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Our Shepherds

1UEWF00ZOur Holy Church has been specially blessed with dedicated, hard working, and faithful shepherds in our Bishops. Please remember them in your prayers – Prime Bishop Anthony, Our Diocesan Bishop Bernard, Diocesan Bishops Paul, Stanley, and John. Bishop Roald in Norway, Bishop Wiktor in Poland, Our retired Prime Bishops John and Robert, and Retired Bishops Thomas, Anthony, and Thaddeus.

O God, the pastor and ruler of all the faithful, mercifully look upon Thy servants, Anthony, Bernard, Paul, Stanley, John, Roald, Wiktor, John, Robert, Thomas, Anthony, and Thaddeus, whom Thou has been pleased to set as Bishops in Thy Church; grant them we beseech Thee, to be in word and conversation wholesome examples to the people committed to their charge, that they with them may attain everlasting life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Christian Witness, PNCC, , ,

Angels in our midst

From the Villages News: Villages Public Safety captain works ‘Sunday miracle’ at church

Capt. Gail Lazenby of the Villages Public Safety Department worked a “Sunday miracle” when he recently saved a life at his church.

“God does that. He puts the right person at the right place. And Gail was that person,” said Father Mark Niznik of St. Paul Parish in Belleview.

Gail-LazenbyIt was Sunday Mass on Feb. 9 when a parishioner fell ill.

Lazenby, who is studying to be a deacon and was wearing his robes in church, heard the man’s wife call out, “We are having some difficulty here.”

That’s when Lazenby stepped into action, said Father Mark who had missed church that morning due to illness.

“Gail did what comes so naturally to him,” said Villager Evan Richards, who worships at St. Paul Parish.

He witnessed Lazenby start chest compressions and call out for the church’s automated external defibrillator.
Lazenby had personally paid for the AED.

“He said, there might be a need for it some day. He was right,” said Father Mark. “It was our Sunday miracle.”

Lazenby, a resident of the Village of Belle Aire, is set to retire at the end of the month from the Villages Public Safety Department.

He was much more modest about the “Sunday miracle.”

“It’s part of what I do,” he said.

The man was transported to UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville that Sunday. He is now recovering at home.

Thanks be to God for the angels among us and of course our prayers for the health and healing of the individual who fell ill.

Christian Witness, PNCC, , ,

Ś+P Rev. E. Louis Czechowski

238Rev. śp. E. Louis Czechowski, Sr., 80, of Bethlehem, died Monday, December 2, 2013 in Alexandria Manor, Nazareth.

Born November 11, 1933 in Reading, he was a son of the late śp. Louis Chester and śp. Anna A. (Thader) Czechowski. He was a school teacher in the Saucon Valley School District and was a former Rector of Our Lords Ascension P.N.C.C., Bethlehem. Survivors: Two sons, E. Lou Czechowski and his wife, Mary Ann of Macungie and Eric Czechowski of Kernersville, NC; his friend, Alan Beasley; and numerous family members in the Reading area.

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 3 p.m. on Friday, December 6, in St. Stephens P.N.C.C., 20 St. Stephens Church Lane, Reading. Interment will be in the parish cemetery. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling the arrangements.

Contributions: St. Stephens Polish National Catholic Church, Reading.

Eternal rest grant unto your servant and priest, śp. E. Louis, and may the perpetual light shine upon him.
May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.

Christian Witness, PNCC, ,

Ordinations

On Saturday, August 17th, my Bishop Ordinary, the Rt Rev. Bernard Nowicki conferred tonsure, minor orders, and the sub- diaconate on Mr. Anthony Prince of Holy Cross Parish in Syracuse, NY; tonsure, minor orders, the sub-diaconate, and the ordination to the diaconate of Rev. Mr. Michel Seward of St. John the Baptist Parish in Hazelton, PA; ordination to the diaconate of Rev. Mr. Donald Wunderlich of Heart of Jesus Parish in Bayonne, NJ. Holy Mass and these ordinations took place at Holy Mother of Sorrows Parish in DuPont, PA. The liturgies, Holy Mass, and music were beautiful and so meaningful. I welcome and congratulate my brother deacons and sub-deacon.

