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Day: January 29, 2011

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Poland - Polish - Polonia, Xpost to PGF, , ,

Game time and a cover shot

Polish National Contributes to NCAA Win
by Raymond Rolak

YPSILANTI– Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan University always have intense games. Every sport and every game is magnified. Not only is it an NCAA special rival game but each contest is for in-state bragging rights.

Kamil Janton, the junior, 6’10” center for Eastern Michigan and hailing from Tarnow, Poland only had two points, but they were huge points. More importantly and even with only seven minutes of hard work relief time, he got high praise from his coach.

Janton, who went to high school in Chicago, was also featured on the EMU game day program titled, ‘United We Hoop’. “Kamil’s playing time really gave us some center relief help,” said Eastern Michigan University Head Coach Charles Ramsey. “He allowed some rest time for our guys underneath the basket and those two points were important.”

The Mid-American Conference game wasn’t pretty for either squad. The Eagles came out on top, 41-38. It was a hard defensive match-up but both teams shot cold on a very-very cold and chilly Michigan afternoon. CMU was only 14 of 60 from the field for 23%. EMU was slightly better at 14 of 42 for 33%. Ramsey gave some deserved credit to his swarming defense which helped contribute to the ‘Chips’ poor showing from the field. High heralded CMU freshman, Trey Zeigler was held to only 13 points.

Eastern’s big gun, Brandon Bowdry was pressured hard from Central and held to six points but he did have eight boards. Derek Thompson picked up 11 much needed points and Darrell Lampley also added 11 for EMU. While Bowdry was often swarmed he was able to dish off and create opportunities for other Eagles.

The Chippewa’s made the last two minutes tension filled as they cut the lead to three points twice. It was excitement to the max, and they made their free throws to tighten the pressure. Zeigler hit the second of two free throws for CMU. That cut the lead to four, 39-35, with 29.4 left on the clock.

The Eagles had trouble in-bounding the ball, and Central’s Finis Craddock picked up the errant pass and bombed in a long sky three from the top of the circle. That cut it to one, 39-38, with 24.9 left.

Central was then forced into a fouling situation and Lampley would connect on both free throws to put Eastern up by three, 41-38, with 22.3 left. That sealed the victory for Eastern Michigan.

EMU Coach Ramsey was optimistic about finding things to highlight about his team’s performance. “We did just enough to win and hold on,” he said. He did smile when pressed more about Janton and the irony of being the ‘Cover Boy’ on the game day printed program. “He has earned playing time, and everyone contributed today.” added Ramsey.

The 38 points scored by CMU was an EMU Convocation Center low for a visiting team while EMU’s 41 points was also a team low for the season. “Defense by both teams contributed to the low score of the game, and Central did a good job of concentrating on shutting Bowdry down. Everyone else stepped up.” continued Ramsey. CMU Coach Ernie Zeigler did not attend post-game.

EMU sophomore, Jamell Harris has recorded 47 blocked shots this season. He had five in this game.

Christian Witness, Poland - Polish - Polonia, , ,

The Amish in Poland

From the Warsaw Gazette (Gazeta Warsawa): Polski Amisz: W Warszawie nie da się żyć (Amish in Poland – No life in Warsaw)

People come from all over Poland to Cezarowa, where they live. They look, nod, smile, then talk about them. They live in the forest, they have seven children, and time. They bake bread, and rarely shop. He wears a beard, she … etc.

Jacob Martin: We cannot live in Warsaw. Warsaw residents do not know how to use time. They do not have time because of the money chase, which equates to happiness for them. Once, at night, people sat on benches in front of houses and talked about everything. Now they only have time to sit in front of the television. They become depressed, go to a psychologist. There, for an hour, they talk and pay for talking with a neighbor. Anyway, here it is a bit like a village. But, people still do not want to cooperate. Everyone must have his own tractor. The world is stupid…

Anita and Jacob Martin (she is 43, he – 41) come from large Amish families who settled in Pennsylvania. The Amish strictly observe norms of behavior. The most orthodox do not use phones, household appliances, and use horse-drawn carriages for transportation.

