CONVO 2012 Photos

Parishioners invited to a BBQ

The members of our parish have been invited to a BBQ sponsored by the YMSofR at Blessed Virgin Mary of Częstochowa PNC parish in Latham. The BBQ will be held this coming Sunday, July 8th starting around 11am.

This is a great opportunity to share in fellowship with members of the PNCC from across the Capital District and Mohawk Valley.

The BBQ will be held on the BVMC church grounds at 250 Old Maxwell Rd, Latham, NY. Food and refreshments will include smoked BBQ ribs, BBQ chicken, hamburgers, hotdogs, and of course kielbasa.

Feel free to bring a salad or a side dish to share. Also, bring lawn chairs and if you wish lawn games, umbrellas (for the sun), bathing suits for the water slide, a big appetite, and your favorite music.

Summer Events for Youth – Acolyte Retreat

“The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve” — Matthew 4:10

The Central Diocese of the PNCC Acolyte Retreat will be held from Tuesday, June 26th (noon) to Friday June 29th (noon) at the download our registration form, healthcare form, schedule, and rules.

Financial support for attendance will be available. You may contact Deacon Jim with any questions. You may also contact the retreat directors Fr. Joseph R. Cyman, Fr. Gregory Mludzik, or Fr. Mariusz Zochowski.

Opportunity for Schenectady Area Teens

Community Cultural Documentation for Schenectady and the Mohawk Valley

A collaborative project of the New York Folklore Society and the Schoharie River Center, with support from the William Gundry Broughton Charitable Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts

The New York Folklore Society is pleased to announce that it will be launching an ongoing out-of-school documentation program for Schenectady-area teens. If you are between the ages of 12 and 18 and are interested in exploring your community’s history and culture, and would like to learn real-life skills of interviewing, video and audio documentation, this program is for you!

Please call the New York Folklore Society at (518) 346-7008 or send an E-mail to receive updates and further information.

Thoughts and prayers for Youth Sunday

We pray for all the youth of our parish, our seniorarte, our diocese, and our Church especially this morning. We ask for God’s guidance as they return to the classroom, and that they be kept safe from societal and cultural harm as they move through their days. May we “elder brethren” be good examples of faith, love, and courage to them and for them.

A Prayer of Spouses, for Children, for Parents, for Families…

We asked God for strength,
that we might achieve,
We were made weak,
that we might learn humbly to obey.

We asked for health,
that we might do greater things,
We were given infirmity,
that we might do better things.

We asked for riches,
that we might be happy,
We were given poverty,
that we might be wise.

We asked for power,
that we might have the praise of others,
We were given weakness,
that we might feel the need of God.

We asked for things,
that we might enjoy life,
we were given life,
that we might enjoy all things.

We got nothing that we asked for –
but everything we hoped for,
Almost despite ourselves,
our unspoken prayers were answered
We are, among all, richly blessed!

Convo 2012: Confirmed to Walk on Water

The Buffalo-Pittsburgh Diocese of the PNCC will be hosting Convo 2012: Confirmed to Walk on Water from July 23rd-27th, 2012 at Niagara University in Niagara Falls, NY. As we hit the one year count-down to Convo 2012, keep all of the youth of the PNCC in your collective prayers.

For more information, visit the Convo website on Facebook or the Convo 2012 website.

Your Lenten Journey in Schenectady

Come visit and pray with us throughout these 40 days. Our doors are open and you are welcome.

  • Ash Wednesday, March 9th, Litany and Imposition of Ashes on your lunch break at noon.
  • Ash Wednesday, March 9th, Reflection on the Seven Last Words of Christ and Imposition of Ashes on your lunch break at 7pm.
  • Traditional Stations of the Cross, Every Friday in Lent at 7pm.
  • Matins and Holy Mass, Every Sunday starting at 9:20am.
  • Youth – 30 Hour Famine sponsored by the National United Youth Association
  • Directed Lenten Denial for Charity

History of the National United Choirs Music Scholarship Program of the PNCC

The Music Scholarship Program was instituted on August 8, 1964 by the Sixth General Convention of the National United Choirs of the Polish National Catholic Church held in Carnegie, PA. The program was implemented at the Seventh General Convention, held in Cleveland, OH, on August 6, 1966, when the first awards were presented. The XII General Synod of the PNCC established the last Sunday in January as “Music Scholarship Sunday.”

The Music Scholarship program was instituted and tailored to develop musicians within the Polish National Catholic Church. The program was further expanded to establish a Chair of Music at the Savonarola Theological Seminary of our Church in Scranton, PA, and to also make scholarships available in other areas of music to enrich the musical life of the Church.

The Scholarship Program awards are divided into 2 categories: general scholarships and endowed scholarships.

General Scholarships

  • The Bishop Francis Hodur Award
  • The Bishop Francis Bonczak Awards
  • The Bishop Francis Bonczak Youth Awards
  • Church Music Award for Clergymen
  • The Bishop Thaddeus Zielinski Awards
  • Junior Incentive Awards

Endowed Scholarships

  • The Polish National Union Award
  • The Adam P. Pikulski Award
  • The Cecelia Shumlas Award
  • The Bishop Walter A. Slowakiewicz Award
  • The Emil Swantkowski Award
  • The George J. Balcar Award
  • The Bishop Eugeniusz W. Magyar Awards
  • The Edward and Frances Bialoglowicz Award

The Deadline to apply for any of these Scholarships is April 1st. Applications for any of these awards may be received from the Music Scholarship Administrator by writing to:

Mrs. Cathy Bilinski, Administrator
4051 Washington Crescent
Troy, MI 48085

Or by E-mail.

A few questions to test your personal knowledge of music history within the PNCC (answers will be posted February 1st):

The chant style of the PNCC is based upon _________ Chant.
The new hymnal of the PNC will be published in 20__.

Congratulations to Adam Konicki & Hannah Bilinski

These are our National United Choirs Music Scholarship recipients for 2010. The announcement of the Scholarships was made during Convo 2010 in July. Of the 18 Scholarships awarded this year, eight were in attendance at the Convo and were able to receive the accolades of their peers.

Adam, a first-time recipient, received the Polish National Union Award. This Award is endowed by our fraternal organization and is given to a member of both the Church and Spójnia. We congratulate Adam for this accomplishment and look forward to his sharing his God-given talent with us here in church sometime in the future.

Hannah received the George J. Balcar Award. George was a lifetime member of the Church. His home parish was SS. Cyril and Methodius in Chicago, IL. He was a dedicated churchman seriously devoted to his parish and his Church. George was also intricately involved in the United Choirs, being both the Treasurer of the Western Diocesan Circle Choirs and of the National Board. After his passing, and in recognition of his fierce love for the Choirs and the Church, this Fund was established to honor those of the same mettle.

Our heartfelt congratulations are extended to our 2010 recipients.

Applications for 2011 Scholarships will be available in February. Let us have all our parish musicians apply to be so honored.