The International Old Catholic Bishops’ Conference (IBC) of the Union of Utrecht announced that it is ending its mission with Old Catholic parishes in Italy effective July 1, 2011. Several parishes affiliated with with the IBC or The Episcopal Church (TEC) in Europe, especially in Italy, have recognized a consistency in faith and Tradition with the PNCC, and have sought recognition and oversight from the PNCC.
A Synod and convocation of the Nordic Catholic Church will be held from Friday, August 5th through Sunday, August 7th.
The Synod will take place at St. John the Baptist Church, Oslo, on Friday, August 5th beginning at 10am. Holy Mass will be held in St. John’s Church beginning at 4:30pm with its principal celebrant the Rt. Rev. Thaddeus Peplowski of the Buffalo-Pittsburgh Diocese of the PNCC. A cultural evening will follow at Lovisenberg Guesthouse beginning at 7pm.
On Saturday, August 6th the day will begin with Lauds in St. John’s Church at 9am. From 10am to 12pm there will be a presentations in the chapel of the Catinka Guldberg Centre. Bishop Peplowski will speak on: “My vision for Norway, then and now.” Bishop Flemestad will present: “Faith and Hope – The Road Ahead.” A children’s program will also be held simultaneous to the presentations. Lunch at Catinka Guldberg Centre will begin at 12pm. At 4:30pm Bishop Roald Nikolai Flemestad will be officially installed as Bishop of the Nordic Catholic Church by Bishop Thaddeus Peplowski during Holy Mass at St. John the Baptist Church. Bishop Flemestad will be the principal celebrant. There will be a reception immediately following at the Lovisenberg Guesthouse.
On Sunday, August 7th Holy Mass will be held at St. John the Baptist Church at 11am. A reception will follow at the Cathinka Guldberg Centre.
From the Star Courier: Renovation under way at Holy Trinity Church
It was 1928 when the local paper published news that Polish immigrants would build a new church in Kewanee. The church was completed during that year and the first Mass was celebrated as the Christmas Eve Shepherds Mass in 1928.
For over 83 years, the Holy Trinity Church steeple has contributed to Kewanee’s landscape. But like any old building, this one also needs constant maintenance and care. The wooden cross on the top of the steeple, once heavy and strong, had lost its good appearance. The roof and the walls started deteriorating.
A few years ago the heating and cooling system were upgraded. There is now air-conditioning in the church and downstairs in the church hall. With the updated heating system, there was no longer a need for the chimney on the east side of the church building.
The Parish Committee, pastor and all members of the congregation decided to give the church back its beautiful look. The renovation will be expensive and will last all summer, but the final result will be great.
Parish Committee Chairman David Draminski said, “Our plan is to make the church up-to-date and more inviting, but to keep it traditional.” Holy Trinity Parish members understand that it is worth every effort to keep the church in good condition.
Holy Trinity Polish National Catholic Church is a big part of Kewanee history and close to the hearts of many Kewaneeans. Not only members, but many of our friends like to come and taste our delicious Polish food — Polish sausage, pierogies, sauerkraut — at our St. Joseph’s Supper in March, Easter Brunch, The More on 34 Polish food sale, our Fourth of July food stand at Francis Park, and our Polish Sausage Supper in October and the Polish food sale in December.
The work will be completed by Summy Construction, 703 N Main St, Kewanee, IL. Telephone: 309-853-9966. The renovation is not expected to disrupt worship services held on Sundays at 9 a.m. Neighbors are asked to forgive any inconvenience related to the construction.
To follow up the progress of renovation drive by the church at 716 N. Tremont St., Kewanee or visit the Parish website and photo gallery.
From KICKSTARTER: Wisia’s Story, A Documentary project in Warsaw, Poland by Karina Wielgosz & Paul Barry
In 1944, twenty-three year-old Jadwiga (known affectionately to her family as ‘Wisia’) had been living in her native Poland under the yoke of German-occupation for almost five years. Unbeknownst to the invaders, an underground force was mobilizing with the aim of reclaiming at least part of its homeland. The ‘Armia Krajowa’ (‘Home Army’) operated in secret, received its orders from the exiled Polish government and employed the skills of many young people like Wisia to aid them in the uprising.
