Deacon’s Blog

From BreakingNews: Supreme Court ruling loosens Catholic diocese hold on priest sex abuse papers

The first kind are those that make themselves greater than the Church, substituting private judgment and corporate fear for faithful duty consistent with Scripture and Tradition.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday against a Roman Catholic diocese in Connecticut, saying that thousands of documents generated by lawsuits against six priests for alleged sexual abuse cannot remain sealed.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Tuesday denied the Bridgeport diocese’s request to continue a stay on the release of the papers until the full court decides whether to review the case.

Ralph Johnson III, a lawyer for the diocese, said church officials were considering whether to ask all nine justices to rule on the request.

The diocese said on its Web site Tuesday afternoon that it was disappointed with Ginsburg’s decision and that it “intends to proceed with its announced determination to ask the full U.S. Supreme Court to review the important constitutional issues that this case presents.”

Jonathan Albano, attorney for three newspapers who requested the documents, said the ruling compels the diocese to release the documents, but he acknowledged the church could ask the full court to reconsider Ginsburg’s decision.

“At the end of the day, the diocese will be able to say they were heard before every court that was available to them,” Albano said.

…

The Connecticut high court also rejected the claim by church officials that the documents were subject to constitutional privileges, including religious privileges under the First Amendment…

From The Deacons Bench: Dissident (Fr.) Roy Bourgeois: ‘I will not be silenced.’

The second kind — those who see their private judgment and assessment as some sort of revelation when it is no more than mimicry of the the world’s message.

The controversial priest who participated in a woman’s ordination ceremony last year is back in the news again — and continuing to stir the pot:

“A prominent priest whose support for women’s ordination has him in trouble with the Catholic Church ratcheted up his confrontation with the hierarchy yesterday, calling the church’s refusal to ordain women a “scandal’’ and “spiritual violence.’’

“I will not be silenced on this issue,’’ said the priest, the Rev. Roy Bourgeois, to about 100 people in Weston at an event hosted by the congregation of Jean Marchant, a former staffer for the Archdiocese of Boston who claims she was ordained as a priest in an unsanctioned ceremony four years ago.

“The Catholic Church views Marchant and Bourgeois as having been automatically excommunicated for participating in unsanctioned ordination ceremonies.

“Yesterday Bourgeois said he remained unclear about his status because he has had no formal communication from his order, the Maryknoll Fathers, or from the Vatican, which last fall told him he would face excommunication if he did not recant.

“If they choose to kick me out of the church because I believe that men and women are equal, so be it,’’ Bourgeois said. “I will never be at peace being in any organization that would exclude others…

What’s funny in this case is the Rev. Bourgeois’ name – bourgeois which describes his attitude more than anything. As the Young Fogey might say, the class that touts SWPL (stuff white people love) – knowing better than the Church based on private judgment and believing that everyone must absolutely believe what you believe or they are evil, of course all in the name of “human” justice.

The Rev. Bourgeois is completely wrong of course, and women’s ordination is non-Catholic and a non-issue. It has nothing to do with equality or exclusion, but rather people of his class and background touting their personal assessment of what equality and exclusion mean — and then forcing others to eat that assessment.

Funny how all the Churches that eat and enjoy Rev. Bourgeois’ assessment are about as non-inclusive as they come. If you don’t buy what they sell you are out — you are just the ignorant proletariat. Further their congregations and parishes are dying at a fast rate (see here or read Exodus: Why Americans Are Fleeing Liberal Churches for Conservative Christianity) while truly Catholic Churches (Roman Catholic, Orthodox) are bringing the remnant in.

People who know know that Catholic Churches are all about inclusivity – all are welcome to come and pray. All are ministered to. All have a role consistent with Scripture and Tradition within those Churches.

The voice of the Holy Spirit is not asking that we grasp at straws for an answer, but that we show our faithfulness to what has been handed on to us. Not enough men in the seminary? We need to challenge them, be dynamic examples as men motivated by deep faith, love, and service. It’s hard work to put aside the tiredness, the monotony that can creep in to our all too human lives, but we can do it — truth, work, and struggle and we will be victorious. The solution isn’t in Rev. Bourgeois’ head or in our heads. It isn’t in society. It is in faithfulness.

