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.