A select group of youth, including Wisia and her brother, had been secretly selected and trained in running messages and administering medical aid. This group of young civilians supported and sometimes even fought alongside the Armia Krajowa. Their jobs were extremely dangerous but they carried out their missions with remarkable bravery. Our documentary will explore not only the historical details of Wisia’s experience but just as importantly, the composition of her courage, to be able to survive – and ultimately escape – when so many were imprisoned or perished at the hands of these violent intruders.
On the 1st of August 1944, led by the Armia Krajowa, the proud people of Poland united in an attempt to repel the invaders from the city of Warsaw. Through a series of operations and concerted attacks, the civilian-supported Armia Krajowa devastated the German occupiers in the short-term and formed the backbone of what history remembers as The Warsaw Uprising. The uprising’s subsequent failure, eventual slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Polish soldiers and citizens and Hitler’s vindictive destruction of 90% of the city, does nothing to bury the bravery of all who fought during this period for the basic privilege of a peaceful life.
Countless other stories of bravery by soldiers and civilians alike also remain untold, but the selfless actions of one particular twenty-three year-old woman remain a timeless demonstration of heroism in the face of tremendous adversity. This young woman, Wisia, is now a great-grandmother approaching her 90th birthday with a spring in her step and glint in her eye. She is our grandmother and we can no longer allow her sacrifices to remain simply a page on an historical website. For decades her full story has remained untold, but with your backing we will travel back in time with Wisia. She will acquaint us with the locations, walk us through salient events and introduce us to the survivors of such an unforgettable time in her life, in Warsaw, Poland…
Lend your support to the project. They are 65% of the way there. You can help tell this story before it is too late.
From the Abington Journal: St. Stanislaus Polish National Catholic Cathedral Block Party, from 5 to 10 p.m. continuing through the 27th. Corner of Pittston Avenue and East Elm Street, Scranton. Features a variety of foods, drinks, games and music. Info: 570.961.9231
From the Republican Herald: Around the Region
Shenandoah: Of all the houses of worship ever in the borough – there were 18, including those now defunct – only two are on the east side. They are St. Stephen Roman Catholic Church, East Oak Street, and the First United Methodist Church, Oak and White streets. The church/synagogue count includes Catholic (Roman [, Polish National,] and Ukrainian), Orthodox, Protestant and Jewish. Defunct houses of worship include Kehillat Israel Synagogue, the Russian Orthodox Church, Our Lady of Mercy Syrian Catholic and Holy Family German Catholic. Although the St. George Roman Catholic Church building no longer exists, the parish family remains functional. Still existing are Annunciation BVM, St. Stanislaus, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, St. Stephen and St. Casimir Roman Catholic, St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic, Holy Ghost Polish National, St. John’s Lutheran, Trinity United Church of Christ, First Baptist, Restoration Fellowship, Primitive Methodist and First United Methodist. In years past, the Greater Shenandoah Area Historical Society sponsored tours of the various churches.
From The Dispatch: Holy Mother of Sorrows to host music convention
The National United Choir (NUC) 22nd Music Workshop/30th General Convention hosted by the Scranton Chapter Circle Choir will be held at Holy Mother of Sorrows Church on Wednesday, July 27, through Friday, July 29. This workshop brings together the many talents of organists, choir members and musicians dedicated to the music ministry of the Polish National Catholic Church.
The convention will open on Wednesday with a Mass at Holy Mother of Sorrows beginning at 5:00 p.m. concelebrated by the Prime Bishop Anthony Mikovsky of the Polish National Catholic Church, United States and Canada; Bishop John Mack of the Diocese of Central Scranton, New York and New Jersey; Bishop Thomas Gnat, Bishop of the New England Diocese, Bishop Anthony Popka, Bishop of the Diocese of Chicago and Father Zbigniew Dawid, Pastor of Holy Mother of Sorrows.
