Immaculate Heart of Mary Church (), is a Catholic parish church in Cleveland, Ohio and part of the Diocese of Cleveland. It is on Lansing Ave. near East 66th St., in a part of the South Broadway neighborhood previously known as Warszawa, also referred to today as Slavic Village. Both the church and the area are GNIS named features. The church is near the area listed as Warszawa Neighborhood District on the National Register of Historic Places. The church, school, rectory, and convent buildings are listed together as a Cleveland Designated Landmark.
The parish was founded in 1894.
History Founding in Schism The independent schismatic congregation, under the title of Independent Polish Catholic Church of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary or Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was founded 3 May 1894 — about 47 years after the Diocese of Cleveland was erected by Pope Pius IX.
The founding happened at the beginning of the Progressive Era after the Panic of 1893.
The founder, Rev. (né Rademacher), also known as Rademacher Kolaszewski and Kolaszewski-Rademacher, was born 5 September 1851 in Elżbietów, Poland and immigrated to the United States at about the age of eight.
Kolaszewski made his collegiate studies in the Franciscan College, in Teutopolis, Illinois; then entered St. Mary's Seminary, Cleveland, where, after completing the prescribed course in philosophy and theology, had been ordained for the Diocese of Cleveland, by Bishop Richard Gilmour on 1 July 1883, and was appointed the first resident pastor of St. Stanislaus' church a few weeks after his ordination. Between 1886 and 1890, frequent charges were made against Kolaszewski. Within two months after Bishop Ignatius Frederick Horstmann came to the diocese, another grave charge was made against Kolaszewski. He was unable to disprove it, and so, on 28 May 1892, offered his resignation. His resignation was accepted by Horstmann, on condition that he leave the diocese, which he did. He moved from Cleveland to Syracuse, New York. There he worked as a priest, known as Father Colley, and founded Sacred Heart Church, the first Polish parish church in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse. He had also been practicing medicine without a license. The Syracuse Courier reported that he "had built up quite an extensive practice drawn mostly from the female portion of the community" and his practice had been brought to the attention of the Onondaga County Medical Society. He was repeatedly served with notices to desist but kept on with his practice. The matter was then brought to the attention of Bishop Patrick Anthony Ludden, but even his disapproval had no effect on his actions. Finally, the Medical society arranged for his arrest. Early in April 1894 he left suddenly and mysteriously; the Syracuse Courier conjectured that he probable learned of his impending arrest and left Syracuse to avoid prosecution. He visited Cleveland and returned to Syracuse on business in May. Kolaszewski remained in Syracuse until May, 1894, when he returned to Cleveland and organized a congregation of his followers from St. Stanislaus' church.
Horstmann referred the case to the Apostolic Nunciature to the United States; Titular Archbishop Francesco Satolli, the Apostolic Nuncio, sent Horstmann his reply;
On 1894-06-20, Kolaszewski was excommunicated by Horstmann.
And, the congregation was warned.
"Despite their growing numbers, Poles were not represented in the Catholic hierarchy in the United States for many years. This became an increasing source of tension in the Polish-American community, resulting in the founding of schismatic churches in the Polish community. In 1895 in Chicago, Resurrection Father , assistant pastor of St. Hedwig Parish, led 1,000 of the parish's 1,300 families in founding the 'Independent Catholic Church in America.' Within three years, the Independent Polish Catholic Church in America claimed 17,000 members. In 1897 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Father Francis Hodur founded the Polish National Catholic Church. Both had themselves consecrated bishops by the Union of Old Catholic Churches in Holland." Also, doctrines of Americanism were held by and taught by many members of the Catholic clergy and hierarchy in the United States in the 1890s. Catholic leaders in the United States denied they held these views.
On July 28, 1894, The Weekly Messenger, in St. Martinville, Louisiana, reported on an article in the Chicago Inter Ocean that announced their new Polish national committee and invited dissatisfied Poles from all over the United States to join their revolutionary church movement. The article also informed that the denomination would probably be the Armenian Apostolic Church. A priest of that church, Mr. Knowles, was in conference with the Patriarch of Antioch seeking consecration to the episcopate; if Knowles succeeded, he probably would have consecrated Kolaszewski a bishop. That same year, Kolaszewski was associated with the Old Catholic Church missionary Archbishop Joseph René Vilatte; Rev. Constantine Klukowski, OFM, wrote that an 1894 Green Bay, Wisconsin city directory lists Kolaszewski as vicar-general of Vilatte's American Catholic St. Louis Church.
