Recent Posts

Most Used Categories

Category: PNCC

You are Here :
Christian Witness, PNCC,

Helping our brothers and sisters in Christ

From the Scranton Times Tribune: Scranton church gets conditional approval

A fledgling church won city zoning approval Wednesday to stay open, but on the condition that parking requirements are addressed.

The zoning board voted 3-2 to grant Maranatha Ministries Pentecostal Church’s appeal to occupy 1110-1112 Prospect Ave., but the church must provide written confirmation that it has permission to use a nearby church’s parking lot during services.

Zoning officials in October found the property did not meet place-of-worship zoning criteria as the space was less than the 10,000 square-foot minimum in a residential area, parking was inadequate and there was an illegal apartment conversion on one floor and nonpermitted restoration on two abandoned apartments on another.

The board granted variances on all the issues contingent on the parking. Church officials said they have a verbal agreement with the Polish National Catholic Church to use that church’s parking.

…

The board did not give the church a deadline to produce the letter —” technically, the 40-member church cannot operate until it satisfies the parking condition.

—The city will give them a reasonable amount of time,— solicitor Dan Penetar said.

…

The Rev. Benitez moved his parish from another part of Scranton to the Prospect Avenue building in April and said he is confident all issues will be resolved.

—I’m at peace,— the Rev. Benitez said after the vote.

Perspective, PNCC,

Protest the closing of your parish and the PNCC way

From just across the border, east of Albany in The Berkshire Eagle: Vigil at St. Stan’s to be featured in Time magazine

ADAMS —” The St. Stanislaus Kostka parishioners’ vigil to keep their church openAlso see St. Stanislaus Kostka, Braving the storm. is featured in the next edition of Time magazine hitting newsstands Monday.

In fact, the growing effort to prevent Catholic church closings is garnering growing media attention, including a front-page story that appeared last week in The New York Times about the ongoing vigils in Boston titled “Quiet Rebellion.”

And a news crew for WNYT, Albany television channel 13, stopped into St. Stan’s Friday for interviews and footage.

In particular because the WNYT is building up for a similar occurrence here in Albany when the Roman Catholic diocese closes a large number of parishes next weekend.

St. Stan’s parishioners —” who’ve been keeping vigil since the morning of Dec. 26 and beyond the church’s Jan. 1 closing —” are glad they’re getting the widespread attention, but they aren’t sure it’s going to help.

“I think it’s indicative of what’s going on in Catholic churches across the country,” said Adams resident Paul Demastrie as he stood vigil in the church Friday afternoon. “It’s a major story because it’s national, not just a community issue. And if the church winds up closing anyway, at least we can say we did our best.”

“It’s getting the word out nationwide and even worldwide of what’s happening with the churches,” said Francis Hajdas, a spokeswoman for the St. Stan’s vigil. “As far as we’re concerned, there’s no reason to close our church, outside the fact that they need the money to pay off lawsuits for clergy abuse.”

The vigil movement has had mixed results.

Of nine vigils in Catholic churches in Boston, four churches have been reopened, and five vigils are ongoing. Vigils that started in October to keep two churches in New Orleans open were ended earlier this week when the diocese put an end to the sit-in. Police there forced their way into the buildings, and two parishioners who locked themselves in and refused to leave were arrested.

The closings of St. Stan’s and St. Thomas Aquinas was announced in August, and went into effect at the first of the year. Those two churches are being merged with Notre Dame under a new name.

‘It was heartbreaking’

…

Although owned by the Diocese of Springfield, St. Stan’s was funded and built in 1905 by Polish immigrants, and has been decorated, enhanced and added to using donations from the local Polish community ever since. Parishioners contend the diocese is trying to take away the spiritual and cultural center of their community that was paid for, built and maintained by generations of their families.

closed churchYes, the Diocese is, but as every Roman Catholic should acknowledge, parishioners and parish councils, even pastors, have little power other then that delegated by their bishop. Roman Catholic bishops in the United States own everything, and most particularly each parish’s property. Therein lies the real power. It is their right to demand that parishes close or merge, to sell the property, and take charge of the property’s contents, determining its distribution.