Five instructors will give their expertise in music over the two day workshop: Dr. Jim Ploshanka of Cleveland, Ohio; Dr. Neil Stahurski of Pittsburgh, Patrick Marsinko, II; Scranton; Lisa McConlogue, Scranton, Director of Vocal Music at Scranton High School and Wendy Blotzer, McKeesport, Math Teacher, Clairiton City, who has served the National United Choirs as a Music Commission member, Music Scholarship Reviewer and Composer.
The Convention/ Workshop participants will review the new organist handbook, expand the music scholarship program which has awarded more than $330,000 since its inception in 1966 to parishioners committed to the music ministry, prepare music selections for the two free concerts and introduce their newly published church hymnal. This one of a kind hymnal includes all of the traditional Polish hymns from all the holidays plus customary church songs with the Polish verses on one side and the English translation on the other side. Volunteers from all parishes throughout the continental United States spent 20 years crafting this hymnal.
On Thursday, July 28, and Friday, July 29, after the days convention the National United Choir will hold two concerts free of charge and will be open to the public. Both concerts will be held in Holy Mother of Sorrows Church starting at 7:00 p.m.
On Thursday the Ekumen Chorale the Premier Eastern European Choral Ensemble of Northeastern Pa. conducted by Patrick Marsinko, II will perform sacred choral works compiled by composers of Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Belarus.
Marsinko, founder and conductor of the Ekumne since its creation in 1985 is a native and resident of Northeastern Pa. and holds Bachelor’s Degree in Language and Music from the University of Miami. He studied for his Master’s Degree in Rome and at the Eastern European Institute at Fordham University. He has worked with the Miami Symphony, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic. He has taught at Marywood University and Keystone Junior College, was Director of the Keystone Choir and has also taught in the Scranton and Archbald Public School Systems for the past 28 years.
Friday’s concert will include all the visiting Bishops with the workshop participants singing a selection of songs from the new hymnal featuring Dr. Neil Stahurski as organist.
Following this concert refreshment will be served in the parish hall. All are welcome.
The National United Choir has commissioned the hymnals for sale to the public. If you are interested contact Raymond Makowski, Librarian of the NUS at 1233 Rundel St, Scranton, Pa. 18504, or call 570-346-6756. The cost is $25.00 and $3.00 for shipping. He will also have the hymnals available after the concerts on Thursday and Friday.
From the Northwest Indiana Times: East Chicago church blesses new Cedar Lake home
The Rev. Anthony Mikovsky, seventh prime bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church, and the Rev. Anthony Kopka, diocesan bishop of the Western Diocese, are presented bread and salt by James Szalony and Katherine Long during Sunday’s dedication of St. Michael the Archangel National Catholic Church in Cedar Lake. Kopka mixed blessed salt, wine, ashes and water to make Gregorian water, which traditionally is used to consecrate churches and altars.
The church dedicated the first phase of its new complex in Cedar Lake on Sunday afternoon. In addition to parishioners and clergy of other faiths, special guests included Town Council President Robert Carnahan and two officials from Pangere Corp., which built the new building at 6629 W. 133th Ave.
“This day we bless our parish,” said St. Michael’s pastor, the Rev. John P. Kowalczyk.
As part of the ceremony, Pangere’s Robert Grow and Steve Pangere presented Kowalczyk, Dale Wynant, parish committee chairman, and Bill Burket, relocation committee chairman, with keys to the building. “May the building stand 100 years,” Grow said.
St. Michael’s sold its original church, in East Chicago, in 2007. Until the opening of the new church building, parishioners celebrated Mass at Great Oaks Banquets in Cedar Lake.
Carnahan presented the building’s certificate of occupancy on behalf of the Town Council.
“It is a privilege and an honor to do so,” he said.
The dedication ceremony was conducted by Kowalczyk, the Rev. Anthony Mikovsky, seventh prime bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church, and the Rev. Anthony Kopka, diocesan bishop of the Western Diocese. Other Polish National Catholic clergy attended, as well as ecumenical guests from United Methodist, Zion United Church of Christ and local Catholic churches.
