Bible Study for the Ordinary Week 26
  • 9/27 – Luke 23:33-43 – How easily do I forgive? Is it truly free? Prayer starter: O God, I take such great comfort in the story of the good thief. Help me to always trust in your mercy and forgiveness.
  • 9/28 – Matthew 5:1-12 – Which of the beatitudes strikes my heart today? Prayer starter: O Lord, today I beg your mercy for this war-torn world. Healing for… (your own list). Comfort for… (your own list).
  • 9/29 – Matthew 25:31-46 – Who am I before Christ today? Prayer starter: O God, I know you are a God of second chances. Today I accept another chance to live as you want me to live – loving and caring for others.
  • 9/30 – John 20:19-23 – When have I felt the freedom and the joy of giving or receiving forgiveness? Prayer starter: Gracious God, come and fill me once again with your peace and your joy. I am struggling to forgive….. Bless those people. Heal me.
  • 10/1 – Matthew 18:21-25 – This gospel portrays God as a merciful and forgiving king. How does this compare with my image of God? Prayer starter: O God, you have been so merciful, let me count the ways….. Teach me your compassion.
  • 10/2 – Matthew 20:1-16 – In what ways do I work for justice for all? Prayer starter: O God, I am so aware of all the poverty it’s overwhelming. Help me to see a way that I can help, and then given me the courage and generosity to do it.
  • 10/ 3 – John 13:31-35 – What discoveries have led me more deeply into the love of God? Prayer starter: O God, I am just a beginning in the ways of love. Teach me your way, guide my hands, and point my feet in the right direction.

The month of September will have us studying the message of the Scripture concerning God’s mercy and forgiveness. May they be ours!

Why do we celebrate Spójnia Sunday?

Spójnia PNU LogoThe month of September has many meanings to many different people. First, and probably foremost, parents look forward to the beginning of the new school year. Farmers know that September means the beginning of the fall harvest of God’s gifts to us. Polish National Catholics know that September has been set aside by the Church to honor its fraternal organization, the Polish National Union of America, “Spójnia”.

Many people ask, why does the Church celebrate a fraternal organization in a special way? The answer to this question is an easy one: because the Polish National Union of America had done and given more to the Church than any other organization to date. The Polish National Union was born and grew from the heart of the Polish National Catholic Church. These two great institutions share the same membership, the same concerns for the people. The same man, the late Prime Bishop Francis Hodur, organized both. Both organizations stand for the same principle, that all men and women should and do have the right to choose their destinies, no mater what their ethnic backgrounds. In other words, it would be every hard to separate in the inter-mingled struggles and accomplishments of the two.

Over the past 100 years, the support of Spójnia for the Polish National Catholic Church has been constantly shown through financial aid to parishes in the form of mortgages, educational materials and financial stipends; and recreational aid to all by support give to many varied and widely held events. Our parish has benefited greatly over the years through these various programs: our college students have received stipends, and, in past years, the van traveling to the “Zlot” was funded through the PNU.

Be it in times of hardship or time of good fortune, Spójnia has always been there. Offering a helping hand or a shoulder to rest upon. Giving words of encouragement or inspiration. No matter what the situation, what area of the country or the world, Spójnia would always try to help. Many times the help was meager. Many times it would just be words of encouragement, but at least people know that someone cared. People know that we are “joining hands to touch lives” because we we’re all sisters and brothers working together for the happiness and betterment of all.

By being members of the PNCC and Spójnia, we have joined hands in a partnership that has grown over the past 100 years. A partnership that today can boast over 110 parishes in the United States and Canada partnered with a fraternal with over $45M in assets, not including its new world headquarters, where it also provides space for our National Church Center.

This is a partnership where people care about each other, where love and brotherhood are the two main ingredients. A partnership where each other’s rights and ideas have meaning. A partnership where the partners, the PNCC and the PNU of America, will always be there when needed.

As we celebrate this day, let us be thankful for those who determined this organization to be necessary and that it continue to be a source of fraternalism. May we all be members. Young and old alike can all benefit from the Spójnia.

Commemoration of St. Francis of Assisi and Blessing of Animals

Błogosławieństwa zwierząt, za wstawiennictwem świętego Franciszka z Asyżu
La Bendición de los Animales recordando y honrando a San Francisco

St. Francis and the catAs you may have heard, There have been many pets and animals that remain abandoned in the fires of last year and those of this year. Various agencies in and around our area have taken up the search and rescue and rehabilitation of those animals found homeless.

Although we could not be involved with the agencies that are trying to match up the animals with their owners, we could be helpful in those plans that will help to provide care until that reunion may take place. Therefore, we are asking that if you have a pet or not to stop by and add your prayers during the short service on Saturday, October 7th, 10 am. Also, if you could bring along some items To donate: dry or canned pet food, cat litter, leashes, or other items (no perishable food) you would like to donate. Some early contact with these agencies has been made.

