PNCC

Solemnity of Pentecost – May 23, 2021

Frackville, From the Pastor, PNCC /

The Gospel today is the promise that Jesus makes to send the Holy Spirit, and Pentecost is the fulfilment of that promise. At Pentecost the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and were able to proclaim the truth of Jesus. Jesus also teaches the connection between the gift of the Spirit and the truth. Without the Divine inspiration that comes from God we are unable to fully express the richness of God’s being and love. 

This giving of the Holy Spirit takes place on two levels, the collective and the personal. At the collective level the Spirit is given to the whole Church, starting with the apostles. The Spirit empowered the apostles to speak in many different languages the truth about the love and goodness of God. On an individual level we receive the Spirit at baptism, and we are given the gifts of faith, hope and charity. As St Paul puts it, we become temples of the Holy Spirit. We are empowered to know and love God and to bear witness to the saving truth. At Pentecost the Holy Spirit hovers over the Church to give birth to the mystical body of Christ. At our baptism the Holy Spirit comes to us to empower us. 

We live the life of Pentecost primarily through participating in the sacraments, through a life of prayer and good works. The Holy Spirit gives us what are known as the seven gifts, to empower us to pray, to enter ever deeper into the life of the Trinity. As well as the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit there are also the fruits of the Holy Spirit. This, as given in today’s second reading, is a beautiful list of the results of living a life in the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control. 

The Holy Spirit dwelling in us does not make us puppets but empowers us to be genuinely free and achieve our potential as children and co-workers of God. There is one very concrete way in which we can bear witness to the truth of Jesus and the Gospel. Guided by the Spirit, we can speak of the things of God, we can speak honestly, speaking the truth in love. This can go from explaining our faith to others, to saying kind and encouraging words to each other, the sort of words that build up, and not those that destroy. So, the Holy Spirit makes us children of God, but also helps us mature in Christ to the fullness of truth; as an ancient hymn puts it, the Holy Spirit is the Father’s promise, “teaching little ones to speak and understand.”

Solemnity of Pentecost – May 23, 2021 Read More »

Good Friday – April 10, 2020

Frackville, From the Pastor, PNCC /

We have listened to the story of Jesus giving His life for us. St. John tells us that the reason for this was love: love of the Father and love of His disciples. In St. John’s Gospel Jesus has no need of help: there is no Simon of Cyrene to assist Him with carrying the cross. He takes up His own cross and marches to Calvary which is the scene of His fulfilling His mission and revealing God to the world. His last words are not a cry for reproach, accusing God of abandoning Him, but a shout of triumph: It is accomplished. In the final scene of today’s passion reading, we meet once more the character called Nicodemus: he is no longer the shadowy figure who comes to Jesus under the cover of darkness. Now he appears boldly in broad daylight to assist in the solemn burial of Jesus, which involves a royal and extravagant amount of spices and oils. The mention of Nicodemus might remind us that he was the one to whom Jesus summed up the message of the Fourth Gospel, which reaches its climax in the paschal event which are celebrating today. Jesus told Nicodemus: God loved the world so much that He have His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not be lost but may have eternal life.

Is it too good to be true? Could someone love us enough to give their life so that we might live? Jesus’ mission was to reveal God’s love for human beings and invite us into a relationship with God is best described as friendship. Throughout St. John’s version of the Gospel story we are given examples of people coming to believe in Jesus, growing in their appreciation of who He is and what He means to them. Today we are invited to consider that the cross is more about love than it is about justice.

Good Friday – April 10, 2020 Read More »

Maundy Thursday – April 9, 2020

Frackville, From the Pastor, PNCC /

In our Gospel reading, the whole idea of hierarchy is turned on its head. Jesus’ washing the feet of His disciples is a symbol of what the whole event of His passion means. It is primarily an act of love, the ultimate giving of Jesus’ self for His disciples and all people. A Jewish slave couldn’t be compelled to wash anyone’s feet. Yet here, the master, freely and on His own initiative, takes a place lower than the most lowly servant in the household. The Gospel tells us that Jesus loved His disciples to the end of His life and also to the furthest extent possible, that is, by giving His life for them. When Peter refuses to allow Jesus wash his feet, Jesus warns him that unless He does, he can have no part with Jesus.

Jesus himself gives the application of His action: “you should wash each other’s feet”. Perhaps the persons whom this most obviously concerns are those in any position of authority. Leadership within the community of disciples should be exercised as humble service, something particularly evident in our Holy Church. The symbolic washing of parishioners’ feet is not just a ritual, but a true expression of the way we live, the relationship between the person performing the action and those who are having their feet washed.

We can all learn from the example of Jesus and work to live it even better. Authority and power are not the same: Jesus is giving us an example of what authority involves, namely the courage to be humble, to be a servant of our brothers and sisters. If we can do this, then we are truly following His example.

Maundy Thursday – April 9, 2020 Read More »

Bishop Bernard’s Pastoral Letter on Discipleship

PNCC /

January, 2019

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you in our Central Diocesan family, and welcome to the Year of Discipleship in our holy Church!

In the words of our national PNCC Future Direction Sub-Committee recently given to us..…..As our Lord said to His disciples “Follow Me” for His public ministry, He continues to call us to follow Him and wants our relationship with Him to grow and strengthen as the days, months and years goes by.  Our PNCC is calling us to renew our Discipleship in our Lord this year and as we begin 2019…. 

Soooo – let’s get a handle on this idea of discipleship, shall we?

