A group of Christians met in the Globe theater in Trenton, New Jersey on March 25, 1917 and wrote a proclamation which read in part:
“We assembled here, unanimously agree to establish a National Church in Trenton, New Jersey.”
By this act, the parish of Our Savior was born. The Church of Our Saviour was officially incorporated on July 24, 1917.
The parish dedicated to Our Savior is a member parish of the Polish National Catholic Church and comes under the jurisdiction of the Church’s Central Diocese. The parish was founded after a meeting of interested persons at the Globe Theater in Trenton, New Jersey on March 25, 1917. On April 19, 1917, the parish purchased a church building at 1252 East State Street in Trenton from the Episcopal Parish of St. James. The newly formed Parish of Our Savior was officially incorporated into the Polish National Catholic Church on July 24, 1917. The church building was officially consecrated as an edifice of worship of the PNCC and dedicated to Our Savior by the Rt. Rev. Francis Hodur on Sunday, October 7, 1917. Following the consecration, a meeting was held at Trenton’s Taylor Opera House where Bishop Hodur addressed members of Polonia from Trenton and the surrounding regions.
On August 14, 1917, the parish purchased land in Hamilton Township, which was to be used as a cemetery. The cemetery was blessed on November 18, 1917 and Mr. Piotr Wisniewski was the first to be interred there on November 21, 1917.
On April 19.1920, the parish bought a home adjacent to the church at 1256 East State Street and put it into use as a rectory. Several improvements were made to the parish’s property during the 1920’s. In July 1922 the parish bought two parcels of land, namely 1248 and 1250 East State Street, located next to the church. This allowed for the beautification of the property, providing additional space for trees, shrubs and lawns. Between 1924 and 1925, the church hall was refurbished and central heating was installed. The rectory was provided with electricity. Also, at the same time, the Rev. Roman Pawlikowski, then pastor, donated stained glass windows for the church. In 1926 both the inside and outside of the church building were rebuilt. In a demonstration of ecumenical spirit, members of the faithful of the Roman Catholic Church helped in the work on the expansion of the church. In 1928, the sacristy was added to the rear of the church.
In 1923 Kathryn Zoladz and Frances Grzywna began to promote the establishment of the Women’s Society for the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at the parish. On February 16, 1923, the first meeting was held to set the course for the new chapter of this church-wide society at the local level. At a meeting of young men on December 20, 1933, the Society of Young Men of the Resurrection was established through the initiative of Joseph Grzywna and Stanley Daniecki Jr.
When Fr. Francis N. Kaczmarczyk was assigned as pastor on October 15, 1947, the parish had suffered losses caused by a fire in the church two days earlier. The fact that the church was repaired and again put into operation in just seven weeks, best tells the story of how parishioners organized themselves in time of need.
At its annual meeting on January 20, 1952, the parishioners of Our Savior decided to open a fund that would allow the construction of a new church edifice. Thanks to the spiritual guidance of Rev. Kaczmarczyk and donations collected by the parish, land for the construction of a new church was aquired. The dedication ceremony of the corner stone for the building of the new church at 2300 Princeton Pike in Lawrence Township near Trenton, New Jersey was held on April 16, 1967. The construction of the rectory began in April of 1968 and was completed in July of that same year. The rectory houses an office for the residing priest as well as living quarters. In 2009, the rectory was completely restored and put into use. In 2011, as a result of hurricane Irene, the church hall was flooded and re-construction is continuing as of the posting of this article.
The first priests who served the parish were Fr. Julius Jablonski and Fr. Roman Pawlikowski. They were sent by the Polish National Catholic Church headquartered in Scranton, PA, as missionaries to the historic meeting in Trenton’s Globe Theater on March 25, 1917 when the parish was founded. Fr. Pawlikowski remained at the parish until the Rev. Vladimir Rejchan was assigned as the first pastor. Following his tenure were the Reverends Francis Miklaszewski, Edward Guwas J.F. Zajaczkowski, L.T. Masonic, Roman Pawlikowski, Michalski, Teofil Czarnkowski, A. Radzik, Edgar Starorypinski, K. Pietrosiewsca, Joseph Jamik, Bronislaus Krupski, Josef Jacobsche, Clement Sienkiewicz, Henry Sczcepkowski, Francis Swiatek, Francis N. Kaczmarczyk, Stanley Niemiec, Tadeusz Dymkowski and Frederick Mechowski, who retired recently after 40 years of service. The current pastor assigned on December 1, 2011 is Fr. Gregory Mikula. Other priests were in the past assigned to Our Savior as missionary priests, but their stays were so short that the parish has no record of their names.
Notably, as a historical point of interest, Our Savior Parish is the home parish of the present Prime Bishop of the PNCC, The Most Rev. Dr. Anthony Mikovsky.
The parish is located in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. The parish members perform all the lay duties of the parish in accordance with the constitution and laws of the Polish National Catholic Church. The current chairman of the parish committee at Our Savior is Mr. Joseph Seliga a longtime, active parishioner. The committee meets monthly usually on the first Sunday of the month, except for July and August. The annual, general meeting of the parish is held in February or March. The parish also sends representatives to meetings of the seniorate and diocese as well as to both special and general diocesan synods and synods of the general church. Current membership at Our Savior Parish numbers 109 souls. The Women’s Association for the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is lead by Loretta Mikovsky. The Society actively spearheads the care for the cleaning and aesthetic care of the church altars and the church at large.
Mass is celebrated every Sunday at 9:00 A.M. and on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday also at 9:00 A.M. On Wednesday Holy Mass is celebrated at 7:00 P.M. On the first Sunday of each month, Holy Mass is followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Lenten devotions such as Stations of the Cross and Bitter Lamentations (Gorzkie Zale) are held every Wednesday evening during Lent. Also prayer services for the Advent Season are held.
Pastors and Clergy Who Served Our Savior Parish
Rev. Julius Jablonski
Rev. Roman Pawlikowski
Rev. Włodzimierz Rajchan
Rev. Francis Miklaszewski
Rev. Edward Guwas
Rev. J.F. Zajączkowski
Rev. L.T. Masonic
Rev. Roman Pawlikowski
Rev. Józef Michalski
Rev. Dr. Teofil A. Czarkowski
Rev. A. Radzik
Rev. Edgar Starorypiński
Rev. K. Pietrosiewsca
Rev. Joseph Jamik
Rev. Bronislaus Krupski
Very Rev. Józef Jakobsche
Rev. Clement Sienkiewicz
Rev. Henry Sczcepkowski
Rev. Franciszek Świętek
Rev. Francis N. Kaczmarczyk
Rev. Stanisław Niemiec
Rev. Tadeusz Dymkowski
Rev. Frederick Mechowski, 1969 – 2011
Rev. Gregory Mikula, 2011 – 2014
Rev. Donald E. Wunderlich, 2014 – 2019
Rev. Mariusz Mularczyk, 2019 – 2023
Rev. Carmen G. Bolock, 2023- Present