17 years ago, several Amish families came to Poland on a mission. They were representatives of progressive churches, which allowed the use of electricity and cars. They settled in Cezarowa near Mińsk-Mazowiecki, building a settlement. The project collapsed after three years. All but Martins’ returned to the States. Their families did not accept their decision to stay, and the Amish community renounced them. In Poland, they are alone.

Jacob Martin: This project had no chance. American missions cannot succeed in Europe, because people have a different mentality. What can we say to the Poles? That our religion has 400 years of tradition? People will respond: and our’s has two thousand years of tradition!

Jacob Martin: There are three things you need in life: food, clothes and a house. However, people are chasing after things they do not need. Throughout the year they work hard to have two weeks off and spend their savings. Instead of considering what God wants, people do what they want and think it gives them good luck.

The church, which sent the Martins’ to Poland no longer exists.

Jacob Martin: There are communities to whom Lord Jesus comes quietly once, and to whom He never returns.

Christian Witness, PNCC,

Praying for Christian Unity in Scranton

From the Times-Tribune: Christian leaders gather at prayer service for unity

Leaders of Christian faiths from throughout the region gathered in St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton on Tuesday to sing, pray and talk together about strengthening bonds across denominations.

The annual ecumenical prayer service marked the end of the international Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – a period meant to inspire reflection and dedication to the beliefs and mission Christians share.

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, bishop of the [R.C.] Diocese of Scranton, said in his homily for the prayer service that such shows of unity should not be easy, hollow or temporary, especially because the “challenges to Christian unity” are “many” and “real.”

“We need to change our prayer, asking God to change us so that we may actively work for unity,” he said. “We are ready enough to pray for unity, but prayer alone can become a comfortable substitute for action.”

In an emotional moment, Bishop Bambera invoked instances when such unity was evident, including at a funeral last week for a Holy Cross High School student killed in a car crash that drew families and religious leaders of many faiths to St. Stanislaus Polish National Catholic Cathedral, where the student was a member.

Tuesday’s prayer service included leaders of many faiths gathered in pews at the front of the cathedral and in chairs lining the altar.

Music, including an opening song with the refrain “all are welcome in this place,” was provided by students from the LaSalle Academy liturgical choir, and a collection was donated to the St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen and the homeless shelter at Bethel A.M.E. Church.

Prayers, readings and a litany of petitions for unity were presented by leaders of Episcopal, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Polish National Catholic, Methodist and Roman Catholic churches in the region, as well as the Rev. Dave Twiss of the Green Ridge Assembly of God and Maj. Bea Connell of the Salvation Army.

Christian Witness, PNCC, ,

Fraternalism – working together for the betterment of all

From the Times Leader: Fraternal Societies of Northeast Pennsylvania support Domestic Violence Service Center

Domestic Violence Service Center, which serves Luzerne and Carbon counties, has received a large donation of personal care products, other items and a monetary Christmas gift from the Fraternal Societies of Northeast Pennsylvania. DVSC provides safe shelter and direct services to battered and homeless women and their children. FSNEPA is comprised of six fraternal benefit societies whose charitable efforts are primarily funded by the sale of life insurance and other financial services.

Presenting the donations were John C. Andrzejewski III, secretary general, and Rose Wartko, president, Polish National Union of America; Charlotte L. Androckitis, general secretary and CEO, Polish Union of USA; Mary Jo Savidge, secretary and treasurer, Ladies Pennsylvania Slovak Catholic Union; Theresa Kluchinski, president, Ladies Pennsylvania Slovak Catholic Union; Mary Ann Ewasko, chair of Trustees, Ladies Pennsylvania Slovak Catholic Union; and Magdalen Iskra and Martha Iskra, First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association.

Perspective, PNCC

Where to go?

From the Toledo Blade: Its building is demolished, but congregation goes on

KANSAS, Ohio — A 5 1/2-year battle by members of the former St. James Catholic Church to save their closed parish came to an unceremonious end when the Toledo Catholic Diocese sent a wrecking ball to raze the historic church.

“It’s pretty much a sense of closure,” said former parishioner Steve Johnson. “To see an unused, empty building sitting there all that time was probably more disappointing. To me, we can move on.”

