PNCC,

Turkey Dinner at the Cathedral – Scranton, PA

From the Times-Tribune: Turkey dinner

The Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament Society of St. Stanislaus Polish National Catholic Cathedral will hold a pre-holiday homestyle turkey dinner on Sunday, October 25th at 12:30 p.m. in the Parish Youth Center, 530 E. Elm St., Scranton; takeouts, 10:30 a.m. to noon; $10/adult, $5/children under 12. For more information please call Gloria Makowski at 570-498-3922.

Poetry

October 17 – Teach me by Rev. Rafał Wojciechowski

Thank you for teaching me
About everything in heaven
About myself, my sisters and brothers
About dogs, and the ant
Thank you for teaching me
About those who are poor,
Hungry and sick
About those who weep
The joy I should bring them
Thank you for teaching me
About the love that flows from the cross
About everything that is and is not
What will be and will soon become
About Thy holy will Amen

Translated by Dcn Jim

Job Thanking God by Bartolo di Fredi

Dziękować mnie naucz
Za wszystko, co w niebie
Za siebie, za siostrę i brata
Za psa i za mrówkę
Dziękować mnie naucz
Za tych, którzy biedni,
Zgłodniali i chorzy
Za tych co płaczą
Bym radość im zaniósł
Dziękować mnie naucz
Za miłość z krzyża płynącą
Za wszystko, co jest i co nie jest
Co będzie i stanie się wkrótce
Za wolę Twą świętą Amen

LifeStream

Daily Digest for October 17th

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New blog post: Daily Digest for October 16th http://bit.ly/iH7rk [deacon_jim]
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New blog post: Waymart, PA http://bit.ly/T7wyd [deacon_jim]
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New blog post: Around the PNCC http://bit.ly/U10eW [deacon_jim]
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New blog post: Personal note of thanks http://bit.ly/248KNu [deacon_jim]
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New blog post: October 13 – Lament IX by Jan Kochanowski http://bit.ly/MW2WQ [deacon_jim]
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New blog post: October 14 – Lament VI by Jan Kochanowski http://bit.ly/T8CGr [deacon_jim]
Christian Witness, PNCC,

A personal note of thanks

Last Sunday, the Solemnity of the Christian Family, marked one year since I began my active ministry at Holy Name of Jesus parish in Schenectady, NY.

Of course thanks are in order, but in a way I am uncomfortable making this list because everyone should come first. Needless to say I will start with the Lord who leads me in my ministry of service, at Holy Name, in the Mohawk Valley Seniorate, in the Central Diocese, and the PNCC as a whole. I am so thankful to Fr. Stan Bilinski for taking the time (and having the great patience necessary) to teach me the ropes. A huge shout out and special note of thanks to all the parishioners at Holy Name; they have been very charitable, accepting, and have shown great Christian love in welcoming my family and me. And, finally, my family who support me in my ministry and whose patience I tax with running to and fro to minister. I realize their sacrifice and am so thankful for their charity.

Here’s a picture of me assisting at Holy Mass on the occasion of the YMSofR Track and Field meet in Scranton. Holy Mass was celebrated at the Grotto of Christ the Benign. Prime Bishop Nemkovich is celebrating, I am the Deacon of the Mass, and Fr. Jason Soltysiak is standing in as Sub-Deacon.

Holy Mass at the Grotto of Christ the Benign

Please pray for me.

Poetry

October 16 – The Romantic by Adam Mickiewicz

Methinks, I see… Where?
– In my mind’s eyes.
— Shakespeare

“Silly girl, listen!”
But she doesn’t listen
While the village roofs glisten,
Bright in the sun.
“Silly girl, what do you do there,
As if there were someone to view there,
A face to gaze on and greet there,
A live form warmly to meet there,
When there is no one, none, do you hear?”
But she doesn’t hear.

Like a dead stone
She stands there alone,
Staring ahead of her, peering around
For something that has to be found
Till, suddenly spying it,
She touches it, clutches it,
Laughing and crying.

Is it you, my Johnny, my true love, my dear?
I knew you would never forget me,
Even in death! Come with me, let me
Show you the way now!
Hold your breath, though,
And tiptoe lest stepmother hear!

What can she hear? They have made him
A grave, two years ago laid him
Away with the dead.
Save me, Mother of God! I’m afraid.
But why? Why should I flee you now?
What do I dread?
Not Johnny! My Johnny won’t hurt me.
It is my Johnny! I see you now,
Your eyes, your white shirt.

But it’s pale as linen you are,
Cold as winter you are!
Let my lips take the cold from you,
Kiss the chill of the mould from you.

