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Third Day of the Octave – For the Gift of Fortitude

+ Come Holy Spirit, come!
And from Your celestial home,
shed a ray of light divine!

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light,
of Strength, and of Love. With His
sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind,
strengthens the will, and inflames the
heart with the love of God. We should
invoke the Holy Spirit daily, for the Spirit
aids us in our infirmity. We do not know
what we should pray for, nor how we
should pray, but Scripture tells us that
the Spirit Himself asks for us.

Prayer

Almighty and eternal God, You have
regenerated us by water and the Holy
Spirit, and have given us forgiveness for
all our sins. From Heaven send forth
upon our Holy Synod Your sevenfold
Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and
Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and
Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and
Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of the
Fear of the Lord. Amen.

Where You are not, man has naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.

The Gift of Fortitude

By the gift of Fortitude the soul is strengthened against natural fear and supported to the end in the performance of duty. Fortitude imparts to the will an impulse and energy that move it to undertake without hesitancy the most arduous tasks, to face dangers, to trample underfoot human respect, and to endure without complaint the slow martyrdom of even lifelong tribulation. “The one who perseveres to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)

Prayer

Come, O blessed Spirit of Fortitude, uphold the souls of all those attending Holy Synod. In time of trouble and adversity, sustain their efforts after holiness, strengthen their weakness, give them courage against all the assaults of the enemy, that they may never be overcome and separated from You, our God and our greatest good. Amen.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory be to the Father …

Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit

On my knees, before the great
multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer
myself, soul and body, to You, Eternal
Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of
Your purity, the unerring keenness of
Your justice, and the might of Your love.
You are the Strength and Light of my
soul. In You I live and move and am. I
desire never to grieve You by
unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with
all my heart to be kept from the smallest
sin against You. Mercifully guard my
every thought and grant that I may
always watch for Your light, listen to Your
voice, and follow Your gracious
inspirations. I cling to You and give
myself to You and ask You, by Your
compassion, to watch over me in my
weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of
Jesus and looking at His five Wounds,
and trusting in His Precious Blood and
adoring His opened Side and Stricken
Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit,
Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in
Your grace that I may never sin against
You. Give me grace, O Holy Spirit, to
say to You always and everywhere,
“Speak for Your servant is listening.” (1
Sam. 3:10b)

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before
ascending into heaven, did promise to
send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work
in the souls of the Apostles and Disciples,
grant the same Holy Spirit to our Polish
National Catholic Church that it may be
made perfect in the work of Your grace
and Your love. Grant us the Spirit of
Wisdom that we may despise the
perishable things of this world and aspire
only after the things that are eternal; the
Spirit of Understanding to enlighten our
minds with the light of Your divine truth;
the Spirit of Counsel that we may ever
choose the surest way of pleasing God
and gaining heaven; the Spirit of Fortitude
that we may bear our crosses with You
and that we may overcome with courage
all the obstacles that oppose our
salvation; the Spirit of Knowledge that
we may know God and know ourselves
and grow perfect in the knowledge of
the Saints; the Spirit of Piety that we
may find the service of God sweet and
amiable, and the Spirit of the Fear of the
Lord, that we may be filled with a loving
reverence towards God and may dread
in anyway to displease Him. Dear Lord,
mark our Polish National Catholic
Church with the sign of discipleship and
enliven our Holy Synod in all its dealings
with Your Spirit. Amen. +

PNCC

Top ten PNCC pick-up lines

Seán Finnegan of Valle Adurni posted a link to the Top Ten Orthodox Catholic Pick-up lines.

As Huw Raphael points out, by ‘Orthodox’ Seán means traditional small ‘o’ orthodox Roman Catholic. Huw then goes on to develop the Top Ten Orthodox catholic pick-up-lines in Pick up lines.

Not to be outdone, I am now posting the Top Ten Polish National Catholic Pick-up Lines (with requisite stealing from both the R.C. and Orthodox):

10. May I escort you to an Adoration Society meeting?

9. Hi. My buddy and I need you to help us settle a dispute: should we say “Niech będzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus” or —Praise be the name of the Lord Jesus Christ—?

8. You know, you look absolutely great in that Góralska costume.

7. How did a nice [choose one: Irish, Japanese, African American, Hispanic, Italian, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Slovak, Lithuanian, Ukrainian] girl like you end up in a PNCC parish?

