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Christian Witness, Perspective, PNCC,

Heard of, commented on…

A few things heard out and about with my comments.

What would you do?

Let’s say that you have a small PNCC parish with Holy Mass in the Polish language every Sunday because some of your parishioners have requested it (you also have Holy Mass in the English language).

Your typical attendance at this Holy Mass is about 40 to 60 people.

Now let’s say that you have a neighboring Roman Catholic parish that’s predominantly Polish-American. It is a large parish, with several thousand parishioners.

There is a core group of people who attend this Holy Mass at your PNCC parish and there are others who come and go. One Sunday a woman you do not know shows up for this Holy Mass. You don’t pay much attention, you welcome everyone.

Several Sundays later almost no one shows up for that Holy Mass.

What happened?

Well, the woman that showed up one Sunday was a Sister sent over by your neighboring Roman Catholic pastor. She attended Holy Mass for the express purpose of taking down the names of all the folks attending your Polish language Holy Mass. Later she personally visited each person/family that had attended Holy Mass in your parish and expressly told them that if they continue to attend Holy Mass at the local PNCC parish they were going to Hell (yes, literally).

Two months later those folks begin to wander back to the PNCC parish.

Now in my opinion the local R.C. pastor is not all that concerned about the eternal salvation of those 40 to 60 people. Frankly the approach taken is bad theology and bad practice.

Such an episode would be sad and unfortunate. Thankfully it is becoming less and less common.

In my experience this attitude toward PNCC parishes exists among older R.C. clergy who are in predominantly Polish-American parishes. The letters I personally received, marked with the return address of the Albany R.C. Diocese’s chancery, were threatening in a silly manner.

As I said, thankfully this doesn’t occur so much anymore.

There are traditionally Polish R.C. parishes and PNCC parishes that get along great (most in Buffalo, N.Y. and in Hamtramck for example).

On the whole the R.C. parishes that surround my parish are welcoming, open, and positive. They have supported many of our events and we support theirs. Those I have visited for family funerals have welcomed me.

People may ask about the dialog between the PNCC and the R.C. Church. Oddball examples like the one noted above are one of the very reasons dialog is necessary. Unless we talk any good that exists will be drowned out by the loudness of such unfortunate events.

So to the question: What would you do? I say pray and talk.

That full, immediate, and universal thing

The Young Fogey had a post on Ecclesiastical bibs and bobs. In it he notes, as he has elsewhere, on non-compliance among R.C. Bishops with the Bishop of Rome’s recent Motu Proprio.

At a recent gathering I heard R.C. clergy confirm that. Their Bishop has said in effect ‘no Latin masses.’

I previously noted that the Bishop of Rome’s exercise of full, immediate, and universal jurisdiction is a problem in ecumenical circles. No one, excepting the R.C. Church, believes that such power exists.

Thinking on this it occurred to me that the negative “non serviam” reaction of U.S. and Western European Bishops (the Central and Eastern ones will catch up soon) is a huge ecumenical problem as well.

The Bishop of Rome actually does believe and teach as his Church believes and teaches, but his brother bishops do not accept such teaching. They do not believe what they proclaim vis-í -vis the Pope.

How does this play out?

For sake of argument say that a Church were to come into union with the R.C. Church. That Church would have to accept that the Pope has full, immediate, and universal jurisdiction (unless the R.C. Church redefines itself – not likely). That Church might even see that, as some Roman Catholics posit, the Pope’s full, immediate, and universal jurisdiction is a rock against a changing world. That full, immediate, and universal jurisdiction is a protective and positive thing.

The Church coming into union with Rome accepts all that. Thus the dilemma.

If the Church coming into union accepts all that, then that Church will quickly find that a majority of its brother Bishops actively reject what they themselves have accepted. They will be in conflict (at least in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Western Europe) with their fellow believers. They will be stuck between their neighbors day-to-day dismissal of the Pope and their adherence to what they proclaimed in achieving unity. Further, if they were to rely on the protection of the Pope as to the terms and conditions of their union, they would quickly find that the Pope could do little to help them. Their neighbors day-to-day actions would wear them down while they await the Pope’s protection (the bureaucracy would tie that up for two to three Papacies).

