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Reflection for the 18th Ordinary Sunday 2025

Christian Witness

Reflection for the 18th Ordinary Sunday 2025

Christian Witness

Reflection for the 18th Ordinary Sunday 2025

Art, Events, Poetry, Poland - Polish - Polonia, Political, , , , , , , , , ,

Cosmopolitan Review Fall 2013 Issue Posted

From the Cosmopolitan Review: A Transatlantic Review of Things Polish, in English

Photo of Górecko Kościelne, Poland by Sławomir Nowosad
Photo of Górecko Kościelne, Poland by Sławomir Nowosad

As we admired our favorite photographer’s beautiful Polish sunset, it occurred to us that – to paraphrase a well-known imperial boast – the sun never sets on the Polish diaspora. They are everywhere, in their infinite variety, and what luck we have to stay in touch, even if only virtually.

This issue of CR is largely about Polonia – to use the term that defines all Poles outside Poland – plus a couple of guests, in keeping with the longstanding tradition of Polish hospitality. So, guests first.

Roy Eaton, a New Yorker who came to Montreal and captured the hearts and imaginations of students at the Quo Vadis conference, won the first Kościuszko Foundation Chopin Competition in 1950, but that is but one of many firsts for this gracious and talented man. His music is a must for fans of Chopin and Joplin.

Staying with music, Justine Jablonska catches up with Katy Carr, not an easy thing to do given the international demand for Katy’s performances. And check out Katy’s work with British school kids. For her part, Kinia Adamczyk introduces us to a Montrealer who is a musician, a poet, a writer and a chef, and all of that in Polish, Hebrew, Arabic, German, French and English. If only he would invite us to dinner!

And speaking of poets, we like to think that Linda Nemec Foster wrote her poem just for us. She didn’t, except in the sense that it is for all of us. “I am from America and Poland…” Yes.

We introduce Agnieszka Tworek who introduces us to the marvelous work of Boston architect and artist, Monika Zofia Pauli. It’s a feast for the eyes.

Three immigrant stories, each one so different from the next: one looks back at the very different Canada that welcomed him – sort of – in 1946; another looks at Poland because she knows she didn’t just come out of thin air; and one tells us about his grand world tour – just the thing to broaden one’s education – with great wit and style.

And then there were those clever Poles who by-passed the cold, cold north and headed straight for sunny California. It’s the 150th birthday of the Polish Society they started. They couldn’t attend the party but you really must meet them.

Check out the review of the new book about Krystyna Skarbek/Christine Granville. British author Clare Mulley’s extensive research and obvious admiration for the enigmatic spy is a great read.

Vince Chesney and Stephen Drapaka weigh in with their reviews of some fascinating if misguided, even malevolent, ideas once promoted by people who should have known better.

Finally, all roads lead to Poland. Another paraphrase of an imperial boast but yes, this road leads to Warsaw, the premiere of Andrzej Wajda’s film, Wałęsa, and Małgorzata Dzieduszycka’s thoughtful review.

Art, Events, , ,

New York State Alliance for Arts Education Professional Development Opportunities

Four Regional Symposium Exploring Arts Learning and Common Core State Standards

From January through March, 2014 teachers and artists of all grade levels will explore vital information and effective strategies to meet Common Core State Standards through the ARTS@theCORE Symposia. Lead by nationally-recognized experts in arts curriculum development, each symposium will provide participants with opportunities to develop curricula in and through the arts and to network with local arts educators. Hosted in four different locations– Purchase, Dix Hills, Albany and Rochester—and providing 5.5 hours of PD credit, ARTS@theCORE meets arts educators where they are and guides them to techniques they can directly apply to their teaching. Freelance teaching artists may apply for scholarships (waived registration fee).

For more information on ARTS@theCORE, our accomplished faculty, and how to register, please click here.

Arts Connect All New York: A Mentorship Program for Arts Educators Teaching Students with Special Needs

Arts Connect All New York provides arts educators with a mentor for the Spring 2014 semester, with the goal to improve the quality of instruction provided to students with special needs. This is an unique opportunity to receive specialized, focused, one-on-one professional development from ACANY mentors, who are highly accomplished arts educators in their own right and represent four regions across the state. Additional notable features of this program include: three phone consultations, three on-site visits, self-reflective writing assignments, and a $125 stipend. For more information on the program, our exceptional mentors, and how to apply (deadline Dec 15), please click here.