6. You don’t like the culture of death either? Wow! We have so much in common!

5. You know, the bookstore at my parish sells The Apocalypse by Bishop Hodur.

4. Do you prefer the icon of Ostrabrama or Częstochowa?

3. Your lips remind me of the red binder on my PNU policy.

2. Will you stand next to me during the Asperges?

1. We’re making pierogi and gołąbki on Tuesday night, do you want to wrap or fill?

PNCC

Second Day of the Octave – For the Gift of Piety

+ Come Holy Spirit, come!
And from Your celestial home,
shed a ray of light divine!

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light,
of Strength, and of Love. With His
sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind,
strengthens the will, and inflames the
heart with the love of God. We should
invoke the Holy Spirit daily, for the Spirit
aids us in our infirmity. We do not know
what we should pray for, nor how we
should pray, but Scripture tells us that
the Spirit Himself asks for us.

Prayer

Almighty and eternal God, You have
regenerated us by water and the Holy
Spirit, and have given us forgiveness for
all our sins. From Heaven send forth
upon our Holy Synod Your sevenfold
Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and
Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and
Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and
Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of the
Fear of the Lord. Amen.

O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of Yours,
and our inmost being fill!

The Gift of Piety

The gift of Piety instills in our hearts a child-like affection for God as our most loving Father. It inspires us to love and respect, for His sake, persons and things consecrated to Him, as well as those who are vested with His authority, His Blessed Mother and the Saints, the Church, our parents and superiors, our country and its rulers. He who is filled with the gift of piety finds the practice of his religion, not a burdensome duty. but a delightful service. Where there is love, there is no labor.

Prayer

Come, O blessed Spirit of Piety, possess the hearts of all those attending Holy Synod. Enkindle therein such a love for God, that all those in attendance may find satisfaction only in His service, and for His sake lovingly submit to all legitimate authority. Amen.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory be to the Father …

Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit

On my knees, before the great
multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer
myself, soul and body, to You, Eternal
Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of
Your purity, the unerring keenness of
Your justice, and the might of Your love.
You are the Strength and Light of my
soul. In You I live and move and am. I
desire never to grieve You by
unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with
all my heart to be kept from the smallest
sin against You. Mercifully guard my
every thought and grant that I may
always watch for Your light, listen to Your
voice, and follow Your gracious
inspirations. I cling to You and give
myself to You and ask You, by Your
compassion, to watch over me in my
weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of
Jesus and looking at His five Wounds,
and trusting in His Precious Blood and
adoring His opened Side and Stricken
Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit,
Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in
Your grace that I may never sin against
You. Give me grace, O Holy Spirit, to
say to You always and everywhere,
“Speak for Your servant is listening.” (1
Sam. 3:10b)

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before
ascending into heaven, did promise to
send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work
in the souls of the Apostles and Disciples,
grant the same Holy Spirit to our Polish
National Catholic Church that it may be
made perfect in the work of Your grace
and Your love. Grant us the Spirit of
Wisdom that we may despise the
perishable things of this world and aspire
only after the things that are eternal; the
Spirit of Understanding to enlighten our
minds with the light of Your divine truth;
the Spirit of Counsel that we may ever
choose the surest way of pleasing God
and gaining heaven; the Spirit of Fortitude
that we may bear our crosses with You
and that we may overcome with courage
all the obstacles that oppose our
salvation; the Spirit of Knowledge that
we may know God and know ourselves
and grow perfect in the knowledge of
the Saints; the Spirit of Piety that we
may find the service of God sweet and
amiable, and the Spirit of the Fear of the
Lord, that we may be filled with a loving
reverence towards God and may dread
in anyway to displease Him. Dear Lord,
mark our Polish National Catholic
Church with the sign of discipleship and
enliven our Holy Synod in all its dealings
with Your Spirit. Amen. +

PNCC,

First Day of the Octave —“ For the Gift of the Fear of the Lord

+ Come Holy Spirit, come!
And from Your celestial home,
shed a ray of light divine!

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light,
of Strength, and of Love. With His
sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind,
strengthens the will, and inflames the
heart with the love of God. We should
invoke the Holy Spirit daily, for the Spirit
aids us in our infirmity. We do not know
what we should pray for, nor how we
should pray, but Scripture tells us that
the Spirit Himself asks for us.

Prayer

Almighty and eternal God, You have
regenerated us by water and the Holy
Spirit, and have given us forgiveness for
all our sins. From Heaven send forth
upon our Holy Synod Your sevenfold
Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and
Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and
Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and
Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of the
Fear of the Lord. Amen.

Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine!

