Gregory Witul • Wed, Mar 26, 2014
Dear Mr. Witul,
According to family legend, Mateusz Michalski was a founding member of the St. Luke’s parish. Although the family lived on Sobieski Street, close to other Catholic churches, the legend was accepted, because his daughter Helen’s graduation from St. Luke’s school and first communion circa 1907. Another family member living on Sobieski also passed away and her funeral was held at St. Luke’s in 1913. I would like to know if Mateusz Michalski did in fact play a role in the founding of, or in the early years of St. Luke’s and if the above stories are true. Also, enclosed is a memento of another Michalski’s First Communion. Was it common for Catholic Churches to give these out? When did it began and how long did it continue.
— Phyllis O. of Cheektowaga