On the other hand, if the Church coming into union rejects all that, except on paper, expecting to live from day-to-day like the majority of its fellow R.C.’s do, then that Church lied to attain unity. That’s simply disingenuous and not a basis for any real unity.

The argument could be made that there are always a few bad bishops. I can accept that. But in the case of the U.S. and Western Europe it would seem that those who stand as adhering to the Pope’s decrees are far fewer than those who give a wink and a nod.

Even among those who live in active unity with the Pope, someone like Archbishop Raymond L. Burke from St. Louis, what is the extent of their unity. Is it unity because they personally like the Pope’s direction? What if the Pope were to tell Absp. Burke that Masons are great and to lift the excommunications from St. Stan’s? In all cases, unity with the Pope is only as good as the person’s humility before his full, immediate, and universal jurisdiction.

The argument could be made that so many disagreeable bishops should not be the yardstick by which unity is measured. After all, look at the extent of the Arianism. It could not withstand the power of the Church.

True, but that was a Church governed by Councils, with universal agreement, and further backed by the political means to suppress disagreement.

So for unity, what value in proclaiming and confessing if the majority of those you are coming into union with do not actively believe or live that which they verbalize (beyond the Bishops look at the congregation)?

None really. Thus the problem and dilemma of full, immediate, and universal jurisdiction. Thus the major hurdle to unity.

So we pray for unity and catechize.

We all need to teach and to try to reform what is broken. Maybe that is the first and best move toward unity.

Christian Witness

Now thank we all our God

I wish you all a blessed and happy Thanksgiving.

Now thank we all our God,
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things hath done,
in whom his world rejoices;
who from our mother’s arms
hath blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
with ever-joyful hearts
and blessèd peace to cheer us;
and keep us in his grace,
and guide us when perplexed,
and free us from all ills
in this world and the next.

All praise and thanks to God
the Father now be given,
the Son, and Holy Ghost,
supreme in highest heaven,
the one eternal God,
whom earth and heaven adore;
for thus it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.

Words: Martin Rinkart (1586-1649), 1636

Christian Witness, Homilies, Poland - Polish - Polonia,

What My Father Believed

All Souls Day - Poland

I received a very kind E-mail from John Guzlowski of the Lightning and Ashes blog. This blog has linked to John for awhile now.

John has three published editions of poetry: Lightning and Ashes, Third Winter of War: Buchenwald, and Language of Mules.

John’s poetry is primarily focused on his parents who had been slave laborers in Nazi Germany. His website notes the his poems try to remember them and their voices.

John was extremely generous and sent along a poem which he asked me to include on these pages. He said:

I want to give you a poem about my father and his beliefs. He was a “faith-filled” man, and always took Jesus and the things the priests said seriously.

This poem is particularly appropriate as we remember the faithfully departed this All Souls Day. I will certainly remember John’s parents Jan and Tekla in my prayers at Requiem Holy Mass tomorrow. Eternal rest grant onto them O Lord!

What My Father Believed

He didn’t know about the Rock of Ages
or bringing in the sheaves or Jacob’s ladder
or gathering at the beautiful river
that flows beneath the throne of God.
He’d never heard of the Baltimore Catechism
either, and didn’t know the purpose of life
was to love and honor and serve God.

He’d been to the village church as a boy
in Poland, and knew he was Catholic
because his mother and father were buried
in a cemetery under wooden crosses.
His sister Catherine was buried there too.

The day their mother died Catherine took
to the kitchen corner where the stove sat,
and cried. She wouldn’t eat or drink, just cried
until she died there, died of a broken heart.
She was three or four years old, he was five.

What he knew about the nature of God
and religion came from the sermons
the priests told at mass, and this got mixed up
with his own life. He knew living was hard,
and that even children are meant to suffer.
Sometimes, when he was drinking he’d ask,
—Didn’t God send his own son here to suffer?—

My father believed we are here to lift logs
that can’t be lifted, to hammer steel nails
so bent they crack when we hit them.
In the slave labor camps in Germany,
He’d seen men try the impossible and fail.

