Bible Study for the 14th Week in Ordinary Time
  • 7/3 – Galatians 2:15-21 – Am I more aware of the difference or the similarities between myself and those whom I will meet today? Prayer starter: I surrender today, Lord Jesus, to the vitality of your presence in my life.
  • 7/4 – Galatians 3:1-14 – Am I doing good things to make God love me, or is it God’s love that compels me to do good things? Prayer starter: May I make the prayer of the father of the possessed boy my own today: “I believe, O Lord, help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)
  • 7/5 – Galatians 3:15-27 – In what ways has the Law (my spiritual upbringing) been a good custodian for me? Prayer starter: Thank you, Lord, for making me your daughter/son. Help me through my actions to show the family resemblance to others.
  • 7/6 – Galatians 3:28-29 and Galatians 4:1-7 – Do I really believe that God knows me better than I know myself? How does it feel? Prayer starter: Loving Daddy, cradle me today in the bosom of your merciful presence.
  • 7/7 – Galatians 4:8-20 – Am I ready for the demands of a freely chosen relationship with God and neighbor? Prayer starter: Lead me, O Holy Spirit, beyond the prison walls of my fears toward the limitless horizons of God’s love.
  • 7/8 – Galatians 4:21-31 and Galatians 5:1 – For me, is the Word of God alive or trapped within the words? Prayer starter: Guide me, Holy spirit, beyond the words on the page to the Word through which all that exists has been created and is sustained.
  • 7/9 – Galatians 5:2-12 – When was the last time I really rested in God’s presence? Prayer starter: Lord Jesus, take from me my compulsion to be busy. Replace it with a hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Bible Study for the Corpus Christi Week
  • 6/26 – Numbers 35 – When have I played the role of avenger in my dealings with others? Prayer starter: Lord of justice and mercy, you alone are the final judge between the innocent and the guilty. In your compassion, forgive us our trespasses.
  • 6/27 – Numbers 27:12-23 – Am I Willing to sacrifice my interests for the sake of the common good? Prayer starter: Holy God, you invest your church with authority, charisma, and every spiritual gift necessary to fulfill its earthly mission. Help us to be the holy people of a holy God.
  • 6/28 – Numbers 27:1-11 and Numbers 36:1-12 – Which aspects of my identity were given to me and which did I forge for myself? Prayer starter: Loving God, you did not create a race of robots to serve you, but free beings made in your likeness and capable of choice. Teach us to use our freedom wisely.
  • 6/29 – Numbers 28-29 – How do I acknowledge daily, and seasonally, the sacred character of time? Prayer starter: Ever-living God, your Son Jesus entered into time and history to open for us the gates of eternity. We praise you for your great and generous love.
  • 6/30 – Numbers 30 – Under what circumstances are vows necessary or useful? harmful? Prayer starter: Almighty God, all authority belongs to you on earth as in heaven. Strengthen us to live up to our promises commitments and obligations.
  • 7/1 – Numbers 31 – How do I see God: angry and punishing, merciful and loving, or all of the above? Prayer starter: In your justice, Lord your will cannot be denied. Help us to conform to your will day by day.
  • 7/2 – Numbers 33-34 – How does my past shape my present? How can my decisions today shape the future? Prayer starter: You created us little less than gods, O Lord, endowing us with the freedom to choose. Help us to repent the wrong in our pasts and create a better future.

Bible Study for Trinity Week
  • 6/19 – Numbers 25 – How does my desire for the way things were keep me from embracing the present? Prayer starter: God of hope and possibility, you make all things new. Heal us from our adherence to the past and free us for what you have in store for us.
  • 6/20 – Numbers 26 – How do I promote the new generation, and how do I stand in its way? Prayer starter: What is, what was, and what will be are in your hands, O Lord. Give us the courage to change what must be changed and to step aside when our time is done.
  • 6/21 – Numbers 27:1-11 & Numbers 36:1-12 – Which aspects of my identity were given to me, and which did I forge for myself? Prayer starter: Loving God, you did not create a race of robots to serve you, but free beings made in your likeness and capable of choice. Teach us to use our freedom wisely.
  • 6/22 – Numbers 28-29 – How do I acknowledge daily, and seasonally, the sacred character of time? Prayer starter: Ever-living God, your Son Jesus entered into time and history to open for us the gates of eternity. We praise you for your great and generous love.
  • 6/23 – Numbers 30 – Under what circumstances are vows necessary or useful? harmful? Prayer starter: Almighty God, all authority belongs to you on earth as in heaven. Strengthen us to live up to our promises, commitments, and obligations.
  • 6/24 – Numbers 31 – How do I see God: angry and punishing, merciful and loving, or all of the above? Prayer starter: In your justice, Lord, your will cannot be denied. Help us to conform to your will day by day.
  • 6/25 – Numbers 33-34 – How does my past shape my present? How can my decisions today shape the future? Prayer starter: You created us little less than gods, O Lord, endowing us with the freedom to choose. Help us to repent the wrong in our pasts and create a better future.