This is exactly the thing that the parishioners of Sacred Hearts in Scranton rallied against in 1897, and the very reason for the organization of the Polish National Catholic Church. Bishop Hodur and the members of the PNCC enshrined the democratic character of the PNCC in its constitution and in its life so that this wouldn’t happen.

On August 25, 1907 Bishop Hodur presented a speech at the blessing of the Polish National Church in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania:

Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20)

These words came to mind today and I would wish them to cling also in your hearts and thoughts and when you return to your homes that they might occur to you and strengthen you in your faith and love in the national wandering in the diaspora. For these words are for us of more particular attention because they are the source of that value of sanctifying humankind about which bishops and priests speak so little, and which always pose a fundamental difference between the old Roman Church and the Polish National Church.

In the old Church may often be heard: Prayer, the Sacraments, the Holy Mass, are valid in this place conducted by such a bishop or priest and by that one are even more valid, but we feel that the great significance of the Holy Mass comes from Christ, from God. Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them.

If, therefore, God abides everywhere, then why build churches?

Because the church is a collective place to honor God, it is a visible monument of the love and gratitude of the nation in serving the Most High Being, and the Church is also the nation’s school. God likes to visit temples raised by human hands.

The National Church lives by these ideals to this very day. By working together in a democratic society which seeks to fulfill our Lord and Savior’s instruction to us, we build and support parish churches. Those parishes are owned and operated by their parishioners, because they are a visible symbol of God dwelling among us and our collective cooperation with God.

We support parish churches and see them as the center of our communal life. The building of a church, its establishment, its life, is more than a legal deed and a bishop’s power. It is the people’s power, their work and support, which raises a living monument to love and gratitude. More so, it is our school, where the teachings of Jesus Christ take root. God visits us there. A parish’s presence in our community bears witness to the world. Closing a parish may be practical and financially sound, but its diminishment is a blow to community, to man’s striving, and to our ability to meet with and learn from the Word. It is an insult to the faith of those who support the witness of faith in the local community.

The PNCC has many small parishes, but regardless of size, their life is a direct result of the love, dedication, and hard work of their parishioners. The people of the parish work together as part of a free society of believers.

The Roman Catholic faithful who formed Resurrection PNCC in Temperance, Michigan went through three church closings before they left the Roman Church. Now they are building their monument of love and gratitude – a place that is theirs, where Christ lives in their midst. That opportunity is open to everyone who wishes to buildup rather than tear down.

PNCC, ,

Ethnic trees in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

From The Morning Call: Ethnic trees in Bethlehem a success

The South Bethlehem Historical Society thanks all those who made the Nov. 30 Ethnic Tree Lighting Ceremony a rousing success. The staff of the Comfort Suites was most welcoming and more than helpful by preparing each tree with lights, then setting up the tables for refreshments for all to enjoy.

Ahart’s Market, Weis-King, Giant, Wegman’s and BJ’s Wholesale Club contributed cookies and pastries, as well as individual bakers. Via helped with red, white and blue ornaments for the new American tree.

Entertainment was by the string ensemble from Holy Infancy School under the direction of Rosemary Fry; Liberty High School pipes soloist Tyler Albright; and the Greek folk dancers led by Tammy Pappas and Panagiota Papalopoulos.

The Rev. Ron Rice of Advent Moravian Church offered ”Moravian Traditions,” Mayor John Callahan spoke, Frank Podleiszek led a carol sing, Rev. Wayne Killian of the Holy Ghost parish offered the invocation, and Rev. Carmen Bolock of Our Lord’s Ascension Polish National Catholic Church closed with the benediction.

We thank all those who attended the event in hopes that they will join us again next Christmas season.

Christian Witness, Perspective, PNCC

The Word empowers us and calls us to action

From Holy Name Parish in South Deerfield, Massachusetts and Fr. Randy Calvo: Not Compliant, But Challenge

January marks the beginning of a brand new year, and it also marks the 100th anniversary year of the declaration of the Word of God Heard and Preached as a sacrament of our church. This unique sacrament of our church, which the diocese will formally celebrate this summer at the Cathedral of the Pines, and which we at Holy Name will honour throughout the centennial year on the pages of our monthly newsletter, heralds in a most profound way that we are called to be a new kind of religious organization. Bp. Hodur set about trying to recreate the organizational structure of the earliest church which dynamically combined the formal structure of office with the equally valid charism of baptismal authority.

