Help our local state parks

On May 2nd Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York announced an exciting statewide volunteer initiative – “I Love My Park Day” – that will take place at State Parks across New York State this Saturday, May 5th.

“Our parks are one of the hidden treasures of our state,” Governor Cuomo said, inviting New Yorkers to participate in the first ever “I Love My Park Day.”

“I Love My Park Day” is a statewide event to enhance the state’s parks and historic sites and bring visibility to the entire park system and its needs.

Join thousands of your fellow New Yorkers this Saturday, May 5, and volunteer to help improve our state parks. Click here to sign up.

Volunteers will celebrate New York’s state park system by cleaning up park lands and beaches, planting trees and gardens, restoring trails and wildlife habitats, removing invasive species, and working on various site improvement projects. There are more than 35 participating state parks and historic sites.

Bring your friends and family to your favorite park this Saturday and help preserve the beauty of this great state.

Basket Social – tomorrow

Our amazing, wonderful, ever popular Basket Social is just 1 day away.

Our annual Basket Social will be held on Sunday, April 15th at the VFW Hall at 1309 Fifth Avenue in Schenectady. Doors open at noon. Besides our usual wide array of baskets, there will be door prizes, homemade afghans, and our traditional Polish kitchen serving all your favorites. Homemade desserts too…

Baket social, raffle, door prize, Polish food, Schenectady, Albany, Troy

Holy Week and Easter in Schenectady

A Friend needs you!

Someone’s in trouble and He needs you!

Imagine if a family member were to call and say, “I’m going through something, could you visit with me? It would really help. Please.” That’s exactly what happens during Holy Week. Jesus is facing the toughest week of His ministry on earth. He’s put it all out there, has told it like it is, and He’s being hunted down.

From the heights of adulation on Palm Sunday, to His last meal on Maundy Thursday, His agonizing death and burial on Good Friday, and His time in the tomb, He needs you to sit with Him, to reassure Him of your love and support. Most of His apostles have run off, the crowds are gone. You are the only family He has left. Our Lenten theme has centered on family. Jesus created us as Church, not to be an organization, but to be real family to Him and each other. We all need to step up in His time of need, so please come. He needs you this week.

Then, on Easter Sunday, come back. He wants you to celebrate with Him. Find the stone rolled away, the tomb empty, and your heart filled. Don’t just look for an Easter church… Find the gift of salvation, love, community, family, the Word of God, and freedom with your Christian family at Holy Name of Jesus!

Holy Week and Easter service schedule

Sunday, April 1st: Palm Sunday

  • Blessing and Distribution of Palms, Worship Service, 9:30am.

Thursday, April 5th: Maundy Thursday

  • Reception of Holy Oils and Chrism, Holy Mass, Procession and Reposition of the Blessed Sacrament, and Stripping of the Altars, 7pm.
  • Private Devotion, 8:30 – 9pm.

Friday, April 6th: Good Friday

  • Church opens for private devotion, Noon.
  • Stations of the Cross, 1pm.
  • Bitter Lamentations, 2pm.
  • Opening of the Tomb, 3pm.
  • Liturgy of the Presanctified, 7pm.

Saturday, April 7th: Holy Saturday

  • Blessing of fire, holy water, renewal of baptismal promises, reading of the Exhortations, blessing of Easter foods/baskets, 4pm.

Sunday, April 8th: Solemnity of the Resurrection/Easter Sunday

  • Finding of the empty tomb, Resurrection procession, Holy Mass, 9:30am.
  • Easter Gathering/ÅšwiÄ™conka, 11am.

On behalf of Fr. Adam, the Parish Committee and with the deepest confidence in your love and support as members of the Christian family, I invite you to join us as we walk with and support our Lord through Holy Week and celebrate with Him at His resurrection.

— Deacon Jim

Basket Social – 4 weeks away!

Our amazing, wonderful, ever popular Basket Social is just 4 weeks away.

Our annual Basket Social will be held on Sunday, April 15th at the VFW Hall at 1309 Fifth Avenue in Schenectady. Doors open at noon. Besides our usual wide array of baskets, there will be door prizes, homemade afghans, and our traditional Polish kitchen serving all your favorites. Homemade desserts too…

Baket social, raffle, door prize, Polish food, Schenectady, Albany, Troy

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.

Reflection for the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Freedom is not free…
But we are free because the Lord has delivered us!

“Brothers and sisters: I should like you to be free of anxieties.”

There was a lot of anxiety in 1897. The people of Scranton had scrimped and saved to build a church. The parish they had built, that their generous donations supported, didn’t want them. They had been ejected from their former parish by a cruel pastor who demanded only obedience, who derided the hard working people, threatening them will hellfire. He sought only to be the lord and master of the people.

Think of their anxiety. They were outcasts, without a parish, without a pastor, without a spiritual home. Their investment in a spiritual home was gone and its doors were shut to them. In their anxiety they reached out to God and in doing so found comfort in a pastor, a shepherd who made the grace of God available once again. Not a pastor who demanded to be their lord and master, but a pastor who was their brother, teacher, and guide; a pastor whose heart was for the people.

God sent Åš.P. Bishop Hodur to take their commission. He let them know the one key way to alleviate anxiety. It was not submission to priests, bishops, and a pope who defined themselves as royalty, as lords and masters, but instead knowledge of the one Lord and Savior who frees us.

Bishop Hodur showed them the true Jesus who came to give us His word, to teach us, to show us the way to the Father. He showed them that Jesus was not preparing hellfire for His people, but rather the joys of heaven. He pointed and led to Jesus who takes up every one of our anxieties, big and small, and frees us; Jesus, who promises us joy.

Today we honor our freedom as we exercise our voice and vote in our annual parish meeting. This freedom was hard won, but has given us the best of all churches – one that is fully Catholic and fully democratic.

The people of Scranton took their anxiety to the Lord and He showed them the way, provided for them. Let us too rely on the Lord who has made us free.

Epiphany and Home Blessings

The Solemnity of the Epiphany was celebrated on January 6th. On that day we blessed of chalk and incense for use in the blessing of homes. Fr. Adam or Deacon Jim are available to come to your home for the traditional Epiphany home blessing. Please see them to make an appointment. Blessing appointments are available through February 21st (prior to Ash Wednesday).