The Gift of the Fear of the Lord

The gift of the Fear of the Lord fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread nothing so much as to offend Him by sin. It is a fear that arises from feelings of reverence and child-like submission to our heavenly Father. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us from worldly pleasures that could separate us from God. “Those who fear the Lord seek to please Him, those who love Him are filled with His law. Those who fear the Lord prepare their hearts and humble themselves before Him.— (Sirach 2:16-17)

Prayer

Come, O blessed Spirit of Fear of the Lord, penetrate our inmost hearts, that we may set You, our Lord and God, before our faces forever. Help all those attending Holy Synod to shun all things that can offend You, and make them worthy to appear before the pure eyes of Your Divine Majesty in Heaven, where You live and reign in the unity of the ever Blessed Trinity, God, world without end. Amen.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory be to the Father …

Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit

On my knees, before the great
multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer
myself, soul and body, to You, Eternal
Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of
Your purity, the unerring keenness of
Your justice, and the might of Your love.
You are the Strength and Light of my
soul. In You I live and move and am. I
desire never to grieve You by
unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with
all my heart to be kept from the smallest
sin against You. Mercifully guard my
every thought and grant that I may
always watch for Your light, listen to Your
voice, and follow Your gracious
inspirations. I cling to You and give
myself to You and ask You, by Your
compassion, to watch over me in my
weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of
Jesus and looking at His five Wounds,
and trusting in His Precious Blood and
adoring His opened Side and Stricken
Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit,
Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in
Your grace that I may never sin against
You. Give me grace, O Holy Spirit, to
say to You always and everywhere,
“Speak for Your servant is listening.” (1
Sam. 3:10b)

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before
ascending into heaven, did promise to
send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work
in the souls of the Apostles and Disciples,
grant the same Holy Spirit to our Polish
National Catholic Church that it may be
made perfect in the work of Your grace
and Your love. Grant us the Spirit of
Wisdom that we may despise the
perishable things of this world and aspire
only after the things that are eternal; the
Spirit of Understanding to enlighten our
minds with the light of Your divine truth;
the Spirit of Counsel that we may ever
choose the surest way of pleasing God
and gaining heaven; the Spirit of Fortitude
that we may bear our crosses with You
and that we may overcome with courage
all the obstacles that oppose our
salvation; the Spirit of Knowledge that
we may know God and know ourselves
and grow perfect in the knowledge of
the Saints; the Spirit of Piety that we
may find the service of God sweet and
amiable, and the Spirit of the Fear of the
Lord, that we may be filled with a loving
reverence towards God and may dread
in anyway to displease Him. Dear Lord,
mark our Polish National Catholic
Church with the sign of discipleship and
enliven our Holy Synod in all its dealings
with Your Spirit. Amen. +

PNCC

Modlitwa Dla XXII Generalnego Synodu

Wszechmogący Boże, nasz Ojcze, Ty jesteś Stwórca wszystkiego co istnieje i do Ciebie wszystko należy. Pokornie Cię prosimy dzisiaj, ześlij na nas Twojego Ducha Świętego i napełnij nasze serca i umysły mądrością, zrozumieniem, wiedzą i bojaźnią Bożą, tak abyśmy mogli uczestniczyć w tym Synodzie i podejmować decyzje, które pomogą nam budować nasz Polski Narodowy Katolicki Kościół, który będzie widzialnym znakiem Twojego Królestwa na ziemi. Umocnij nas w Twoim Duchu Świętym abyśmy szukali nie naszej woli ale Twoją wolę i daj nam, prosimy Cię, Boże, odwagę do rezygnacji z własnych ludzkich ambicji ażebyśmy mogli lepiej służyć braciom i siostrom naszym. Prosimy oto przez Twojego Syna, Jezusa Chrystusa, naszego Zbawiciela i Pana, Który żyje i króluje z Tobą i Duchem Świętym, jeden Bóg, na wieki wieków. Amen.

PNCC

An Octave of Prayer and Fasting

In anticipation of the Twenty-Second General Synod of the Polish National Catholic Church, the Church calls on and enjoins all the faithful to undertake an octave of prayer and fasting.

Prayer and fasting are to be offered so that the Church may be one in prayerful spirit before our God, and that the work of the Holy Synod may truly represent the Will of God for the Holy Church.

I will be posting the recommended series of prayers to the Holy Spirit from Sunday, October 1st through Sunday, October 8th.

I ask all my readers and all brothers and sisters in faith to pray with and for us.

