Sacred Heart Of Jesus Church

About

The immigrant migration to the New World was spurred by the generally poor conditions that existed in Europe at the turn of the century. As a result of these conditions, the little town of Smithville, Pennsylvania, later to be named Dupont was the recipient of a sizeable number of Poles looking for a new home, jobs, and a better way of life. The rich anthracite coal deposits of the area provided the mining jobs that were so desperatley needed. Church services were available at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church located a distance away in Duryea. As the Polish community grew, it became apparent that a church needed to be built. In 1901, the congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church began forming. Early in 1902, Bishop Michael Hoban gave the congregation permission to begin work on its own edifice. Good fortune prevailed as construction of the church coincided with a six month strike at the coal mines; the parishioners, along with the cooperation of the idled miners, were able to complete the project in a short period of time. The new church was constructed from wood and a new parish was born. At Christmas time in that very same year, the late Very Rev. Msgr. Stanislaus Szpotanski celebrated the First Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Dupont. Bishop Hoban, Ordinary of the Diocese of Scranton, assigned Father John Gratza as the first pastor. Two years later, Rev. Henry Cichocki was named pastor of the fledging church and during his tenure at the parish; regular grade school instructions began in the basement of the church. On March 9, 1916, Rev. Francis X. Kurkowski, a newly ordained priest, was appointed pastor. That year, through the efforts of Father Kurkowski, the Bernadine Sisters of St. Francis replaced the lay teachers as instructors at the school and they deserve recognition and gratitude for their tireless work and dedication to the parish.