After the keys and certificate of occupancy were presented, the processional cross led the way. The bishops first blessed the church entrance and the area of the building to be used as a hall. In the hall, Kopka mixed blessed salt, wine, ashes and water to make Gregorian water, which traditionally is used to consecrate churches and altars. The church’s sanctuary space was then blessed and its altar consecrated.
The bishop blessed items from the parish’s old church, including an offertory table, tabernacle, pulpit and woodcut panels depicting the stations of the cross.St. Michael the Archangel National Catholic Church was first established in East Chicago in 1903. Its earliest parishioners were Polish. It reached 200 members by the 1940s.
A new church, with more than 50 stained glass windows donated by parish families, was built in East Chicago in the 1950s. English Masses were added in the 1960s and the church continued to grow. Its 100th anniversary was celebrated Sept. 28, 2003.
The last Mass in the old church was celebrated Nov. 18, 2007. The parish purchased 7.75 acres on 133rd Avenue in Cedar Lake in 2008. Groundbreaking for the new church complex was March 8, 2009.
From the Times Leader: Ashley Legion honors vets with monument: Tribute to fallen veterans and victims of 9/11 is dedicated at Club 79
WILKES-BARRE – With pomp and circumstance, the five uniformed members of the Ashley American Legion Post 673 paid tribute to America’s fallen veterans and the victims of 9/11 on Monday by dedicating a monument in front of Club 79 on Blackman Street.
The ceremony was arranged by Club 79 owner Charles Hoynowski, who also purchased the monument, which reads, “To all veterans and those 2,982 victims who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.”
The ceremony began with the Very Rev. Thaddeus Dymkowski of Holy Cross Polish National Catholic Church in Wilkes-Barre saying a prayer and then blessing the monument with holy water. Legion chaplain Arthur Prandy then made some remarks.
“We are gathered here today to dedicate this memorial in honor of the victims of the terrible 9/11 tragedy, where so many people lost their lives, and to honor all of our deceased veterans,” Prandy said.
Following Prandy’s comments, three members of the legion fired blanks from guns in memory of the honored, and legion bugler Charles Falcheck played “Taps” on his bugle. An American flag was hoisted up a pole behind the monument.
Ashley American Legion members are responsible for attending local military funerals and delivering military honors. They receive their assignments from Officer Warren Gallagher of Scranton, who gets his information from Fort Dix in New Jersey.
Post Commander Tom Paul of Ashley was pleased with the ceremony.
“I think it’s a great thing,” he said. “We should have more monuments out there for our veterans and for what happened during 9/11.”
Hoynowski, 68, was inspired to place the monument due in part to his own experiences in uniform; he served in the U.S. Navy from 1961-67 and was a state trooper from 1972 to 1992.
“We were supposed to place the monument five years ago, but the club was having financial problems,” he said. “Now that the club is doing better, we’re finally doing it.”
In addition to dedicating the monument, Club 79 will also donate a $100 check to the Flight 93 National Memorial Campaign Fund in Washington, D.C. This campaign raises funds for a proposed memorial located in Shanksville to honor the Flight 93 passengers who thwarted another terrorist attack on 9/11.
When I was working to put together some of the directory for this website, the St. Peter and Paul Polish National Catholic Church at first eluded me. A business located farther down State Pier Road informed me that I’d overshot the building, and I found it amid a small cluster of buildings. The small wooden structure is slightly obscured by trees, located next to a housing project and the larger Faith Fellowship church, across from the Old Town Mill, and almost directly under one of the ramps leading to the Gold Star Bridge.
The denomination itself dates back to 1897 when it split from the Roman Catholic Church to incorporate Polish language and culture. The New London church was founded 90 years ago, in 1921, when the area had a Polish neighborhood to help sustain it. With attrition and the changing surroundings, the membership has dwindled to about 20, and only about 10 people were at the service I attended on Mother’s Day (the third Sunday of Easter). It’s a small but vibrant group dedicated to keeping the church active.
Stepping inside the church almost seemed like entering another world. The interior was well-maintained, with a bright altar holding several religious figures. Simple blue and gold windows let in the light, but none of the sound, from outside. Inside the sanctuary, the rumble of the interstate traffic overhead was nonexistent.
