Imagine…
NOT John Lennon’s horrid song – but a television ad produced for use in PNCC parishes.
…and an invitation:
7 thoughts on “Imagine…”
Comments are closed.
(Was a) Deacon's Blog
Thoughts and opinions from a Priest in the PNCC
Thoughts and opinions from a Priest in the PNCC
NOT John Lennon’s horrid song – but a television ad produced for use in PNCC parishes.
…and an invitation:
Comments are closed.
A bit too AmChurchy for me. Give me conservative upstate religion, eastward-facing Mass, with the Sportsmen’s Club bar and the pierogi-makers in the kitchen in the parish hall instead.
What happened to POLISH National Catholic Church? Are the members of the
PNCC ashamed to call themselves Polish? Even if many parishioners are
not of Polish descent, the church should recognize its historical
heritage.
My church is still unashamed – we’re even proud – to call ourself “Saint
Stanislaus Polish Roman Catholic Church”! And, there are many more Polish
Roman Catholic churches in the U.S. which do the same.
Fogey,
You and I both come from a conservative, high church background, and like you it is where I feel most comfortable. Similarly, there are now generations out there whose church experience, their point-of-reference, is quite different. Genuine Catholicism can accomodate both as long as the truth is taught and practiced.
Because of my experience I have a great deal of empathy for the manner in which people seek to experience Christ within the range of appropriate Catholic practice. As I have commented before, even the Contemporary Rite in the PNCC is far more conservative and proper in the PNCC than in my experiences within the R.C. AmChurch where the priests can’t (or won’t) even “say the black, do the red.”
Thomas,
Your comment reminds me of so many encounters with R.C.’s, especially at ecumenical events and meetings. The (almost exclusively) Polish-American R.C. bishops and priests, the Orchard Lake types, expect us to Polka through the door dressed in Krakowianka costumes with a plate of pierogi in hand, speaking Polish. What they do not expect is a Church that closely resembles the cross-section of people in the country in which it exists, a Church that is Catholic. I think that they get rather indignant at that fact.
The point of Church is to be Church, to bear God’s Word, to baptize and teach, to be universal, i.e., Catholic.
One of the aspects of the PNCC that I respect the most is that it honors people’s backgrounds, whatever they may be. No ethnicity is denigrated, rather all are honored. Each parish establishes its unique identity, and as you may recall, it was always that way in the PNCC with Slovak and Lithuanian among other manifestations. Best, no parish is an exclusive club or clique. All are welcome in the PNCC.
I find that my Polish heritage is honored and is respected. I find core familiarity in devotional practice, something my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents would find familiar, and something anyone seeking Christ would be at home with — because it is Catholic.
There are two possible courses of action in my relationship with the Church. I could demand an exclusive club that catered to my needs, wants, and desires. We would have a Polish Language Holy Mass, sing Polish hymns almost exclusively, and do all sorts of things I would be very comfortable (and happy) with. Remembering that I am not in Greenpoint or Chicago, I would likely be alone. On the other hand I could be part of a Church that respects me as an individual, with a voice and a vote, and where I respect the needs, wants, and desires of my fellow parishioners. I choose the later.
The point of Church is to be Church, to bear God’s Word, to baptize and teach, to be universal, i.e., Catholic.
Doesn’t calling oneself “National” sort of mitigate against the whole universal idea? Dropping the “Polish” from the title doesn’t make the church sound universal, it makes it sound American.
dcs,
Welcome.
Bishop Hodur made a point of teaching that the faith was best communicated through Churches with a national ministry, working from Matthew 28:19. Rather than re-write it here, see specifically my posting on Reflections on national, cultural, and religious identity. As I concluded there: Our gifts are particular. Our faith is transcendent. In Him we are all one body. So to your question, I do not see it that way.