Dearest love, let me die with you,
In the deep earth lie with you,
For this world is dark and dreary,
I am lonely and weary!

Alone among the unkind ones
Who mock at my vision,
My tears their derision,
Seeing nothing, the blind ones!

Dear God! A cock is crowing,
Whitely glimmers the dawn.
Johnny! Where are you going?
Don’t leave me! I am forlorn!

So, caressing, talking aloud to her
Lover, she stumbles and falls,
And her cry of anguish calls
A pitying crowd to her.

“Cross yourselves! It is, surely,
Her Johnny come back from the grave:
While he lived, he loved her entirely.
May God his soul now save!”

Hearing what they are saying,
I, too, start praying.

“The girl is out of her senses!”
Shouts a man with a learned air,
“My eye and my lenses
Know there’s nothing there.

Ghosts are a myth
Of ale-wife and blacksmith.
Clodhoppers! This is treason
Against King Reason!”

“Yet the girl loves,” I reply diffidently,
“And the people believe reverently:
Faith and love are more discerning
Than lenses or learning.

You know the dead truths, not the living,
The world of things, not the world of loving.
Where does any miracle start?
Cold eye, look in your heart!”

Translated by W.H. Auden

06_romantycznosc_prj

Zdaje mi się, że widzę… gdzie?
Przed oczyma duszy mojej.
— Shakespear

Słuchaj, dzieweczko!
– Ona nie słucha –
To dzień biały! to miasteczko!
Przy tobie nie ma żywego ducha.
Co tam wkoło siebie chwytasz?
Kogo wołasz, z kim się witasz?
– Ona nie słucha. –

To jak martwa opoka
Nie zwróci w stronę oka,
To strzela wkoło oczyma,
To się łzami zaleje;
Coś niby chwyta, coś niby trzyma;
Rozpłacze się i zaśmieje.

“Tyżeś to w nocy? to ty, Jasieńku!
Ach! i po śmierci kocha!
Tutaj, tutaj, pomaleńku,
Czasem usłyszy macocha!

Niech sobie słyszy, już nie ma ciebie!
Już po twoim pogrzebie!
Ty już umarłeś? Ach! ja się boję!
Czego się boję mego Jasieńka?
Ach, to on! lica twoje, oczki twoje!
Twoja biała sukienka!

I sam ty biały jak chusta,
Zimny, jakie zimne dłonie!
Tutaj połóż, tu na łonie,
Przyciśnij mnie, do ust usta!

Ach, jak tam zimno musi być w grobie!
Umarłeś! tak, dwa lata!
Weź mię, ja umrę przy tobie,
Nie lubię świata.

ٹle mnie w złych ludzi tłumie,
Płaczę, a oni szydzą;
Mówię, nikt nie rozumie;
Widzę, oni nie widzą!

Śród dnia przyjdź kiedy… To może we śnie?
Nie, nie… trzymam ciebie w ręku.
Gdzie znikasz, gdzie, mój Jasieńku!
Jeszcze wcześnie, jeszcze wcześnie!

Mój Boże! kur się odzywa,
Zorza błyska w okienku.
Gdzie znikłeś? ach! stój, Jasieńku!
Ja nieszczęśliwa”.

Tak się dziewczyna z kochankiem pieści,
Bieży za nim, krzyczy, pada;
Na ten upadek, na głos boleści
Skupia się ludzi gromada.

“Mówcie pacierze! – krzyczy prostota –
Tu jego dusza być musi.
Jasio być musi przy swej Karusi,
On ją kochał za żywota!”

I ja to słyszę, i ja tak wierzę,
Płaczę i mówię pacierze.
“Słuchaj, dzieweczko!” – krzyknie śród zgiełku
Starzec, i na lud zawoła:
“Ufajcie memu oku i szkiełku,
Nic tu nie widzę dokoła.

Duchy karczemnej tworem gawiedzi,
W głupstwa wywarzone kuźni.
Dziewczyna duby smalone bredzi,
A gmin rozumowi bluźni”.

“Dziewczyna czuje, – odpowiadam skromnie –
A gawiedź wierzy głęboko;
Czucie i wiara silniej mówi do mnie
Niż mędrca szkiełko i oko.

Martwe znasz prawdy, nieznane dla ludu,
Widzisz świat w proszku, w każdej gwiazd iskierce.
Nie znasz prawd żywych, nie obaczysz cudu!
Miej serce i patrzaj w serce!”