The white wood-frame building that had stood in this rural Seneca County community for 121 years was demolished a week before Christmas while a small crowd of ex-parishioners watched.

St. James Church and the parish house next door were razed “at the request of the local community,” as were two other Ohio churches in the diocese — in North Creek and Cuba — more than six months ago, said Sally Oberski, director of communications for the diocese.

Former members of St. James said they wanted to keep the building, which is about 40 miles southeast of Toledo, but the diocese told them it could not be used as a church.

“They would have given it to us if we used it for dances and social meetings, but when we said we wanted to use it for worship, they said no,” Ginny Hull said.

Given those options, the ex-members said, they decided to have the diocese raze the church.

“We didn’t want to see it slowly deteriorate,” Mrs. Hull said.

“We’re a community, and it’s a building. It had a lot of memories, and that’s sad to see that happen, but we’re still together.”

Fran Lucius, 61, whose great-grandparents helped found St. James in 1889, was given the church’s bell and the bell tower by the diocese. Those artifacts are being stored in the Lucius barn, within sight of where the church had been, with plans for using them as a memorial to the closed parish. Ms. Lucius was among those who watched the demolition.

“I hated to see it come down,” she said. “I looked at it like this: It’s not just for me, but I’m going clear back to my great-grandparents. Look what they sacrificed to build the church and to keep it going during the Depression. All we asked was to give us a priest once a month to keep the parish going. Sooner or later something might have happened.”

St. James was one of 17 churches ordered shut by Bishop Leonard Blair on July 1, 2005, a decision that church officials said was necessary because of a growing shortage of priests and shifting demographics in the 19-county diocese.

When St. James’ parishioners were told their church was going to be closed, they began a round-the-clock prayer vigil in the building. Fifty people took turns praying 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in hopes that their prayers would be answered and the church would be spared.

They also hired a Canon lawyer, filing an appeal to the Vatican, seeking to have the bishop’s decision overturned.

The Vatican eventually upheld Bishop Blair, saying he had followed proper procedures in closing St. James.

Their prayer vigil came to an abrupt halt after 10 months, when the diocese sent a maintenance worker to the church on March 6, 2006. The worker ordered an elderly woman out of the pews, then changed the locks on the building. The diocese said, “The decision to secure the building was made for insurance liability reasons.”

Former members of St. James, which had about 200 parishioners and $78,000 in its diocesan account when it was closed, also pursued their case in civil court.

They sued the diocese un- successfully in Seneca County Common Pleas Court, the Ohio 3rd District Court of Appeals, and the Ohio Supreme Court.

All told, the tiny parish spent more than $100,000 in legal fees.

There are no regrets, they said.

“We did everything we could to keep the place. We’re not sorry,” said Mrs. Hull, who had organized the prayer vigil and broke down in tears when the diocese locked the ex-parishioners out.

The group is still forging ahead as a parish, albeit not in the Roman Catholic Church.

About 50 members formed a nonprofit group, Kansas St. James Parish of Ohio Inc., in 2006, and have been meeting every Sunday for prayer services in Kansas’ United Methodist Church. For several years, a priest in the Polish National Catholic Church drove once a month from suburban Detroit to celebrate Mass with the Kansas faithful.

Lately, Kansas St. James Parish has been holding Mass at 10:30 a.m. every Sunday with a married priest, the Rev. Randal LaFond, as celebrant.

The group discovered Father LaFond via the Internet, Mrs. Hull said.

…

Father LaFond is a member of CITI Ministries Inc. — the name is an acronym for Celibacy Is The Issue, Ms. Hull said. The Brunswick, Maine, group promotes the availability of married and other resigned Roman Catholic priests, who, they say, are still priests according to Canon law.

Mr. Johnson and Mrs. Hull said Kansas St. James Parish of Ohio is looking to buy a building or to purchase land on which to build a church.

“I love that we have been operating our church independently and have been carrying out our mission to our community,” Mr. Johnson said. “This is a difficult economic time, and communities like Kansas need a church much more than they ever needed that particular building.”