Bible Study for Pentecost Week
  • 6/12 – Numbers 16:1-50 and Numbers 17:1-15 – When has greed consumed my peace and swallowed my happiness? Prayer starter: All authority comes from you, Almighty God. May we exercise the power given to us in your name and always for your purposes.
  • 6/13 – Numbers 17:16-28 and Numbers 18:1-32 – How do I show responsibility for the “much” that has been give to me? Prayer starter: Lord, how we long to be possessed by you alone! Many cares and false gods work to dominate our lives, but help us to surrender only to you.
  • 6/14 – Numbers 19:1-13, Numbers 20:1,22-29 – Do I place human beings, even privileged ones, before my devotion to God? Prayer starter: Lord God, you are the source of life and your kingdom the frontier beyond death. Teach us to know the difference between the realms of the sacred and the profane.
  • 6/15 – Numbers 20:2-13 and Numbers 21:4-9 – When have my own words betrayed the dangerous pride hidden in my motives? Prayer starter: Your’s alone is the power and the glory, Lord God of Hosts. Grant us the humility to know who we are, and who we are not.
  • 6/16 – Numbers 19:14-21, Numbers 20:1-3,10-35 and Numbers 22:1 – What’s more important, accuracy or effect, when telling a teaching story? Prayer starter: The journey of faith takes a lifetime to walk, and our steps may falter. Faithful and true God, be our guide and companion on the way that leads to you.
  • 6/17 – Numbers 22:2-35 – Do I speak and act routinely for God’s purposes or for personal gain? Prayer starter: Lord, you gave us with your Son, Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh to live among us. May this Word speak in the example of our lives.
  • 6/18 – Numbers 22:36-44 and Numbers 23-24 – How do I cooperate with, and how do I resist, the word of God spoken to me? Prayer starter: God of truth, your Son Jesus provides the way, the truth, and the life for those who believe. Break our resistance to His life-giving word.

The Solemnity of Pentecost

The day of Pentecost is the Church’s festival of the Holy Spirit. It is the third principal festival of the church year, the day on which we remember how the Holy Spirit came powerfully to a gathering of Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem.

In Polish, this Feastday is called “ŚwiÄ™to Zielonych ÅšwiÄ…tki” or, literally, the “Holiday of Green.” Green, in the Church, is the color of hope. We’d like to “green up” the Church in a feeling of hope. If you have any green plants that you would like to decorate the church, window sills, sanctuary area; please bring them – thereby we shall emphasize the season of hope; for us, and for the Church to which Jesus promised the Holy Spirit.

Bible Study for the Seventh Week of Easter
  • 6/5 – Numbers 9:1-23 and Numbers 10:1-10 – How do I discern when God wants me to change, or to remain as I am? Prayer starter: Generous God, you send your people priests, prophets, and kings to lead them in every generation. Give us the wisdom to choose and to follow good leaders.
  • 6/6 – Numbers 10:11-36 – How might chaos be a threat to the integrity of Iife? Prayer starter: Loving God, you provide the songs that dictate when it’s time to grow, change, and choose a new direction. May your Holy Spirit provide us with the wisdom to see and the courage to act.
  • 6/7 – Numbers 11 – When has a poor attitude affected my ability to be grateful? Prayer starter: Gracious God, you are the only source of true freedom. Keep us from settling for security at the cost of genuine liberty.
  • 6/8 – Numbers 12 – Have I resented the success of a family member or peer? Prayer starter: In infinite variety your created me, O Lord, not making one the same as another. Help us to respect and defend the gifts of each unique person.
  • 6/9 – Numbers 13:1-33 and Numbers 14:1-10 – When has fear robbed me of my trust in God? Prayer starter: You are a God worthy of absolute trust and confidence, for you have proven your love throughout salvation history. Free us from every fear that haunts our generation.
  • 6/10 – Numbers 14:10-45 – When have you spoken damaging words that could not be taken back? Prayer starter: Lord of history and eternity, you give humanity the freedom to determine its fate. Teach us wisdom so that we may choose the path of life.
  • 6/11 – Numbers 15 – How do my actions and choices affect the lives of those around me? Prayer starter: Father, Son, and Spirit, yours is the perfect union of heart, mind, and will. Imbue your Church with the spirit of unity so that we may bear witness to your truth.

