The spirit, prayers and faith of the parishioners and friends of St. Adalbert Basilica was evident on Sun., Sept. 18 during the celebration of the parish’s 125th anniversary. The faithful focused on the “beauty” of the service and the recollection of the long history of the East Side parish.

Afterwards over 300 people attended a reception at Millennium Airport, Cheektowaga. There they were greeted with an exhibit of old class photos and historic pictures from the parish’s past.

Lori Dinero, a parish trustee, said "It was beautiful. What was beautiful about it was the focus on love and faith the people of St. Adalbert have had through the years. And, it was a celebration of that.”

William and Alfreda Wasik, former parishioners married 70 years, attended the event. Their two children attended school at St. Adalbert's.

Alfreda said of the anniversary Mass, “It was very beautiful, very sweet. The Chopin choir sang very beautifully. It's a shame it's going to close.” Alfreda was a member of the Mother's Club and remembers the nuns as being “very nice.”

William said the anniversary celebration was "well planned." He was a member of the Holy Name Society and was active in Boy Scouts at the parish. He remembered all the societies being very active. He also recalled Fr. Joseph Bialek as being "very helpful, active, and pleasant.” And, he added, "He was very outspoken."

Irene Kupinski, an active parishioner, said, "The service was just beautiful and I think God heard us. He gave us a last hurrah."

Her connection with the parish goes back to her grandmother who settled on Rother St. when there was just a wooden church at the site. She noted that a century ago her grandmother was there at the beginning of the parish and a century later she was there fighting to keep it open.

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