Christian Witness, PNCC, Perspective Bishop Hodur, Church, Culture, Ministry, Theology, Tradition, Vocations

From the Herald News: Fall River police investigate Winthrop Street shooting which always gives rise to the question of Christian witness in old, inner city ethnic neighborhoods whose demographics have changed.

I advocate for a continued presence because our history, our democratic Church, speaks to people of every background and is able to bring the message of Christ to every community. It is certainly difficult to concentrate on love driving out all fear (1 John 4:18) when bullets are whizzing by, but it is worth considering before we respond on instinct.

Police are looking for two suspects following a reported Wednesday morning shooting on Winthrop Street near Plymouth Avenue and towed a black BMW that reportedly belongs to one of the suspects.

Two witnesses told The Herald News they heard two initial shots. One man, who declined to be identified, said he fled for safety with his young son. The other witness said a young black male exited the BMW, fired another shot at a black Cadillac Escalade and jumped a wall through her yard.

From there, the second witness, whose identity The Herald News is protecting, said, “I could see the gun through his T-shirt.”

It was the fourth reported city shooting since July 24, including the fatal shooting of Charles Smith on July 27.

The initial call about 11:45 a.m. reported a shooting at 112 Winthrop St.

An hour later, police put out a call in search of a black male who may have been an unexplained shooting victim, according to radio dispatch accounts.

“I can confirm we are investigating a report of shots fired in that area. No reports have been completed,” police spokesman Sgt. Paul Gauvin said.

One of several police officers interviewing witnesses on the lower portion of Winthrop Street, near Blessed Trinity Parish National Catholic Church, said they were seeking “two suspects on foot.”…

Christian Witness, Current Events, PNCC Ministry

From the Connecticut Post: Kopka leaving Stratford parish to head West

Kopka Named Diocean Bishop of the Western Diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church in Chicago, covering eight states

STRATFORD — Bishop Anthony Kopka and many of his parishioners at St. Joseph’s Polish National Catholic Church still recall his first sermon on Father’s Day in 1982, when the congregation was in Bridgeport and the 26-year-old priest came strolling into the church carrying his clergy shirt and collar on a hangar, with a few dozen people in attendance.

It will be far different for Kopka when he delivers his final sermon Sunday at 4 p.m. in front of an expected crowd of 400 people at St. Joseph’s parish, 1300 Stratford Road, before departing for his new job in Chicago on Tuesday.

He won’t be carrying his clothing on a hanger this time, and there will be plenty of tears from those who eagerly awaited his arrival 27 years ago after being without a priest for more than a year.

Kopka will be adorned in the full black Bishop’s Cassock and floor-length robes, with red trim, and a brass headdress of miter and crosier — centuries-old symbols of regalia for bishops.

Kopka, now 53, has been named Bishop of the Western Diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church in Chicago, which covers eight Midwestern and southern states and 30 parishes. He’ll also be pastor of All Saints Cathedral in Chicago. It’s a big change from overseeing a couple of hundred people for most of his time at St. Joseph’s, before being named auxiliary bishop of the Eastern Diocese in November 2006 that covers four New England states, including Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Manchester.

“It’s a very emotional time. I have loved every minute of my 27 years here and it’s not easy to leave,” said Kopka, getting uncharacteristically choked up several times during an interview this week. “I grew up in New Castle, Pennsylvania, but after all my wonderful experiences here — being part of the community and raising a family — I will now forever say I’m from Stratford.”

Kopka said he is ready for the new challenge.

“I believe God has been preparing me for this for a long time,” Kopka said. “I want to help take our church into a new era that goes beyond just (Polish) ethnicity and appeals to all those searching for an alternative. Our church tends to be more liberal in its doctrine as priests and bishops are allowed to marry and have families, which I think is important because we can relate to the same everyday problems that face other people.”

Dolores Smith, 68, who has been a church member her entire life and is chairwoman of a gala party Sunday that will celebrate Kopka’s tenure, said the party will include 20 members of the clergy from the area, as well as Mayor James R. Miron, State Rep. Terry Backer, D-Stratford, and Supt. of Schools Irene Cornish.

