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St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Ann Street at Aliceann Street, Baltimore, Maryland Photo taken in 1931. From Left to right: Convent, Church, Friary, School The original St. Casimir Church on Lakewood Avenue. Photo taken in 1926. The new Saint Casimir Church was erected in the early fifteenth century Renaissance style. It displayed the profound knowledge of Father Benedict in this field. He took part in the designing of Saint Casimir Church and the <b>Saint Joseph Cupertino</b> Novitiate in Ellicott City. The church is two hundred and twenty five feet long, seventy feet wide and has a seating capacity of one thousand four hundred, thereby making it one of the largest churches in the eastern United States at that time. The exterior of the church is of Indiana limestone. The twin bell towers stand one hundred and ten feet high. They were to dominate the entire structure by directing the gaze of passers-by heavenward. In the niche of each tower are statues, which stand nine feet high, one of <b>Saint Francis of Assisi</b> and the other <b>Saint Anthony of Padua</b>. The church, large as it is, has no supporting pillars in its interior, so that a view of the altars is visible from any part of the church. The cost of the new church was set at $349,165.00. A main altar, an altar rail, a new pulpit and other improvements were to be made. It was estimated that the church when completed would cost $500,000.00.<br><br> <b>Saint Joseph Cupertino</b><br>http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08520b.htm<br> <b>St. Anthony of Padua</b><br>http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01556a.htm<br> <b>St. Francis of Assisi</b><br> http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06221a.htm Construction of the new church 1925-1926 St.Casimir Church Dedication Mass April 3, 1927 View from Kenwood Avenue looking between the O'Donnell Streets to Lakewood Avenue (1925) On Christmas Eve, 1926, at Midnight Mass, the new church was filled to capacity. The church bells rang, the organ pealed, filling the church with rich resounding notes of joyful Polish Christmas Carols. Appropriate furnishings, church bells, new pews, stained glass windows, etc., were rapidly supplied by the now inspired congregation as lasting memorials to their sacrifice and generosity. In 1926, this beautiful church found merit by the Artistic and Architectural Societies, which honored Father Benedict by presenting him the medal given annually in recognition of beautiful edifices. The long-awaited day set for the dedication ceremony finally arrived. Sunday, April 3, 1927 the church, large as it was, was filled with members of the clergy, religious, parishioners and visitors. Various parochial societies, including the uniformed organizations, took part in the procession before and after Mass. Little boys and girls, dressed in costumes of Poland acted as an escort of honor to His Grace, Archbishop Michael Curley. Convent on O'Donnell and Binney Street (1926) Parish Hall 1927 Interior of the church looking to the choir loft from the altar Main Plafond before it was painted St. Casimir's Rectory (1952) The Sacred Heart altar in 1926. Look at the 9 foot high statue of St. Francis. This one is now at the St. Joseph Cupertino Novitiate in Ellicott City An old shirt factory was rearranged to house the St. Casimir's School and Gymnasium (1934) which stood on the same spot as the new Fr. Kolbe School St. Casimir's Old School (photo taken in 1926) The story of the erection of this altar is in itself a minor miracle. Fr. Benedict Przemielewski constantly dreamed of building this sacred but costly modified reproduction of the Donatello altar in the Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua. Fr. Benedict kept a picture-postcard reminder of it at his desk. It was not until 1927 that the force of many unsolicited donations made him realize that the dream was a possibility. The weighty job of assembling the components was handled by the Tomasi family of Florence, Italy. The altar alone is composed of 15 tons of marble quarried in Italy and was shipped in two-ton blocks. The statues cast in antique bronze and burnished weigh about 400 pounds each, while the <b>Crucifixion</b> with the life-sized corpus weighs about 800 pounds. The bronze statues are of, from left to right, Saint Louis Bishop of Toulouse, Saint Casimir ( Patron of our Church), Saint Francis of Assisi (founder of the Franciscan Order), The Virgin Mother with Christ-Child, Saint Anthony of Padua, Saint Daniel the Deacon (Patron of Padua), and Saint Prosdocimus ( first Bishop of Padua). Thirteen bronze bas-relief panels replicas of the Donatello originals are mounted in the altar frontal. In the middle of the bottom tier is presented <b>The dead Christ between two Mourning Angels</b> on His right and left, angels singing and playing musical instruments. On the top tier are the two panels of miracles worked through Saint Anthony. On the left Miracle of the Ass, and on the right Miracle of the Avaricious Man's Heart (for a close view of the panels go to this link). Off to the side of altar, one on each, is a bronze relief. On the left is the coat of arms of Archbishop Curly and on the right the coat of arms of the Franciscan Order.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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