PNCC,

Around the PNCC

Capturing history:

Holy Spirit Parish in Little Falls, NY is reaching out to parishioners past and present for photos of events in the Parish’s history. If you have any photos you can contact Fr. Rafal at 315-823-0793. He will scan them in and promptly return them to you.

Confirmation at the hands of Bishop Leon Grochowski in 1962
Confirmation at the hands of Bishop Leon Grochowski in 1962
Father Francis Szcesny, 1954 Holy Mass at the Parish Cemetery
Father Francis Szcesny, 1954 Holy Mass at the Parish Cemetery
First Holy Communion, Father Brzostowski, ca. 1940
First Holy Communion, Father Brzostowski, ca. 1940

Celebrating their Patronal Feast Day:

St. Francis Parish in East Meadow, NY celebrated its Patronal Feast with a weekend full of events and capped by a Fall Dinner.

Seated - Fr. Kolek, Fr. Senior Pietruszka, and standing - Fr. Koterba with dinner guests.
Seated - Fr. Kolek, Fr. Senior Pietruszka, and standing - Fr. Koterba with dinner guests.
PNCC, , , , , ,

Waymart, PA

From the Wayne Independent: Plan stars Waymart as heritage destination

US Route 6 is steeped in heritage as it winds its way 427 miles across Pennsylvania’s northern tier, and the unique legacy of Waymart as a cross roads community has not been missed.

‘The culmination of numerous meetings with interested citizens and other stake holders in the Waymart area is the presentation of a work plan of how to make Waymart an even more desirable and well known destination community for travelers. As was said Wednesday at a discussion of the plan at the D&H Gravity Depot Museum, the idea is how to get people to not just stop for gas but to stay a while and explore.

Waymart was one of several communities along Route 6 that applied and were picked as a Route 6 Heritage Community in the first round of the state tourism program. The goal is to have at least one town in each of the 11 counties selected; the next nearest is Wyalusing. Carbondale and Milford have been selected as Route 6 Heritage communities in the next round.

In 2005, Governor Rendell named Route 6 in Pennsylvania as a State Heritage Corridor under the Pa. Heritage Areas Program of the Pa. Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).

Although the interest is high and the Waymart area is seen as having a lot to offer, the plan’s implementation will require funding. State grants may be hard to find with the austere budget just passed. Suggestions were made to apply to private foundations. The Route 6 Heritage Corp. also has a certain amount of funds already allocated. Dan Perry of the Lackawanna Valley Heritage Authority said that their organization may be able to assist.

Rick Truscello, Manager of Planning Services, EADS Group, represented the consulting firm hired by the state to help Route 6 Heritage communities develop a plan and implement it.

A main focus ahead for the heritage effort in Waymart is development of a visitors center in what is referred to as the Brick House, on top Farview Mountain and once a part of the Farview State Mental Hospital operations. The State Legislature recently approved transfer of the three acre property along Route 6, to the Waymart Area Historical Society.

Jane Varcoe president of the Waymart Area Historical Society, states that several organizations, from the area historical societies to the Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau, are behind the project. The Brick House is seen as a —northern gateway— to the Poconos, as well as a visitors’ stop to the cultural and natural resources westward, in adjoining Lackawanna County. The two sides of the Moosic Mountain range have a shared heritage, between the mining and moving of anthracite coal.

The Brick House is a principal structural asset identified in the work plan. Most of the focus, however, will be on community activities, said Truscello. The plan also recommends enhancements at the Route 6/296 intersection.
No major street scape improvements were advised. A historic district also may not apply here, Truscello said. There are fleeting remnants of the D&H Gravity Railroad, although a few good examples exist.

Other wonderful assets Truscello pointed out included St. Tikhon’s Monastery, Salvation Army Ladore Lodge & Conference Center, and Spojnia Manor, founded by the Polish National Catholic Church. Views of the Waymart Wind Farm are also an important attraction.

An information kiosk, interpretive panels and other signs are recommended.

Varcoe said that a principal goal is to establish a recreational trail on the former gravity Railroad bed. The first phase of this effort would be to establish a trail connection between the rail bed section behind the Brick House, to the D&H rail bed at Simpson, which is the trail head for Northeast Pa. Rails to Trails. The second phase would be to establish the trail on the rail bed down the mountain to the D&H Gravity Depot on South Street.

Waymart is notable as the location of Bishop Hodur’s “Ustronie,” literally “retreat” or secluded place, the small home he went to on retreat and to write. It was from there that he wrote his “Apocalypse, or, The revelation of the XXth century.” Also in Waymart, the Bishop Hodur Retreat and Recreation Center where the PNCC holds its annual KURS encampment for youth, the Central Diocese’s annual acolyte retreat and other events.