Smith said it will be tough to replace a pastor who has led the congregation for nearly three decades, including the move from Bridgeport in 1989, “who has made such an impact on the community with his outreach and leadership.

“I still remember that first sermon he gave like it was yesterday,” Smith said. “Bishop Anthony was so young and hopeful, and had this wonderful big smile that has been comforting us all these years. It’s very bittersweet to see him go, but we know God will send us the right person to replace him, just like when he was sent to us all those years ago.”

When Kopka arrived church membership was dwindling, as parishioners were becoming scared to come to Barnum Avenue and Harriet Street on the east side of Bridgeport. He said car break-ins, muggings, threats to churchgoers and women being accosted resulted in the congregation voting overwhelmingly in 1988 to move to the Lordship section of Stratford, where the church owned a parcel of land.

A new church was built and opened in January of 1989. “It was the right decision and turning point in helping to revive church membership, which has more than doubled to over 200 since that time,” said Smith. “We now have members in more than 20 communities and much of the credit for that has to go to Bishop Kopka, who has been a sparkling presence in the area and made our church a community center where so many events have taken place.”

While Kopka didn’t want to give away too much about his final sermon, he said the theme would be uplifting and hopeful.

“I’m going to talk about how much we have grown together, how we all have gifts from God and because we’ve shared them with each other we have all grown in our faith and relationships,” Kopka said, again having a hard time holding back the tears. ” I hope to use that same theme as a model in all the parishes I’ll be overseeing.”

Kopka’s new assignment, which covers the largest geographic area of the church’s five regions in the country, includes Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Missouri, Florida and a mission in the State of Washington. Bishop Kopka replaces Bishop Jan Dawidziuk, who is retiring on June 30.

The Polish National Catholic Church was established in 1897 in Scranton, Pa., with members breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church. Today, there are more than 25,000 members in America.

Among the many local boards Kopka has served on include a stint as chairman of the Ethics Commission and president of the Stratford Clergy Association, chaplain for the Stratford Police Department, and coordinator of youth groups of Stratford congregations for the Bridge Building Initiative of the Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport.

Kopka and his wife Darlene, have two grown daughters, Kristen, 25 and Lauren, 23, who both live in Stratford and plan to remain here. “It’s great because when I come back and visit, we know we have a place to stay,” Kopka said.

Christian Witness, PNCC Ministry, Vocations

Fr. Robert Hart of the Continuum Blog has an interesting article on the “Dutch Touch” and Anglican Orders. In The Dutch Touch: A study in irrelevance he says:

Frankly, Saepius Officio, written in 1897 by the Archbishops of England (Canterbury and York) said everything that needed to be said in defense of our Orders, and the best summary anywhere is that of Bicknell.

As for the subject of the Infusion itself, it is a relic of an innocent age of ecumenical hope, that innocence and hope that would suffer destruction for the official Anglican Communion in 1976. If the Infusion may help someday between orthodox Anglicans of the Continuum and Rome or, restart some ecumenical relations with the Polish National Catholic Church, then maybe it will not have been a big wasted effort after all.

Until such a time, who cares?

Two observations: First, I think that ecumenical contact between orthodox Anglicans and the PNCC would be a fine thing. We offer the Declaration of Scranton as a point of unity between national churches, and as a structural building block in accord with the National Church philosophy expounded by Bishop Hodur.

The interesting thing about the word continuum is that it means a connection that surpasses the here and now. At core it is a continuation of a Church’s traditions, practices, and character (of course only important if they are Catholic in character and in fact). I have said before, including to local clergy of the TAC, swimming the Tiber will eventually lead to the dissolution of everything that you are. Simply put, the weight of the Roman Church will subsume the TAC and any other Continuum Church that joins it, just as Anglican Use parishes will disappear within two generations.

I also think that there is another issue that gets lost in the whole swimming the Tiber spirit within the TAC, “Is that what your people really want? Just as among clergy some will say yes, but I believe that a majority will see what I see, that ‘who they are’ will slip away.

