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Day: August 8, 2012

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Bishop elect Nowicki takes helm of the Central Diocese

From the Times-Tribune: New bishop to take helm of local Polish National Catholic diocese

The region’s Polish National Catholics will have a new diocesan bishop this fall.

Bishop elect Rev. Bernard NowickiBishop-elect Bernard Nowicki assumed administrative leadership of the Central Diocese on Wednesday and will be consecrated as bishop and officially installed in the new post on Friday, Sept. 14.

The diocese, which stretches from Maryland to New York, is the denomination’s largest. As bishop, the Rev. Nowicki will also be pastor of the denomination’s mother church, St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Cathedral in Scranton.

The Rev. Nowicki was elected bishop at a special synod held in Scranton in June, when he and Bishop-elect Stanley Bilinski were both voted into the office. The Rev. Bilinski will be bishop of the Chicago-based Western Diocese. The Rev. Nowicki assumes the Central Diocese post from Bishop John Mack, who has been bishop of the diocese for the past 18 months and was reassigned to his home Buffalo-Pittsburgh Diocese.

The Rev. Nowicki, a longtime pastor at a church in Bayonne, N.J., studied at Savonarola Theological Seminary in Scranton, and his wife is a native of Dupont.

Prime Bishop Anthony Mikovsky said the Rev. Nowicki will likely move to the area in late September or early October.

“He’s a very well-respected priest in the church,” he said. “He has a wonderful education.”

Prime Bishop Mikovsky also said he is excited by the number of new bishops across the church.

“A lot of the church has new leadership,” he said, “and there is a lot of excitement with new leadership.”

Christian Witness, PNCC,

Eastern Diocese honors our Service members at outdoor Holy Mass

From the Union Leader: Polish church holds Rindge outdoor Mass

RINDGE — The Eastern Diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church held its annual celebration at Cathedral of the Pines on Sunday.

About 75 members of the diocese, which stretches from its northeast seniorite, Holy Trinity Cathedral in Manchester, to parishes in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, celebrated the Mass.

The Rt. Rev. Paul Sobiechowski, who was installed as diocesan bishop at Holy Trinity Cathedral last March, was the main celebrant. Other priests of the diocese concelebrated the Mass with him.

The annual Mass has been celebrated at the outdoor cathedral in Rindge for about 60 years, Sobiechowski said.

“Thinking about the length of our National Polish Catholic Church, this service has been taking place in our diocese more than half the time this church has been in existence,” he said.

While the hot afternoon sun forced most church members to sit in a shady section of the outdoor cathedral, Sobiechowski, standing in the sun, said he found the day quite cold because of the wind blowing across the altar that day.

“God watches over his people,” he said.

The Mass honored those who serve in uniform, including military, police, firefighters and medical workers.

“For their safety and for their blessings today and for the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and for the blessings upon our Eastern Diocese,” Sobiechowski said, as he began the Mass.

After the Gospel, the Rev. Andrzej Tenus gave a homily in which he preached about the importance of using the gifts God bestows to serve others, the way those in uniform do.

“If you think life is about making a lot of money, retiring, then dying, you miss the point of your life,” he said.

“Each one should use whatever gifts he has received to serve others, faithfully administrating God’s grace in its various forms,” Tenus said, quoting St. Peter.

Chief Maloney recalled

Bedford police Officer Stefan Swiadas attended the Mass in his uniform, and as part of the procession and recession during the Mass carried the cross.

During a call for prayers, Swiadas asked that Greenland’s fallen Police Chief Michael Maloney be remembered.

Joey Grieve, 11, of Andover, Mass., sang two solos during the Mass. He is a member of St. Casimir’s Parish in Lowell, Mass. His mother, Cheryl Grieve, said they have been attending the annual Mass for the past four years.

“It’s really nice, the New England states getting together in fellowship,” Cheryl Grieve said.

After the Mass, church members shared a meal together at the Hidden Hills Banquet Hall in Rindge.

PNCC, Poland - Polish - Polonia, , ,

Celebrating Polish Heritage in Wisconsin

From the Wausau Daily Herald: Our Savior National Catholic Church celebrates Polish heritage

Even if your heritage is French and Indian, you become a little bit Polish when you’re at Our Savior’s Polish Fest.

The annual festival of Our Savior National Catholic Church in Mosinee just has that way about it, at least according to Bucky Bucknell, 69, of Mosinee. Bucknell, who has the French and Indian heritage, has been volunteering at the event since he started attending the church 22 years ago. Both the festival and the church tend to draw people in, Bucknell said.

July 7 and 8 marked the 37th year the church has played host to Polish Fest, held in the Mosinee Rec Center and featuring Polish food such as sausage and kraut, golabki (a cabbage, rice and meat dish) and pierogies. The celebration of all things Polish also features plenty of Polish polka music, Polish beer and some activities such as raffles and a rummage sale.

The food is the big draw, Bucknell said.

“It ain’t run to the store and buy the stuff,” he said. “Everybody puts a lot of pride into it.”

On Saturday, people stood in line to fill up on the food — the pierogies were so good they tempted non-Poles to add a c, z, y and k to their last name.

The festival drew Russ and Theresa Napiwocki, both 45, north from Stevens Point.

The couple love attending church picnics, especially if they feature polka music. “I’ve been dancing since I was 6,” Russ said.

The Polish food was icing on the cake. “You just can’t get food like this in a restaurant,” Theresa said.

Vacen Osowski, 92, of Mosinee founded Polish Fest in 1975. He knew he had a hit on his hand when “we went through 110 half-barrels of beer, and we had 5,000 pierogies and we ran out.”

He ran the festival for about 15 years, but now he just helps out as he can.

Osowski said the food has always been a draw, for those of Polish heritage or not.

“The people like Polish food. That’s all there is to it,” he said.

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