He believed life is hard, and we should
help each other. If you see someone
on a cross, his weight pulling him down
and breaking his muscles, you should try
to lift him, even if only for a minute,
even though you know lifting won’t save him.

Christian Witness, PNCC,

PNCC – Roman Catholic Dialog

From the USCCB website: Vatican Documents Focus Of Recent Roman Catholic, Polish National Church Dialogue

The fall Roman Catholic —“ Polish National Catholic Dialogue in Buffalo, September 25-26, focused on recent Vatican documents on the Mass in Latin and the way the Catholic Church views other church groups.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo hosted the meeting, which was presided over by Bishop Edward U. Kmiec of Buffalo and Bishop Anthony Mikovsky of the Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC) Central Diocese.

Part of the session centered on old business, including a discussion of the relations between Catholic and PNCC military chaplains, the possibility of further incremental steps towards unity, and a proposal regarding Canadian participation in the dialogue. The bulk of the meeting was devoted to two recent Vatican documents.

Bishop Kmiec offered a summary of Summorum Pontificum, the —motu proprio— Pope Benedict XVI issued in July regarding the use of the Roman liturgy prior to the 1970 reform, and reflected on its implications for the life of the Church.

Msgr. John Strynkowski presented —Responses to Some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine of the Church,— the document of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that was released in August. The second document in particular provided an occasion for an in-depth discussion of the way our churches view one another.

The meeting concluded with a presentation by Father Robert Nemkovich Jr. on the new PNCC Missal. There was also a discussion of the status of former Roman Catholic laity and clergy who belong to the PNCC, a question to be revisited at the next meeting. Sessions of the dialogue in 2008 are slated for May 19-20 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and November 6-7 in Baltimore…

The USCCB now features a webpage with links to PNCC-RC dialog documents as well as citations.

One little mistake, Bishop Mikovsky is the Rt. Rev. Dr. Anthony Mikovsky not the Most Rev. Anthony Mikovsky. Most Reverend is the title proper to the Prime Bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church.

Christian Witness, PNCC, ,

From Chaplain Stan Jasiurkowski

Greetings from Iraq

My name is Chaplain Stan Jasiurkowski, and I’m endorsed to the Army Chaplaincy by the Polish National Catholic Church.

As you know, I spent a year with my Battalion in Taji, just north of Baghdad in 2005.

Now, I’ve been in Mosul for 5 months , the second largest city in Iraq. During this time I have seen a lot misfortune, for instance, the homeless, the sick, the poor, the helpless and the hopeless.

Many people in the US are not aware, but the average Iraqi child of 8, looks as if he is a child of 6. Nurses tell me this is due to the malnutrition. I myself, have seen children on the streets of Baghdad and Mosul during school hours selling things to help the family survive. I have seen empty school rooms, because there are not enough students or teachers. Piled garbage seemed to be on maximized on every intersection street corner. These children walk in the garbage and sewage, many times without shoes at all.

Therefore, along with my Battalion we would like to organize a humanitarian mission to one of the schools in our neighborhood. In order to do that, we need some help form our fellow Americans. I pray that my friends will open up their hearts and support this very important charity mission.

I am asking your help in turning this goal into a reality, and play a vital role in bringing comfort to the local Iraqi children in striking a victory against a cold and murderous insurgency. Given the unique nature of the conflict we are embroiled in, sending something as simple as shoes, clothes, or school supplies to local children will aid your Soldiers in this fight. I feel I must warn you that these people will probably never know who you are, or recognize the role you played, but I can assure you that little boys and girls like the one pictured in this letter will be profoundly grateful for even the smallest bit of help from you. Please take a moment to clean out a closet or visit a store and do your part for our cause. A single pair of shoes, a T-shirt, a toy, a notebook, or a pencil may not win a war, but the difference it will make to the one child who receives them just might help push us in that direction. Feel free to forward this information to any family, friend, classroom, or civic group who might have asked you how they can help a Soldier in Iraq. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by E-mail.

