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Philadelphia Little Easter Bread Of Love – Filadelfijski Wielkanocny Chlebek MiÅ‚oÅ›ci

Christian witness, Parish Life /

Our Little Easter Bread of Love will be distributed on Holy Saturday & Easter Sunday. We will demonstrate the act of solidarity towards thousands of little children in Poland, in America, and in the world who are severely undernourished. Let us join to help them. Let them feel they are not abandoned in their struggle to survive. Come and take a piece of bread, dropping of a small offering in a special box to provide for them.

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Pisanki-Coloring & Displaying of Easter Eggs

Christian witness, PNCC /

The pisanki derive from an ancient tradition when eggs, the symbol of life, were endowed with magical properties and were thought to ensure both a plentiful harvest and good health. The name Pisanki comes from the Polish word “pisać”, which means to write.

The practice of coloring Easter eggs is very much alive in Poland today as well as enjoyed by Polish people all over the world. There are several techniques for making pisanki including the use of wax flowing from a pipe or funnel, producing richly ornamented designs or the etching of designs onto a previously colored egg. The geometric and floral patterns or the animal and human images produced reveal a high level of craftsmanship and artistry.

These eggs are exchanged among friends and relatives with good wishes. Many American Poles design eggs with the names of their friends written on them. They exchange these decorated eggs with each other during their Easter visitations along with their good wishes.

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Blessed Easter Food, the Święconka

Christian witness, From the Pastor, PNCC /

The blessing of the Easter food, or the “ÅšwiÄ™conka” is a tradition dear to the heart of every Pole. Being deeply religious, he is grateful to God for all His gifts of both nature and grace, and, as a token of this gratitude, has the food of his table sanctified with the hope that spring, the season of the Resurrection, will also be blessed by God’s goodness and mercy.

The usual fare on the Easter table includes ham and kielbasa, cakes of all kinds – particularly babka; eggs – some shelled or some decorated. There is usually a Paschal Lamb or “Baranek” made of butter, some cheese, horseradish, salt, vinegar and oil.

The food is brought to the church and blessed by the parish priest on Holy Saturday. The food can also be blessed in the home. After the blessing, the food is usually set aside until Easter morning when the head of the house shares the blessed egg, symbol of life, with family and friends. Having exchanged wishes, all continue to enjoy a hearty meal.

This centuries old custom is indeed richly symbolic and beautiful. It is one in which the whole family can participate and help prepare. May this tradition endure for many generations to come.

All of you can enjoy this beautiful Polish custom by participating at the blessing of the Easter food “Swieconka” at the Polish church nearest you. This is an excellent way to teach the younger members of your family about this treasured Polish tradition.

The Traditional “Easter Basket”

MasÅ‚o (Butter) – This dairy product is often shaped into a lamb (Baranek Wielkanocny) or a cross. This reminds us of the good will of Christ that we should have towards all things.

Babka (Easter Bread) – A round or long loaf topped with a cross or a fish, symbolic of Jesus, who is the Bread of Life.

Chrzan (Horseradish) – Symbolic of the Passion of Christ still in our minds.

Jajka (Eggs) and Pisanki (decorated with symbols of Easter, of life, of prosperity) – Indicates new life and Christ’s Resurrection from the tomb.

KieÅ‚basa (Sausage) – A sausage product, symbolic of God’s favor and generosity.

Szynka (Ham) – Symbolic of great joy and abundance. Some prefer lamb or veal. The lamb also reminds Christians that the Risen Christ is the “Lamb of God.”

SÅ‚onina (Smoked Bacon) – A symbol of the overabundance of God’s mercy and generosity.

Sol (Salt) – A necessary element in our physical life. Symbolic of prosperity and justice and to remind us that people are the flavor of the earth.

Ser (Cheese) – Symbolic of the moderation Christians should have at all times.

Candle – Represents Christ as the Light of the World.

