Holy Name of Jesus National Catholic Church

Our National United Choirs (NUC) is asking every choir throughout our church to sing a common hymn next Sunday, January 31st, on its annual observance of its ministry to our Church. The National United Choirs is one of the oldest organizations we have in our history.

The Music Scholarship program has at its core a ministry to the musicians studying in all disciplines. There is a scholarship and category for instrumental, vocal, conducting, and study of sacred music. If anyone of our congregation is eligible to apply for a scholarship, please see Father Stan for an application. He can also fill you in on the details of the application and its process.

The Scholarship program was begun in 1967 at a convention in Cleveland, OH, and has been highly prolific in its years of operation. Father Stan was a two-time recipient back in the last century. We are also blessed to have a multiple-year recipient in Hannah, and singular year winners in Jenna, Melissa, and Claudia.

If you have read the articles in the church papers, you would have seen the notices to purchase the CD’s and/or tapes that were made of the concerts performed at the bi-ennial gatherings of the Choirs. And, God being kind, the long-anticipated bi-lingual hymnal will soon see the light of day.

Again, if anyone is taking lessons in any of the music disciplines and would like to apply for a scholarship this year, the application request must be mailed soon to meet its completion deadline of 1 April.

We thank our good Lord for the ministry of the Choirs, and pray that they will continue to serve our Church in the years to come.

We pause to take this opportunity to acknowledge and congratulate the National United Choirs (NUC) Music Scholarship Recipients for 2009 in our parish. The announcement of these conferrals was made during the Music Workshop program in July.

Both Claudia Bertasso and Hannah Bilinski received scholarships this year in the same category. These were endowed scholarships given in memory of Ś.P. Bishop Francis Bonczak, who was a fierce supporter of the Choirs in a time past.

CONGRATULATIONS, Claudia and Hannah, for this honor begin bestowed upon you, and may our gracious Lord continue to enhance and bless the gift He has given to you.

A note about Ś.P. Bishop Francis Bonczak:

He was born December 1, 1881. Ordained to the Holy Priesthood on December 30, 1903. Consecrated Bishop on August 17, 1924. Entered into Eternal Rest September 21, 1967.

Fr. Bonczak organized Holy Name of Jesus Parish in West Milwaukee, WI in 1914. The Parish’s first church building was completed in 1917. Father Bonczak was succeeded in 1922 by Father Leon Grochowski, but he returned to the church as Bishop in 1930, retiring in 1953.