CITI Ministries is otherwise known as “Rent-a-Priest.” I am not sure as to why the group decided to go with CITI rather than with the PNCC.

In some cases, the traditionalism and prayer of the PNCC are seen as too different from the manner in which Roman Catholicism is widely practiced in the United States. People also have to be prepared to adapt to theological differences. This can be too high a hurdle for some, and puts them too far outside their comfort zone. The remaining problem, through, is that groups like CITI have no bishop, and without the bishop there is no Church. I wish them luck in their discernment.

Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , , ,

The Immigrant Mosaic in Massachusetts

From the Boston Globe: Massachusetts’ ethnic mosaic

The story includes interactive maps, clusters of interest, state averages, and search tools.

Polish immigrants make up 5.3% of the state’s population. I had always thought that Poles had primarily congregated in the Chicopee area. In fact, Adams, MA has the largest percentage of people self-identifying as Polish-Americans — 29.1% of the local population. The story also notes the unfortunate breakdowns we see in the social fabric of a community, with R.C. church and business closings.

Adams, a small town in the Berkshires, has long had a significant Polish presence. Immigrants came in the early 1990s to work in the textile mills, and today about 28 percent of residents report Polish ancestry. Lisa Mendel of the local chapter of the Polish National Alliance said they hold a Polish dance classes for kids each Tuesday night. “We still try to hold onto our Polish culture and traditions,” she said. Yet some have faded. A Polish deli closed a couple years back, as did a Polish Catholic church.

The rest of the story:

Ever since the Pilgrims landed, waves of immigrants have come to Massachusetts, weaving themselves into the fabric of cities and towns with their food, music, idioms, and culture.

By far the largest, and most defining, were Irish, tens of thousands of whom crossed the ocean in the mid-19th century to escape famine. Many moved south of Boston, settling in coastal suburbs that became known as the Irish Riviera. Statewide, nearly one in four residents are of Irish descent, newly released Census data show.

Until the late 19th century, immigrants to Boston were almost exclusively from western Europe, primarily England, Scotland, and Ireland. But in the 1880s, immigrants began arriving from Poland, Russia, and especially Italy. Like the Irish before them, they settled in Boston, then gradually migrated outward.

In recent decades, an influx of immigrants from Portugal and Cape Verde, Asia, and an array of Spanish-speaking countries have settled in Massachusetts, creating vibrant clusters across the state that endure today — from Puerto Ricans in Holyoke to the Portuguese in the New Bedford area. – Peter Schworm

Christian Witness, Political, Work,

Support Unemployed Workers

From IWJ: How Your Congregation Can Support Unemployed Workers

Is your congregation helping unemployed workers? IWJ’s new Faith Advocates for Jobs campaign plans to organize 1,000 local congregation-based or interfaith support committees to assist the unemployed and their families in communities across the country. Want to get your congregation or group involved? Contact Rev. Paul Sherry, the campaign’s coordinator, at 202-525-3055.

Media, Poland - Polish - Polonia, Xpost to PGF, , ,

The Way Back – now in theaters

“The Way Back” just opened last Friday across the United States. The film, directed by award-wining director Peter Weir, is loosely based on the book called “The Long Walk” about a Polish Army officer who escapes from a Soviet camp in Siberia during WWII with a group of prisoners. Those who survive the journey end up making their way to freedom through the dessert and the Himalayas.

The film Stars Colin Ferrell, Jim Sturgess and Ed Harris.

This is the first widely distributed film that shows the Polish WWII story from the side of the Soviet occupation and persecution. Those of you who are familiar with the Kresy-Siberia Group, will be pleased to know that they advised Peter Weir in the making of the film.

Anne Applebaum, a Washington Post Reporter who recently wrote the book “Gulag”, and is married to Poland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Radek Sikorski, wrote in her review of the film: “…The Way Back” is a unique and groundbreaking film: It represents Hollywood’s first attempt to portray the Soviet Gulag, in meticulously researched detail.” Another review can be found here, and two in Polish here and here.

In the Buffalo, NY area, the film is being shown in Regal Cinemas (Galleria, Orchard Park, Williamsville and Elmwood).

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