. New stands
for playing the bingo game were purchased, and have been one of our most handy pieces of
equipment for many a year. On the religious side a statue of St. Anne was purchased and relics
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were received from Rome, and the novena to St. Anne has been conducted in the parish since
the summer of 1935. Father Rozewicz always insisted on a Christmas party for the "kiddies" in
school. He took very few vacations, but at the end of his pastor-shop in 1937 he took a trip to
California. Upon his return he was present at the banquet in his honor as retiring pastor, and
in honor of Father Gorka as the new pastor, on August 29, 1937.
REV. GORKA'S SECOND TERM AS PASTOR
The last four years of Father Gorka's life were spent at St. Casimir's. One might be tempted to
say that he "came home to die," at least it was probably providential that he finished his career
in a parish for which he had labored so much. He was instrumental in putting padded kneelers
in our church. Finally the project of the first decoration of the church was completed in the
summer of 1939. It was done by the John Kirsch Co. of Milwaukee. On this job Johnny Kaczorowski received his first lessons in church decoration, and has been with this company since that
time. Along with the decoration of the church, Father Gorka took out the old style pulpit, and
bought a new movable type, on the order of a speaker's stand. The side altars were cut down
to give more of a "table" effect to them, and two new tabernacles were purchased for these
altars. The lights in the church were lowered to bring the light down closer to the congregation.
The culmination of Father Gorka's religious interests came about when in June 1939 three of his
proteges were ordained to the priesthood, namely, the Fathers Grabarz, Niemier and Wojciechowski, and finally in 1941 the Rev. Gerald Stajkowski, O.F.M. These were the first young men
ordained priests from this parish ever since the ordinations of the Fathers Gapczynski, Zielinski
and Gadacz, truly a long time. Even to the end Father Gorka was devoted, as he was during his
entire priesthood, to parish dramatics, and the last play under his direction was "Gdzie Jesteś
Panie?" It was staged on April 2, 1939 by the Young Ladies Sodality.
One of the most rapid jobs done during this time was the laying of the foundation for the garage.
Father Witucki built the garage in the summer of 1938. With some of the boys the most faithful
of whom was Erwin Zielinski, Father Witucki built the forms for the concrete foundation in the
basement of the school. Father Gorka was reluctant to give permission to build the garage,
but finally he gave in. On Monday, July 5, a group of boys came to help dig the ditch for the
foundation. In the afternoon, when Father Gorka took his usual nap, the forms were brought
out, laid in the ditches, the concrete poured in, so that when Father Gorka got up, and came
outside the foundation was complete. He was amazed at the speed of the workers, and they
even joked with him, about mixing the concrete themselves.
THE END APPROACHES
At the beginning of the school year in 1940 Father Gorka was stricken with a serious heart ailment. He spent several weeks in the hospital and after coming home for the Christmas season
at the rectory he went to St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas for a rest. Returning in the
summer he again took sick toward the end of July 1941 and died at St. Joseph Hospital, on
Friday, Aug. 22, 1941.
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