Events, Media, Poland - Polish - Polonia, Political, , , , , , , , , ,

Man of Hope screening

The Embassy of Poland in Washington, DC is showing “Wałęsa. Man of Hope” by Andrzej Wajda at the AFI/EU Film Showcase at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland on Saturday, December 7th at 1pm.

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Oscar-winning Polish director Andrzej Wajda brings the story of Lech Wałęsa and the Solidarity movement to the big screen. Robert Więckiewicz (In Darkness) stars at Lech Wałęsa, while Agnieszka Grochowska shines as his loyal wife, Danuta. The sharp screenplay by Janusz Głowacki hinges on Wałęsa’s landmark 1981 interview, just months before Poland declared martial law, with Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci, recounting in flashback the previous decade-and-a-half of activism; Wałęsa would be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983.

On Wednesday, December 4th Lech Wałęsa returned to Capitol Hill and the U.S. Congress after 24 years and was greated by a full house of nearly 500 dignitaries. Wałęsa’s appearance coincided with the screening of the film “Wałęsa. Man of Hope” for members of Congress. The evening highlighted Solidarity’s contribution in bringing down Communism and ushering in freedom and Democracy to Central and Eastern Europe which lead to the tearing down of the Berlin Wall.

“This history happened in Poland first” emphasized Ambassador Ryszard Schnepf, adding that Poland and the Polish people, will never forget the word ‘Solidarity’ and the support we received, particularly from the United States in our greatest hour of need.

“I spoke at every public high school in Connecticut over the years … and I’d be asked by people, ‘Can one person change the world?’ and I used to constantly cite Lech Wałęsa, Eunice Shriver, Nelson Mandela as people who clearly changed the world,” former Senator from Connecticut and current MPAA President Christopher Dodd said during the course of the on-stage interview held before the movie screening.

“When Lech Wałęsa jumped over the wall at the Gdansk Shipyard, he took the whole world with him. The Solidarity movement brought hope and democracy to Poland, and inspired so many more around the globe, including Polish Americans in my hometown of Baltimore. The United States and Poland are united by our beliefs – in freedom, in people, and in speaking truth to power. Today, we are strong democracies, true allies, and steadfast friends.” said Senator Barbara Mikulski.

Poland - Polish - Polonia, ,

Poland – bastion of educational success

Poland has showed marked success in education. The World Bank recently reported that Poland now ranks 9th among all countries in overall reading scores on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) test, the only transition country to go from being below the OECD average on PISA to above average. The most recent The Education First (EF) English Proficiency Index ranks Poland as 8th in the world (high proficiency) in English language skills among adults.

Several articles note the basis for this success. See Poland: Education’s superpowers have a new kid on the bloc from the Sydney Morning Herald; Wittmeyer: Want to find an education miracle? Look to Poland from Newsday; and Poland imparts lesson on education to U.S. from the The Coeur d’ Alene Press. Here’s any interesting take from the Dallas Morning News: Will Texas follow the Poland model?

I want to move to Poland.

Really.

The just-released PISA exam — the Program for International Student Assessment – shows that Polish students finished ninth among developed nations in science. They also finished 10th in reading.

And the U.S. finish in those subjects? 28th and 24th, respectively.

To be sure, all these rankings can wear you out. And Wendy Kopp, the who started Teach for America, was right to suggest in her Wall Street Journal piece this week that we should not use these particular rankings as a rallying cry to go clobber other countries. Instead, we should learn from each other.

What we could learn from Poland is this: The country’s schools once were in the dumps. But Poland started using standardized tests to assess students, elevated academic rigor, wouldn’t accept poverty as an excuse and gave local schools more autonomy.

None of those reforms were put into place easily, but over time Poland’s scores went up. That includes on the PISA exam, which the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development administers. The exam focuses on applying classroom knowledge to real world problems.

There certainly is a Texas element to this story about Poland’s success. As this newspaper reported this week, the state has a
troubling number of high school students who have failed one or more end-of-course exams. As an example, 182,000 students have yet to pass last year’s English I writing exam. They get one more chance to do so this month.

The question is, what should we do about perennially failing students? Or ones who just keep struggling?

By raising this, I don’t mean more tests. The Legislature has made it clear they aren’t interested in additional end-of-course exams.