The original Immaculate Heart of Mary church was dedicated on August 18, 1894, by Vilatte. Later that day, a procession, accompanied by three mounted policemen, walking to consecrate the cemetery, was met by an angry mob. Walking back from the cemetery, The dedication of Immaculate Heart of Mary church and convention, to form an independent Polish Catholic Church, took place on the same week St. Stanislaus church hosted the Twenty-First Convention of the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America, ("PRCUA"), the oldest Polish American organization in the United States. The national convention of Polish Catholics began August 22, 1894 in the original church. Vilatte presided over schismatic delegates from Buffalo, New York, Freeland, Pennsylvania, Jersey City, New Jersey, Baltimore, Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Omaha, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Bremond, Texas, and Winona, Minnesota. Vilatte, opened the convention, urging that the Catholic religion be left intact. Remarks were made on the need to announce a platform. Motions were made to renounce allegiance to the Pope, and to recognize Vilatte as the head of the new church. Kolaszewski opposed the first motion, saying that its passage would result in criticism and injury to the group. The first motion lost; the second motion carried. A resolution was passed establishing the name American Catholic Church for the group. The names of Polish National Church and Polish Independent Church were suggested, but were thought to be too narrow. Kolaszewski was chosen vicar general. Tho basis of a constitution was adopted, providing for the ownership of church property by priests, tho right of parishes to call the priests whom they desired, and a school system equivalent to the public schools. The name, American Catholic Church, was later used by Vilette in 1915 in the incorporation of the American Catholic Church in Illinois.
By the next year, Vilatte withdrew his involvement with the schism. It was reported September 6, 1895, that Vilatte said he will neither preside over nor be present at the September 12, 1895 convention, in Cleveland, and would not sanction the movement in any way. Vilatte reasoned that by their refusal to acknowledge the doctrines of the American Old Catholic Church as right, and by clinging to doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church, they are Roman Catholics in rebellion against their church, and as such he will have nothing to do with them. Vilatte wrote in a letter to the convention:
Vilatte stated that the convention in Cleveland will represent churches with a total membership of over 50,000.
The Third Great Awakening saw enormous growth in Methodist membership; in 1896, Kolaszewski proposed to turn the church with its congregation to the Methodist denomination. A sensational article, reported May 5, 1896-05-05, was printed in newspapers across the United States.
The article reported Kolaszewski sat in Methodist Episcopal Church Chaplain C. O. McCabe's private box and followed the proceedings of a Methodist Episcopal Church convention being held in Cleveland. And, McCabe said Kolaszewski and his parishioners believe neither dogmas of Papal infallibility nor transubstantiation and want to join the Methodist Episcopal Church. It further reported that Kolaszewski offered to transfer the church, including all the valuable church property, and entire 3,000 member congregation to the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Although Papal infallibility was defined dogmatically in the First Vatican Council of 1869–1870, just about 15 years before the founding of the parish, and, Article XX of the parish constitution, as quoted by Radeker, rejected this dogma, Kolaszewski refused to say anything concerning the matter, and some versions of the article reported this was not a matter for this conference:
It was generally reported to be "an assured fact". McCabe said:
Kolaszewski responded to questions about McCabe's statement:
At least one newspaper printed an additional article the next day.
A few days later, on May 10, 1896-05-10, Kolaszewski couldn't be found; The Evening Times, of Washington, DC, printed a report, on May 6, 1896-05-16, that a group from Cleveland was searching for him in Baltimore, Maryland. The Evening Times also included information on the parishioners reactions to the May 6, 1896-05-06 newspaper reports. They were so infuriated that Kolaszewski fled for his own safety. Sigimund Stephan, president of the Polish-American Club of Baltimore, said that Jasinski, a prominent member of the Polish Independent Church, denied that the congregation was about to change its faith. He said the congregation was divided; one group, of about one hundred people, approving of Kolaszewski plan, and the rest disapproving. The same story is confusing because it also reports they visited Stephan to locate Kolaszewski through him, who was said to be in Baltimore collecting funds for a church which he proposes to build in Ohio.
In December, 1897, Kolaszewski became seriously ill, and asked to be received back into the Church. As the Holy See reserved his case, Horstmann could do nothing for him, unless Kolaszewski accepted the conditions imposed upon him: to retract; to submit; to do penance; and, to promise to, when he was physically able, travel to the Holy See and seek absolution. He refused this reconciliation.
That same year, Kolaszewski secured, through a Canadian agency, a $25,000 mortgage loan from England which enabled the congregation to continue. Radeker names Bishop John Bilsborrow of Salford as the source of this loan.
On August 30, 1908-08-30, parishioners voted in favor of applying for admittance of the independent parish into the Diocese of Cleveland.
Return to Union On September 15, 1908, the parish was admitted into the Diocese of Cleveland.
On October 24, 1908-10-24, the parish was brought into full communion with the Catholic Church. An article, found in The Intermountain Colorado Catholic, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, archived on the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection, reported on the event:
Kolaszewski's excommunication was lifted on September 4, 1908, and he died on December 2, 1910, and he is buried in section nine, at Calvary Cemetery.
The parish was managed by a succession of administrators, Rev. M. Keilar, OFM 1908–1909; Rev. A. Migdalski, January to October 1909; Rev. J. Darowski, October 1909 to July 1910; and Rev. B. Walter, 1910–1912.