January 2014 Newsletter Available

For many the holiday parties are (almost) over, the presants unwrapped, and maybe resolutions have been made – yet we followers of Christ continue to celebrate the real Christmas season. Forty days of joy with Christ born anew in us. Check out the latest parish newsletter including official announcements, reflections, music scholarships, and good information should your New Year’s resolutions include better financial management (and maybe you will add to your cash-on-hand with our Outrageous Valentine’s Raffle). You may view and download a copy right here — January 2014 Newsletter.

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Upcoming local and national events – let’s go!!!

What Matters to Girls

The Schenectady League of Women Voters is hosting the Working Group on Girls Community Forum, “What Matters to Girls” on Wednesday, May 22nd at 7pm at the 1st Reformed Church, 8 North Church St., Schenectady NY. The Forum is dedicated to empowering middle and high school girls and will provide information on Girl’s Day Out and Girl’s Circles programs for student participants and adult volunteers. Topics will include increasing self esteem, making healthy choices, valuing education, and expanding girl’s vision of the future.

Connecting Faith-Based Groups with the Affordable Care Act: What You Need to Know about Changes in Health Insurance for Your Members

Congressman Paul Tonko is hosting a workshop on Connecting Faith-Based Groups with the Affordable Care Acton Wednesday, May 29th at The Crossings of Colonie, 580 Albany Shaker Rd., Loudonville, NY from 1—3pm. The focus of the workshop will be on providing up-to-date information on federal health insurance programs available to members of Faith-Based organizations. Representatives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Region II U.S. Department of Health & Human Services will be available to provide information and resources that can help make it easier to understand health insurance options.

Medicare (health insurance for people 65 and older or with long- term disability or end-stage renal disease), Medicaid (health insurance for people with limited income), and new options for expansion of health insurance that will soon be available under the Affordable Care Act will be discussed.

You may pre-register online or by calling 518-465-0700.

Youth Forum

Schenectady Youth Boxing & Fitness is sponsoring a Youth Forum on June 13th, 10am-12pm at the Fenimore Gallery at Proctors Theater, 432 State St., Schenectady, NY. The forum includes a roundtable discussion with members from community youth focused programs with a focus on sharing goals and information as well as information on upcoming summer plans. A light lunch and opportunities for networking will follow. For more information please contact Schenectady Youth Boxing & Fitness or Judy Decker by E-mail.

2013 Kurs Youth Encampment

The 2013 Kurs Youth Encampment sponsored by the Young Men’s Society of the Resurrection of the Polish National Catholic Church will be held from June 29th through July 6th at the Bishop Hodur Retreat & Recreation Center, 596 Honesdale Road, Waymart, PA. This is by far the best summer youth event anywhere. Our young people are encouraged to attend as well as to invite friends and parishioners for a summer event that builds up faith and friendships that last a lifetime.

Click on the links below for further information and forms:

National United Choirs 2013 Music Workshop

The National United Choirs Click here for details and a registration form.

Polish National Union Trip to Poland

The Polish National Union (Spójnia) is sponsoring a trip to Poland in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish in Żarki (Libiąż) Poland, the birthplace of Bishop Francis Hodur. The parish was built through the generosity of members of the Polish National Union. The trip will run from September 18th through 25th and includes tours of southern Polsnd including noted attrations in Kraków, Zakopane, and Żarki. For details please see the current issue of Straż. Reservations are due by June 10th.

67th Annual PNCC Bowling Tournament coming to Schenectady

We invite you to Schenectady:

On behalf of the Tournament Committee for the 67th Annual PNCC/YMS of R Bowling Tournament, please accept this invitation to participate in this year’s event, sponsored by our parish, Holy Name of Jesus in Schenectady, NY. The Tournament will begin on Friday, May 18th and conclude on Sunday, May 20th.

Schedule of Events:

Thursday, May 17, 2012 – Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord

Friday, May 18, 2012

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Accommodations:

We recommend:

Ramada Plaza Albany
3 Watervliet Ave. Ext.
Albany, NY 12206 US

Check in: After 3:00 PM
Check out: Before 11:00 AM
Phone: 518-438-8431
Fax: 518-438-8356

Hotel website

The Ramada Plaza Albany hotel is right off I-90, Exit 5 and is right down the street from our Friday and Saturday evening venues (almost walking distance). The hotel’s location, adjacent to the I-90 interchange allows for quick access to the I-87 Northway which will get you to Spare Time Lanes and Holy Name of Jesus. The hotel is also close to great sightseeing in New York’s Capital, shopping and entertainment.

The hotel offers a free deluxe breakfast buffet. There is a fitness center as well as indoor and outdoor pools. You can also stay connected to home with free Wi-Fi Internet access. The hotel is pet-friendly. Rooms feature in-room microwaves and refrigerators, guest laundry services and free parking for vehicles of any size.

Venues:

A = Albany Polish American Citizens Club, 110 Commerce Avenue, Albany, NY 12206
B = Spare Time Lanes, 375 Troy Schenectady Road, Latham, NY 12110
C = Holy Name of Jesus Parish, 1040 Pearl Street, Schenectady, NY 12303

Registration and Forms:

You may click on any of the following links to download these forms to your computer, or just click and print them from this website.

Please return all forms and fees by April 15, 2012. Make all checks payable to: 2012 Tournament Committee.

Mail completed packets to:

Holy Name of Jesus
Attn: Deacon Jim Konicki
1040 Pearl St.
Schenectady, NY 12303-­‐1846

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you in New York’s Electric City – Schenectady for some powerful bowling action and competition, great fellowship, and fun over a Spirit filled weekend.

Why do we celebrate Spójnia Sunday?

The 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 given 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 144 parishes in the United States and Canada partnered with a fraternal with over $45M in assets.

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.

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.

Spójnia Sunday, Niedziela Spójnii

Why do we celebrate Spéjnia Sunday?

The 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 intermingled 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 given 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 knew 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.

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.

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.