5. St. Adalbert Church Complex - Letters of Support

Home Browse Search

Sheila Niezgodski 6th District Council Member Vice-President ____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 227 W. Jefferson Blvd. Rm. 441 Office: (574) 235-5986 FAX: (574) 235-9173 County-City Building South Bend, IN Voicemail: (574) 235-5986 TDD: (574) 235-5567 46601- 1830 Email: SNIEZGOD@SOUTHBENDIN.GOV March 13th, 2023 Historic Preservation Commission Attn: Sarah Andrews, President 227 W. Jefferson Blvd. Suite 1400S South Bend, IN 46601 Dear Sarah & Members of the Historic Preservation Commission: I would like to submit my support for St. Adalbert School, rectory, office building (the convent) and the church to be considered as a historic site and to be included on State and National Registries. St. Adalbert has a long and historic past for South Bend’s West side. I am the first born American on my father’s side. His family secured a visa to America after waiting five years in a German Labor camp in Augsburg Germany after the end of WWII. South Bend became home to my family. What I see now is the next generation also calling South Bend’s West side home. The school, youth group, food pantry, center for Mexican culture and the neighborhood outreach are vital for this thriving community. I am including from history taken from Wikipedia for perspective on this historic neighborhood church which was built by Polish immigrants. St. Adalbert Parish was founded in 1910 as the last of four Polish Roman Catholic parishes located in South Bend, Indiana. Although many immigrants came to this area in a very poor condition, their faith spurred them on and led them to the construction of several churches, the largest being St. Adalbert. The mural on the north wall of the church painted by John A. Mallin in 1941, best epitomizes the humble but determined beginnings of the church. In the mural, Polish immigrants are shown constructing and beating their swords into plowshares. Industrial development can be seen in the form of factories in the distance and above the whole scene the people's pastor is pointing to a cloud with the fallen Christ under his heavy cross struggling along. This struggle of Christ exemplifies what the Polish people have endured in establishing St. Adalbert's. Far above the picture of Christ is a Polish inscription which is translated: “By the sweat of your brow you have received the bread of life”. This piece of history and the 10 murals painted by John Mallin in the early 1940’s draws professors and college students to study this rich history and the historical murals. The stained glass in the church is exquisite and even more highly valued than that of Tiffany glass.