Our prayer again this year will have special import since there are a number of animals we will ask St. Francis to intercede for and ask God to protect and re-unite with their caregivers. Please add your voice and donation.

In advance, THANKS!

Bible Study for the Ordinary Week 25
  • 9/20 – Luke 19:1-10 – When have l found joy in conversion? Prayer starter: O God, often I hear so many conflicting voices in the crowd. They pull me in so many different directions but I really long to be near you, to be singlehearted.
  • 9/21 – John 8:1-12 – Are there people at whom I might point an accusatory finger? Prayer starter: O God, there are some things that just make me miserable. Help me to walk in the light and to seek your mercy.
  • 9/22 – Matthew 9:9-13 – Who are the people our society considers unworthy? Prayer starter: O God, I do trust in your mercy though I admit not always. Help me today to seek the truth, to look at myself honestly, trusting in you.
  • 9/23 – Matthew 15:21-28 – What situations make me relentless in my prayer? Prayer starter: Lord Jesus, to follow you is to do the will of the Father. Help me to find and follow God’s will in the world you have given me.
  • 9/24 – Matthew 18:21-25 – This gospel portrays God as a merciful and forgiving king. How does this compare with my image of God? Prayer starter: O God, you have been so merciful. Let me count the ways….. Teach me your compassion.
  • 9/25 – Matthew 20:1-16 – In what ways do l work for justice for all? Prayer starter: O God, I am so aware of all the poverty; it’s overwhelming. Help me to see a way that I can help, and then given me the courage and generosity to do it.
  • 9/26 – John 13:31-35 – What discoveries have led me more deeply into the love of God? Prayer starter: O God, I am just a beginning in the ways of love. Teach me your way, guide my hands and point my feet in the right direction.

The month of September will have us studying the message of the Scripture concerning God’s mercy and forgiveness. May they be ours!

Bible Study for the Ordinary Week 24
  • 9/13 – Mark 2:1-12 – When have I accompanied someone on life’s journey and found myself giddy with joy? Prayer starter: My God, you have placed so many different people in my life. Teach me ways to be supportive and to share the joy.
  • 9/14 – Luke 6:27-36 – Who would I exclude from the mercy of God? Prayer starter: O God, help me to participate in your divine mercy. Give me the grace to forgive ___________ Teach me compassion for ___________
  • 9/15 – Luke 7:36-50 – Who am I likely to judge only silently in my heart? Prayer starter: Come Holy Spirit, and open my heart to the ways of love.
  • 9/16 – Luke 10:25-37 – Do I consider some people as “outside the law” and therefore, outside my duty as a Christian? Prayer starter: O God, I too can recite the law. In childhood I learned the golden rule. Teach me today your mercy and give me a compassionate heart.
  • 9/17 – Luke 15:1-3,11-32 – When have I been the younger son; when have I been the older son? Prayer starter: My God, I’ve been working hard, but I want to end the day rejoicing because ______________
  • 9/18 – Luke 16:19-31 – When has my heart been moved with compassion for the needy? Prayer starter: O God, sometimes it is not blindness but just plain laziness. Teach me your ways. Help me to establish some discipline in my life.
  • 9/19 – Luke 18:9-14 – When have I been the Pharisee, when the tax collector? Prayer starter: O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.

The month of September will have us studying the message of the Scripture concerning God’s mercy and forgiveness. May they be ours!

Bible Study for the Ordinary Week 23
  • 9/6 – Jonah 1-4 (the whole book) – Do I carry any ethnic grudges? Prayer starter: O God, open wide my heart to your love, your compassion, and your mercy Help me to forgive and let go of grudges.
  • 9/7 – 1 Kings 8:22-53 – Do I pray for situations around the world or just my own interests? Prayer starter: O God, you have been so generous to me, teach me to be generous too. Send your healing spirit.
  • 9/8 – Nehemiah 9 – How does a prayer such as this affect my own worship? Prayer starter: O God, from the time I was a child I have found your mercy and goodness even in my faults and failures.
  • 9/9 – Luke 1:39-56 – How do I identify with the poor and the marginalized? Prayer starter: Mary, mother of God, my mother, teach me as you taught your son, Jesus, and pray for me too.
  • 9/10 – Matthew 6:6-15 and Luke 11:1-10 – Do I give my prayer life the attention it deserves? Prayer starter: Abba, Father, my list for daily bread seems so long. But today I ask you to draw me a little closer to you; that will change all my needs.
  • 9/11 – Luke 5:1-10 – How do I meet Jesus Christ in my everyday working World? Prayer starter: O Jesus, I do love Peter because so often I can see myself. But do not depart from me. Come closer and teach me again today.
  • 9/12 – Mark 10:46-52 – What voices do I hear that distract me from entering more deeply into the journey with the Lord? Prayer starter: Jesus, son of David, I did it again today. Those old habits are hard to break – have mercy on me too.

The month of September will have us studying the message of the Scripture concerning God’s mercy and forgiveness. May they be ours!