Christian Witness, PNCC

Living God

Norman Lee - Praise CD

Norman Lee, a PNCC member and Christian music artist has hit number one on Indieheaven with his song Living God. You can hear his work at Indieheaven as well.

The picture above is from a performance at St. Paul’s PNCC in Belleview, Florida.

Mr. Lee has a great sound and his music has a distinctively Catholic – Christian witness. Living God is about —“ the Eucharist. It is an amazing feat in a realm that is almost exclusively Evangelical.

Both of his albums, Praise, and God is with me are available from iTunes.

The following bio is from Mr. Lee’s website – Pray On:

As a lifelong entertainer, Norman Lee has raised the bar, bringing a faith based presentation to a population striving to find substance in their daily lives. Based out of central Florida, Norman has toured across the country for many years, performing on concert stages, charitable events and churches. He has appeared on numerous local and national television shows and his music has had national radio air play. Norman has opened up for such acts as George Jones, Temptations, Lou Rawls, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Brenda Lee, Travis Tritt, Lori Morgan, Loretta Lynn, Marty Stuart, Ray Price, Juice Newton, LeAnn Rimes. Norman Lee the singer songwriter is a charismatic performer who’s music appeals to all ages. His music combines praise and worship, contemporary Christian and gospel into one spirit filled sound.

Check out his music… it is worth a listen (free at Indieheaven).

PNCC

E-bay seller takes shot at PNCC

Adam, a frequent reader and commenter here, notes that an eBay seller placed a copy of the PNCC Missal for sale on eBay. In the sales write-up the seller takes a shot at the PNCC.

At first I wondered if it was a copy of the brand new Missal. If it is, it is stolen.

Regardless, I wondered, who is this person and why are they taking a shot? Are they ex-PNCC members or even clergy? So I did a little Googling and look what I found:

The seller appears to be an ‘Old Catholic’, probably upset with the PNCC for dumping Utrecht. As you know ‘Old Catholic’ can mean anything in the United States, and there are no official ‘Old Catholics’ in union with Utrecht in the United States.

The seller, known as Mustard Tree Gifts also has a stand alone website called Mustard Tree Books. The website has the following description tag:

Mustard Tree Books is a non-profit Old Catholic missionary apostolate specializing in the publishing and distribution of Old Catholic, Traditional Catholic and Western Rite Orthodox books designed to aid the faithful in their efforts to study and preserve traditional liturgical publications.

The seller seems to put a lot of R.C. religious ephemera up for sale (holy cards, etc.) as well.

I looked further and it appears that the business address is shared with a Brianna Martin who runs a firm called Web Architect. It notes that she designed the Mustard Tree Books website.

The Boston Globe has an article from 2003 about Ms. Martin and her husband Dominic Martin (AKA Dominic or Tod Biltcliffe), an alleged —Old Catholic— bishop!!! You’ve got to read it to believe it: Couple facing extortion charges

Springfield couple were arrested and charged yesterday with extorting money from a Catholic priest whom they had allegedly blackmailed with ”embarrassing” sexual information, Lowell police said.

Dominic Martin, 32, and Brianna Martin, 39, were arraigned in Lowell District Court on one count each of extortion and larceny.

The Rev. Joseph A. Ruggeri, pastor of St. Margaret’s Church in Lowell, had been communicating for three weeks with a person through e-mail, instant messaging, and the phone, the Middlesex district attorney’s office said. On Jan. 11, Ruggeri’s correspondent told him he had kept copies of the conversations, which had become sexual, and demanded $3,000 to keep them secret.

Ruggeri paid a ”courier” $1,500 inside the entrance to the 99 Restaurant at the corner of Chelmsford Street and Industrial Avenue in Lowell, authorities said. Last Sunday, Ruggeri, facing a threat that the conversations would be revealed to parishioners at this Sunday’s Mass unless he paid another $1,500, contacted police, Lowell Police Superintendent Edward F. Davis III said. Police then set up a sting on Thursday.

The priest told ”Jim,” the name used by the alleged extortionist, that he would leave $800 in a plain white envelope on top of a newspaper box outside the 99 Restaurant. Instead, police stuffed the envelope with one $100 bill and a wad of paper. When Ruggeri left the rectory on Thursday for the 1-mile drive to the restaurant, he was secretly followed by the couple – who were in turn followed by police. The police also had staked out the restaurant.

”It was like a movie,” said Davis.