For more information visit the Pa. Route 6 Heritage Corp and the Waymart Borough.

Perspective, Poland - Polish - Polonia, ,

Pułaski get’s U.S. Citizenship, Polish-Americans of Northampton soldier on

Just in time for the 230th anniversary of the death of Gen. Kazimierz Pułaski the U.S. Congress has voted to bestow posthumous U.S. Citizenship on Gen. Pułaski who died in the Battle of Savannah in the American Revolution.

Senate Joint Resolution 12, sponsored by Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois along with 8 co-sponsors, was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate on March 2, 2009. The resolution was then referred to the House. House Joint Resolution 26: Proclaiming Casimir Pułaski to be an honorary citizen of the United States posthumously, sponsored by Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and co-sponsored by 39 members of the House passed on a voice vote of 422-0 on October 8, 2009. The resolution is now back before the Senate.

From Nowy Dziennik: Kazimierz Pułaski dostał amerykańskie obywatelstwo

Decyzją obu izb amerykański Kongres nadał pośmiertnie honorowe obywatelstwo USA Kazimierzowi Pułaskiemu, polskiemu bohaterowi amerykańskiej wojny o niepodległość.

Rezolucję w tej sprawie, wniesioną z inicjatywy demokratycznego kongresmana Dennisa Kucinicha przy silnym poparciu Polonii amerykańskiej, Kongres uchwalił jednomyślnie w środę. Wspierało ją 23 kongresmanów i senatorów z obu partii.

Standardy przyznawania honorowego obywatelstwa USA – podkreślali kongresmani w czasie debaty nad rezolucją – są bardzo wysokie. Otrzymały je dotąd jedynie tak wybitne osobistości jak markiz La Fayette, Winston Churchill i Matka Teresa z Kalkuty. Tylko siedmioro cudzoziemców posiada honorowe obywatelstwo amerykańskie.

“Kazimierz Pułaski był oddanym bojownikiem o wolność, który zasługuje na najwyższe uznanie, jakie Stany Zjednoczone mogą wyrazić imigrantowi i bohaterowi wojennemu” – powiedział kongresman Kucinich.

W dyskusji podkreślano także silne więzi sojusznicze łączące Polskę i Stany Zjednoczone.

Kazimierz Pułaski przybył do Ameryki w 1777 roku, aby walczyć u boku amerykańskich patriotów z wojskami monarchii brytyjskiej. W bitwie pod Brandywine 15 września 1777 r. uratował życie Jerzemu Waszyngtonowi za co dowódca sił rewolucyjnych awansował go na generała kawalerii.

Śmiertelnie ranny w bitwie pod Savannah w stanie Georgia w czasie szarży kawalerii 9 października 1779 r., zmarł w dwa dni później.

An the Polish-American of Northampton soldier on. From The Republican: It’s Pulaski Day in Northampton

NORTHAMPTON – Despite the imminent closing of a local place of worship, Polish Americans turned out in force Monday to celebrate their heritage and honor a national hero.

The 23rd annual Casimir Pulaski Day Parade kicked off as usual at St. John Cantius Church on Hawley Street, one of several Catholic churches in the city targeted for closing by the Diocese of Springfield.

Following the traditional Mass, celebrants filed out into the street to join the Northampton High School marching band, the 10th Massachusetts Volunteers Civil War reenactment troop, local politicians and Parade Marshal Edward Borucki for the parade down Main Street to Pulaski Park.

Borucki, a Pearl Harbor veteran, waved an American flag and softly blew a whistle as he rode along the route in a red convertible that matched his rose boutonniere. He was preceded by a float honoring U.S. submarine veterans and followed by a contingent of men, women and children in bright Polish native dress.

They were all there to honor Pulaski, a Polish nobleman who came to America in 1776 to help American forces overthrow the British. He was mortally wounded in Savannah in 1779 and died at the age of 34 on American soil.

Master of Ceremony J. P. Kwiecinski, an Easthampton city councilor and candidate for mayor, hailed Pulaski as he told the crowd it was the biggest he has ever seen at the event.

“Very few folks know that we would not have a country without General Pulaski,” he said.

State Rep. Stanley P. Rosenberg, D-Amherst, and Northampton Mayor Mary Clare Higgins read proclamations naming Monday “Casimir Pulaski Day” both in the state and the city.

Rosenberg, who has attended the event regularly, noted the closing of St. John Cantius but predicted that the Pulaski Day ceremonies will survive as the parish merges with others in the area.

“We hope with all our hearts that we will be back together next year at this parade and celebrate Polish heritage,” he said.