The earliest church was judged by the world at large as an enthusiastic sect of Judaism. Enthus-iastic in its original meaning was not comparable to a fan’s support of an athletic team. It is derived from the Greek words en and theos, meaning in God, possessed or inspired by God. The Jewish faith was highly regulated either by Temple authorities, or by legal and/or pious scholars of the religious law. The earliest Christian communities, by contrast, trusted in the immediacy of the Spirit for its legitimacy (cf. 2 Cor. 3:5-6). Consensus was the paradigm. Office holders had leadership authority within the community not above it, and they derived their authority from the community not vice-versa (cf. 1 Cor. 12:27-31 where leadership is listed as the seventh of eight charisms, and the —still more excellent way— is the gift of Christian love expressed poetically in 1 Cor. 13.).

Based upon the earliest church, Bp. Hodur had idealistic hopes for the future. He wrote in 1930: —The priesthood of the future will not be a cast of men mercenaries growing rich and fat, but rather it will be a free association of individuals dedicating themselves to higher purposes. It will be a brotherhood of men and women chosen by God, prepared and ordained for this purpose …— (Apocalypse, p. 219) In the meanwhile, he pushed for practical measures that would begin to empower all church members with the ability to participate fully in church life. And a fundamental reform instituted by our church was the elevation of the Word of God Heard and Preached to the dignity of sacrament. The Ordained ministers of the church would teach and advocate so that all in the church would be informed and thus prepared for the decision making responsibility of a church democracy, of restoring the pristine church’s respect for the authority of consensus.

Church, therefore, cannot be a spectator sport. Church demands involvement and participation. During this first month of the year, I fill out my yearly calendar, and as I look at so many of the events listed I am disappointed by the amount of apathy associated with them. Let me ask if I may, will you participate in Mass on New Year’s Day, Epiphany, Feast of the Presentation, Ash Wednesday, Stations of the Cross, our Ecumenical Lenten Discussions, the annual congregational meeting, Holy Week, Ascension Day, May Devotions, Corpus Christi, Memorial Day, Bible study, the Cathedral of the Pines, Feast of the Dormition, All Saints and All Souls Days, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Ecumenical Service, Divine Love, the Advent Penitential Service, even Christmas or the days the follow it? Or count the Sundays you actually attend Mass, the principal gathering and purpose for our parish church. Are you proud of the number? How often is your name listed as a volunteer worker at the church? We have had to discontinue Advent and Lenten retreats for lack of interest. We have canceled Mid-Week Worship for the same reason. Will we continue down this path, or does faith require more not less from us? Does such a church as ours require more not less from us?

As we begin a new year, please do not take this inquiry as complaint, but as a challenge. We are supposed to be a different kind of church, one based on choice and consent. We are not forced or scared into church membership. We are to be sufficiently informed to choose to follow this church and to be capably empowered to affect this church. To be uninvolved, inactive and unconcerned is to be opposed to the direction and hope of our institution, which is to be a —free association— of believers seeking after the —higher purposes— of religion. The Word of God is essential in this quest because it empowers us to act, but all is for naught if we watch church rather than participate in church.

Christian Witness, Perspective, PNCC,

Practical tips for coming over to the National Catholic Church (PNCC)

Ben Johnson from Western Orthodoxy has a great post for folks who may be considering Western Orthodoxy in Practical Tips for a Move to Western Orthodoxy. As many bloggers (and churchy folks) know, the surest form of flattery is theft. Therefore, with due acknowledgment, the following is my version entitled: Practical tips for coming over to the National Catholic Church (PNCC).

First, I offer this from my perspective. If you are contemplating a move to the PNCC the ultimate source of information and approbation (for groups and entire parishes) is the proper diocesan Bishop and the Prime Bishop (address and contact information at the bottom of the post). These are great and generous men, and each has the Spirit’s gift of discernment. They are not aloof and will open their doors to you and yours, just to talk, just to ask, just to see. If you are coming over as an individual you should inquire of your local pastor.

