Thoughts and opinions from a Priest in the PNCC
The people of the parish gather with our bishop and clergy from across New York and New Jersey to pray and console each other.
Remember that you can donate to help the parish at GoFundMe.
A GoFundMe account has been created to assist the parish’s efforts. If you can, please help out.
This morning the parish church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Perth Amboy, New Jersey was destroyed by fire. First, we all request your prayers for the people of the parish, our diocese, and the entire Church as we face the days ahead. May our dear Lord console our grief and give us the grace of His strength.
The beauty of our Holy Polish National Catholic Church is clearly evident in the story below from MyCentralJersey. It is our central focus on faith in Jesus Christ Who saves and strengthens us, Who provides for us and leads us to overcome every obstacle or challenge.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
It too is a Church of the people, of the humanity and nations Christ has redeemed. We are the Church that respects, honors, and enshrines every person’s self determination in our democratic tradition. We are a Church organized by immigrants that continues to offer a home to immigrants – not as subjects – but as human beings. Our Holy Church is our home, where the traditions of Poles, Czechs, Lithuanians, Peruvians, Mexicans, and people of every culture are not just kept – as if on on shelf – but are lived and expressed in the ways we worship our Lord.
Bendicenos en cada hora Senor de los Milagros, en nuestras enfermedades y pobrezas, en nuestras pruebas y desolaciones, en nuestors quebrantos e infortunios, escucha nuestra voz, atiende nuestras plegarias, acude pronto en favor de nosotros, de nuestras familias y de nuestros intereses temporales y eternos. En Ti confiamos Senor de los Milagros y de tu misericordia infinita, esperamos alcanzar el remedio en nuestras necesidades.
Padrenuestro, Avemaria con la jaculatoria; Senor de los Milagros, en Ti confiamos.
Bless us at our every hour Lord of Miracles, in our sickness and poverty, in desolation and in the times we are tested, in our losses and misfortunes, hear our voice, hear our prayers; speed Your aid to us, to our families, and help us in our daily and eternal needs. In You, Lord of Miracles we trust, and place our faith in Your infinite mercy; we know that You will hear us in our every need.
Our Father, Hail Mary, and pray: Lord of Miracles, we trust in You!
PERTH AMBOY — Hours after an early morning fire destroyed Saints Cyril & Methodius National Catholic Church, the pastor and some members vowed to rebuild the 598 Jacques St. church.
And they will be looking to other towns with Peruvian communities to assist them.
“We want the Peruvian community to join forces. We need help from them and other Peruvian communities to rebuild,” said Andres Sanchez of Perth Amboy, adding both Paterson and Elizabeth have large Peruvian communities. “We ask for help from our Peruvian community to rebuild the house of the Senor del los Milagros in Perth Amboy.”
The church housed a replica of the Senor de los Milagos, an image of Jesus Christ on the crucifix, also known as the Lord of Miracles considered sacred in Peru. Members stood outside the charred remains to see if the image survived the flames.
Sanchez, a two-year church member, said the destruction of the church by fire is “a big tragedy.”
The Rev. Mariusz Zochowski, church pastor who refers to himself at “Father Mario,” said the church is it’s people, and he believes it will be rebuilt. The church with Polish origins, now has a large Peruvian membership.
“If anyone has the desire to help us rebuild the church it would be greatly appreciated,” said Zochowski said.
For Luis Silva, 23, Saints Cyril & Methodius National Catholic Church, is like a second home.
“It means everything to me. To see it in ruins breaks me apart,” said Silva who attended Sunday services at the church hours before a fire destroyed the wood-frame 1920s era church.
Silva, a member for more than six years, said the church is a place where he feels safe.
“Religion to me is very important. It’s most of what I’ve known since a child,” said Silva who was among a group of church members who came out to the early Monday morning fire scene to see firefighters work to extinguish the flames.
As he returned in the late morning, so did the heartbreaking feeling.
Like many of the church members Silva was interested in learning whether a replica of the Senor de los Milagros, had survived. Fire Chief Abraham Pitre, however, said the image is believed to have been destroyed by the flames.
Salvaging religious items
Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz has asked the fire department to salvage any religious artifacts, including the stained glass windows.
“I want them to be careful and preserve any artifacts that survived this fire,” Diaz said.
Sanchez said the church contained religious artifacts associated with the saint. Pitre said many religious items were recovered, but not the image.
“But of the most value is our faith,” said Sanchez, who learned of the fire early Monday morning from a relative.
Two crosses did survive the fire. One, heavily charred is seen still hanging on the church wall, while another cross located on the cupola fell and now is perched inside the church.
