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Twenty Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time – “C” – Heritage Sunday – October 20, 2013

From the Pastor, PNCC /

The Polish-American Credo

I am a Polish-American

In my veins flows the blood of patriots, kings, scholars, scientists, and courages peasants. I am the descendant of Nicholas Copernicus reaching for the stars, Madame Marie Skłodowska Curie unreveling the mysteries of nature and Ignacy Jan Paderewski uplifting the soul of man.

Yes, I am a Polish-American

My heart beats with a love for my ancestral homeland and for my country, this young United States of America. When tyranny of depotism has threatened, I have always been the first to resist.

I was with Jan III Sobieski lifting the siege of Vienna, Austria, Kazimierz Pułaski in Savannah, Tadeusz Kościuszko at West Point and the RAF over Channel skies in Britain. I am a poet like Adam Mickiewicz and a musician like Fryderyk Chopin.

In the Polish tradition of friendship, freedom and fidelity, I stand in solidarity with all who pursue the paths to peace, justice and human dignity.

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Solemnity of the Christian Family – October 6, 2013

From the Pastor, PNCC /

Today we consider the family. We are inclined to just dismiss the possibility that our families can be like the Holy Family. We forget that Jesus’ family was holy because they lived united to God.

Being a holy Christian family means being a family separate for the Lord. To be holy means to be set distinct from all that is not holy. So for our families to be holy we have to choose that which is often contrary to the choices made by other families. For example, we keep immoral material, shows, etc. out of our houses because we ask God to dwell there. At the same time we, actually you, have to be very careful of where your children are visiting or staying overnight because other families might allow immorality into their homes, or, simply, not supervise their own children. This could earn you a lot of criticism.

Being a holy christian family demands that our homes be places of prayer. The Church, at least in our country, is still suffering from the misconception that worship takes place only on Sundays and in the churches and that religious instruction is the exclusive realm of parish programs. This is all wrong. We come to Church on Sundays to be united to Christ in Word and Sacrament so that we can strengthen the union that takes place in our home. Some families do this through the family rosary. Others have family prayer at bedtime. Most make it a point to have family prayer before meals.

When you send your children to religious education for the basic outline of what you need to communicate to your children every day. Parents, not parishes, are the first teachers of their children in the ways of the faith. Some parents hold themselves back in this area because they feel unworthy to teach their children about God. They forget, God makes them worthy. Just as your authority as moms and dads gives you the grace to impart God’s blessing on your children, and many of you do this every night, so also your authority as moms and dads gives you the grace to impart God’s knowledge to your children. You do not have to be theologians to teach faith. You just need to be united to God. Many of you have raised your children. Some of these now have their own families. You are the matriarchs and patriarchs. You still need to point your children and grandchildren to the Lord. You can no longer determine what they are exposed to in their homes, but you can and must give them the example of union with God. Your children and your grandchildren still look to you to be holy christian family.

Many of you are married but do not have children, others of us are called to the single life. We must center our spirituality in our homes. If we are united to God in our homes, we will not be hypocrites when we fulfill the call of evangelization, bringing His Presence to all aropund us. Whether there are children at home or not, the center of our spiritual life must be our homes. That is why we need to give God our day when we wake up, morning prayer, and thank Him for our day when we go to bed, night prayer. We need to keep our minds pure so we can speak to the Lord all day. The heart of our parish is not the church. The heart of the universal church is not the Vatican or Scranton. The heart of the church is the family. We pray today, that all our families might be holy families.

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Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – “C” – October 6, 2013

From the Pastor /

Some may see a contradiction in praying to a God you have just put on trial, but, in fact, this is in line with the Jewish tradition of being completely devoted to God while feeling totally frustrated by God’s silence and inaction. The Psalms are full of such questions: “How long, O Lord?”; “Why have You forgotten me?”; “Why are You so distant?”; “My God, why have You forsaken me?” God simply tells Habakkuk: Wait, trust, keep faith – “the upright man will live by his faithfulness.” Today’s Gospel echoes the call to remain faithful. This section of St. Luke’s Gospel deals with the challenging demands of discipleship. Jesus calls His disciples to be people of faith – He says that even a small amount of faith is enough to work miracles, to achieve great things. The next passage in St. Luke’s Gospel tells the story of Jesus curing 10 lepers, of whom only one came back to thank Jesus. Jesus invites the disciples to see themselves as that leper – people who have been healed, reconciled, gifted by God’s love. If they remember who God is – and what God has done for them – then they too will wish to give God thanks.