Rev. Stanley Kaszubski, the church’s pastor, says the Polish church is similar to the Roman Catholic Church, but does not fall under the Pope’s administration. Other differences include the right of priests to marry and a ceremony at the beginning of the service where confession is done silently and followed by general absolution. The program does not outline every step of the service, but the members seem to know where to find the necessary responses in a booklet entitled “The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.”
The service is remarkably quick, lasting about 45 minutes. A significant portion of that time includes the prayers and proclamations leading into the communion, presented by Kaszubski at the front of the church. Kaszubski also gave a brief address, smiling as he dedicated the mass to the mothers and encouraged everyone to enjoy the beautiful weather. His lesson gave another encouragement, saying Christians often look to personally experience Christ but don’t share it with others.
“We really need God every day in our lives,” he said.
Kaszubski, a native of Poland, has served in other churches in the denomination, including one in Manchester and one in Webster, Mass. He served 12 years as administrator of the New London church before he was appointed pastor last year. The services are open to all, not just those of Polish descent, and he said he is always available to assist anyone with their troubles.
“We are here, we will be here, and anyone is invited to worship,” he said.
Kathy Donlon, who has attended the church for five years, said Kaszubski’s upbeat and welcoming attitude was one of the main factors that made her decide to become a member. She said she particularly enjoys the homilies Kaszubski delivers, as they make a strong connection with the congregants.
“You feel like he’s almost family, because it’s such a small church,” said Donlon.
Colleen (Rzepniewski) Pinckney said she was christened in the church and has attended regularly since 2000. She feels a personal connection to the church, as her grandfather helped found the church and her father retrieved the chandelier hanging in the sanctuary as part of his work in house demolition.
“The feeling that I have when I’m here, the feeling of belonging…there’s definitely a connection for me, and I can’t explain it because it comes from my heart,” said Pinckney.
With increasing expenses and decreasing membership, the church is still going but poised to make a big change. It is working to sell the church to the New London Homeless Hospitality Center, at which point they would move both the daytime operations and night shelter into the building. The members would continue to meet next door, in the conference room in the rectory.
For Pinckney, the change will be bittersweet. She said she was initially upset with the idea of turning over the church to another group. However, she said she was happy it would be used as a “continuation of God’s work.”
From the National Council of Churches: National Council of Churches member communions say the death of Bin Laden must be a turning point
New York, May 3, 2011 – The death Sunday of Osama Bin Laden does not “eradicate the scourge of terrorism,” but it should stimulate the churches to commit themselves “to moving forward together as witnesses for God’s love and peace.”
The statement, released Tuesday on behalf of the National Council’s member communions, says:
The death of Osama Bin Laden is a significant moment in the turbulent history of the past decade. It does not eradicate the scourge of terrorism nor does it bring closure to the grieving and pain the world has endured since the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, for which he was the primary architect. The National Council of Churches deplores and condemns the extremism he personified, the twisted illusions that wrought years of violence and evil in the world.
Now the member communions of the National Council of Churches pray for God’s help as we commit ourselves to moving forward together as witnesses for God’s love and peace. In November 2001, as the world reeled from the terror attacks, the General Assembly of the National Council of Churches and Church World Service challenged their communions to take the lead:
It is time [we said then] for us as an ecumenical community to make a renewed commitment to a ministry of peace with justice, and to make real in these days the call of Jesus, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44) In his Beatitudes, Jesus calls us, his followers, to be merciful if we are to receive mercy; he reminds us that the peacemakers are blessed and will be called children of God. And, he proclaims us “the light of the world”; our good works should be a beacon to others so they may give glory to God. (Matthew 5:14-16)…
The NCC includes the PNCC and the statement was signed by the Rev. Robert M. Nemkovich, Jr., Ecumenical Officer of the Polish National Catholic Church in America.
From the Albany Times Union: Seeking divine sustenance: The Capital Region’s faithful celebrate Easter with a truly diverse range of traditional fare
Throughout the generations, Christian immigrants brought along not only the rituals of their religion but also favorite foods for the celebration of Easter.
