October 2022 Newsletter – Gifts To Good Use

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

UhOh! It’s October. Pumpkin spice, apple pie and crisps, gourds, the colors of Fall, and all that goes with it. That means we will shortly be bombarded with the need to shop for our Christmas gifts. The disciples gathered (Acts 1:1-11) and asked Jesus a lot of questions. They wanted to know the times and occasions for various future events. Jesus spoke to them rather about gifts. Our knowledge of what is to come is indeed influenced by our experiences, plans, and calendars. We prepare for Holy Synod, decorations, the covering of flower beds in anticipation of frost. Yet we can never fully know our tomorrow. Jesus was not interested in tomorrow or what was coming. That was for His Father (Matthew 24:36). Jesus was interested in and wanted to prepare us for action now. So in addressing His disciples (yes, us), He promised the Holy Spirit, Who would outpour gifts on us.

Gifts are wonderful, aren’t they? God’s gifts are particularly special. But just as with every gift we must make decisions. Will I use it, leave it unused, misuse it, or ignore it. The Holy Spirit has indeed come. We celebrated that fact on June 5th this year. We momentarily reflected on the outpouring of the Spirit’s sevenfold gifts. Perhaps some of us were moved to more deeply explore those gifts, to see where they were active in our lives and the life of our parish and wider Church. And yes, the Holy Spirit has been busy while we reflected! Never doubt that. We have been granted wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. Of course we should give thanks, but more-so we should be active in setting those gifts to work in our lives, in the life of our parish, and in the wider Church.

Jesus wants us to rightly use the gifts we possess and make ourselves visible in doing His work in the world. No worry about tomorrow. Decide to put the Spirit’s sevenfold gifts to work today and urgently work so that all their qualities shine from us as we show Jesus to the world.

Welcome to October and all the beauty and grace God offers to His faithful!!!

In October we stand as an ally during Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). We celebrate the month of the Holy Rosary, honor St. Francis with the Blessing of Pets, stand with St. Clare of Assisi in our devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament, prepare for the XXVI Holy Synod of our Church and the grand celebration of the 125th Anniversary of the Organization of our Church. We continue our series of devotions to the Infant of Prague in the Polish Language — Koronka do Praskiego DzieciÄ…tka Jezus w Waszych intencjach w każdy wtorek o godz. 12:30 po poÅ‚udniu. We celebrate the Solemnity of the Christian Family. Also, note the reminder concerning All Souls Day.

Get you tickets for our Christmas Vigil Raffle with a chance to win $2,500 and check out the great insurance special being offered by our sister organization, the Polish National Union.

Check that and more in our October 2022 Newsletter.

September 2022 Newsletter – Praise Him and Share the Hope

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith.

One of the key questions at this year’s Central Diocesan Clergy Retreat was about the import of our faith in Jesus. Does believing in and following Jesus matter one bit beyond the couple of hours we spend at church each week?

This is an important question for us, both as clergy and as the entirety of God’s people. We should be doing this self check each day – and I highly recommend it.

Another consideration offered by our retreat leader, Bishop Richard Lipka, is does our faith matter to anyone else. He put it very realistically: Does Governor so-and-so or President so-and-so ever pause one minute during their decision making process to consider what God says, what Scripture speaks, or what the people of God proclaim? Of course not. We find ourselves faced with a world that wants us to give up hope, to just surrender. God says differently. A couple of practical examples.

One person I met this summer explained the many challenges they are facing – health, financial, and most importantly whether God really cares. Does my faith make any difference in my life? Is there reason for hope? As we spoke they reflected on all the people who are helping (generally people of faith) and how thankful they are. My response: You answered your own question. Those around you are sent by God, are a portion of the hope God offers. Yes, you have reason for hope.

A young person I encountered commented on how hopeless the world is, how it is a place where the loneliness of hopelessness predominates. That young person encountered people of faith and was transformed – both to faith in Jesus and to an attitude of hope.

Believing in and following Jesus matters greatly. It is transformative in individual lives and in the world. We offer something the world cannot offer – hope that is more powerful than anything we may face. We have been born of God Who overcame for us. We have victory and overcome hopelessness in Him. Praise Him and share the hope.

Welcome to September and all of the incredible blessings being poured out on our community of faith. God Is Good!!!

On September 11th we welcome the Solemnity of Brotherly Love – the foundation of our relationship with each other as citizens of the Kingdom. September 18th we celebrate Back To Church Sunday with the theme “HOPE HAPPENS HERE.” All are welcome in the Kingdom. Invite someone, or just show up, find those blessings we all so need. We celebrate First Communion on the 18th as well. So proud of our young people and their commitment to the faith. September’s Newsletter also provides a report on all the fantastic events we took part in throughout the summer. We start our Christmas Vigil Raffle with a chance to win $2,500. Get your tickets now. We engage in prayer for the upcoming XXVI Holy Synod of the Church – everyones’ prayer help is needed! We solemnly mark the 21st Anniversary of 9/11/2001.

Check out Music Scholarships, Daily Holy Mass, Check our Worship Schedule, our September Discipleship message, and we begin a new series of devotions to the Infant of Prague in the Polish Language.

Zapraszamy wszystkich Polaków – Koronka do Praskiego DzieciÄ…tka Jezus w Waszych intencjach w każdy wtorek o godz. 12:30 po poÅ‚udniu.

Check it all out in our September 2022 Newsletter.