My second observation, and I congratulate Fr. Hart for making the point, is “who cares.” That is really the point if your Church believes itself to be Catholic. Like the Orthodox Churches we need to place less emphasis on what Rome thinks of us and more on what we think of ourselves (and no emphasis on what some over-the-top on-line R.C. pundits and detractors think of us). The full body of Catholic Churches are, in their varied external manifestations (those whose ecclesiology, polity, and praxis are Catholic), the totality of the Church, which is truly universal.

Christian Witness, PNCC, Perspective Church, Ecumenism, History, Ministry, Vocations

From the Rt. Rev. Thaddeus Peplowski from the May – June – July 2009 Issue of ACTS, a publication of the Buffalo-Pittsburgh Diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church:

We are all familiar with the saying: “Actions speak louder than words!” It reminds us that when positive things are being done, then the words that introduced the actions need not be repeated, since they are being manifested.

When Jesus spoke of His death and resurrection, they were mere words to the Apostles who did not even want to hear them; but when Christ died on the cross, that action stung the hearts of these men, who seemed to be completely lost in their sorrow. The resurrection from the dead of our Savior and His multiple appearances to His disciples, made them reassess everything that Jesus said during His three-year ministry in a new light of faith and truth. Before the resurrection, they were just ordinary men with ordinary fears, but after He rose from the dead and breathed upon them the gift of the Holy Spirit, they were transformed into superheroes, men who feared nothing, even death itself. The kind of faith that they professed as missionaries caused the fledging Church to grow by leaps and bounds – nothing could restrain the power of the Word that caused the spontaneous growth of the Church.

That is the kind of faith and spirit that needs to be revived in the Church today. The Holy Spirit is guiding us to a variety of groups of people, not only here in our country, but even in far-off Italy, who are seeking to create parishes modeled after the example of the Polish National Catholic Church. The so-called “hidden treasure” of our ecclesial structure is being sought after as the ideal form of establishing National Catholic Parishes that resemble early Christian communities. Yes, just speaking about our faith is not enough, we need to share it in outward form of helping others to establish congregations regardless of their ethnic, national or racial background, so that our words may produce actions.

Recently, we have been responding to the pleading of Catholic people who are desperately seeking to establish parishes within the PNCC. We are accepting their challenge and going forth to help them. Just like St. Paul accepted the call of the Macedonians, so we too must reach out and assist those who are seeking to become one with us in faith and service. If we fail to answer their call, we are also failing our Lord Jesus Christ who in the Great Commission delegated His Apostles to “Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

We too, like the Apostles, are commissioned to continue the same missionary call of bringing those who are abandoned and lost back into the fold of the Church. It is wrong to proselytize members of other churches, but it is good to respond to the call of people who are seeking to become members of our Church, and come to us on their own. On Pentecost, when Peter converted over 3,000 Jewish men, he did so because they came to him, seeking the Word of Life and seeking conversion and baptism on their own. We need to do more than speak about the blessings that God has bestowed upon the National Catholic Movement; we need to open our hearts and minds to welcoming into our fold those who wish to be brothers and sisters with us in the One, Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church that the Polish National Catholic Church professes to be in doctrine and practice.

…Opportunities are always being presented to us, all we need to do is respond to the plea of people who are seeking to become National Catholics. We need to embrace them with the same welcoming love that each one of our parishes received when they were accepted into the Polish National Catholic Church.

Pray for the continued success of our Mission and Evangelism Program … that it may bring new members to our existing parishes, as well as inspiring groups of believers who are seeking to establish new PNCC congregations. It is only through the Words of encouragement that our Prayers and Words of faith precipitate the Actions of organizing new Parishes, proving that Actions do speak louder than Words.

Christian Witness, PNCC Church, Evangelism, Ministry, New Parishes

From CathNews: Polish priests want to marry

Most Polish priests favour an end to celibacy and twelve percent say they are already in a relationship with a woman, a survey has found.

The research has dealt a blow to the country’s reputation as a champion of traditional Catholic values, the UK Telegraph reports.

A survey of over 800 priests carried out by Professor Josef Baniak, a sociologist specialising in religious affairs, found that 53 percent would like to have a wife, while 12 percent admitted that they were involved in a relationship. A further 30 percent said that they had had a sexual relationship with a woman.

Professor Baniak concluded from earlier research that the desire to have a relationship and a family was one of the key reasons for priests leaving the priesthood.