Sanchez said October marks the celebration of the saint Senor de los Milagros and every year in September church members parade the image through the Jacques Street neighborhood in celebration of the Lord of Miracles. Diaz said people from Peru have traveled to Perth Amboy to participate in the procession.
According to Sanchez, a slave from Peru painted the original image and when an earthquake destroyed nearly everything in the church, the image survived.
Sanchez said the church has members who come from as far as New York. He said a lot of people come to the Perth Amboy church to see the image of Senor de los Milagros. Diaz said people from Peru have traveled to Perth Amboy to participate in the procession.
“Today is the last day they do the procession in Peru,” said Diaz, who saw church members crying in the early morning hours as they watched the church burn. “People just cried and cried. It was so sad. It broke my heart. It’s a miracle the buildings around here did not catch fire.”
Three towns assist Perth Amboy in fighting fire
Pitre said firefighters were dispatched to the church around 12:52 a.m. after a passerby walking in the area noticed smoke and fire along the roof and then saw fire inside the church.
When police and firefighters arrived, there was fire burning along the roof. Pitre said the fire spread throughout the corner lot church building. The cause it under investigation, but may never be known due to the amount of damage, Pitre said.
Diaz said the heat and fire was so intense the walls were buckling and shaking.
Firefighters worked to prevent the fire from spreading to the homes behind the wood-frame church on Jeffries Street or to the rectory next door at 600 Jacques Street.
“We tried to keep it contained to the church,” Pitre said.
Firefighters from Perth Amboy, Woodbridge, Colonia, Iselin, Fords, Sayreville, Metuchen and Avenel helped fight the fire and cover the rest of the city. It took about 90 minutes to get the fire under control. No one was in the church. No injuries were reported.
“The church is a total loss,” he said. “There are still some pockets of fire in the front of the church that are still burning. Due to the fact the church is in danger of collapsing we’re waiting for the insurance company to come to order an emergency demolition to further extinguish it.”
Id, ego, super-ego
God
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former
Id, ego and super-ego are the three parts of psyche as defined by Sigmund Freud. The three are said to interact and their interaction results in our attitudes and behaviors.
The id is instincts, our uncontrolled wants. It is all the things we would do if we lived an uncontrolled life. I want cake. I’m going to eat cake till I get sick. I don’t care because I want.
The super-ego is said to be the set of controls we impose through critical and moral evaluation of our lives. The super-ego tells us that eating cake, while pleasurable, must be done in moderation. The super-ego tells us to avoid gluttony and greed, to be reasonable, to share our cake, to do the right thing so we don’t get sick.
The ego is that realistic part of our psyche that mediates between uncontrolled desires and the balance imposed by the super-ego. We can have our cake, but just the right amount.
Jesus shows us two people, coming into the temple. The Pharisee’s id is urging him on to self-righteousness. He’s blurting out all the great things he’s done. He hasn’t examined himself at all. He’s all about the cake – he knows he’s going to heaven and he’s absolutely sure about it – or so his id tells him. You’re great – nothing else matters. He is all pride and arrogance before God.
The tax collector knows that his id leads him to do wrong things. He has certainly stolen, overcharged people, and likely spent his ill-gotten gains partying. Then his super-ego – his conscience – the voice of God in his heart kicks in – and he realizes he has done wrong.
The tax collector comes back, seeks God, and desires forgiveness. He seeks proper balance in line with God’s desires for him. He presents himself before his Judge and begs freedom from his sin.
The id, ego, and super-ego are a theory. We know as Christians that we are to subject ourselves to discernment, following God’s way. We will not always control our unbridled desires; or live justly with the love and goodness God asks of us. When we fail we must listen to our conscience and like the tax collector reach out to our Judge in humility. Then, as Jesus promises, we will be justified and welcomed home.
God’s Field, the official newspaper of the Polish National Catholic Church, has returned and is being published on a monthly basis. The October issue is available on-line at the official Polish National Catholic Church website and Facebook page.
During the first transitional year of publication the Church will mail several hard copies of the newspaper to all PNCC parishes. By January 2015 a new subscription database will be completed and new annual subscription rates for online and hard copy issues will be announced.
Parishes are encouraged to submit articles for each issue by the first of each month. All articles arriving at the God’s Field office after the first of the month will be published in the following month’s issue. Articles may be submitted by E-mail or postal mail to:
GOD’S FIELD
Polish National Catholic Church
1006 Pittston Avenue
Scranton, PA 18505-4109
Celebrating heritage
Making God known to all
Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
St. Paul calls us to remain faithful. Faith is imparted to us by our hearing, by someone who proclaims and models faith for us. This is not any faith – but faith in the one true source of salvation who is Jesus Christ.
