A Polish Heart on 56th Road in Maspeth
Tucked into a quiet block of two-family homes on 56th Road in Maspeth, the bright brick profile of Holy Cross R.C. Church rises above the trees like a promise kept for more than a century. Founded in 1912 by Polish immigrants and dedicated in 1913, the parish is the ninth Polish church established in the Diocese of Brooklyn and remains one of the largest Polish parishes in New York City. The wide front stairs still invite neighbors inside, just as they did for the founders who walked there from nearby farms, sawmills, and factories in the early 1900s. Statues of Blessed John Paul II, the patron of the parish's Polish school, stand watch in the rectory garden, and a grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes on the north side of the church is where newlyweds have long laid flowers at the feet of the Blessed Mother.
Mass is celebrated in two languages every day of the week, and the rhythms of Polish Catholic life still set the parish's calendar: Polish Christmas Eve Pasterka services, the blessing of Easter baskets on Holy Saturday, pre-holiday confessions, the annual caroling visits to parishioners' homes known as kolędowanie, and a beloved Passion Play performed by young parishioners.
Masses in Polish and English, Every Day of the Week
Holy Cross keeps an unusually full weekly schedule, with most days offering two or three Masses. On Saturdays, a Polish Mass is celebrated at 7:30 a.m., followed by an English Vigil Mass at 5:00 p.m. and a Polish Vigil Mass at 6:30 p.m. Sundays include a Polish Mass at 8:00 a.m., an English Mass at 9:30 a.m., a Polish Mass at 11:00 a.m., an English Mass at 12:30 p.m., and a Polish Mass at 6:30 p.m. Weekday mornings run a 7:30 a.m. Mass in Polish from Monday through Friday, with an additional 8:30 a.m. English Mass Tuesday through Friday. Evening Masses are celebrated at 6:30 p.m. in Polish on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and in English on Wednesday.
The parish also keeps a cycle of traditional devotions. After the 6:30 p.m. Mass on Tuesdays, devotions to Our Lady of Częstochowa are prayed. On the first Thursday of the month, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament follows the 6:30 p.m. Mass. On the first Friday, devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus follow the same Mass, and on the first Saturday, Marian devotions close the day's liturgy. On the third Sunday of each month at 6:00 p.m., the Divine Mercy chaplet is prayed.
Confessions, Reconciliation, and the Healing of the Soul
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered every Saturday from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. and again from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m., as well as on the first Friday of each month from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The parish teaches that the priest acts in persona Christi, that nothing heard in the confessional may ever be repeated under penalty of excommunication, and that God's mercy is greater than any sin. Frequent confession is encouraged as preparation for receiving Holy Communion worthily.
The Sacraments in Full: Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Anointing
Holy Cross prepares parishioners for all seven Catholic sacraments. Baptisms are by appointment, with instruction classes on the first Monday of each month (English at 7:30 p.m., Polish at 8:00 p.m.). Baptisms are then celebrated on the second Sunday of the month, in English at 11:00 a.m. and in Polish at 12:30 p.m. Parents and godparents are asked to bring the child's birth certificate to the rectory.
First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion are typically received in second grade through the parish Religious Education program, with First Communion celebrated in early May.
Confirmation is offered to eighth graders, with a Confirmation Retreat in the fall and the sacrament conferred each October. Wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord are the seven gifts a confirmed Catholic receives.
Marriage preparation asks couples to meet with a priest at least six months before the wedding. Catholics marrying other Catholics are married in the Church; Catholics marrying a non-Catholic may receive a dispensation from the Bishop. Marriage prep classes are required, and the parish follows the Church's view that it is the couple who confers the sacrament on each other.
Holy Orders are presented as a vocation open to baptized Catholic men, discerned in prayer and through the local bishop's guidance. Those considering the priesthood are referred to the Diocese of Brooklyn's Vocations Office.
Anointing of the Sick is offered to any Catholic in danger of death from sickness, injury, or old age. Since Vatican II, the sacrament is also offered before serious operations and in times of chronic illness. The parish also brings Viaticum (final Communion) to those near death.