His latest research echoes an earlier survey carried out by the Tygodnik Powszechny newspaper. The conservative publication, aimed at Catholic intellectuals, found that as many as 60 percent of priests wanted the right to marry.

Professor Baniak’s survey, however, has come under fire from the Church. Bishop Wojciech Polak, chairman of the Church’s Vocations Council, described it as “full of generalisations”, adding that he found the “conclusions hard to agree with.”

Bishop Polak must not have access to the books and records as the auxiliary bishop of Gniezno. He’s obvioulsy missed the priests who have long-term “housekeepers,” have left to marry, have committed suicide because they cannot reconcile their conflicted relationships, or who have dumped their housekeeper and her (really their) children on the dioceses’ doorstep.

Of course “new trends” in Polish seminaries will change the balance. Perhaps Bishop Polak is concentrating on those changes.

More from Bishop Polak in Catholic Church in Poland reports sharp drop in vocations. Methinks that the Bishop has his fingers in his ears and is signing a hymn very loudly.

Perspective, Poland - Polish - Polonia Ministry, Vocations

From the Stratford Star: King Day speaker joins call to service

Echoing a call sounded 40 years ago by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and this week by President Barack Obama, Bishop Anthony Kopka Sunday rallied Stratford residents to come together in community service.

“I ask fellow town residents to join us in offering greater community service in the Town of Stratford. Individually and collectively let us do more from forest to shore,” Kopka, of St. Joseph’s of Stratford National Catholic Church, said during the Stratford Clergy Association’s annual service to honor King, hosted this year by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Bridgeport.

“How many of us in Stratford will strive to do more from forest to shore?” Kopka asked from the pulpit. “My fellow town citizens, I ask you to join my fellow clergy and me in committing to do more from forest to shore, through community service and our neighborly love for each other.”

Kopka, speaking two days before Obama took the oath of office as the nation’s 44th president, pointed out that the first black to hold the highest elected office in the land chose volunteering as the way to spend the holiday that honors King, and in a speech Obama urged others to do the same.

“With the election of an African-American to the presidency of the United States — 40 years from the time of Rev. Dr. King’s death — we have new hope that life can be better for all Americans,” Kopka said.

America can have a new beginning, Kopka said, because the citizens of this nation can choose to unite under Obama’s leadership to build on the legacy and accomplishments of King.

“Stratfordites, may we always pursue with one another both friendship and understanding,” Kopka said. “Remember, any one of us is capable of offering love to our neighbors and service in the community.”

…

Ansonia resident Peter Morse became a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church two years ago and is in the choir.

“It was a fabulous service,” said Morse. “There were a lot of wonderful things said and it all came together very nicely.”

Morse said of the Bishop’s speech, “He was fabulous,” and it is such an amazing time with the inauguration near.

“After all these years we had a woman and a black man running for president,” Morse said. “And one will get nomination and will the election; I was excited through out the election process.”

More added, “To have it happen right after Martin Luther King Day is an incredible thing to see.”

The following is the text of Bishop Kopka’s keynote: ‘Do More from Forest to Shore”

If you want to be important, wonderful! If you want to be recognized, wonderful! If you want to be great, wonderful! But, recognize that ‘he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.’ That’s a new definition of greatness … the thing that I like about it — by giving that definition of greatness — it means that: Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.

You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s Theory of Relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second Theory of Thermal Dynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love, and you can be that servant.

Those words were penned and proclaimed by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in his sermon entitled, “The Drum Major Instinct.” You can see those words and hear him “preach it” on the King Center Web site.

The call to serve is also being made by President Barack Obama to the American people. President Obama asked that the celebration of the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr., be joined to his inauguration in order to make the community service and social justice accomplishments of the Rev. Dr. King a preeminent focus for Americans.

So we, the members of the Stratford Clergy Association, have agreed to do just that and we invite members of our congregations and our community to join us. On behalf of those clergy, I ask fellow town residents to join us in offering greater community service in the Town of Stratford. Individually and collectively let us do “more from forest to shore.”