The prayer of our bishop and the laying on of hands – conferring the Holy Spirit is more than words and gestures; it is the power of grace in our lives and Jesus’ continuing ministry among us through His ordained ministers – who baptize, who proclaim the gospel, who fulfill their sacred ministry. Please pray for Don, Michael and Anthony as they go forth to carry out their ministries among us. Also pray for more vocations so God’s Holy Church may have the workers it needs.

PNCC, , ,

Pastor Installed At Saint John’s, Manchester, CT

Father Smolinski enters the santuary, followed by Very Rev. Joseph Krusienski, who installed him as Pastor of Saint John's. (Eugene Kulas / June 22, 2013)
Father Smolinski enters the santuary, followed by Very Rev. Joseph Krusienski, who installed him as Pastor of Saint John’s. (Eugene Kulas / June 22, 2013)
Father Henry Smolinski, formerly administrator of the Polish National Catholic Church of St. John the Baptizer, 23 Golway St., Manchester, Connecticut was installed as the parish’s Pastor on Saturday, June 22. Father Henry was installed by the Very Rev. Joseph Krusienski, Administrative Senior of the Southwest Seniorate of the Eastern Diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC) and pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Plantsville, Connecticut.

Clergy present for the installation and Holy Mass included the Rt. Rev. Paul Sobiechowski Bishop Ordinary of the Eastern Diocese, Very Rev. Fryderyk Banas (Holy Cross Parish, Ware, MA), Rev. Dr. Z. Stanley Kaszubski (Pastor Emeritus of St. John’s and currently serving Ss. Peter and Paul Parish, New London, CT), Rev. Michael Gitner (St. Joseph’s Parish, Stratford, CT), and Rev. Adam Czarnecki (St. Valentine’s Parish, Northampton, MA). Several ecumenical guests from the area also attended including Rev. Michael Donnelly, of Compassionate Ministries in Andover, CT and Rev. Leo McIlrath, Chaplain of the Lutheran Rehabilitation Center in Sandy Hook, CT.

Saint John’s church was founded in 1928, and primarily served Polish immigrants. Today the church is is a reflection of our diverse community. Holy Mass is held at 9am each Sunday. All are welcome.

Christian Witness, Homilies, ,

Reflection for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Your directions are
…hard to follow.

“Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.”

We know this story. Having spent the month of June reflecting on and praying for the gift of vocations to the Diaconate and Holy Priesthood we hear Jesus’ words echoing, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.”

There are several ways we might reflect on today’s gospel.

There is the obvious – we need to listen for God’s call and go out to do His work. God’s field awaits workers. We have to be the ones who listen to Him and set out to do His work, to bring His good news to those who are unaware of His marvelous promises. We have to be the ones willing to sacrifice what everyone else thinks is “normal” to follow His call to serve our brothers and sisters.

The other part, the less obvious, is the aspect of trust we must exhibit in following Jesus.

The seventy-two who were called to go out and spread the good news might well have been shocked by Jesus’ directions: “Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals…” Think how those words might sound to us today: “Carry no cell phone, suitcase, wallet, purse, shoes or sneakers.” Just go out, march down the road to the next suburb, knock on a door, and see if you are welcome. Whatever house you go to, say “Peace to this household.”

If we reflect on the picture at the top of today’s bulletin, this is what Jesus asks us to do, to first love. Wish peace upon everyone, in every encounter, at every doorstep. Place our trust that Jesus will fulfill our wish for peace and give that peace to those who accept Him.

Next, live. We cannot just exist. With Jesus in our lives we have purpose and reason – a beautiful existence, a wonderful life, and most importantly a life that will never end.