Jesus told His apostles and disciples: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.”
Someone had to inform us of this fact. Indeed they did – the apostles and disciples set out to every corner of the world and proclaimed what they had seen and heard. They spoke it, they held the liturgy – bringing the sacraments to all, and they witnessed to the truth of Christ by offering their lives without fear. These witnesses, mostly uneducated and formerly fearful, brought the faith to every nation.
Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity in 301. Tiridates III was the first ruler to officially Christianize his people predating the date of Constantine the Great’s personal acceptance of Christianity on behalf of the Roman Empire. Subsequently many nations adopted Christianity and assumed the role of imparting the faith to their people. A mosaic of peoples and cultures went on to make salvation known through faith in Jesus known.
Bishop Hodur saw nations as a tool in God’s hands. Each people is endowed with specific gifts and insights that add to the totality of Christian evangelism.
Religion cannot espouse the dissolution of national and cultural boundaries as its goal — an argument made by those who define everything in terms of separation. Our faith, and the expression of our faith – our religion – is focused on making Jesus known through the gift of nations and cultures. Nations and cultures speak of God who works through them to fulfill Jesus’ command 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.”
God speaks to and values every nation and culture. He works through them to make His will known, to offer salvation to every person.
Today we celebrate the individual heritage of every nation and culture. We celebrate the gifts God has given us – those gifts intended to make salvation known, to bring all to know and worship Him who created us for His purpose.
From September 18th through the 24th the Most Rev. Anthony Mikovsky and the Very Rev. Gregory Młudzik led a group of faithful and a delegation from the Polish National Union to Poland in observance of the 50th Anniversary of the organizing of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Żarki, Poland. Our Lady of Perpetual Help was established as a center of faith and also as a memorial of gratitude to the organizer of the Polish National Catholic Church, Most Rev. Francis Hodur. Żarki, Poland is the birthplace of Bishop Hodur.
The current church was built through the generosity of Polish National Catholics in the United States who channeled their support through the Polish National Union. The cornerstone for the church was blessed and laid by Prime Bishop Leon Grochowski in 1966 in the presence of the clergy and faithful from throughout Poland and the United States as well as representatives from the Polish National Union.
From September 18th through the 24th the Most Rev. Anthony Mikovsky and the Very Rev. Gregory Młudzik led a group of faithful and a delegation from the Polish National Union to Poland in observance of the 50th Anniversary of the organizing of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Żarki, Poland. During their visit they presented a check for $25,000 to support the work of Regional Hospital System in Będzin, Poland. Funds were raised through the work of the Medical Bridge to Poland program.
The regional hospital system offers preventative, diagnostic, treatment, and rehabilitative services through two hospitals with twenty departments and two specialty clinics with 35 specialists in occupational and primary health care.
Funkcjonuje od miesiąca, jednak jego oficjalne przekazanie nastąpiło w poniedziałek. Do będzińskiego szpitala przybyli goście z USA, którzy przyczynili się do zakupu nowoczesnego sprzętu do badań serca.
Nowoczesna aparatura w będzińskiej placówce jest wykorzystywana już od kilku tygodni. – Mieliśmy okazję spotkać się z darczyńcami, pokazać im w jaki sposób funkcjonuje ten sprzęt i ile znaczy dla mieszkańców powiatu będzińskiego, bowiem faktycznie podnosi on jakość świadczonych usług medycznych przez nasz szpital – powiedział Rafał Adamczyk, wicestarosta będziński. – To działanie wpisuje się w naprawę programu ekonomicznego tej placówki – dodał Rafał Adamczyk.
Wartość całej aparatury wynosi 130 tys. zł, z czego kwotę w wysokości 52 tys. zł. pokrył sam szpital. – Pozostałe 78 tys. zł. przekazał nam z Kościół Polskokatolicki w Stanach Zjednoczonych, a konkretnie jeden z dekanatów, którego dziekanem jest ksiądz Grzegorz Młudzik, pochodzący z naszego terenu. To on zaproponował, aby przekazać te pieniądze na aparaturę do badań chorób serca – mówił Jacek Kołacz, dyrektor będzińskiego szpitala.
Niewykluczone, że nie była to ostatnia pomoc finansowa dla szpitala zza oceanu. – Bardzo się cieszymy, że z roku na rok w naszym szpitalu pojawiają się coraz bardziej specjalistyczne, profesjonalne urządzenia. Wszystko ma na celu to, aby mieszkańcy, którzy niestety korzystają ze służby zdrowia mogli być leczeni w jak najlepszych warunkach – podkreślił Łukasz Komoniewski, prezydent Będzina.
