Thoughts and opinions from a Priest in the PNCC
The Buffalo – Pittsburgh Diocese is hosting Convo 2024 with the Theme from 1 Corinthians 9:24 “Running the Race.” Convo 2024 will be held at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania from July 22nd through 26th.
You can find information and registration documents as well as other information below and at the Convo 2024 website.
My dearest family in Christ,
As many of you have heard, I was hospitalized at Ellis last Saturday evening (July 29th) with severe abdominal pain. That physical pain was compounded by the fact that I was inhibited from celebrating Holy Mass for and with you on Sunday. A partially completed bulletin was still on my computer at home.
I informed our Bishop as well as members of the Parish Committee and they reached most of you. We had hoped for a last-minute fill-in for Holy Mass but that could not be accomplished on such short notice.
On Sunday morning as you each prayed in your own ways, I underwent surgery at 11am. I remained in hospital through Wednesday afternoon. I am now at home continuing recovery. I have another procedure to undergo Monday morning and then on to the rest of my healing.
I made it through by God’s abundant blessing and the presence of Christ (thank you to Ellis’ ministry team), with the great support of my wife Renee and children, Adam and Victoria. Victoria took me to the hospital and stayed with me until 4am. Adam sat with me most nights – nearly around-the-clock. Renee took care of all that needed doing – she was there for me in every way she possibly could have been. I am also grateful to my daughter Stephanie and sister Andrea who kept in contact and kept my spirits going. Thank you to Paul, Larry, and Pete who informed you on Sunday. Thank you to everyone who visited, sent cards, texted, brought balloons, and most especially prayed.
Thank you to the entire Ellis team. They were phenomenal! Dr. Sanchez, the 3rd floor A nursing team, especially TerryAnn, Hadiye, and Jennifer, all the Techs, who worked so hard in the face of terrible staffing shortages. They are dedicated men and women who deserve our respect and support.
I thank God for those I was able to minister to while I was in hospital – God opens doors.
Speaking with Bishop Bernard, I so wanted to celebrate Holy Mass for the Solemnity of the Transfiguration, but he in his wisdom urged me to fully heal and not take risks. Thank you to Deacon Michael for coming out to minister on the Solemnity (he is wonderful).
Indeed, experiences like these if understood in light of God’s abundant mercy are transformative. They help you to understand things anew, to correct ways that have veered off, and to see things in clearer light. May God’s grace continue in transfiguring each of us into His image.
I expect to return next Sunday, August 13th. Weekday Holy Mass will resume August 14th. I love you all and miss you dearly. May Almighty God bless you for your goodness and compassion and your resolute faith.
– Fr. Jim
Sometime in late 2021 I lost access to this site. At the time it was being hosted by Media Temple. Media Temple made a whole series of rather complex server changes and changed DNS settings for websites. They also stopped providing easy to access support. I sat on the phone many an evening, but at three hours still waiting would give up.
It seems these moves by Media Temple were in anticipation of their buy-out/acquisition by GoDaddy.
I did still have access to my files and backups, so I downloaded everything. I changed my hosting to Dreamhost and even moved my registration from Register to Dreamhost just to get everything in one place.
We started by trying out multiple DNS refreshes, yet the URL and its hosting were not propagating. That took quite awhile to resolve. Once that was addressed, all I could get to was a “Stay Tuned/Coming Soon” website and if I clicked on the link there, a cPanel site.
This went on for… well months. I thought, maybe it was the old Media Temple encryption certificate taking me back there. Not really possible, but who knows. Then I thought, maybe if I just completely destroy the Media Temple account that would resolve it. No luck. Went down several ‘help’ rabbit holes without success.
Finally, a really great tech at Dreamhost helped me out. Cherry E. and I discovered a problem by running traceroute and ping from my computer. I flushed the caches on my computer and found some old IP’s in my hosts file. Cleaning those up finally got me back in. I restored my backups for which I used and continue to use Updraft Plus. Easy – which was great. Some settings needed restoration. The right Template had to be re-set.
I also realize that people, besides me, were likely getting to the site and seeing no activity, wondered what happened. While I have been regularly posting on Facebook, YouTube, and my parish website — Holy Name of Jesus in Schenectady, NY I missed sharing here. I am happy to be back.
For now, I am posting things I missed that I would have ordinarily have shared from September 2021 to today. I will take a bit of time.