Rather, how shall the state respond to a large number of students who are behind? And how can the state keep students in the future from ending up in the same spot, assuming they don’t have learning disabilities that keep them behind?

Poland’s answer is you don’t give up on kids. It faced enormous poverty after suffering through decades of deprivation under the reign of communism. But it didn’t accept the notion that kids born into poverty couldn’t meet higher academic standards.

Amanda Ripley, author of “The Smartest Kids in the World,” noted in a recent Point Person interview that “Of all the changes Polish officials made, the one that seemed to matter most was that they held all students to more rigorous academic standards for a longer time period.”

In other words, they didn’t lowball expectations, even though plenty of students were struggling. Polish authorities even tried to get more kids out of our equivalent of vocational education.

Of course, raising expectations requires adequate resources to help teachers best reach students. The Texas Legislature must make sure that it spends smartly but adequately on students. But as Ripley also noted, Poland spends about half of what U.S. schools spend on their students. So, money alone is not the answer.

And Poland isn’t the only nation to do better while raising expectations. “Globally, the longer students stay together in demanding classes,” Ripley observed, “the better the whole country seems to do.”

So, there’s a roadmap here for Texas, or at the least start of one. The state could ease up on expectations. As an example, we could suggest that more kids go into vocational education, as some legislators pushed for this year. On the other hand, the state could keep encouraging kids to set their sights higher, as in for college or at least a two-year degree.

Poland went the high-bar route when conditions suggested otherwise. Will we?

Christian Witness, PNCC, , ,

Ś+P Rev. E. Louis Czechowski

238Rev. śp. E. Louis Czechowski, Sr., 80, of Bethlehem, died Monday, December 2, 2013 in Alexandria Manor, Nazareth.

Born November 11, 1933 in Reading, he was a son of the late śp. Louis Chester and śp. Anna A. (Thader) Czechowski. He was a school teacher in the Saucon Valley School District and was a former Rector of Our Lords Ascension P.N.C.C., Bethlehem. Survivors: Two sons, E. Lou Czechowski and his wife, Mary Ann of Macungie and Eric Czechowski of Kernersville, NC; his friend, Alan Beasley; and numerous family members in the Reading area.

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 3 p.m. on Friday, December 6, in St. Stephens P.N.C.C., 20 St. Stephens Church Lane, Reading. Interment will be in the parish cemetery. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling the arrangements.

Contributions: St. Stephens Polish National Catholic Church, Reading.

Eternal rest grant unto your servant and priest, śp. E. Louis, and may the perpetual light shine upon him.
May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.

Christian Witness, Homilies, ,

Reflection for the 1st Sunday of Advent – A – 2013

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Yesterday, Today,
and Always

“Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

In the Holy Mass we participate in doing something extraordinary. When Jesus left us the gift of His body and blood and said, do this in memory of Me He gave us an explicit command to do what He had done that night.

Each of us has a special role in carrying out the Eucharist. Our gifts and sacrifice in the form of the bread and wine we offer is changed into Jesus’ body and blood by what the priest does during the Eucharistic prayer. Jesus’ role as servant is exemplified in the work of the deacon who serves at the altar. Each of our roles is essential. Jesus didn’t do any of what He did alone, but in the midst of community.

Jesus didn’t want us to just remember what He had done. Memory is fleeting and can fade with time. Rather, in asking us to carry out the same action as a family, to live the roles He exemplified, we are part of Jesus’ yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

In the Eucharistic moment we are at once transformed and present with Jesus at His birth and in His ministry. We are there at the Last Supper, at the foot of the Cross, His burial, His resurrection, His Ascension, and at His return.

How amazing it is that we are there with Him, that we can be so very close to Him.

We might think that this is enough. Certainly Jesus’ coming was that moment in time where our redemption occurred. We, who have accepted Jesus into our lives, have received His assurance of salvation. We have been justified. Yes, but greater things are yet to come.

This Advent, this day, is the moment we must be awake and ready for that greater thing. Those greater things are the miracles we bring to the lives of others by our ministry and by the proclamation of Jesus’ word. Faith and salvation will come to them through us as St. Paul tells us: [by] what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ.

The greatest thing yet to come, our greatest hope, is that day of Jesus’ return in glory. We cannot know, or even predict when that day will be, but it will come. We are already part of that always and this season of preparation is our moment to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand.

