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Located in Buffalo’s Historic Polonia District, St. Adalbert’s was established to cater specifically to the growing Polish population. One of the city’s most impressive houses of worship, the parish was founded in 1886 with the current structure built with Romanesque & Byzantine influences completed in 1891. The brick structure is 240 feet high, 118 feet wide with a nave of 70 feet. Its two towers are 150 feet high with a dome 40 feet wide and soaring 125 feet above the main nave. At that time it was the largest church in Western New York and cost $63,000 without the furnishings. The church features interior painting by famed ecclesiastic artist Jozef Mazur. The school and convent were built in 1905 at a cost of $90,000. At its peak, the school educated over 1,000 students. A rare and special designation bestowed on the parish occurred in 1907, when the Vatican proclaimed St. Adalbert a basilica, the first in the USA. The current pastor, Tadeusz Bocianowski, is a native of Poland.
Current pastor Tadeusz Bocianowski is proud of his parish, its history and architecture.
St. Adalberts is one of the many Polish parishes in the Buffalo Diocese that is threatened by closure under a 2007 organizational plan. It is one of the poorest parishes in the city yet has one of the most aggressive social outreach programs. As one of the "big three" landmark Polish churches, Adalbert's is a critical component to the fabric of the Historic Polonia District. Even its status as a Basilica has been questioned by the Diocese although a document from the Vatican in the Parish archives eludes to its important status.