From MassLive: Westfield Kiwanis Club names Boys & Girls Club director Kellie Brown ‘Kiwanian of the Year’
WESTFIELD – The Kiwanis Club has named Kellie Brown, director of operations for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield, the “Donald W. Blair Kiwanian of the Year.”
Brown will receive the award at the Kiwanis Club’s 95th anniversary banquet on Sept. 29 at East Mountain Country Club…
Also at the Sept. 29 ceremony, the Very Rev. Joseph Soltysiak, pastor of St. Joseph’s National Catholic Church, will receive the “Lifetime Achievement Award,” and Cathleen Bastible will receive a Walter Zeller Fellowship, one of the club’s highest honors, for her work since joining the club in 2007…
Appearing in the second half of the Carla Page show to discuss suicide awareness, belonging, and the annual Out of Darkness walk being held at Central Park starting at noon on September 30th.
From the Scranton Times-Tribune: Bishop Anthony M. Rysz, 90, died Friday, March 20, in Geisinger Community Medical Center emergency room after being stricken ill at home. His wife of 46 years is the former Marie Bednash Rysz.
Bishop Rysz was the son of the late Aniela Szmyd Rysz and Joseph Rysz. Born in Old Forge, he was educated in local schools and attended the University of Scranton. During the Second World War, he served with the Fifth Amphibious Force of the Pacific theater with the United States Navy. Long involved in church activities and organizations, his calling prompted him to enter Savonarola Theological Seminary of the Polish National Catholic Church.
He was ordained to the Holy Priesthood on Oct. 19, 1950, by the Right Rev. John Misiaszek, and was assigned as assistant to St. Stanislaus Cathedral. In February 1954, he was assigned to the pastorate of Holy Mother of Sorrows Parish, Dupont, and was elevated to the rank of senior priest on Nov. 11, 1964, by the Prime Bishop, the Most Rev. Leon Grochowski. In February 1968, he assumed the pastorate of St. Stanislaus Cathedral and received Episcopal consecration on June 26 of the same year. He served on various commissions of the church, including the United Polish School Societies, Clergymen’s Aid Fund and Seminary Board. He was the personal secretary to the first bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church, Francis Hodur, and his successor, Leon Grochowski. From 1959 to 1966, he spent many months as the consignee for Aid to Poland under the American Polish National Relief Program.
Bishop Rysz was actively involved in the International Bishop’s Conference of the Union of Utrecht, of which the Polish National Catholic Church was a member. Additionally, he was the chairman of the Commission on Dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church and had participated in numerous ecumenical celebrations, both here and abroad. He was the editor of God’s Field, the official newspaper of the Polish National Catholic Church and a contributing writer to that publication. He was actively involved in programs which encourage the participation of younger people in the life of the church. In recent years, he served as pastor of Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Nanticoke.
He is also survived by a sister, Josephine R. Kwiatkowski, Taylor; and two brothers, Theodore, Scranton; and Walter; nieces and nephews.
He was also preceded in death by a sister, Celia Ambrose.
He will lie in state on Tuesday from 4 to 8 p.m. in St. Stanislaus Polish National Catholic Cathedral, 529 E. Locust St., Scranton. The funeral Mass will be on Wednesday at 10 a.m., celebrated by the Most Rev. Dr. Anthony A. Mikovsky. Interment will follow in the parish cemetery.
Donations in the bishop’s memory may be made to the Clergy Pension Fund, the St. Stanislaus Elementary School PTO or St. Stanislaus Renovation Fund.
Eternal rest grant unto your servant, priest, and bishop and may the perpetual light shine upon him.
May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace.
PITTSTON, PA (WVIA) – WVIA’s next Simply Grand Concert features soprano Barbara Liberasky-Nowicki and pianist Carol Ann Aicher in a program titled, “Art Song Treasures of Poland.” The live concert will be held on Sunday, March 22, 2015 at 3 p.m. in the Sordoni High Definition Theater at the WVIA Public Media Studios in Pittston, PA. Seating is free, but limited. To make reservations call 570-655-2808 or reserve seats online.