Not too long ago I was watching a Netflix presentation about the Masons, with a focus on their place of origin, Freemasons’ Hall in Great Queen Street, London.  As I became drawn into the narrative of this society’s founding and growth, I was struck by how clearly they laid out the expectations of a mason.  By contrast, I was struck by how often our Church is hesitant to name the expectations of discipleship for its members. 

Our Future Directions Sub-Committee has begun laying out these expectations and will continue that effort throughout the year.  I’d say, it all boils down to five basic opportunities to “grow and strengthen our relationship with Jesus.” 

Worship – We worship God together, through his Son Jesus.  Worshipping regularly is a part of who we are as Catholic Christians. The people of God join together in the house of God to worship and honor God (Psalm 150). Worship is about community: the Christian community gathers to worship, to pray together, and to continue its growth in the faith.

Grow – We become affiliated with a parish society, Bible study, the School of Christian Living to grow in faith and our walk with Jesus.  Jesus went to the synagogue “as was His custom” (Luke 4:16).  Synagogue for Jesus was a place of discernment, learning scripture, and growing in the knowledge and love of God and neighbor.  We join with other PNCC-ers here in order to grow together.

Mission – We are called to love our neighbors.  We are encouraged to be involved in some mission emphasis.  Jesus had a special place in His heart for the poor, marginalized, outcast, and lost. We are called to be the hands, feet, and voice of Jesus Christ in our world.  We seek to love and serve others and believe this is vital in our Christian walk.

Talents and Abilities – All of us have talents and abilities that can be used for the glory of God.  Some have the gift of teaching or leading.  Others have the gift of administration, or may be gifted in finance and can help the church to be faithful stewards of the gifts offered for ministry and mission.  Some have the gift of compassion, or love to send cards to those who are sick. Some feel called to reach out to the unchurched, while others have the gift of hospitality.  Yes, all of us have some God-given gift, talent, or ability that we can use for the glory of God.

Proportional Giving – Stewardship is a spiritual discipline and an act of worship.  Our offering is a recognition that everything we have and are is a gift to us from God.  We are all blessed.  We are all called by God to offer our first-fruits and our [portion] to God for the work of His kingdom (Leviticus 27:30-33; Deuteronomy 14:22-29).  Our offering at a regular percentage of giving is an act of gratitude, an act of obedience, and an act of our covenantal agreement with God.  Our offering is used, then, in ministry and mission on behalf of our Lord Jesus Christ.     

So let’s take time to reflect on these five expectations as we undertake a life of Catholic Christian discipleship.  After all, God proved he loves us so much by giving His only begotten Son to live among us, to teach us of God’s love and kingdom, to die that we might be forgiven, and to rise that we may have eternal life.  God has promised to be with us always.  Discipleship, then, is our faithful response to this God who “so loves the world”  (John 3:16)      

Peace and grace to all.

Bishop Bernard 

Bishop Bernard’s Pastoral Letter on Discipleship Read More »

Bishop Bernard’s Pastoral Letter on Vocations

PNCC /

To the Very Reverend, Reverend Fathers and the Reverend Messrs., and my dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus our Lord:

¡Viva el mes de junio! That’s Spanish for “Long live June,” “Hurray for June.” Hurray, indeed! And welcome to the month of vocations in the Polish National Catholic Church: June is Sacred Vocations month for us. June is the month we focus on our great need for priests, and on the need for significant donations throughout the PNCC to be made to the Clergy Pension Plan.

Our need of priests is dire and critical, but I am nonetheless hopeful and optimistic. Even though no Polish National Catholic families have sacrificed even one of their men, young or old, to our altars in the past twelve years, (and it doesn’t look like any family will in the near future), I remain optimistic. Even though our seminary has been empty for that period of time, except for the occasional priest from another Church orienting himself there to work as a priest in the PNCC, I have good reason to hope because I have experienced God’s providence. Our parish in Denver was declining but was pulled back from the brink of closure by an Hispanic priest from Mexico and 90 people of Mexican heritage who now comprise the great majority of that parish. St Francis, Denver, is growing, and is enthusiastically PNCC, and is flying 18 young people and 6 adults to Convo 2018 here next month.

Because Father Alfonso Castillo needs pastoral help there, I enthusiastically agreed to review applications from priest friends of his in Mexico to provide assistance to him, and subsequently serve our American parishes desperate for priests. In our Diocese, two priests, in fine parishes, are retiring next year. I have no one to fill them. A priest in our Diocese is on three parishes in Jersey. Three priests are on two parishes each. And there are ailing and aging priests all over the place! And yet I am hopeful. So I say, ¡Viva México!

With the increase in aging clergy comes the need for our Clergy Pension Plan to support them all. We collect for this vital entitlement throughout the year and especially in the month of June. We need more capital to invest, the interest from which the pension payments are made. From age 70, a PNCC priest can look forward to a monthly check in the amount of $600; and his widow, a check in the amount of $300. Please be generous in this drive. And so I say, in my optimism, ¡Viva el Plan de Pensión del Clero! (Hurray for our Clergy Pension plan!)

I believe God is showing us a potential direction for the future of our Church; and that pathway seems to be presenting itself from south of the border. For the Methodist Church, that pathway is from South Korea, and for the Roman Catholic Church, from India among other sources. In light of all of this, Bishop Hodur has indeed blessed us with a most optimistic motto for our Church when he penned: A través de la Verdad, el Trabajo y las Dificultades ¡Venceremos!

Yours in Christ,

Bishop Bernard

To read the original version as a PDF file.

Bishop Bernard’s Pastoral Letter on Vocations Read More »