After sundown on Holy Saturday, a cauldrum of fire to light the paschal candle — signifying Christ, the light of the world — burns outside a Loudonville church of a longstanding Polish National Catholic congregation.
In Albany on Sunday, Nigerians and Ghanaians in African garb celebrate Christ’s resurrection with drumming and singing in their native dialects at the International Christian Fellowship Ministry.
After the Easter service at the First United Methodist Church Hispanic Emmanuel Faith Community in Rensselaer, Caribbean sweet drinks quench the thirst of the congregation led by Pastor Mariana Rodriquez. Some three dozen members gather in the parish hall for a chicken dinner and a Cuban drink made from sweet potatoes, and one from red beans with roots in the Domincan Republic.
Sweet is also favored by Germans in delicacies like marzipan, an almond paste, in the shape of a lamb. “Jesus was the lamb of God, and that means good luck,” says Glen Eggelhoefer, owner of Rolf’s Pork Store in Albany’s West Hill. Ham and lamb are the most common main courses.
“After 40 days of Great Lent, after fasting, it is now time to celebrate and taste food — a gift from God,” said the Rev. Mark Gnidzinski, pastor of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Czestochowa. Founded by Polish immigrants in Albany in 1920, the parish celebrated its first Mass at its suburban home on Easter Sunday in 1999.
In Polish and Eastern European tradition, swieconka is the blessing in church of decorated Easter baskets filled with kielbasa, horseradish, bread, butter lambs and colored eggs that signify new life. The food graces the Easter dinner table…
From the Times-Tribune: Residents still dependent on community to help make ends meet
At first, Sally Kurtz felt strange walking into a neighborhood food pantry and accepting a box of items that would help her make it through the week. But as it became harder and harder for the Scranton woman, who retired from her maintenance job two years ago, to make ends meet, she found herself depending more and more on the soup kitchens and other community services.
“Buying heating oil is expensive; all my utilities are expensive,” she said. “I don’t know what I’d do without the food pantries and the soup kitchens around here.”
On Saturday, Mrs. Kurtz joined dozens of others at St. Stanislaus Polish National Catholic Cathedral’s Youth Center, 530 E. Elm St. in Scranton, for a monthly free hot meal. It is one of several places around the area where people can gather for some food and friendship, and organizers said they have seen an increase in the number of people who come to eat since they began the program three years ago.
“We’re seeing more people every month,” said Carol Nasser, who helps out at the monthly meal. “The recession isn’t over, not for a lot of people.”
Also at the youth center for a free meal was Ann Thorne of Scranton. She has been out of work since August and has had little success in finding even temporary jobs. And though it was the first time she had ever been to St. Stanislaus, she said she was glad she had heard about it.
“I’m worried about paying bills,” she said. “I’m trying to make it on my own, but it’s hard.”
Both women say they worry about state budget cuts proposed earlier this month by Gov. Tom Corbett, some of which may make it harder for agencies that help people struggling with unemployment and soaring bills. Funding for food pantries, homeless shelters and other social services is in jeopardy, and both women said they are not sure where else they would go for help if local programs were to disappear.
“It will make it harder for me,” Ms. Thorne said.
Father Charles Csirip, one of the volunteers at the monthly meal, said the church and other community groups have come forward in the last few years to help those struggling and would continue to do so.
“People are doing better, but they’re uncertain that they’re going to stay better,” he said.
From the Baltimore Sun: No Polish Festival this year for shrinking Fells Point community: Festival was at Rash Field, Patterson Park
Warm, melodic polka music still fills the Polish Home Club in Fells Point every Saturday night, where rounds of the house drink — golden, honey-flavored Krupnik — are passed around the bar and quickly drained.
But the decidedly older crowd — one member recalled the first time he walked into the club, still recovering from injuries he sustained fighting in World War II — has thinned as residents from the Polish community die off, with many of their children already having left the neighborhood.
And now, a major symbol of the community’s vibrant past is fleeting: There will be no Baltimore Polish Festival this year for the first time in nearly four decades. When the celebration returns next year, it’s likely to be held at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.