Finally, lead. Knock on those doors and live life based on trust in Jesus. The cell phone, suitcase, wallet, purse, shoes or sneakers are just things. We have to show what we truly value by our example. We have to show others that our trust is in the One who makes money bags, sacks, and sandals of far lesser importance. Then we have to lead by loving, living, and speaking that trust, helping them to see beyond perceived importance to true importance, true vitality, change we can believe in: true life with Jesus.

Christian Witness, Homilies, ,

Reflection for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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What!?!
…no pillow either?

As they were going along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.”

For the very poor of the East, in ancient times as now, the “bed” was and is, as a rule, the bare ground; and the bedclothes, the gown or “outer garment,” worn during the day. When one was on a journey, or watching his flock by night as a shepherd, such a “bed” was the most natural, and often a stone would serve as a pillow. Over time the use of a mat on the floor as a bed, with or without covering, became more common. At first it was literally laid on the main floor of the home in some convenient place near the wall; but later it was put on an elevation, either a raised part of the floor, or a bedstead, which gave rise to the expression “going up to the bed.” With later development, “beds” came to be built on supports and constructed in different forms. This fact is reflected in the variety of names given the “bed” in Hebrew and related languages. The pillow was likely formed of sheep’s fleece or goat’s skin with a stuffing of cotton.

These beds and pillows are a far cry from what we have today. We can get adjustable beds, harder or softer beds, memory-foam beds and pillows – and beds of all sizes. We likely have a favorite pillow and hopefully we like our beds.

Jesus’ reference to no bed or pillow may have seemed odd to the person pledging to follow Jesus because he knew that preachers like Jesus had no bed. It seems equally odd to us. Do we have to sleep without a pillow for Jesus?

No. Jesus isn’t telling us to grab a rock for a pillow or sleep on the ground. What He is calling for is a life of total commitment. Jesus, who lived the life of an iterant preacher, had no place to lay His head. Rather, He lived and modeled the total commitment we are to have. He was the Shepherd, on His journey for us, following the Father’s will, showing us the way we must go, the life we must lead.

To follow Jesus requires that we make a conscious and consistent effort to live the life He calls us to live. Does it involve sacrifice in the present for His promised eternal reward? Certainly!

Jesus points out that thoughts of material things or present day rewards from following Him lead us “nowhere.” Instead we have to be people following His journey into eternity, life forever. We too must be shepherds, out in the fields and roads day and night living up to Jesus’ teaching, leading others to Him.

When we get in bed and grab our pillows let us commit again and again to Him.

Christian Witness, ,

Eternal Memory Ś+P Father Garen Gdanian

A good friend, and member of our local North Colonie Clergy Group, Father śp. Garen Gdanian who had served St. Peter Armenian Church in Watervliet, New York has reposed in the Lord. May his memory be eternal. May God enlighten Der Garen’s soul and bring peace and comfort to Yn. Zabel and family.

Latham – Father Garen Gdanian, 88, passed peacefully on Thursday, June 27, 2013, surrounded by his loving family. He was the second child of the late Kevork and Siranoosh (Tavookjian) Gdanian.

Fr. Garen GdanianFather Garen Gdanian was born on February 1, 1925 in Aleppo, Syria. His baptismal name was Sarkis. He attended local Armenian schools; first, the Nersessian School, then Zavarian, and later Gertaisratz School.

At the age of 13, he entered the Armenian Seminary of Jerusalem and studied there six full years. In 1944, he returned to Aleppo and taught in the Zavarian Armenian School for one year. From 1945 to 1947, he studied at the Armenian Theological Seminary of Antelias, Lebanon.

In the year 1947, Father Garen came to the United States as a student upon the invitation of then Primate, Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan. He studied at the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, MA, where he received a Master of Divinity degree in 1950. He continued his studies one more year by attending the Harvard Divinity School.