Dr. Barbara Liberasky-Nowicki, soprano, has performed abroad and throughout the tri-state area in opera, concert, and recital. Her opera credits include appearances with the Grande Theatre of Geneva, Switzerland in productions of Parsifal, Albert Herring, La Boheme, and Boris Godunov, the latter of which was televised throughout Europe. She has been a soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Pittsburgh Opera, the New York Lyric Opera, Mostly Opera, the Ossining Chorale, the Pittsburgh Chamber Opera Theater, the Ridge Light Opera, Stony Hill Players, the New Jersey Concert Opera, and the Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey, among others. Dr. Nowicki earned a Doctorate of Education in College Teaching and Vocal Pedagogy from Columbia University Teachers College. The topic of her doctoral research is the history of Polish music leading to the Polish art song of the 19th century. She is devoted to bringing this virtually unknown song repertoire to wider audiences. Recital venues have included New Jersey City University, the University of Pittsburgh, the Northeast Theater of Scranton, and the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York City among others. She was featured on WQED-FM radio in Pittsburgh in a program entitled: Oginski to Szymanowski: The Polish Art Song of the 19th Century. Dr. Nowicki also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from Wilkes University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Vocal Performance from Carnegie-Mellon University. As a music educator, Ms. Nowicki has taught chorus and voice at Washington and Jefferson College, Teachers College Columbia University, Carnegie-Mellon University and music in several public schools, including those in Madison and Millburn, New Jersey. Ms. Nowicki resides in Scranton, Pennsylvania with her husband the Rt. Rev. Bernard Nowicki, bishop of the Central Diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church. Their daughter, Berit Elizabeth, resides in Northampton, MA.
Dr. Carol Ann Aicher earned a Doctorate in Education at Columbia University Teachers College and holds a Masters of Music degree in Piano Performance from Manhattan School of Music as well as the Piano Pedagogy Certificate and a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance with a minor in Music History from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Carol Ann currently teaches graduate pedagogy at the Manhattan School of Music. She was previously an assistant professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Aicher also frequently presents workshops, lectures on pedagogy, and adjudicates various festivals and competitions. As a pianist and collaborator she has performed at many venues on the east coast; Longwood Gardens, Strathmore Hall, Lincoln Center, Steinway Hall. She is half of the Oberlin Piano Duo, an ensemble that specializes in music for four hands, one piano. Carol Ann is also part of a two piano team with her husband Douglas Lane.
The WVIA “Simply Grand Concert Series” showcases the talent of regional classical musicians. Since the series began in 1990, dozens of regional musicians have been featured. The concerts are recorded for broadcast on WVIA-FM before a live audience in the Sordoni High Definition Theater at WVIA Public Media Studios.
The Polish Institute of Arts & Sciences (PIASA) and the Center for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies at the University of Toronto are pleased to invite proposals for PIASA’s 73rd Annual Conference to be held at the University of Toronto, June 11-13, 2015.
Proposals are solicited for sessions or individual papers dealing with Polish or Polish Diaspora or comparative topical sessions that include a Polish-related presentation along with other groups. Sessions are also encouraged from those whose fields of interest are in business or the sciences. Sessions including presenters from more than one nation are encouraged. Each session is scheduled for 90 minutes to accommodate three papers or about 20 minutes per paper. The conference language is English and all conference rooms will be equipped with AV for the use of PowerPoints and CD/DVD presentations. It is expected that acceptable conference papers will be published in The Polish Review subsequent to the conference.
To submit a paper or complete session, please send the name, e-mail address, institutional affiliation, and tentative paper title for all presenters to James Pula, Chair of the Program Committee. The deadline for proposals is April 1, 2015.
Los Angeles, January 30, 2015 – During its 72nd Annual Meeting in New York, at the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland, the Polish American Historical Association (PAHA) announced the winners of the organization’s annual awards. Consul General, Hon. Urszula Gacek welcomed the guests and recounted the history of PAHA and its role in the documentation and promotion of Polish American history and culture. Established in 1942, PAHA is the premier international scholarly association dedicated to the study of Polish emigration and immigration to the Americas.
The Mieczysław Haiman Award, offered annually to an American scholar for sustained contribution to the study of Polish Americans, was presented to Dr. Neal Pease, Professor of History, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for his extensive record of valued publications in the field of Polish and Polish American history. A recipient of PAHA’s Swastek Prize, as well as a Past President of PAHA, Dr. Pease serves on the Board of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in America, and is the editor of its journal, The Polish Review. Simultaneously he is a member of PAHA Council and of the editorial board of the Polish American Studies.
PAHA presented the Oskar Halecki Prize that recognizes an important book or monograph on the Polish experience in the United States to Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz of the University of Gdańsk, Poland. She served as the editor of East Central Europe in Exile, vols. 1-2: Transatlantic Migrations and Transatlantic Identities (Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013). This outstanding two-volume work, takes up an extremely significant area of research in the broad field of Polish American studies, namely the experience of emigration and resettlement in a new homeland. The books include contributions by thirty-eight scholars from North America and Europe that examine aspects of both the Polish emigration and settlement experiences, along with those of other peoples from East Central Europe. Dr. Mazurkiewicz’s effort makes an inestimable contribution to scholarly research and knowledge in the important field of emigration studies – and with special attention to the experiences of peoples who are all too often overlooked in discussions of this subject.