“We’ve been in the city all of this time. It’s a sad thing we have to move now,” said Steve Lesniewski, president of the Polish Community Association of Maryland, which organizes the festival. Lesniewski is also the vice president of the Polish Home Club. “You hate to see things fall by the wayside but it happens. … Polish organizations are drying up.”
Each June, the festival has attracted throngs from all over the city over a three-day weekend to celebrate Baltimore’s Polish community — largely congregated in Southeast Baltimore’s Upper Fells Point neighborhood, where immigrants established a number of churches, small businesses and social clubs.
The festival featured pierogies, golabki (a stuffed cabbage dish) and kielbasa. Guests drank beers such as Zywiec and Okocim, and danced to music at three stages. The celebration kicked off the city’s ethnic festival season each summer. This would have been its 38th year in Baltimore; after a long run at Rash Field, the celebration moved to Patterson Park in 1990…
Baltimore’s PNCC Parish, Holy Cross, always had a food sales booth at the festival.
From the Times-Tribune Namedropper:
The Most Rev. John F. Swantek, prime bishop emeritus of the Polish National Catholic Church, was a guest speaker at the weekly Lenten Soup and Sermon series at Elm Park United Methodist Church, Scranton. The series is based on the theme, “Words to the Cross.” Ed E. Rogers, a trustee at Elm Park Church, introduced Father [sic] Swantek. The Rev. C. Gerald Blake Jr., is pastoral associate at the host church.
In a press release issued by the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame last week, Ron Urbanczyk of the New Direction Band was named to its class of 2011 inductees. Renowned Western New York Polka musician Ron Urbanczyk is a veteran band leader, musician, promoter and author who works as the concertina player with the New Direction Band. Urbanczyk will be honored along with his fellow inductees at the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame Gala, to be held on October 6th at the Tralf Music Hall.
The Buffalo Music Hall of Fame Class of 2011, will be introduced to the public in downtown Buffalo on Wednesday, July 27th in front of the M&T Plaza at noon.
Ron is only the fifth “polka musician” to be honored by the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame. His nomination was presented to the selection committee in March and after their review and scoring process, Ron was selected.
The BMHOF selection committee judges nominee’s based on their musical talents and tenure, community service activities, professional achievements, career highlights and the performers public visibility on the local and national levels.
Amongst Ron’s musical talents of playing the accordion, bass guitar, concertina and keyboard, his dinner theatre brainchild, Stas and Stella’s Mostly Traditional Polish Wedding, and his song writing abilities, six new originals will be featured on the New Direction’s first CD which they hope to record late this summer, were recognized.
He has played polkas for almost 50 years with the Jolly Jesters, Pole Cats, Steel City Brass, Buffalo Concertina All-Stars, Honky Hoppers, Bedrock Boys and City Side prior to forming the New Direction Band in 2009 with Jim Raczkowski, Bob Krupka, Frank Zeczak and Bill Barnas.
Ron put a trip together after receiving an invitation by the Chemnitz Mueseum of Art & Culture for the Buffalo Concertina Club in 2001. They traveled and performed in Chemnitz and Gruna, Germany, and Krakow and Rzeszow, Poland and visited Prague in the Czech Republic. He found sponsorship from the Deutsche Bank, PUA and Buffalo-Rzeszow Sister Cities Organization to cover the bands expenses.
In conjunction with WXRL 1300, a children’s clothing drive and cash donations for the Children’s Orphanage in Rzeszow was held. Boxes of clothing and $2,000 were collected and given to the Orphanage.
When little Timmy Gusevich was diagnosed with leukemia and Ron found out Greg Gusevich, Tim’s Father had lost his job and health insurance, Ron rounded up fellow Buffalo Polka Musicians at the Potts Banquet Hall to run a benefit dance for Tim, that event earned over $4000.
Ron also brought polka music into venues that were once thought off limits, the New York State Fair, Hamburg Casino, Batavia Casino, Miss Buffalo, town concerts in East Aurora, West Seneca, Orchard Park, Lackawanna and even to Club Lorelei an exclusive German club to name a few.