Christian Witness, Homilies, ,

Reflection for the Solemnity of Christ the King

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My Lord and King
remember me

Let us give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light. He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

It is said that there are 3 kinds of people: Those who MAKE things happen; Those who WATCH what happens; and Those who WONDER what happened.

In today’s Gospel we read of these three sorts of people.

The Roman soldiers, the Chief Priests, the Pharisees, and the other leaders thought they had all the power. They could MAKE anyone die on the cross, and today it is Jesus along with two thieves. They considered themselves as the powerful movers and shakers. They were wrong.

Others stood by to WATCH. There was Mary, the other women who supported Jesus, and John. And, there were the thieves hanging there with Jesus. We could say that they were watching too – they had little choice.

One thief thought he could MAKE things happen. If he could mock and taunt Jesus enough, maybe there would be a grand miracle and he could go on his merry way freed from certain death. He too was wrong.

The other thief wasn’t going to stand by and just WATCH. He was not going to MAKE things happen either, at least not of his own accord. He reached into himself and found the exact kind of humility that REALLY MAKES things happen. He found the strength to place his trust in this Man, hanging next to him, badly beaten, bloody, humiliated, and dying. He saw through the blood and gore to the right and true. He saw that this Man was not just a man; rather He was God’s Son, the Messiah, who MAKES everything happen, Who will save him completely and forever.

That thief reached out in humility. He saw Jesus as the promised King whose power would free Him from death in sin to eternal life. “he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’”

People have stood by for centuries WONDERING what happened. Caught up in sin and hopelessness they have looked at this scene and have failed to trust or find humility before their King Who MAKES all things possible. They have failed to ask Jesus to remember them.

We renew our assurance that Jesus will MAKE things happen in our lives, things that bring us goodness, rest, peace, and freedom from sin. We cannot just WATCH, nor should we WONDER. We must be that 4th kind of person – the men, women, and children of FAITH who ask and are assured.

Christian Witness, Homilies,

Reflection for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

day_of_the_Lord

Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch, says the LORD of hosts. But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.

Waiting for Godot is a play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for the arrival of someone, named Godot. Godot’s absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, has led to many different interpretations. Mary Bryden observed, “The … God who emerges from Beckett’s texts is one who is both cursed for His perverse absence and cursed for His surveillant presence. He is by turns dismissed, satirized, or ignored, but He, and His tortured Son, are never definitively discarded.”

Malachi prophesied that the day of the Lord was coming. He lived about 445 years before Jesus was born. Thirty more years would go by before Jesus began His public ministry. Today’s gospel shows Jesus to be 33, in Jerusalem, and days away from His sacrificial death on the cross.

Throughout Jesus’ ministry many who followed Him had a level of self-assurance that He would free Israel from earthly captivity. When Jesus refused to be proclaimed an earthly king many lost faith in Him. They never saw that He was there to free them from a much greater captivity. They missed the day of the Lord. They deceived themselves.

Jesus said that no matter what: “See that you not be deceived.” Complacency is the way we deceive ourselves. Waiting in vain is deception. Waiting and missing “it” is deception.

We deceive ourselves when we sit around speculating on the “last day.” Rather than waiting for God we have to go out and seek Him. We have to follow His word, walk in His path, and bring others to share in fellowship with Him. We must live in Him and proclaim with the wisdom He gives us through His teaching: His day is today!!!

Research has shown that, when a fire alarm rings, people do not act immediately. They talk to each other, and they try to work out what is going on. They stand around – waiting. Do you remember your last fire drill? Instead of leaving fast, people wait. They wait for more clues – the smell of smoke, or advice from someone they trust. So often those who wait end up dead.

We can trust Jesus. The fire alarm is going off every day. We needn’t worry about the fire itself, but rather whether we have listened to Him in the midst of the fire and are on the path to life. Walk toward life, do not sit and wait. Recognize today as the day of the Lord.

Christian Witness, Homilies, Political, ,

Reflection for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

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We often wonder
what if?

But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. We are confident of you in the Lord that what we instruct you, you are doing and will continue to do. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ.

The Sadducees confronted Jesus intent on embarrassing Him so they could prove their political point of view. The party of the Sadducees believed that there would be no resurrection of the dead. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection.