Today’s Gospel speaks of the obedience that is only proper response to God’s love. If we look for reward, if our motive in serving God is self-serving, then we miss the point. The Holocaust survivor, Viktor Franks, suggested that if we live our lives in the pursuit of our own happiness, then it will elude us. He said that we can only find happiness by forgetting about it and by dedicating our lives to a cause greater than ourselves. This make sense for Christians. We don’t serve God out of fear, or stale duty, or even hope of heaven, but rather, because we know – we remember – what the Lord has done for us. Even when life makes us wonder if God is listening at all, even when we feel overwhelmed, we cling to our faith, because it is rooted in God’s prior faithfulness and graciousness to us. Remembering this is what enables us to live by faith, even in the face of the apparent silence or absence of God. It is such faith that moves mountains, uproots mulberry trees and enables men and women to pray, even in the hell of Auschwitz.

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Twenty Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time – “C” – September 29, 2013

From the Pastor /

In the Gospel parable today, Jesus shows how in the reign of God there is a reversal of what we might be used to. The kingdom of God is an upside-down kingdom. In our world, who is recognized by name? The rich and powerful. Well, in the parable, the rich man has no name – Dives, the name traditionally given him, simply means “rich”. The poor man has a name: Lazarus. In the parable, the rich man – because he knew the name of Lazarus – obviously knew Lazarus was present at his doorstep, but he went right by him on a daily basis, never paying any attention. After their death we see Lazarus, the poor man, described as being in place of honor in heaven. The rich man is not even present at that banquet. This shows how God has a preferential love for poor and vulnerable people. It’s those who are poor who are valued and cherished the most.

If we take this message seriously we will no longer walk past a homeless person or beggar in the street. Yet the parable prompts deeper reflection. There is something dramatically wrong in situation where the rich have everything and the poor are like Lazarus – dying of starvation and at the mercy of the elements. We are being taught to see structural social injustice as sin and to take on responsibility for it. Could it be that you and I are living with Lazarus in our midst and we do not even perceive it as sinful? Look at the situation of our world. 1/5 of the world’s people are like Lazarus at our door, in absolute poverty and starving – 30,000 children dying every day from hunger or hunger-related causes. The Gospel highlights this distance between rich and poor people and communities, which continues in our own time. 1/3 of the world’s population owns almost everything, leaving the other 2/3 to suffer. Jesus warns us to do something about it. Was Abraham right when he said that we would not listen? We can learn from what the prophet Amos says in the first reading today. It isn’t wrong to have material things, but it is wrong to live a lifestyle completely focused on self. We are called to engage ourselves in action for justice, participating in that transformation of the world, picking up on the rich heritage of the Church’s social teachings. Let us reflect on St. Paul’s instruction to Timothy in the second reading today: “You must aim to be saintly and religious, filled with faith and love, patient and gentle.” Let us too aim to live that life that we received at baptism – a life that calls us to pursue justice, compassion and love.

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A Grand Day of Thanksgiving

About us, Frackville, PNCC /

From the Republican Herald: Frackville PNCC marks 90 years since founding

FRACKVILLE – The celebration of the 90th anniversary of St. John the Baptist Polish National Catholic Church on Sunday remembered the past, reveled in the present and looked toward the future with faith, hope and charity.

Members and friends of the parish gathered for the 3 p.m. Mass, with the Right Rev. Bernard J. Nowicki, bishop ordinary of the Central Diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church, as the main celebrant. Concelebrants included the Rev. Robert P. Plichta, pastor; the Rev. Felix Pyzowski, a son of the parish; the Very Rev. Thaddeus J. Dymkowski, administrative senior of the Plymouth Seniorate; the Rev. Joseph Cyman, pastor of St. John’s from 1999 to 2003, when Plichta came to Frackville, and the Rev. Richard Wosiak. Deacon Michael Seward assisted at the altar.