In one of his last sermons the Rev. Dr. King spoke about what he believed made up a “full life.” He said of his own eventual passing that, “I’d like somebody to mention on that day: Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others.” In the “Drum Major” sermon he said, “I won’t have money to leave behind. I won’t have the fine and luxurious things in life to leave behind; but I just want to leave a committed life behind.”

Forty years later, we continue to say that he “gave his life serving others” and that he has “left a committed life behind.” His legacy of faith, courage, sacrifice and service; and his accomplishments for justice, peace and a better life for the poor and for the persecuted are what we honor today. May we give thanks to God for this legacy and for these accomplishments and then pledge to continue them.

With the election of an African-American to the Presidency of the United States — 40 years from the time of the Rev. Dr. King’s death — we have new hope that life can be better for all Americans. At the inauguration of this new president America can have a new beginning, because we citizens of this great nation can choose to unite under the leadership of President Barack Obama to build on the legacy and accomplishments of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Each of us can accept the Rev. Dr. King’s call to high school students in Philadelphia, when he asked “What’s Your Life’s Blueprint?” He said, “You have a responsibility to seek to make your nation a better nation in which to live. You have a responsibility to seek to make life better for everybody. And so you must be involved in the struggle for freedom and justice.”

Will you accept as your own responsibilities to make our nation a better nation and to make life better for everybody? It is all part of the Rev. Dr. King’s definition of greatness that he learned in the ninth chapter of the Gospel according to Mark where Jesus says to His disciples: “Whosoever will be great among you, shall be your servant.” When each of us serves one another, we can have genuine hope for a better nation and a better life for everybody. We are “great” when we serve each other and as Dr. King said, “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.”

This kind of community service is based on love. A love that “seeks to preserve and create community” as Dr. King said in his speech entitled “Stride Toward Freedom.” He said: “… we speak of a love, which is expressed in the Greek word, agape. It is a love in which the individual seeks not his own good, but the good of his neighbor.”

That principle is based on the ancient Commandment of God: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It is a code of conduct that is derived from the codes of the earliest civilizations that states one has a right to just treatment, just as one has the responsibility to treat others justly. It is what we know as the Golden Rule: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” It is, therefore, an ancient truth; but one that has not yet been embodied and personalized by members of society thousands of years later.

Will we also accept failure for not abiding by this ancient civil right and responsibility? Or, will we try to love and serve our neighbors in our community? How many of us in Stratford will strive to do “more from forest to shore?”

In furthering his explanation of agape — or the love we are to have for others — the Rev. Dr. King said in his “Stride Toward Freedom” speech, “It is the love of God operating in the human heart.” He also said: “In the struggle for human dignity, the oppressed people of the world must not succumb to the temptation of becoming bitter or indulging in hate campaigns. To retaliate in kind would do nothing but intensify the existence of hate in the universe. Along the way of life, someone must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate.”

He continued, “Love in this connection means understanding, redemptive good will.” About this agape love he said that it “…makes no distinction between friend and enemy; it is directed to both” and that it “discovers the neighbor in every man it meets.”

My fellow town citizens, I ask you to join my fellow clergy and me in committing to do “more from forest to shore” through community service and our neighborly love for each other.

To help us accomplish this in the times that disagreements may deter us, let us accept as our guiding principles the Six Principles for Nonviolent Social Change promoted by the King Center. They are derived from Rev. Dr. King’s essay, “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Succinctly they are: 1. Information gathering, 2. Education, 3. Personal Commitment, 4. Negotiations, 5. Direct Action, and 6. Reconciliation.

In particular, during any kind of disagreement, let us be mindful of the following two principles:

In the fourth principle of Negotiations, we are challenged to look for what is positive in every action and statement made by anyone in disagreement. One can do this by not seeking to humiliate anyone who is in disagreement. Instead, one can call forth the good in the opposing person and look for ways in which the person on either side of an argument can come away with winning points.

In the sixth principle of Reconciliation, we are challenged to always seek friendship and understanding with all others. Stratfordites, may we always pursue with one another both friendship and understanding.

Remember, any one of us is capable of offering love to our neighbors and service in the community. As the Rev. Dr. King said, “You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.”

If we want to be sure to succeed and not fail, then, may we turn to God for help. In God we can certainly have a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love. Through and with God we can serve one another. United in God, we can offer “more from forest to shore.” Yes we can!