Second, I know that there are a lot of folks, communities, parishes, and groups out there that may be searching. They may be contemplating a break from the Roman Catholic or Episcopal Church for one or more reasons (all are well known — the Church being too liberal/conservative, too much conflict, too much change, they took my parish/ministry away, they closed my church/ministry, personal reasons, etc.). As someone who has been through each of those, and some more than once, I empathize. I wish someone had written something like this, to inform me, and to welcome me. So this is my effort at providing the thing I needed, to offer some insight and a hand of welcome.

Third, this list will not recount the teachings, documents, and history of the PNCC. The PNCC is in the process of developing an encyclopedia, as part of its vast set of resources, available for that purpose. I couldn’t possibly cover it all, or do it justice, even if I wrote for the rest of my life. If you want more, start with the PNCC tab at the top of my blog, the PNCC website, and the PNCC bookstore. This is really about you, your journey, and what you might expect and experience.

  1. It is about you. If you are actively involved in a parish and in your Church, or if you have deep and long standing connections to your Church and parish, you may well be going through a period of transition that involves feelings of hurt, anger, resentment, or abandonment. You may be in the midst of an attempt to understand the dichotomy that is Church, something universal yet local, perfect yet filled with imperfection, witnessing yet failing to witness. You may even feel guilt at having questions. If we believe that we are nothing more than random molecules we might come to the conclusion that being buffeted around is just a part of life, random and without meaning. But, we believe something different. The challenges we face are part of a process, motivated by the Holy Spirit, which moves us from complacency, which prompts us to take a negative, a hurt, even anger, and to turn them to good, to God’s use. We know that this is about us. The fruit of this process, and our progress along the path to eternal life in Christ, depends on how we witness during this pivitol time. The PNCC has always taught that each and every person must come freely, and be given the freedom to decide. My personal witness is that my hurt, my despair, the insults, pain, and guilt that I faced, were turned to good within the PNCC. It is, as our Prime Bishop often states, a gem of a Church. It is beautiful and priceless because it reflects a true partnership between God and His people.
  2. It is about being Catholic. Being Catholic is not about the Bishop of Rome (i.e., the Pope). Being Catholic is about something bigger than a single man-made office. It is creedal, conciliar, sacramental, and is foundational. It is over 2,000 years of history, not as history, but as a path of living witness to the truth — of which we are a part. It is about certain core truths being objective truth, and yet great latitude in that which is outside the core. It is about your desire for change, a desire that the Holy Church work with you on your path to eternal life, as teacher, as supporter, as counselor, and as witness. The PNCC is one, holy, catholic, apostolic, and democratic. It doesn’t just rest upon the scripture and the synods of the first millennia, it lives that Catholic faith, that Catholic truth, in its daily witness. My personal witness is that the PNCC is my Catholic home, in all its fullness, in all its truth. The PNCC has opened the path to true conversion and regeneration, working with me in my desire to live as our Lord and Savior asked. The Catholic Church is not about the change I want, it is the road to the change I need.
  3. There are unfortunate realities. When you decide to explore outside of your long-term faith community you have to be prepared to face certain realities, some of which are sad and unfortunate. Recall the passage from the Gospel according to St. Luke (Luke 17:11-19). Jesus heals ten lepers, yet only one returns to give Him thanks. On occasion you may feel like that one in ten. If you are part of a group, not all may make, or choose to make, the transition to the PNCC. How you treat those who stay behind, or make another choice, is vitally important, because we must continue to witness Christian charity, love, and partnership in common cause. Will others be as generous? Reality is that some will shun you. Some will refer to you as a schismatic, a heretic, or a betrayer. You may be faced with a vast lack of understanding as to what the PNCC believes and practices (unfortunately there is a glaring lack of factual information out there) from which