Ron is an active member of the Buffalo Polka Boosters, United States Polka Association, International Polka Association, Concertina USA, and is responsible for airing It’s Polka Time a one hour polka show on Time Warner Cable outlets in the Suburbs of Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Lockport. Ron and his wife Kathy have also escorted, polka fans from Buffalo on four Caribbean Cruises and to all inclusive vacations at resorts on several Caribbean islands.
Most recently, Ron started as an IJ on the Polka Legacy Network on Tuesday nights from 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm. Listen in. Ron’s format features Buffalo Bands and Musicians.
So Ron is well deserving of his induction into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame and we look forward to the October induction ceremony.
The Buffalo-Pittsburgh Diocese of the PNCC will be hosting Convo 2012: Confirmed to Walk on Water from July 23rd-27th, 2012 at Niagara University in Niagara Falls, NY. As we hit the one year count-down to Convo 2012, keep all of the youth of the PNCC in your collective prayers.
For more information, visit the Convo website on Facebook or the Convo 2012 website.
In follow-up to an earlier post from October 2010 —
From the IRS: IRS Identifies Organizations that Have Lost Tax-Exempt Status – Special Steps Announced to Help Revoked Groups
The Internal Revenue Service announced that it has released a listing of approximately 275,000 organizations that under the law have automatically lost their tax-exempt status because they have not filed annual reports as legally required for the past three years. If an organization appears on the list of auto-revoked organizations it is because IRS records indicate the organization has a filing requirement and has not filed the required returns or notices for 2007, 2008 and 2009.
The IRS has issued guidance on how organizations can apply for reinstatement of their tax-exempt status, including retroactive reinstatement. In addition, the IRS announced transition relief for certain smaller tax-exempt groups – those with annual gross receipts of $50,000 or less for 2010 and eligible to file Form 990-N, the e-Postcard. The relief allows eligible revoked groups to gain retroactive tax-exempt status and pay a reduced application fee of $100 rather than the typical $400 fee. More information, including FAQs and a Fact Sheet, can be found on the IRS website.
The 2011 Polish Summer Festival at the Albany Polish Community Center, 225 Washington Ave Ext., Albany, NY on Sunday, July 10th from 1:30 – 7pm.
Music, Dancing, Polish-American food, Kids’ activities, Polish exhibits and Polka Music by the Polka Country Musicians from 2:30 – 6:30pm
Children 16 and under free admission, Spacious Dance Floor, Plenty of Parking.
For reservations please call Tom Raymond at 518-283-0129 or Frank Koslow at 518-456-1961.
On the opening of your Parish home and your Catholic presence in North Java, New York. The former St. Nicholas Parish church, established in 1891, was closed by the R.C. Diocese of Buffalo in 2008. The Roman Catholic Diocese sold the church, along with its land and buildings, including a school and convent, to the people of Holy Family Parish.
In the PNCC, the faithful of the Church hold title to, and fully own their land, buildings, and parish possessions, democratically managing and controlling them.
From the Arcade Herald: North Java church reopens
The Holy Family Parish National Catholic Church in North Java held a service Saturday, June 11, to officially re-open the doors of the church. Empty for two years, the original church was closed as part of the [Roman] Catholic Diocese’s Journey in Faith and Grace downsizing effort, and was recently purchased by the Holy Polish [National] Catholic Church. Parishioners and clergy gathered at the entrance of the building to begin a service in which the church building was blessed and dedicated.
Bishop Thaddeus Peplowski came from Buffalo to conduct the Dedication Mass. A number of parishioners from Peplowski’s church also attended to worship and celebrate, along with about 40 people that had attended the church in North Java on the two previous Sundays. Before the building was purchased, North Java parishioners were meeting at the fire hall for their Mass.
The church will hold Sunday Mass at 10:00 a.m. each week. As it grows and becomes more organized, the parish committee hopes to expand the number of services. The building itself still requires some repair work, and the committee is making plans to move forward with that to make it more suitable for worship.
After the mass on Saturday, the people met outside behind the church building for a picnic reception.