Ruggeri dropped off the money and walked away. A minute later, Brianna Martin allegedly walked up, grabbed the envelope, and hopped into a red 2001 Grand Am, driven by her husband, Davis said. They were arrested a short distance away.

The sexual information used to blackmail the priest did not involve children, Davis said. Police, seeking evidence, took computers from Ruggeri and the couple. Ruggeri also turned over telephone messages on his answering machine allegedly left by the Springfield pair.

The Rev. Christopher J. Coyne, an archdiocesan spokesman, said the church is investigating where Ruggeri’s $1,500 came from, but he remains pastor of the church where he has served since 1991. Ruggeri, 68, who could not be reached for comment, is taking time off.

The Martins pleaded not guilty, and bail was set at $2,500. Dominic Martin was freed after posting the bail. State officials could not determine whether Brianna Martin had made bail last night. A pretrial conference was set for Feb. 21.

Dominic Martin is listed on a website of independent churches as a bishop in the Traditional Western Rite Archdiocese, an independent Christian denomination, and pastor of Holy Family Old Catholic Mission in Springfield. He also lists his birth name as Tod F.X. Biltcliffe, but legally changed it about two years ago, said his attorney, Lynda Dantas. She said the couple are married.

Yep, and check out the ‘church’ website, two archbishops and a bishop, plus all the other vagante weirdness (kind of a cross between the current Episcopal Church, non-canonical Orthodoxy, and vagante Old Catholicism).

By the way, do a search on Mr. Martin’s former name, Dominic or Tod Biltcliffe. You’ll be well… whatever.

So to answer Adam’s original question – nope, not members of the PNCC.

PNCC

For those seeking

For those in the Episcopal Church now seriously seeking and wishing to inquire of the PNCC may I recommend:

For clergy, please contact the Savonarola Theological Seminary of the PNCC, 1031 Cedar Ave., Scranton, PA 18505, (570) 343-0100 or (570) 344-9253. If you would like a direct E-mail contact please write to me privately at deaconjim (at) bvmc (dot) org.

For the faithful, just visit any PNCC parish, they will be happy to welcome you.

You may wish to visit the PNCC website and view the Constitution (note PDF format), history of the Church, and the list of parishes to find the one nearest to you.

I wish you God’s blessings in your journey. Whatever your choice, may it be one made in unity with Scripture and Tradition.

PNCC

PNCC – RC Joint Declaration on Unity

As published on the U.S. Conference of (Roman) Catholic Bishop’s website and in God’s Field, the official organ of the PNCC:

With thankfulness to God, the members of the Roman Catholic-Polish National Catholic dialogue in the United States look back on twenty-two years of theological and canonical reflection concerning the nature of our division and the possibility of reaching full communion. Because of a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit that affected both our churches following the celebration of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and a similar renewal within the Polish National Catholic Church, our faithful have been rediscovering one another increasingly as brothers and sisters in the Lord. At this time we wish to review the progress that we have achieved over the past two decades, and reaffirm our intention to continue our efforts to achieve that unity for which Christ prayed.

Calls for a dialogue between our churches go back as far as 1966, when the Most Reverend Leon Grochowski, Prime Bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church, courageously proposed such a dialogue to the Roman Catholic Bishop of Scranton. Later, in 1980, His Holiness Pope John Paul II of blessed memory expressed the desire that the conference of bishops of the United States examine the relationship that exists with the Polish National Catholic Church and explore the possibility of dialogue. This resulted in an exchange of correspondence between the leaders of our churches that would culminate in the first meeting of an official dialogue in Passaic, New Jersey, on October 23, 1984.

In view of the fact that most of the ecumenical dialogues began in the 1960s and 1970s, the establishment of our dialogue was late in coming. This was the result of the particularly painful history of our relationship and the circumstances of the origins of the Polish National Catholic Church among ethnic Polish and other Roman Catholics in the United States at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The disputes of that time, we now realize, were more concerned with matters of church governance than points of doctrine. Nevertheless, the complicated series of events that led to our division caused much hurt and anguish even within families whose members often found themselves on opposite sides of the dispute. The consequences of those events can still be felt among us more than a century later, and must be addressed.

For this purpose, a number of highly symbolic gestures of reconciliation have taken place, perhaps most notably at the Service of Healing that was held in St. Stanislaus Polish National Catholic Cathedral in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on February 15, 1992. Leaders of our two churches, including Cardinal Edward I. Cassidy (President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity), His Grace John F. Swantek, Prime Bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church, and the two co-chairmen of the dialogue, asked for forgiveness, and pledged to work to overcome our divisions definitively. In 1997 Bishop James C. Timlin, then the Roman Catholic Co-Chairman of the dialogue, reiterated this request for forgiveness in a letter he issued on the occasion of the centenary of the organization of the Polish National Catholic Church.