flow all sorts of accusations. Your Roman Catholic friends may refer to you as third class, outer ring Catholics. The Roman Church and the Episcopal Church will likely bar you from use of your former parish, even if it is closed. If you attempt to buy the property you supported and built there will be severe restrictions in the deed, which will be enforced. Sadly, some things will have to be left behind, and based on experience, the court fight isn’t worth it because it distracts from what is essential. Your decision may stress family relationships, friendships, and causes that you may value. My personal witness is that Christian love, charity, and a thorough study of what the PNCC believes and teaches is the sure remedy to conflict. In 1904 the First Synod of the PNCC declared: “Referring to other Christian communities, we state that we do not condemn any one of them. We sympathize with every Church whose object is to ennoble and sanctify man and bring the Gospel of Jesus and peace to humanity.” In a nutshell, that statement captures the aim and vision of a member of the PNCC, the desire for unity with and for God, God who lives and works among us in raising up humanity to its ultimate destiny. There will be crosses, hurts, and insults to bear. Expectations will go unfulfilled. This is the most difficult part of the road, and there is no easy answer. Yet, after time, you will find that forgiveness and kindness are the salve for those unfortunate realities.
  4. How do I get there? You have to connect with the reality of the old adage: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The best start is at Holy Mass at a local parish. If you have a group invite a PNCC priest to offer Holy Mass for you. That should be followed with lots of talking, preferably over a plate of food 🙂 . Invite a PNCC priest or deacon to visit with you or your group. A talk with members at a local parish, our clergy, and our Bishops will resolve a few questions, and in all likelihood open lots of other questions. Catholicism in the PNCC is experiential and relational. The full on experience cannot be judged by one encounter, one Holy Mass, one conversation. You need to go to the well quite a few times before you have enough — and surprisingly, there is never enough. The PNCC has always been a teaching Church, and the learning never ends. At some point you will know, this is home. Whether you get there or not, whether you become a member or not, there is no bar or card check. The PNCC welcomes you to share faith in Jesus Christ and to live His Gospel message. That is my witness. I came and I stayed because I was welcome, without cost, without price (Revelation 22:17).
  5. Ok, ok, what should I expect at Holy Mass.
    • If you are Roman Catholic expect Holy Mass that is similar — but not the same — as what you experience every week. If you are High Church Episcopalian/Anglican you will feel very comfortable;
    • There are three possible Rites for the Holy Mass (Traditional, Contemporary, and the Bishop Hodur Rite). All services are in English or the predominant language of the people in that parish (Polish, Spanish, French, etc.);
    • Every Holy Mass conveys three sacraments – Penance, the Sacrament of the Word, and the Holy Eucharist;
    • Holy Mass may be preceded by Matins (morning prayer), the Asperges (generally at the week’s principal Holy Mass), and on the first Sunday of each month may conclude with Solemn exposition and benediction.
    • There is a “Hymn to the Holy Spirit” between the Gospel and the homily and there is always a homily because the proclamation and teaching of the Word conveys sacramental grace. Kneel during the hymn — ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you.
    • The Nicene Creed is fully orthodox – we recite “I believe” and that the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father” (not the Father and Son);
    • We do things like — make the sign of the cross, strike our breasts, kneel, and bow — a lot. Bow when the name “Jesus Christ” is said or when we pray the first part of the Doxology “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.” Make the sign of the cross at the end of the Gloria, the Nicene Creed, and during the Sanctus (Holy, holy, holy – at “Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord”). Strike your breast during the Confetior and the Lamb of God. We kneel at the words “…and became man.” in the Creed, during the Canon (the Eucharistic Prayer) and before Holy Communion. If you are not used to this, don’t worry, you won’t get criticized, be called on on the carpet, and you won’t be excommunicated. Just be aware that the folks next to you will do it and try your best in following along.
