*WILLIAMSBURG: St. Stanislaus Kostka (Greenpoint in Brooklyn)

Address: 607 Humboldt St.
Phone: 718.388.0170
Weekend Mass Times: 
Sat: 5:30pm (English), 7pm (Polish)
Sun: Polish - 7:30am, 10:15am, 11:30am, 1pm, 8pm
Sun: English - 9am, 11am

Weekday Mass Times (all Polish except where noted): 

Mon: 6:30am, 7am, 8am (English), 9am, 7pm (English)
Tue-Sat: 6:30am, 7am, 8am (English), 7pm
Miraculous Medal Novena: Monday 7pm
Matki Bozej od Cudownego Medalika: Monday 9am
Matki Bozej Nieustajacej Pomocy: Wednesday 7pm
Koronka do Milosierdzia Bozego: Friday 7:30pm
Confession: 
Mon-Sat: 7am-8am
Sat: 4pm-5:25pm, 6:30pm-7:30pm
First Friday: 6pm-8pm

St. Stanislaus
NY Times article about the neighborhood
Solemn Mass for President Kaczyński

I know, I know, I already did a Brooklyn church and Williamsburg certainly isn't it's own borough, and this church isn't even in Williamsburg, it's in Greenpoint. To me, Williamsburg is it's own distinct destination, different from mainland Brooklyn, kind of a magical, easy to get to, always sweet bars and music venues, it is a strange land, hipsterville, Brooklyn improper— Billyburg. And thus my reasoning to include it in these final posts.

St. Stanislaus Kostka in Greenpoint is a very pretty church and an experience to go to Mass there. The only unfortunate thing is I believe all the Polish Masses are held in the main (beautiful gorgeous) church, and all English Masses are celebrated down below in the (not nearly so nice) basement chapel. When I arrived for the 11am English service I noticed a Mass already in progress upstairs and what looked like English speakers headed downstairs. So I went downstairs too. Having trouble paying attention, I kept trying to figure out how I was going to get pictures of the main church upstairs without interrupting Mass in progress.

As soon as the English Liturgy of the Word concluded, I left my pew and headed upstairs. Polish Mass was over, the 11:30am yet to begin so I quickly walked around snapping photos, journeying up to the balcony, trying to capture the intensity of the decor as best I could. The rosary was being said in Polish which added to the exoticness of the experience.

Finishing photographing, I descended again into the English basement and continued participating in the Eucharist, trying to pray and be silent. But this was, once again, one of those church exploits where I had distracted myself too much and couldn't get into my holy groove.

An insight a friend has given to me recently: we go to church, pray daily, obey the commandments, pray rosaries, celebrate church feasts, and etc. not to be holier than thou or thou or thou, or to be able to say we are obedient, or because these activities are what we will be judged on, but to keep God as a front and center focus of our lives, to not let the world distract us from God, to not go or be away from God.

Some images from the basement...