Father Garen was ordained a deacon in January of 1948 and was assigned to Lowell Armenian Church as Deacon-in-Charge. On December 19, 1948, Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan ordained him as a priest at St. Vartanantz Church of Lowell, MA, giving him the priestly name ‘Garen.’ Father Garen served this parish nine full years as its pastor.

It was at this parish that Father Garen met his soul mate, Zabelle. In 1952, Father Garen married the former Zabelle Kludjian and together they had three children.

In September of 1957, Father Garen became pastor of St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church in New York City. Archbishop Mampre Calfaian, who was the Primate at that time, made the change in assignment. In 1964, he was given permission to wear a pectoral cross. Father Garen stayed in this second parish for 13 years, until 1970.

Father Garen was elected Pastor of St. Peter Armenian Church of Troy, NY and began serving this community in September 1970. The parish was building a new church sanctuary in Watervliet and in two months’ time the church community moved from Troy to Watervliet. Father Garen faithfully served this third parish for 19 years. Following his retirement in September 1989, Father Garen continued to serve the St. Peter parish and community as Pastor Emeritus up until the time of his death.

In 1977, Father Garen received his floral Pilonium and in 1984 he was elevated to the rank of Avak Kahana or Arch Priest. He served on the Diocesan Council from 1971-1975. The St. Peter Parish and Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America honored and celebrated his milestones of ordination to the priesthood in 1973 (twenty-five years), 1988 (forty years), 1998 (fifty years), and 2009 (sixty years).

Father Garen continued his studies by joining various workshops and seminars and by attending courses at the University of New York at Albany and Siena College in Loudonville, NY. He has been a member of the Watervliet Clergy and Capital Area Clergy Support Group.

He has also published several inspirational books based on his sermons and life experiences.

Although retired, Father Garen always helped out by filling in as a priest when needed in the Diocese, including the nearby Springfield and Binghamton parishes. He also travelled to serve parish communities in Texas, Ohio and Florida, as well as two preaching missions in Armenia.

Father Garen was a well-loved, kind, gentle and intelligent man. His passion for his church and for the people he served never ceased to be a second priority. His family was always number one. As a dedicated husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, he filled his family’s lives with knowledge and joy that will stay with them for a lifetime. As an important figure in the Capital District community and throughout the Eastern Diocese, he will be dearly missed. His accomplishments not only lie within his priesthood, but within the friendships he developed and kept over the years.

Father Garen is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Zabelle (Kludjian) and his three children; daughter Arpy Gdanian Ernest, son Kyn (Maureen), daughter Garyn Ahearn (Brian), six grandchildren: Katrina Ernest Mayba (Christopher), Lucy Gdanian Stoyles (Gregory), Naomi Gdanian, Anna Gdanian, Josiah Gdanian (Chelsea) and Gregory Gdanian. He also has two great-grandchildren. Additionally, he leaves behind several nieces, nephews and cousins. He was pre-deceased by two brothers and one sister.

The funeral service, which includes the celebration of the Divine Liturgy and the final anointing of Father Garen, will take place on Tuesday, July 2, 2013 at 11 o’clock AM in St. Peter Armenian Apostolic Church, Watervliet. Interment will follow in Albany Rural Cemetery, Menands, NY.

Relatives, friends, clergy and parishioners are invited and may also visit with Father Garen’s family on Monday from 3 until 7 PM in St. Peter Armenian Apostolic Church, Watervliet. A wake service will take place, in the church, on Monday evening at 6:30 PM.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Peter Armenian Apostolic Church, Building Fund, P.O. Box 196, Watervliet, NY 12189.

Read more, including Dar Garen’s essay “What is Man” at the website of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America.

PNCC,

Ś+P Rev. Kenneth Strawhand

Ś+P Rev. Kenneth Strawhand, SSM, Sayreville, NJ (February 2, 1949 – February 7, 2013) was called home to the Lord on Thursday, February 7, 2013. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 16th at Sayreville Memorial Home, 341 Washington Rd., Sayreville, NJ. Friends may call 3-7 pm.