    • All baptized Christians, properly disposed, and having a true faith and belief in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the elements of bread and wine (mixed with water), are welcome to receive the Eucharist. The Eucharist is given by intinction (the Body of Christ is dipped into the Blood of Christ) and is placed on the tongue by the Bishop, priest, or deacon. If you cannot receive the precious blood for health reason, the deacon, priest, or Bishop will place the host on your tongue. Only a deacon, priest, or Bishop may touch the Holy Eucharist and as such, the Holy Eucharist is never placed in a lay person’s hand.
  6. Ok, ok, what should I expect in a PNCC Parish.
    • All parishes are formed in conformity with the Constitution and Laws of the PNCC;
    • The parish building, its assets, and its funds are owed and managed by those who are members of the PNCC. The clergy involves itself in the spiritual welfare of the parish while the parish committee handles its financial and civil welfare. Both work in concord for the betterment of the parish, the spiritual well bring of its adherents, and its evangelism and mission to the world. The parish committee is elected by all members and is required to report to them on all matters concerning the parish, its management, and its finances. Every member has a voice and a vote in the parish. A parish may not be dissolved without the consent of its members (Article VI, Section 3.)
    • Each parish elects members to represent it at Diocesan and Church Synods (Article VII, Section 1(5) et. seq.)
    • Married bishops, priests, and deacons. The vast majority of our clergy are married and have families.
    • Responsiveness – to your needs, spiritual and material. We live as family and are always willing to chip-in and help out. Our sister organization, the PNU, provides support to its members in times of trouble.
    • Roots – the PNCC was founded by emigrants and we value everyones ethnic and cultural roots.
    • A School of Christian Living
    • Various organizations: The YMS of R, the ANS, a PNU Branch, Choir, Youth Organization, Mission and Evangelism committee, Literary Society, and PTO among others. You’ll find some variant from parish to parish. The major societies like the YMS of R, ANS, PNU, and Youth Group are separate organizations with their own constitution, treasury, and membership requirements. They each work to support the parish and their organizational purposes. Organizations like the YMS of R and PNU provide funding so that parish youth can attend national events like Convo, Kurs, and the acolyte retreat. All PNCC members are strongly encouraged to become members of the PNU. The PNU provides college stipends for its youth. The National United Choirs provides music scholarships for the Church’s youth.
  7. Other similarities and differences? There are other similarities and differences, most particularly experienced by those who have a Roman Catholic background.
    • The Church’s understanding of Original Sin, Hell, the Devil, and eternal life is more in line with the Orthodox Church’s theology than with the Roman Catholic Church’s legalistic understanding.
    • We do not recognize Papal infalibility (the Church is only infallible in Council), or the defined dogmas of the Immaculate Conception, or the Assumption of Mary.
    • We do not recognize or accept things like indulgences or purgatory, nor do we recognize relics as something to be sold or trafficked in.
    • We have instituted Solemnities including the Solemnity of the Humble Shepherds, The Christian Family, Of Brotherly Love, and The Institution of the PNCC.
    • Ember Days, Rorate Holy Mass, the Pre-Lenten Season (Septuagesima, Sexagesima, Quinquagesima).
    • The Eucharistic Fast is two hours prior to reception of the Holy Eucharist.
    • Fridays, outside of the Christmas and Easter seasons are days of abstinance (no meat). Wednesdays and Fridays during Lent, including Holy Wednesday through Holy Saturday, are also days of abstinance.
    • The Church has an active, paraliturgical devotional life which includes things like traditional devotions (Litanies, Rosary, Stations of the Cross, Lamentations, Matins and Vespers) as well as Bible Study and programs like the Alpha Course.
    • The Church is ecumenically active in organizations like Christian Churches Together in the USA (CCT), The Consultation on Common Texts, and the National Council of Churches. We have on-going discussions with other Churches, such as the Roman Catholic Church, and have agreements with the Roman Church related to sacramental hospitatility (PNCC members may receive the Eucharist, penance, and annointing in a Roman Catholic parish if no PNCC parishes are nearby; as long as we maintain our own discipline).