The Amicus Poloniae Award that “recognizes significant contributions enhancing knowledge of Polish and Polish-American heritage by individuals not belonging to the Polish-American community” was given to Ms. Terry Tegnazian, the co-founder of the Aquila Polonica Publishing dedicated to issuing books about Poland in World War II. A graduate of Brown University and Yale Law School, Terry Tegnazian became interested in the Polish experience of World War II while reading memoirs of key Polish Underground leaders. She was moved by the stories of the Poles’ incredible courage during World War II — an aspect of the war she had not previously been aware of. In addition to being a hands-on publisher involved in all aspects of each Aquila Polonica title, Terry has written about Poland in World War II for the Wall Street Journal Europe and the Warsaw Business Journal, she’s been interviewed on national television, and has presented numerous lectures in a wide range of venues including colleges, museums, and libraries.
Dr. Maja Trochimczyk, of Moonrise Press, Los Angeles, received the Distinguished Service Award “given occasionally to a member of PAHA who has rendered valuable and sustained service to the organization.” Dr. Trochimczyk is PAHA’s Newsletter Editor and Online Communications Director. She created and expanded the organization’s internal and external online and print communications including the newsletters, marketing materials, a blog, and social media. A member of the PAHA Board since in 2009, Dr. Trochimczyk previously received the PAHA’s Swastek Prize in 2007 for the best article published in the Polish American Studies, “The Impact of Mazowsze and Śląsk on Polish Folk Dancing in California” (Vol. 63, No. 1, Spring 2006). A music historian and a poet, Dr. Trochimczyk published six books on music and five of poetry, including, most recently, Frédéric Chopin: A Research and Information Guide (co-edited with William Śmiałek, Routledge, June 2015) and a poetry collection, Slicing the Bread (Finishing Line Press, 2014) based on her parents’ childhood memories of WWII.
PAHA’s Creative Arts Award “recognizes the contributions in the field of creative arts by individuals or groups who have promoted an awareness of the Polish experience in the Americas” and was presented to Mr. Adrian Prawica, director and executive producer of the film The Fourth Partition: Chicago (2013). The documentary tells a unique and rarely talked about history of Chicago’s Polish Community at the dawn of the 20th century. It examines economic and political reasons for the migration of over 4 million Poles to the United States between 1870 and 1920 and focuses on Polish immigrant workers in heavily industrialized Chicago neighborhoods, their community, as well as their political activism, which aided Poland in her fight for independence during WWI.
The Swastek Prize “awarded annually for the best article published in a given volume of Polish American Studies, the journal of the Polish American Historical Association” was presented to Dr. Leonard Kurdek for “The Real-Life Story Behind ‘Call Northside 777’: The Crime, the Conviction, and the Search for Justice” from Polish American Studies, Vol. 70, no. 2 (Autumn 2013). The editors consider it a meticulously researched reconstruction of a story with compelling human interest which also deals with the interplay of life with art and Hollywood’s depiction of Polish Americans: “A very detailed piece of detective work, it holds the interest of readers from start to finish, is clearly written, and raises a number of very serious and provocative questions about the character of American justice and the consequences of injustice as experienced by a family of poor, working class Polish Americans during the worst times of the Great Depression—a topic that has implications for all disadvantaged peoples.”
The Skalny Civic Achievement Awards “honor individuals or groups that advance PAHA’s goals of promoting research and awareness of the Polish-American experience and/or that have made significant contributions to the Polish or Polish-American community and culture.” There were the following 2015 Skalny Award recipients.
Dr. Karen Majewski was recognized for her unwavering efforts to revitalize Hamtramck, one of America’s oldest and most interesting Polonia’s communities located in the heart of Detroit. Majewski was elected Hamtramck’s first woman mayor in 2005, since then re-elected twice (2009, 2013). Former executive director of PAHA, she has also organized exhibits devoted to the Polish presence in Detroit, published works related to the Polish-American identity, and served as the Curator of Polish and Rare Books at Polish Mission of the Orchard Lake Schools. Dr. Majewski has previously received the 2004 Halecki Award and the Kulczycki Prize for her book Traitors and True Poles: Narrating a Polish-American Identity, 1880-1939 (Athens: Ohio University Press, 2003). She is a Piast Institute Fellow and a Board Member of the Dekaban Foundation.