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Ordained in 1985 śp. Fr. Strawhand was received into the Polish National Catholic Church in 1992 and served the Church for over 20 years at St. Casimir’s in Lowell, Massachussetts and more recently at St. Casimir’s Parish in Irondequoit, New York. Prior to entering the Polish National Catholic Church, Fr. Strawhand served in the Anglican Church in America. He also worked with the Fellowship Of Concerned Churchmen. He was educated at St. Anthony Seminary where he earned a Masters in Sacred Theology with concentrations in theology, liturgy, and philosophy.

Fr. Strawhand’s had served as Missionary Director, United Episcopal Church of America (New York State); President, Ministerial Alliance, Hot Springs, Arkansas; Former Member of the Matrimonial Commission, Diocese of the Southwest, American Episcopal Church; Former Recording Secretary, Diocese of the Southwest Diocesan Council; Examining Chaplain, Liturgy, Diocese of the Southwest, Anglican Church in America; Instructor and Examining Chaplain, Theology and Vice-President, Clergy Conference and Member, Eastern Diocesan Council, PNCC; Chancellor and Diocesan Secretary, PNCC, Buffalo-Pittsburgh Diocese, Chaplain, 191st Assault Helicopter Company (US Army); Contributing author to Ecclesia, a publication of the American Episcopal Church as well as Rola Boża (God’s Field) of the Polish National Catholic Church. Fr. Strawhand authored several papers, including “The Psychological Ramifications of the Sacrament of Penance” (1988). He was a member of The Society of St. Michael the Archangel, The Anglican & Orthodox Society of St. Willibroard, The C.S. Lewis Society, American Catholic Church Union, The Society of St. Luke the Physician, The Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament, Alumni Association, Trinity Seminary, International Society of Theology, Society of Online Christian Theology and Philosophy.

Eternal rest grant unto your servant and priest, Kenneth, and may the perpetual light shine upon him.
May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.

Christian Witness, Homilies, PNCC, ,

Reflection for the Solemnity of the Humble Shepherds

Slide1

He called,
they and I answered.

“I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, says the LORD.”

There are several very good reasons for our Church to have established this special Solemnity, that of the Humble Shepherds.

Our initial thoughts go to the remembrance of those men, who kept watch over their flocks by night, to whom the angel first appeared to announce the good news of the Lord’s birth.

Since God deigned to provide first news of His birth to these men, the Holy Church should rightly honor them and their witness to His coming. The community of the Church, each of us, should also take after their example by listening, responding, and taking action.

Next, our thoughts should go to those men around us that God continues to speak to and through. They work among us as leaders. They draw us to the goodness of the Lord. These are the shepherds among us; they are the bishops, priests, and deacons of our Holy Church.

What does it mean to be such a shepherd?

Like the shepherds on that hillside, today’s shepherds must listen. Listening is difficult, especially if the one speaking to you doesn’t use the phone, Facebook, E-mail, texting, or smoke signals. His word comes in very subtle ways, and they seem easy to set aside and ignore. Yet, if we dare to listen, we will hear Him speaking to us, setting forth a vital mission and challenge that we need to take on.

Like those shepherds, today’s responded and went. They left everything they thought they might be behind. They went to be what He wants them to be. Whether drafted, or going voluntarily (even reluctantly sometimes), they still chose to respond. They didn’t sit on the hillside wondering, “What if?” They didn’t miss the chance.

Also like the shepherds that went that night, they took something away with them, the experience of meeting the Lord who challenges us, who supports us, who is our best friend and confidant. They met Him and were changed in that meeting. They then took what they learned, and with the Lord’s help went out on mission, to build the Church, to gather co-workers, and to build family and community.

They lead because they have heard and seen abundantly. They tell others, many of who and astonished and do not accept their word. Those that do hear, who may also be astonished at first, but who then follow by listening, responding and taking action themselves are God’s witnesses in the world.

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