If you are part of a group or parish considering the establishment of a PNCC parish you should contact:

The Office of the Prime Bishop
Most Rev. Anthony Mikovsky
1006 Pittston Avenue
Scranton, Pennsylvania 18505-4109
(570) 346-9131
(570) 346-2125
(570) 346-2188 (fax)

If you are seeking, for yourself and your family, visit your local parish. You are truly welcome in the PNCC.

PNCC, Poetry, ,

Happy New Year, and my project for 2009: Poetry

First, I would like to wish you, my readers, a very happy New year. May 2009 be a time of continual growth and enlightenment in our journey to the heavenly Kingdom.

Thank you for following my 2008 project, selections from the writings of the Church Fathers. The Fathers project was my third project. Previous projects included the PNCC Calendar of Saints and selections from the Śpiewniczek Kościelny in 2007 and prayers from Żywoty Świętych – a Polish language lives of the saints in 2006.

Our organizer and first Prime Bishop, Franciszek Hodur, was a strong advocate of education, the printed word, literature, and poetry. He saw these as the fruits of man’s cooperation with God, and the means by which members of the Church could lift themselves up; the path to manifesting their dignity and acquiring economic, social, and cultural standing in their new country. My plan for 2009 is to present a year of poetry in recognition of Bishop Hodur’s emphasis on education, human dignity, freedom, and our ultimate call to union with God.

In The Origin and Growth of the Polish National Catholic Church, the Rev. Stephen Włodarski, Ph.D. writes:

Bishop Francis Hodur was a great advocate of the printed word. He stimulated interest and engendered a desire in his followers to acquire learning. He organized special teaching courses and made available suitable reading material for them. He published the weekly “Straż” (Guard), and later, in 1923, published the weekly “Rola Boża” (God’s Field). Other periodicals published by him were “Nowy Świat” (New World), “Trybuna” (Tribune), “Dziś i Jutro” (Today and Tomorrow), “Wiara i Zycie” (Faith and Life) and the quarterly “Polka” (Polish Woman). In addition to these, Bishop Leon Grochowski published in Chicago, the weekly “Przebudzenie” (The Awakening). A literary book store was opened at St. Stanislaus Parish, in Scranton, where classical literature and various brochures were made available. To encourage reading, cultural evening classes were regularly conducted. Bishop Hodur and other priests lectured on famous writers and scholars, and particularly those of Polish origin. Whenever a famous Pole arrived in the United States, such as Ignacy Paderewski, Henryk Sienkiewicz, Tomasz [Zygmunt] MiłkowskiPseudonym: Teodor Tomasz Jeż (1824-1915), Writer, publicist, and politician. Involved in a clandestine democratic group as a student at the University of Kiev, he went to Hungary and joined its revolutionary anti-Austrian Army during the uprising of 1848-1849. After the fall of the insurrection, he moved to Turkey, joined the Polish Democratic Society (Towarzystwo Demokratyczne Polskie [TDP]), and became its agent in the Balkans. During the January Insurrection of 1863, he organized a small Polish unit there, but he did not manage to join insurrection forces fighting in Poland. In 1887 he co-founded and became the first President of the Polish League (Liga Polska). However, later be did not support its successor, the National Democratic Party (Stronnictwo Narodowo-Demokratyczne [SND]). He authored about eighty works, mostly novels on the history of Poland and the struggle of the Southern Slavs against the Turks. — J. Krzyżanowski, A History of Polish Literature (Warsaw, 1978), 376, PSB, XXI, 263-268 as cited in the Historical Dictionary of Poland, 966-1945, Jerzy Jan Lerski, Piotr Wróbel, and Richard J. Kozicki 1996, Greenwood Publishing Group., Wacław Sieroszewski, and others, they were invited to Scranton where they addressed the assembled and were entertained with poetry recitations and song.

Juliusz SłowackiBishop Hodur greatly admired the poets Juliusz Słowacki (1809 – 1849) and Maria Konopnicka (1842 – 1910).

Konopnicka was Poland’s most inspirational woman poet of the day. In 1906 Bishop Hodur founded a women’s patriotic, cultuiral, and literary society within the Church in her honor – The Maria Konopnicka Societies of the Polish National Catholic Church.

Maria KonopnickaMaria Konopnicka was a prolific poet, novelist, translator and essayist. Her works were noted for their realism, freshness, and spontaneity. In her writings she touched upon the social issues of her time, and exerted a great influence on the next generation of Polish poets and novelists. Konopnicka expressed ideals of democracy and patriotism in her cycle of folk songs and in a poem about peasant emigrants, Pan Balcer w Brazylji (Mr Balcer in Brazil). She also wrote novels for children.

Bishop Hodur was in Poland at the time of Maria Konopnicka’s death, and when the Roman Church refused to bury her, he stepped forward and offered to do so. The Roman Church quickly recanted following Bishop Hodur’s offer. At a celebration in honor of Maria Konopnicka, held in 1920, Bishop Hodur said of her:

She earned merit, above all, in that she spoke to the educated and wealthy strata of the nation, to all working for the enlightenment of the people, to all the disinherited, in the conviction that we are all part of the nation that sooner or later will gain their due rights.

