Two recent articles on Polish National Catholic parishes and PNCC distinctives. Please note, as with any Press article, not every item mentioned in the articles is accurate. For more info on problems with the Press’ understanding of religion see Get Religion.

From the Toledo Blade: Polish National Catholic Church has found a home

Nearly 2 1/2 years after holding its first Mass, and after meeting in members’ homes and several different rented spaces since then, Resurrection Polish National Catholic Church has found a home.

The parish was founded by about a dozen people whose parishes were closed by the Toledo Catholic Diocese in 2005 as part of the diocese’s major realignment of parish boundaries.

On May 31, a Dedication Mass will be held at 11 a.m. at Resurrection PNCC in its new location, 1835 Temperance Rd., Temperance.

The Rev. Jaroslaw Nowak, Resurrection’s administrator, will preside at the Mass with two PNCC hierarchs, the Rev. Robert Nemkovich, prime bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church, and the Rev. Jan Dawidziuk, bishop of the western diocese.

The brick building, which has about 5,400 square feet of space, can seat approximately 80 people in the sanctuary and also features a community room where it will hold church gatherings, Polish dinners for the community, and other events.

“There were two things we were looking for in starting up a parish: that it is traditionally Catholic, and that it belonged to us,” said Chris Cremean, a founding member of Resurrection whose previous parish, Toledo’s St. Jude, was closed by Bishop Leonard Blair…

From the Standard-Times via South Coast Today: A different kind of Catholic Church in Fall River

FALL RIVER —” The parishioners own the church building, manage the finances and decide whether to sell or hold parish property.

Blessed Trinity Church in Fall River is not your typical Catholic parish.

The church was formed in 2000 after parishioners of two Polish National Catholic Church parishes in Fall River voted to merge. The parishioners sold property and built a new church that was dedicated in 2005. Three years later, the laity continues to run the parish, which is debt-free.

“It wasn’t the bishop that imposed this on us, it was the will of the people,” said the Rev. Robert M. Nemkovich, 38, Blessed Trinity’s pastor. “We have a church that, when it comes to making decisions on material things and administration, the people have a voice and a vote.”

Joanne Oliveira, who serves on Blessed Trinity’s parish committee, described her church as being a sort of “Ellis Island for Catholicism.”

“I just feel that way because of the acceptance and welcoming of the parish in not denying people the sacraments. It’s just such a free experience,” Ms. Oliveira said.

However, although its administration is democratic, its priests can marry, and divorced parishioners can receive the Eucharist, Blessed Trinity should not be confused with a liberal, mainline Protestant denomination.

The teachings of the Polish National Catholic Church —” the communion to which Blessed Trinity belongs —” are similar to those of the Roman Catholic Church, which the PNCC split from in the late 19th century.

Blessed Trinity celebrates the same seven sacraments Roman Catholics do. Mass is celebrated every Sunday. Scripture is interpreted through the church’s canonical authority, not the personal judgments of the faithful. There are no female priests. Same-sex unions are not recognized.

The major difference between the two churches lies in authority. The Polish National Catholic Church recognizes the pope as the bishop of Rome, the successor to St. Peter, but does not believe he has authority over the universal church.

“We don’t see authority being in one person,” Rev. Nemkovich said. “We see it as being shared, going back to the early church model we read about in the Scriptures where decisions were made in councils whenever there was a challenge.”

In addition to scripture and tradition, PNCC teachings are founded on the first seven church ecumenical councils; the gatherings of bishops that defined doctrine until 1054, the year the Christian church split into the Roman Catholic West and the Orthodox East…