Our dialogue has achieved much. For example, in a 1989 report summarizing the first five years of the dialogue’s progress, we affirmed our agreement on the seven sacraments of the Church, in spite of some differences in practice that do not touch upon our basic common faith. The report also examined two areas of divergence — our understandings of the Word of God and the life to come —“ and discovered that here too there are broad areas of agreement. In sum, the report was able to look back over five years of dialogue and state that —we have thus far discovered no doctrinal obstacle that would impede the further growth of our churches toward that unity which we believe is Christ’s will.— A second report dealing with developments in our dialogue from 1989 to 2002 was published in 2003.

In view of this progress, concrete steps have been taken. In response to an inquiry from the Archbishop of Baltimore, His Excellency William Keeler, then President of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, His Eminence Edward Cardinal Cassidy, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, stated in 1993 that members of the Polish National Catholic Church in the United States and Canada may receive the sacraments of Penance, Holy Communion and Anointing of the Sick from Roman Catholic priests if they ask for them on their own, are properly disposed and not otherwise excluded from the sacraments in line with the provisions of canon 844 §3 of The Code of Canon Law. This was followed in 1996 by a letter by Archbishop Oscar H. Lipscomb, the Chairman of the Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, to the bishops of the United States spelling out in more detail the conditions under which Polish National Catholics may receive the aforementioned sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church. In 1998 the Polish National Catholic Church issued Guidelines for the Reception by Polish National Catholics of Sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church. Canon 844 §2 of The Code of Canon Law also specifies conditions under which Roman Catholics may receive the sacraments in the Polish National Catholic Church.

In light of these concrete steps towards unity, we have much for which to be thankful. Furthermore, we recognize each other’s ecclesial character and sacraments, allow a certain amount of sacramental sharing, and maintain many of the same traditions. These facts bear witness to how much we have rediscovered as our common heritage. Our mutual esteem clearly rules out inappropriate actions such as proselytism among each other’s faithful or the re-ordination of clergy who pass from one church to the other.

During our century-long division we have grown apart in ways that at first glance make reconciliation appear to be difficult. The Polish National Catholic Church, which during most of its existence was a member of the Union of Utrecht, has developed a strong sense of autonomy and the desire to preserve its distinctive traditions, including the vital role played by the laity in church governance. Even though the primacy and infallibility of the Bishop of Rome was not an issue at the time of our division, our churches today have different understandings of the Pope’s role in the Church. Another complicating factor is the presence of a significant number of former Roman Catholic priests in the ranks of the Polish National Catholic clergy. Such is the legacy of the divisions of the past that remain with us today.

At this point in our relationship, therefore, we the members of the Polish National Catholic-Roman Catholic dialogue wish to reaffirm our resolve to overcome what still divides us, and to state clearly that our goal is full communion between our churches. We wish to emphasize that —full communion— does not imply absorption or uniformity, but a unity that fully recognizes differing traditions that are consistent with our common apostolic faith. It must still be determined if any of our divergent traditions are truly church-dividing, or simply examples of legitimate diversity which, in the words of Pope John Paul II, —is in no way opposed to the Church’s unity, but rather enhances her splendor and contributes greatly to the fulfillment of her mission— (Ut Unum Sint, n. 50). We plan to give further consideration to other concrete steps concerning reciprocity in regard to the sacraments, acting as godparents, and the requirement of canonical form for lawfulness only in mixed marriages. We are equally committed to a thorough examination of the theological concepts of primacy and conciliarity. This will include searching for a common understanding of the ministry of the Bishop of Rome in the Church.

As members of a commission authorized to engage in this ecumenical dialogue, our role is not to speak definitively for either of our churches. Nevertheless, we hope to propose new incremental steps that will make concrete the growing unity between us, and we wish our faithful to know of our conviction that a way can be found to overcome this regrettable division that took place among Catholics here in the United States. We know that the goal of unity is nothing less than the will of Christ for us. Therefore we ask the faithful of both our churches to join us in fervent prayer that, with a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the barriers between us will fall and we will one day soon find ourselves joined again in that perfect unity that befits the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Fall River, Massachusetts
May 17, 2006

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