Any and all donations are welcome. Please send them to:

CH (CPT) Stan Jasiurkowski
HHC, 87 CSSB
FOB East Marez
APO AE 09334

Christian Witness,

Bridges between the earthly and the divine

From the Buffalo News: A stunning makeover at St. Stephen Serbian Orthodox Church

Lackawanna church getting a lush coat of imagery

After more than 50 years, the spartan whiteness inside St. Stephen Serbian Orthodox Church is steadily disappearing beneath a lush coat of luminous Christian imagery.

A huge portrait of Jesus Christ haloed in gold leaf now peers from overhead. Dramatic scenes out of the Bible, such as the healing of the paralyzed man and the raising of Lazarus, are depicted on other sections of the curved ceiling.

The Rev. Theodore Jurewicz, a master iconographer from Erie, Pa., is about a quarter of the way through a stunning makeover of the Lackawanna church. When completed, the ceiling and walls will be covered with 22 scenes of biblical feasts and miracles, as well as paintings of numerous Christian saints and martyrs.

For Orthodox Christians, the colorful icons are not mere paintings: They are considered essential elements of the worship experience and bridges between the earthly and the divine.

—We call icons windows into heaven,— said the Rev. Rastko Trbuhovich , pastor of St. Stephen.

Icons have graced the iconostasis —” a screen that separates the nave from the sanctuary —” since the 90- year-old parish opened a new church at Abbott and Weber roads in the 1950s.

Those icons were —written— by the late Rev. Kiprian Pishew, a legendary iconographer who trained students in the Russian-Serbian style at Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville in Central New York.

Jurewicz, 57, was one of those apprentices and is now himself highly regarded in the world of iconography. The parishioners of St. Stephen waited at least a decade for him to become available for their project, figuring that he would be the best iconographer to integrate new frescoes with the old…

An interesting bit of history. Right next door to St. Stephen Serbian Orthodox Church is Our Lady of Bistrica Roman Catholic Church (Croatian). Interesting neighbors during the Balkan wars – they actually got along amicably and with Christian charity.

Christian Witness, Perspective

I am the tax man…

From Forex: Pope says Catholic Church wants no privilege…

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial News) – Pope Benedict XVI said today that the Roman Catholic Church does not expect special treatment as EU competition regulators considered a probe into tax breaks it enjoys in Italy, Agence France-Presse reported.

“The Church does not seek power, does not claim privileges and does not aspire to positions of economic or social advantage,” Benedict said as he accepted the credentials of Italy’s new ambassador to the Holy See…

Certainly true to what the Church should believe and how it should act. Props to the Bishop of Rome for speaking out on this sensitive issue. He is certainly refocusing things and is upsetting apple carts.

I wonder if the collective National Bishop’s Conferences are stroking out at the fact that all those property holdings might suddenly be enrolled on the tax register?

Unfortunately, not every Bishop can withstand the juggernaut of government. From LifeSite News: American Life League Urges Connecticut Bishops to Rethink Plan B at Catholic Hospitals

WASHINGTON, October 5, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – “The actions of the Connecticut Catholic Conference are an outrage and a crime,” said Judie Brown, president of American Life League (ALL) reacting to the news that the Connecticut Bishops have given permission for the use of the so-called “emergency contraceptive” Plan B for rape victims at Catholic hospitals…

Christian Witness, Media, Saints and Martyrs, , ,

On the Commemoration of St. Francis (ooops)

From the Herald Tribune: Dutch priest blesses beasts in Catholic church on World Animal Day

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands: A canary, a goldfish, a guinea pig, a handful of cats and more than two dozen dogs received blessings from a Catholic priest in church Thursday to mark World Animal Day….

I have no problem with such blessings, which hearken back to the blessing of fields, flocks, and livestock. Helps us to remember our agrarian roots and to be thankful for all of God’s creatures and creation.

That being said, notice the co-opted term. No more St. Francis (mentioned only as the patron saint of animals), just World Animal Day and a rather funny pious tradition that makes the folks back home all warm and fuzzy.

They should be required to at least add a footnote: Respect for God’s creation, and our stewardship of it, brought to you by the Catholic Church.

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