An outdoor procession of clergy and laity walked from the parish hall along Oak Street and entered the church. Nowicki was greeted at the entrance by James Chistakoff, chairman of the parish committee, and Elizabeth Greenman, president of the Blessed Sacrament. They presented the traditional gifts of bread and salt. The procession entered the main church, with the bishop, Cyman and Seward standing at the altar. The opening prayer made reference to the anniversary.

“This is a place of awe; this is God’s house, the gate of Heaven, and it shall be called the royal court of God,” Nowicki said.

“Lord Jesus Christ, the faith community of St. John the Baptist Parish is celebrating 90 years of service and dedication to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church,” he continued. “May all the departed organizers, faithful and clergy, come to rejoice with all the saints in Your presence. May Your truth grow in the hearts of the faithful and clergy who continue to spread the Good News to the people of Frackville and local environs. May we worship You always in Your holy temple.”

The first and second readings were presented by James Abicunas and Joanne Plaxa, respectively. After the Gospel reading by Seward, Nowicki gave the homily.

“Everyone who calls St. John the Baptist in Frackville his or her spiritual home, friends and sympathizers of this jubilee parish today, I greet you all in the name of our glorious risen savior, Jesus Christ,” Nowicki said.

The parish was organized in 1923 under the blessing and jurisdiction of the Right Rev. Bishop Francis Hodur, the prime (first) bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church in America. By 1921, about 60 families of Polish descent had settled in Frackville. Not happy as members of the Roman Catholic parish of St. Anne in Frackville, about 40 families approached the pastor of Holy Ghost Polish National Catholic Church in Shenandoah and after receiving permission from Hodur, St. John the Baptist Parish was organized. The parish currently has about 65 members.

Land was purchased at Oak and Second streets and a church was built. In 1968, a new church building was constructed on the site and the first Mass was celebrated on Easter Sunday that year.

In addition to Pyzowski, another parish son entered the priesthood, the Right Rev. Walter A. Slowakiewicz, a Shenandoah native who was consecrated bishop on June 26, 1968, and served as fourth bishop of the PNCC’s Eastern Diocese from 1972 until his death in 1978.

Plichta spoke to the congregation at the conclusion of Mass, thanking Nowicki and the clergy who participated in the liturgy.

“You made this event more spiritual and more meaningful to all of us,” Plichta said. “I also thank our choir and organist, to those people who read the Word of God for us, and also to those parishioners who participated in the general intercessions.”

Plichta’s youngest daughter, Veronica Kristina, 6, walked up the center aisle and gave a bouquet of flowers to the bishop.

After Mass, Cyman said he enjoyed coming back to Frackville for the special occasion.

“The parish is still vibrant and still has a lot to offer to the community,” he said. “It’s so nice to see folks that I remember when I was here. It is really great to be here seeing the people who I worked with for four years and it is good to see some new people, as well. It’s a great parish and a nice community.”

An anniversary dinner was served in the parish hall following the ceremony.

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Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time – “C” – September 22, 2013

From the Pastor /

In the days of His public life, Jesus also used stories as His favored method of helping people to see the truth.

Today’s story is an intriguing tale of master and servant, and money and sly dealing, and the lesson is clear. As Jesus tells it, the servant who loses his job knows exactly what he needs to do to get himself into another job and a secure future: use his position to make friends with other people who will then take care of him. Smart move, good thinking! So, says the Lord, use your gifts and talents in a joyful and generous way with others, and so prepare for yourself a highway to heaven. Learnm that life is God’s gift to you, a gift to be rejoiced in and shared for the benefit of all. It is not a private possessions to be hoarded to oneself, to accumulate pleasures and privileges that only you can enjoy.

Today St. Paul reminds us that God wants everybody to be saved, not just some people. And so prayers should be said for all people, and especially for those in power, so that we may all live in peace in this world. See people as God sees them, Paul tells us, not as we see them. They are children of the living God, the same as we are. Our life is based on love of God and love of neighbor, and our lofe fluorishes when these two values are fulfilled in us. Using life merely for my own ends and purposes, with no care for others, is the road to misery.

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