Christian Witness, PNCC Charity, Ministry, Peace, Sermons, Service

Today is the final for the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy, WOŚP), a project that began in Poland in 1993, and to date has collected over $96 million dollars to fund children’s health care. This year’s focus is on early detection of childhood cancers.

If so moved, I encourage you to join in support of this worthy organization. Note that if you wish to donate by credit card you have to use their Polish site. Chose the banner link that says “Wpłata Kartą.” Note that donations are in Polish currency and the current exchange rate is about .33522 dollars per zł, so a 100 złoty donation would be about $33.52. Check out the OANDA Forex converter for details.

A profile of the organization and its history can be found on its website and on Wikipedia. A story covering the organization’s founder, Jerzy Owsiak (you could liken him to Jerry Lewis and the MD telethon), can be found in the Student Operated Press. That article notes that the program is being opposed by some Roman Catholic Church leaders in Poland.

Christian Witness, Poland - Polish - Polonia Charity, Christmas, Life, Ministry

A guest post from Bob Lotich on Church Marketing Sucks: Why I’ve Run From Churches

Let me start by saying that I have been planted in my current church for over 10 years. I deeply believe in the value of staying in the church that God plants you in rather than just leaving as soon as you get offended. That said, I have lived in a few different cities and have visited quite a few churches in each one when trying to find out where to land. I have seen some wonderful things and I have seen some things that made me want to run for the doors. These are the things that caused me to run for the door…

In the Catholic view people may not run from the Church, but from parishes that exhibit the sorts of behaviors he outlines. That said, people run from the Church as well, when its leaders collectively act counter to the Faith.

I think Mr. Lotich conveys an overall message of faithful Christian witness — in our communal life, in our interactions, and in our witness to each other and the world. Reflecting on his message and rooting out the traits that can close off a parish, or the Church itself, are a discipline that is in keeping with the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20):

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

Christian Witness, PNCC, Perspective Church, Ministry

I’ve always had an admiration for nuns (yes, I know the difference between nuns and sisters, but for this post I’ll use them interchangeably).

I had an aunt who was a Felician sister.

As a child my family and I visited sister nearly every week. I found the sisters joyful, spiritual, and committed to their ministry. A ministry centered on Christ. When I was in seminary I got to see the Felician’s spirituality and personalities even more closely because one of my spiritual director’s was a priest assigned to minister to them.

I was also taught by the Felician’s throughout grade school (K-8). The sisters were certainly tough and demanding, but they were also loving and dedicated. There were probably two who I could have done without, but I think I could say the same about more than two of the lay teachers I’ve had.

A fantastic ministry is that of the Felician Sisters at the R.C. Basilica of St. Adalbert in Buffalo, NY. They run the Response to Love Center. Check out the link to learn more and support this program which serves the poorest of the poor in Buffalo.

I also came across this article, posted to the Polish American Forum newsgroup. From the Cleveland Plain Dealer: Service with love: the sisters of Slavic Village

On a street of pit bulls and boarded-up houses, a Polish accent met an Arkansas twang and nothing got lost in the translation.

“Good morning, Margaret,” Sister Marianna Danko greeted the frail woman who gripped her front door for support. “Give me a hug.”

On another street, in a tidy brick house near the area of southeast Cleveland known as Slavic Village, Maria Kozlowski, 76, knelt next to her stroke-disabled husband as both took Communion from Sister Anna Kaszuba in the language of their mutual homeland.

“I am sick. My husband is sick. Who’s to help?” Kozlowski later asked, then answered herself. “The sisters help.”

For the past 31 years, the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, a Polish order founded in 1878, have ministered to the ethnic elderly of Cleveland – the shut-ins, the abandoned, the ailing and lonely.

Each weekday, five sisters of the group make their rounds to meet the spiritual, emotional, psychological and sometimes basic survival needs of more than 200 people.

The group was originally invited here by former Bishop James Hickey to serve the Eastern European immigrants of Slavic Village.

The sisters also are on call during weekends for their mostly Polish-speaking or Eastern European clients, though neither a person’s religion nor ethnicity is a requisite for aid.