The greatest service Maria Konopnicka performed, however, was in awakening in the soul of the Polish woman love for her responsibilities to the nation, to the family, and yearning for all that is noble, beautiful and good.

Maria Konopnicka tried to point out that the time has passed when a woman tended the home hearth knowing nothing about the world. But new times have come when a woman must be a fellow worker with her husband. She must know the hard responsibilities tied to this life, and share with her husband fate good and bad, to stand by his side, trust him, and uplift his spirit.

Fathers, PNCC

December 31 – From the First Council of Constantinople

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the Right Hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead. Whose kingdom shall have no end.

And [we believe] in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver-of-Life, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And [we believe] in one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. We acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, [and] we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen. — The Creed.

Fathers, PNCC

December 30 – St. Athanasius from On the Incarnation of the Word

For the Word, perceiving that no otherwise could the corruption of men be undone save by death as a necessary condition, while it was impossible for the Word to suffer death, being immortal, and Son of the Father; to this end He takes to Himself a body capable of death, that it, by partaking of the Word Who is above all, might be worthy to die in the stead of all, and might, because of the Word which was come to dwell in it, remain incorruptible, and that thenceforth corruption might be stayed from all by the Grace of the Resurrection. Whence, by offering unto death the body He Himself had taken, as an offering and sacrifice free from any stain, straightway He put away death from all His peers by the offering of an equivalent. For being over all, the Word of God naturally by offering His own temple and corporeal instrument for the life of all satisfied the debt by His death. And thus He, the incorruptible Son of God, being conjoined with all by a like nature, naturally clothed all with incorruption, by the promise of the resurrection. For the actual corruption in death has no longer holding-ground against men, by reason of the Word, which by His one body has come to dwell among them. And like as when a great king has entered into some large city and taken up his abode in one of the houses there, such city is at all events held worthy of high honour, nor does any enemy or bandit any longer descend upon it and subject it; but, on the contrary, it is thought entitled to all care, because of the king’s having taken up his residence in a single house there: so, too, has it been with the Monarch of all. For now that He has come to our realm, and taken up his abode in one body among His peers, henceforth the whole conspiracy of the enemy against mankind is checked, and the corruption of death which before was prevailing against them is done away. For the race of men had gone to ruin, had not the Lord and Saviour of all, the Son of God, come among us to meet the end of death . — Chapter 9.

Fathers, PNCC

December 29 – St. Clement of Alexandria from the Exhortation to the Heathen

And He who is of David, and yet before him, the Word of God, despising the lyre and harp, which are but lifeless instruments, and having tuned by the Holy Spirit the universe, and especially man, —” who, composed of body and soul, is a universe in miniature, —” makes melody to God on this instrument of many tones; and to this instrument —” I mean man —” he sings accordant: “For you are my harp, and pipe, and temple.” —” a harp for harmony —” a pipe by reason of the Spirit —” a temple by reason of the word; so that the first may sound, the second breathe, the third contain the Lord. And David the king, the harper whom we mentioned a little above, who exhorted to the truth and dissuaded from idols, was so far from celebrating demons in song, that in reality they were driven away by his music. Thus, when Saul was plagued with a demon, he cured him by merely playing. A beautiful breathing instrument of music the Lord made man, after His own image. And He Himself also, surely, who is the supramundane Wisdom, the celestial Word, is the all-harmonious, melodious, holy instrument of God. What, then, does this instrument —” the Word of God, the Lord, the New Song —” desire? To open the eyes of the blind, and unstop the ears of the deaf, and to lead the lame or the erring to righteousness, to exhibit God to the foolish, to put a stop to corruption, to conquer death, to reconcile disobedient children to their father. The instrument of God loves mankind. The Lord pities, instructs, exhorts, admonishes, saves, shields, and of His bounty promises us the kingdom of heaven as a reward for learning; and the only advantage He reaps is, that we are saved. For wickedness feeds on men’s destruction; but truth, like the bee, harming nothing, delights only in the salvation of men. — Chapter 1.

All Right Reserved © 2005 - 2023