Becoming Catholic: OCIA for Adults and Children
Anyone exploring the Catholic faith is welcome to begin the journey through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). The parish points adults who have never been baptized toward OCIA, where they will prepare alongside other inquirers over several months of weekly classes, choose a sponsor, and typically receive Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. Those already baptized in another Christian tradition prepare to enter full communion through Confirmation and Eucharist. Children over the age of seven go through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Children (RCIC), a multi-year process culminating in the same sacraments.
Faith Formation on Saturday Mornings
The parish's Office of Faith Formation provides Religious Instruction for children in grades 1 through 8 who attend public schools. Classes meet on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in English and are designed to deepen children's awareness of God's presence through Scripture, prayer, and Catholic doctrine. The program prepares students for the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist, and Confirmation.
Registration for the school year is completed in person with the Coordinator of Faith Formation, Mr. Gregory Mosiejewski. New students must provide a copy of their Baptismal certificate; transfer students must supply a letter from their prior program confirming years completed and sacraments received. The Coordinator can be reached at 718-500-5891 during office hours on Wednesday evenings from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., September through June. The full Religious Education calendar, monthly class dates, the Confirmation retreat, First Reconciliation, First Communion, and report card distribution are all scheduled in advance so families can plan the year.
A Century of Polish Catholic Life in Maspeth
The history of Holy Cross and the Polish community of Maspeth are bound together. Polish settlers began arriving around 1888 and clustered around Hill Avenue and Clinton Road, working in nearby farms, sawmills, and factories. By 1910, records speak of about 600 Polish families and boarders, who traveled as far as St. Casimir's in Brooklyn or St. Adalbert's in Elmhurst for Mass and catechism. The desire for their own parish, with Mass in Polish and a school for their children, was felt as early as the first years of the twentieth century.
In 1912, Bishop McDonnell was finally persuaded by a committee of parishioners (including the Nagiel, Daszecki, Machalski, Salczyński, Grabowski, and Konopko families, who had reportedly met with diocesan officials twenty-six times to win approval) to create a new parish in Maspeth, with Fr. Wojciech Nawrocki of St. Casimir's entrusted with organizing it. The cornerstone was laid on June 22, 1913, with eighteen priests and about a thousand people present, and the church was dedicated that November. Designed by William Finn and built by Józef Hrostowski, the Roman-style church was fifty feet wide and a hundred feet long, designed to seat 400, with three marble altars by the Italian firm Doprato and stained-glass images of St. Anthony, St. Francis, St. James, St. Stanisław Kostka, St. Anne, the Sacred Heart, and the Annunciation.
Early years brought growth in every direction. The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth opened the parish school the year the church was dedicated, and by 1916 the first eighth-grade class had graduated. A new school building followed in 1923. In 1939, the Holy Name Society purchased a new organ, and in 1940, Fr. Nawrocki died after 27 years as founding pastor. His successor, Fr. Władysław Mańka, widened the church by forty feet in 1950, and in 1960 the parish installed a Lourdes Grotto on its north lawn, where newlyweds have since placed flowers.
When Fr. Mańka died in 1962, Fr. Edward Fus became administrator and then pastor in 1968. Under his leadership the parish added an athletic field, a convent for the teaching sisters (dedicated in 1965), and a new altar and lectern in the church. In September 1969, the church hosted Archbishop Karol Wojtyła of Kraków during a U.S. Eucharistic Congress; parishioners who met him still recall the energy of the future Pope. After the parish school closed in 2005 due to rising costs, the building's lower hall was remodeled by parents of the Polish school and dedicated in 2007 as John Paul II Hall.
The parish's eighth pastor, Msgr. Peter Zendzian, served from 2000 and led extensive renovations: a new copper steeple covering, a complete roof and electrical overhaul, air conditioning for the church and hall, and an interior and front-door repainting. He was named a Canon in 2001 and a Prelate in 2007. In 2013, the parish welcomed its current pastor, then-Fr. Witold Mroziewski, who was ordained an Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn in 2015 and now also serves as Vicar for Migrant and Ethnic Apostolates for the Diocese.