Some clients have outlived the days when they could rely on a close-knit community of merchants and professionals who shared their language and customs but moved out of the neighborhood over the years, according to Kaszuba, program director of the sisters’ Special Ministry to the Aged based at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church.

So the sisters fill the gaps, helping these people shop, obtain needed medical and social services, arrange legal affairs, translate or transport.

And sometimes they are just there for companionship and comfort.

“It’s unbelievable work and a very needed service that the sisters are performing,” said Gene Bak, executive director of the Polish American Cultural Center in Slavic Village.

“The community is getting older and a lot of the younger people have moved to the suburbs,” he added.

“But the older people still stay in the area because the churches and halls are here, and the sisters serve a very important function by helping them do that.”

Kaszuba noted that the number of clients has stayed fairly steady over the years, as the children of earlier immigrants got older, in need of the sisters’ services but still adhering to such ethnic traditions as a fierce independence and reluctance to seek help.

The program stresses aid for independent living, and Kaszuba said the toughest part can be getting the social services for their clients, who may not be aware of the help or have a language barrier. She said the sisters also are working with a limited budget. They receive help from Catholic Charities, an endowment fund and an annual fund-raising dinner.

But the payoff goes both ways, beyond the home-grown vegetables that clients like the Kozlowskis give the sisters in gratitude.

Kaszuba said when considering the ordeal that some of her clients went through in just getting to this country, “your own problems disappear. They teach us perseverance and deep faith.”

And doing this kind of work teaches and requires “patience, patience, patience, and a lot of love,” said Sister Danko before visiting one of her clients, Margaret Cooley. “It comes from the
heart.”

As Danko settled in for a chat, she reached over to grasp Cooley’s hands, which twisted a handkerchief over and over into knots of frustration as she talked.

Cooley, who was raised a Catholic but became a Methodist after getting married, knows what it’s like to be a caretaker. She moved here 15 years ago from Arkansas after her husband’s death to tend to her sister-in-law and then her brother until they died.

She remembered when the infirmities of age didn’t keep her from cooking, arranging flowers and painting. She remembered when her knees didn’t throb like jolts of electricity were shooting through them. She remembered what life was like before two men broke into her house and robbed her.

The handkerchief twisted and knotted, twisted and knotted.

“When you get old, it’s bad, you have to depend on people,” Cooley said. “I don’t know too many people. I can’t go anywhere, anymore. I don’t know what I’d do without her [Danko]. I believe I’d just die.”

But she wouldn’t die alone. Nobody does when the sisters are there.

Three years ago, Sister Ce Ann Sambor found Ben Kula living in a neighborhood of abandoned buildings, in a house on the verge of being condemned with steps so steeply canted that even Kula joked that they seemed just right for him in his former drinking days.

Sambor said it took time for Kula to accept her help. First, she would just drive him to the coin-operated laundry. Then grocery shopping. Then the big move to a new home in a senior housing complex.

The nuns remind him of his own sister, Kula said. Somebody to depend on, like family. “They’re great. Just beautiful. They make me feel better,” he said.

The sisters have taken him to the hospital for treating numerous broken bones, plus cancer of the prostate and colon.

“I’m doing great! Better than Muhammad Ali,” Kulas proclaimed, the epitome of spry, who will be 91 this year. “If I make it,” he said.

But during her visit, Sambor and Kula matter-of-factly talked about the inevitable. He wants to be buried with the ashes of his wife.

He will, because the sisters are there to the end. They will help with independent living or referral to a nursing home, through illness and hospitalization, with hospice and funerals. As Sambor said, “We follow them until God takes them home.”

She added, “The rewarding part, for us, is just to be part of their lives. Sometimes, we are their family.”

She paused before leaving Kula and asked, “Ben, did you eat yet?”

He sheepishly shrugged.

“Go eat,” she said, and closed the door.

Additonal information about the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate can be obtained by calling 216-441-5402

The sisters go bravely into the neighborhood the chanceries have forgotten. The places where churches close almost weekly. They are all too often the last bastion of the R.C. Church’s living ministry in these places. May God bless them, their ministry, and grant them many vocations.

Christian Witness Life, Ministry, My life, Vocations