From the Times Tribune: North Scranton Church celebrates 100 year history
The halls and steeples of one Scranton church have heard thousands of hymns, witnessed years of weddings, Communions and confessions and have stood tall and welcoming for 100 years.
Anna Zimmie, a 100-year-old member of the congregation of the Providence of God Lithuanian National Catholic Church in Scranton, began her life as one of the first children baptized within its walls. Her daughter, Dolores Krupski, said the church has been a “big part” of both of their lives.
“My mother used to tell me what a great choir they had,” Mrs. Krupski said. “She used to talk about a lot of things that happened years ago.”
The church that brought Mrs. Zimmie into her life of faith a century ago will celebrate its 100th anniversary this weekend with a special Mass and banquet. Father Walter Placek, the church’s pastor, said this milestone has been hard-won by the dedication of congregation members throughout the church’s history.
“For a church to stay open 100 years in itself is a little miracle,” Father Placek said. “Those who are dedicated want so much to keep this church going, and I like being a part of that.”
Janet Kelly, president of the parish committee, leads those dedicated parishioners and manages the upkeep and functions of the church.
“We’re a small group, but we do a lot,” Ms. Kelly said. “We’re all working for the same goal of keeping the church alive and going.”
The church was founded in 1913 by a group of Lithuanian immigrants who had become disenchanted with the “oppressive ways” of the Roman Catholic Church and split from St. Joseph’s Church in North Scranton. According to Father Placek’s historical sketch, in 1913 the group “went around the corner to Oak Street, barely a quarter-mile away from St. Joseph’s Church, and the Providence of God Parish became a reality.”
Today, Ms. Kelly said the parish committee keeps the church alive and thriving through several fundraisers throughout the year, including pork dinners, chicken barbecues, flea markets and bake sales.
“It gets a little tough now,” she said. “If we had to survive on collections (during Mass) we wouldn’t get by.”
A lifelong member of the church, Ms. Kelly said both her parents and grandparents met within the 100-year-old walls.
“It’s had such a huge impact on my life,” Ms. Kelly said. “It’s like my second family.”
Father Placek started at the church 12 years ago for what was originally a “temporary assignment.” Now, he will lead it through the centennial milestone.
“Twelve years ago I didn’t think I would be here,” Father Placek said. “Back then I was hoping we could fill the church. This (anniversary) is a rare privilege.”
The church will host a special anniversary Mass on Sunday at 3 p.m., led by Diocesan Bishop Bernard Nowicki.
As the centennial milestone comes and goes, Father Placek said he hopes to see the church remain for many years to come.
“I hope it’s more than keeping open,” he said. “It’s worth trying to keep it and to grow.”
Laimes sukaktuviu proga!!!
Family
the center of love
And when they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.” And he said to them, “How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” And they did not understand the saying which he spoke to them.
As a young man of 12 (prior to the acknowledged age of maturity for a Jewish young man – the age of 13), Jesus was already maturely aware that He had been sent to carry out His Father’s will, to be close to His Father in heaven in all that He was to say and do. Of course Mary and Joseph did not fully understand that. They would have expected Jesus to still be immature in the knowledge of God.
Jesus clearly points out that He had to be about His Father’s work regardless of whether the world or His human parents saw Him as mature or immature. He shows us that the perceptions of the world do not matter as long as we stay focused on our true work.
How hard it is for us to stay true to God’s work among the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Children’s lives are fully programmed. Youth are busy with studies, sports, extracurricular activities and homework of course. Many parent’s work lives seem never ending now that we are connected 24/7 will smartphones. Retirement doesn’t mean sitting in a rocking chair anymore.
Staying true to God, to our faith in Christ, to the work the Holy Spirit calls us to do, requires an environment that places being in the Father’s presence as the greatest good. All the education, money, talent, and activities in the world are worth nothing if we loose our souls – our relationship to God and our heavenly family – in the process.
The environment that is our support, that shows us the way to eternal success, and that keeps us true and present to God is family –the Christian family. Family that believes in love, which is truly connected to the truth of love, will place God first and foremost in its life. That family will pray together, will worship together, will live in faithfulness to each other, will support and prepare each other for a life that is forever.
What a worthless gift we leave if we only provide for the near term. God’s family – provides forever.
Jesus sat in His Father’s presence in the temple, feeling at home, breathing the air of His own proper place. As families in Christ – centers of love – let us follow Jesus. Let us be present to God, breathe His life as our greatest goal, our desired good, and as our gift of love to each other – parents, children, and grandchildren.