The lnstallation of the Eighth Bishop Ordinary of the Central Diocese

The lnstallation of the Rt. Rev. John Mack as Eighth Bishop Ordinary of the Central Diocese and Pastor of Saint Stanislaus, Bishop & Martyr Cathedral will take place on Sunday, June 5th.

The Holy Rite of lnstallation will be celebrated during a Holy Mass scheduled for 4 pm. A celebratory reception will be held in the Cathedral Youth Center following Holy Mass.

Bishop Mack has been serving as Bishop Ordinary since February 1, 2011.

Please join in formally welcoming Bishop Mack by your presence, and if unable to attend, through your prayers.

Consecration of Bishop Elect Flemstead of the Nordic Catholic Church Announced

We have a rather momentous occasion to take place on the last Monday of July, July 25, 2011 the Feast of St. James the Greater, Apostle.

Through the ministry of Bishop Thaddeus Peplowski (Buffalo-Pittsburgh Diocese), a number of churches in the Nordic countries have accepted the practice and norms of the Polish National Catholic Church and have developed into the Nordic Catholic Church, coming under the umbrella of the Union of Scranton.

At the synod held in Oslo, Norway late last year, a priest of the Church, the Rev. Roald Nikolai Flemestad, was elected as a candidate for bishop. This in one way will bolster the churches looking for stability and focus as it looks to serve its people in the future.

Father Flemstad’s consecration to the episcopal office will take place on the Feast of Saint James the Greater at Saint Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr cathedral in Scranton. What a joyous occasion it will be!

Father Flemstad addressed our Holy Synod in October 2010. He so looked forward to visiting the American church, and now will serve as the leader of the Nordic congregations.

Members of the churches in Norway, Sweden, Germany, and Italy will travel to Scranton to take part in the service. The readings and liturgy will be celebrated in both languages. The bishops of our Church will serve as co-consecrators, with, Most Rev. Anthony Mikovsky, our Prime Bishop serving a principal consecrator.

Bible Study for the Sixth Week of Easter
  • 5/29 – Numbers 1,2 – Where am I in relationship to God at this time; near or far, facing toward or away? Prayer starter: Lord, keep us from placing anything but you at the center of our hearts. May your will always be at the center of our values.
  • 5/30 – Numbers 2,3 – How do I respond when favored, or slighted, among my peers? Prayer starter: Lord Jesus, you preferred the path of humility to any mortal honor: Help us to be humble whether appreciated or disregarded.
  • 5/31 – Numbers 5 – Have I ever felt unworthy to be in the presence of God in the assembly of faith? Prayer starter: Holy God, you are the source of love, grace, and mercy. By your compassion heal us of our sinfulness and find us worthy of your company.
  • 6/1 – Numbers 6:1-21 – When and how have I made private commitments to God that involved sacrifice? Prayer starter: Lord, every day is another opportunity for a closer walk along the path of your grace. Help us to keep our feet on this path always.
  • 6/2 – Numbers 6:22-27 – How often do I bless my family, friends, and loved ones? Prayer starter: God of every grace and blessing, pour out the fullness of your kindness upon our families. May your face continue to shine upon the whole human race.
  • 6/3 – Numbers 7 – What offering do I make when I enter the house of God? Prayer starter: Eternal God, your presence is not limited to a single place or generation. Yet we finite creatures must seek you in places consecrated for your service.
  • 6/4 – Numbers 8 – How do I live up to, or hide behind, public rituals of religion? Prayer starter: Lord God, bless the assembly of the faithful as we gather in your name. What we profess in our assembly may we live out in the world around us.

The 66th Annual YMS of R/PNCC Bowling tournament news and results

The 66th Annual YMS of R/PNCC Bowling tournament was again a great success.

Eighty-six bowlers bowled in three events covering four divisions. There were, in the team event, 16 teams in both the open and womens’ divisions. There were no youth teams for the youth that were present bowled with the adults making for a truly “family affair.”

Deacon Jim bowled on a team made up of mates from around the church, Hannah and Josh bowled on teams made up of family and other parishioners. Father Stan bowled with the regular team once again. Deb, although under the weather, kept the cheering going as best she could.

As for accomplishments achieved: Hannah and her cousin Lauren finished first in the Youth division in doubles, Father Stan placed fifth in singles in the Spójnia division, and the team he bowled on took first place in the Spójnia division.

The Central Guiding Committee, at its meeting on Friday evening, accepted the plans for the 67th Annual Tournament to be hosted by our parish during the days of 18-20 May 2012 – our 90th Anniversary year.

May we ready ourselves to once again welcome our brethren from across the Church to join us for that weekend.