Mr. Timothy J. Kuzma of Pittsburgh was honored with the Skalny Award for his many faceted, highly productive, and forward looking work as President of the Polish Falcons of American fraternal, his guidance in making the Falcons publication an outstanding fraternal vehicle promoting the Polish heritage that it is, and for his impressive work in making the March 2014 Polish American Summit of national Polonia leaders a success.
Mr. Frank Milewski of New York – Chair of the Anti-Bigotry and Holocaust Documentation Committees of the Polish American Congress was recognized with the Skalny Award for his continuing and longtime efforts as a Polish American Congress activist in New York, notably his time-consuming work of monitoring American mass media for themes related to Poland and the Polish American community, correcting errors, and fighting defamatory comments in a professional and informed manner.
Dr. Aleksandra Ziółkowska-Boehm received the Skalny Award for her role in advancing knowledge and appreciation of Polish history and culture in the United States. Ziółkowska-Boehm is a Polish born writer who now lives in the United States. Her widely acclaimed works published in English deal mostly with the Polish experience in Second World War.
Dr. Alex Storożyński was presented with the Skalny Award for his past leadership of the Kościuszko Foundation. Due to his efforts and incentive, the Kościuszko Foundation moved its operations and communications system to the 21-st century. Modernization, enhanced efficiency, greater outreach must also be paired with his widely read and very well publicized biography of Thaddeus Kosciuszko which has generated renewed interest and appreciation of Kościuszko as an American and Polish hero of historic stature: The Peasant Prince:Thaddeus Kosciuszko and the Age of Revolution.
The Graduate Student Research Paper Award “recognizes outstanding research into Polish-American history and culture by a young scholar in the humanities or social sciences” and was presented to Rachel Rothstein, a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Florida, Gainesville, for a study entitled “Defending the Remnants: American Jews Respond to Poland’s 1968 Anti-Zionist Campaign.”
The Award Ceremony ended with an announcement of the new leadership of the organization which will lead PAHA through 2015 and 2016. THE OFFICERS: Dr. Grażyna Kozaczka of Cazenovia College was elected the President, Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz of the University of Gdańsk – the First Vice President, Dr. John Radzilowski of the University of Alaska-Southeast – the Second Vice President; and Dr. Maja Trochimczyk of Moonrise Press – the Secretary. She will continue serving as PAHA Newsletter Editor and Online Communications Director. Dr. Jim Pula of Purdue University North Central will continue in his role as Treasurer and Dr. Pien Versteegh of Avans University, The Netherlands, as Executive Director. Dr. Anna Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann of Eastern Connecticut State University will be the new Editor of Polish American Studies.
The COUNCIL MEMBERS will include: Dr. M. B. Biskupski, Central Connecticut State University; Dr. John Bukowczyk, Wayne State University; Dr. Mary Erdmans, Case Western Reserve University; Dr. Ann Gunkel, Columbia College-Chicago; Dr. Iwona Korga, Józef Piłsudski Institute; Dr. Dorota Praszałowicz, Jagiellonian University, Kraków; Dr. Marta Cieślak, Independent Scholar; Dr. Czesław Karkowski, Hunter College and Mercy College; Dr. Stephen Leahy, Shantou University, Shantou; Dr. Thomas Napierkowski, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (Past President, 2013-2014); Dr. Neal Pease, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee; and Mr. Robert Synakowski, Syracuse Polish Home.
ABOUT PAHA: The Polish American Historical Association is a non-profit, tax-exempt, interdisciplinary organization devoted to the study of Polish American history and culture. Founded in 1942 as part of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in America, PAHA became an autonomous scholarly society in 1948. As an affiliate of the American Historical Association, PAHA promotes research and dissemination of scholarly materials focused on Polish American history and culture, and its European origins. PAHA publishes a newsletter and a biannual scholarly peer-reviewed scholarly journal, Polish American Studies (available from the University of Illinois Press; with past issues on JSTOR). The organization sponsors an annual conference, in conjunction with the American Historical Association, which serves as a forum for research in the field of ethnic studies. PAHA has over 600 international members, including both individuals and institutions; membership is open to all individuals interested in the fields of Polish American history and culture, and immigration studies. In 2011, PAHA sponsored the critically acclaimed Polish American Encyclopedia, published by McFarland and edited by Prof. James Pula.