The conflict over the resurrection was one of several between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They had a conflict of class, wealthy versus the poor, priests and aristocrats versus ordinary people. Another conflict was cultural, between those who favored Hellenization and those who resisted it. The Pharisees emphasized the importance of the Second Temple with its rites and services, while the Sadducees emphasized the importance of other Mosaic laws. They differed too on the Torah and how to apply it to Jewish life, with the Sadducees recognizing only the written Torah and rejecting oral tradition. The historian Josephus tells us that the Pharisees had the backing of the common people.

The problem of political and philosophical conflicts – as we know – aren’t limited to the times of Jesus. It even rears its ugliness in conflicts between Christians. When will the end come, what will it be like, how should the Church be organized, who should lead, how should we worship…? It goes on and on.

Each political point of view tries to provide the answer to “what if.” They try to ease our wondering and our wandering, but their answers are not the truth. Jesus is the truth. Unfortunately neither the Pharisees nor Sadducees saw that – their politics got in the way. We still fail when we seek answers to “what if” from politicians and the world even though the answer of Jesus is within our grasp.

The Maccabees were certain. They knew that surety in God was more important than the “what ifs” of today. They suffered and died, not asking “what if,” but saying, “I know.” the mother who, seeing her seven sons perish in a single day, bore it courageously because of her hope in the Lord.

For us there can be no reliance on politics. We needn’t question “what if,” but rather need to stand strong and sure. Jesus never promised more questions but promised absolute certainty to His faithful – life everlasting.

Take confidence in the way of the Lord. Do not wonder “what if.” Be sure only in Him Who guides us, is faithful, and gives us the answer we need.

Christian Witness, PNCC

Reaching Out and Serving

From the Tribune-Review: Crafton shelter continues to deal with plight of homeless

The IHN Second Circle Shelter, 7 Oregon Ave., Crafton, opened in 2007 and immediately doubled the capacity of the shelter program that originated in Washington, Pa., in 1993.

Both sites are operated by the former Interfaith Hospitality Network, now affiliated with and known as Family Promises of Southwestern Pennsylvania, an interdenominational program linking local churches that offer round-the-clock shelter, meals and social services to homeless families in southwestern Pennsylvania.

Family Promises has more than 180 affiliates in 41 states involving 6,000 churches and nearly 136,000 volunteers nationwide.

Local churches that are host congregations include All Saints Polish National Catholic Church and St. John Evangelical Lutheran in Carnegie and Bethany Presbyterian Church in Bridgeville.

Support churches include First Baptist Church in Crafton and First Baptist Church and Zion Lutheran Church in Bridgeville, with additional support or hosting duties coming from churches in Bethel Park, Mt. Lebanon, Castle Shannon, McMurray, Pleasant Hills, Upper St. Clair and Washington.

Homeless or displaced families can include husband and wife with or without children, a single parent with children, or a legal guardian or custodial guardian with children. The families are screened, and no current drug and alcohol users are accepted, nor are those with severe mental health issues, a criminal background or single men.

Dinner is provided by volunteers from area churches. During the day, guests are transported back to the Family Center in Crafton. Volunteers from the host congregations also talk and listen to the guests, which enables families to maintain their dignity and regain independence.

The families, through the shelter, can take advantage of personal counseling, assistance in securing training and employment, help with enrolling children in appropriate schools, arranging medical or dental care, and referral information to other programs and agencies. Also offered is life skills training in financial management, homemaking and family relationships.

Services also include assisting families in finding homes, providing home furnishings and distributing donated supplies to help families set up housekeeping.

This past summer, Family Promise partnered with the Homeless Children’s Education Fund (HCEF) to provide an exciting eight-week program that gave educational workshops and activities to the children right at the shelter where they lived. Every Friday there was a field trip to places like the National Aviary, Moraine State Park or Idlewild Park, all underwritten by the HCEF and the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.

Family Promise of Southwestern Pennsylvania is a nonprofit charitable organization and all contributions are tax-deductible. Monetary donations are accepted as well as vehicle donations, “home again” donations of furniture and household goods, and wish list donations of gift cards, paper towels, soap and body wash, shampoo, razors, toothpaste, gently used baking pans, sheets and towels, blankets, children’s toys, family DVDs and more. Volunteers always are welcome at the host churches, or to mentor, or provide transportation, childcare, fund development, or to read and help with homework, as well as other assignments as the need arises.

For more details on donating or to volunteer call 724-229-1129.

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