The Saturday Polish Language School
Since 1985, Holy Cross has hosted a Saturday School of Polish Language and Culture named for Blessed John Paul II. What began with a handful of immigrant parents has grown into the parish's largest ministry: more than 600 students attend, with 12 catechists teaching the 350 elementary-age children. A circle of lectors from the school reads regularly at the liturgy, and there is never a shortage of altar servers or extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion. The school sustains the use of Polish among American-born children, prepares students to participate in the Mass in Polish, and serves as the community's main vehicle for passing language and Catholic tradition to the next generation.
Choirs, Devotions, and the Living Rosary
Music and prayer fill the parish's week. The parish choir and the Te Deum ensemble lead sung liturgy, and the children's singing group Gaudete takes part in Masses and special celebrations. Two long-standing parish societies remain active: the Polish-American Golden Age Club for seniors and the Holy Name Society for men. Since 2011, the parish has run both the Confraternity of the Living Rosary and the Living Rosary for Parents, gathering families in regular shared prayer.
Other prayer traditions include weekly Fatima devotions, which began in 2010 when pilgrims returned from Portugal with a statue of Our Lady of Fatima; nightly oasis vigils in the church, begun in 1996; and a steady calendar of parish pilgrimages, led by Fr. Ryszard Koper, to holy sites around the world, most often the Holy Land. Since 1994, the parish has also hosted an annual Polish Cultural Festival, with art exhibitions, musical performances, and a book fair.
What a First-Time Visitor Should Know
The church sits in the middle of the block on 56th Road between 61st and 64th Streets. The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and again from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m., and on Saturday from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. The main phone line is 718-894-1387, with a separate emergency line at 718-894-8417 for anointings and last rites.
Street parking is the only option on the block. From Queens or Long Island, take the Long Island Expressway west to Exit 18 (Maurice Avenue), continue under the expressway, turn left onto Borden Avenue, go three blocks, turn right onto 64th Street, then turn right onto 56th Road. From Brooklyn, take the BQE east to the LIE eastbound and use the same Exit 18. By subway, take the E or V train to Queens Plaza or the 7 train to Queensboro Plaza, transfer to the Q39 bus to 61st Street, then walk four blocks north to 56th Road and turn right. The R train to Grand Avenue-Newton connects to the Q58 or Q59 bus to 64th Street. The B57 from Brooklyn stops at Grand Avenue and 64th Street; the Q59 from Rego Park runs to Grand Avenue and 61st Street; the Q18 reaches the parish from Astoria or Woodside via Hamilton Place and Grand Avenue; and the Q54 from Jamaica, Forest Hills, or Brooklyn connects via a free transfer to the Q58 at Fresh Pond Road.
Masses are livestreamed online, and online giving is available through GiveCentral. Registration forms for new parishioners are available through the parish office, allowing families to receive yearly tax receipts and manage their mail and giving preferences. To schedule a Baptism or a wedding, contact the rectory directly.
Beliefs in Brief
Holy Cross teaches classic Roman Catholic doctrine. The parish confesses belief in the Holy Trinity, in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ as true God and true man, and in the Gospel as the good news of salvation through his death and resurrection. It holds that the Catholic Church is a universal family of more than a billion members, born at Pentecost and built on the witness of the apostles, sent to love God and love neighbor. The seven sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Marriage, and Holy Orders) are taught as the ordinary means Christ gave the Church to convey his grace. Mass is celebrated as both a sacrifice and a meal, with the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist forming its two halves and the Real Presence of Jesus under the appearances of bread and wine confessed in faith.
Looking Ahead from the Same Block
The same block on 56th Road that once saw Polish immigrants walk in from the farms and factories of Maspeth still anchors a parish where Mass is prayed in their language, where their grandchildren learn to read it on Saturday mornings, and where the same faith is passed to new arrivals and to those born in the neighborhood. After more than a century, Holy Cross remains, in the words of one of its pastors, a place where Polacy w dalszym ciągu mają tu swój dom, where Poles still have a home.