Merry Christmas!! Today our building is St. Michael’s Church, on Derby Avenue in Derby. Polish immigrants established St. Michael the Archangel parish in 1903 and the church was built in 1906-1907. A neighboring parish school, staffed by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, was built in 1914.
St. Michael’s Church, Derby (1907)
My father’s family (surname Garbien) as well as my mother’s family (surname Stobierski) were among the founding Polish immigrants of St. Michael’s Parish. Many generations of my family were baptized, married, and received their final blessings here. I myself was baptized and married at St. Michael’s. The interior of this church is more beautiful than one can imagine. More in the style of European churches than of the the streamlined, contemporary ones favored today.
Major upgrades over the years have seen the installation of air conditioning for the comfort of the parishioners and clergy alike.
If visiting the area, be sure to stop in and reflect upon the beauty of this church – from the two story stained glass windows, to the ceiling painted a la the Sistine Chapel, to the lovely choir loft.
The architect for this church was Joseph A. Jackson from New Haven CT. He built a number of other churches including Mt. Carmel in Ware MA several more in CT.