Colorful Ribbons and Sprigs of Greenery – are attached to the basket as signs of joy and new life in the season of spring and in celebration of the Resurrection.

Linen Cover – drawn over the top of the basket which is ready for the priest’s visit to the home or the trip to church where it is joined with the baskets of others to await the blessing. The food is then set aside and enjoyed on Easter Sunday.

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Preparing for the Greatest Day

From the Pastor /

It is my prayer that our Parish and each of us will grow in our spiritual life during this season of Lent
May God bless us in our preparation to celebrate The Resurrection of the Lord

Easter is not just a day (Easter Sunday); no, in the Church Year, Easter is a season (commonly referred to as Eastertide), lasting 50 days, where the Church’s celebration focuses on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the words of the most recent edition of the Covenant Book of Worship, Eastertide is “the most festive of all seasons because Jesus is alive and death has been conquered. This is critical because the Christian hope of eternal life is contingent upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

One of the ways we Christians who follow the Church Year have gotten a bit off track is by how Advent / Christmas has supplanted the Easter season as the most important season in the year. I suspect this has as much to do with being barraged by our consumerist culture and overwhelmed by the amount and expectations that accrue to our family traditions, festivities, and the like, as it has to do with our theology. However, it is easier to make more palatable and appealing a miracle baby in a manger than it is an emaciated innocent martyr on a cross.

New Testament scholar and churchman N.T. Wright states “… Christmas itself has now far outstripped Easter in popular culture as the real celebratory center of the Christian year – a move that completely reverse the New Testament’s emphasis. We sometimes try, in hymns, prayers, and sermons, to build a whole theology on Christmas, but it can’t in fact sustain such a thing. We then keep Lent, Holy Week, and Good Friday so thoroughly that we have hardly any energy left for Easter except the first night and day. Easter, however, should be the center. Take that away and there is, almost literally, nothing left.” (from Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright, p. 23, 2008).

I agree. When N.T. Wright says without Easter there is nothing left, he means that without the bodily resurrection of Jesus, we have no hope. Wright is echoing Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:14, where the Apostle states that “… if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” Useless… without value… kaput!

BUT, because Jesus has been raised, gloriously resurrected, we should embrace and, dare I say, bask in the joy of the Easter season! Our worship should be particularly joyous. Our lives filled with wonder, awe and gratitude at the marvel of God’s salvation that Christ’s resurrection secures. Easter joy should permeate all the other seasons of the Church Year (therefore, the entirety of our lives) and give them their definition. And that’s true even of Lent.

For even Lent, the most penitential and reflective season of self-examination and self denial is 40 week days. Lent, technically, does not include the Sundays that occur during its season. Why? Because every Sunday in the year is the day we celebrate Christ’s resurrection. Resurrection joy always trumps even the deepest sorrow and sadness of sin.

So, don’t shortchange yourself this Easter season. Enter fully into all the joy and wonder and redeeming power and grace of Christ’s resurrection. Let that reality inform and shape the entirety of not only this year, but all your days!

Have a blessed and Happy Easter. Yours in the Love of Christ,

Fr. Krzysztof M. Mendelewski – Pastor of St. Valentine’s PNCC

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Holy Week and Easter 2011 schedule

Parish Life /
  • Palm Sunday Holy Mass & Distribution of Palms, April 17th, 9:30 a.m.
  • Palm Sunday Brunch, April 17th, following Palm Sunday Holy Mass at 9:30 a.m.
  • Holy Thursday, Last Supper Holy Mass, April 21st, 7 p.m.
  • Good Friday Celebration of the Lord’s Passion, April 22nd, 12:00 (noon) & 7 p.m.
  • Holy Saturday Liturgy of Easter Vigil, April 23rd, 6 p.m.
  • Holy Saturday Blessing of Easter Food at 12 (noon) & 5:45 p.m. (before the Holy Saturday Liturgy)
  • Easter Sunday Resurrection Procession and Holy Mass, April 24th, 9:30 a.m.

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Lent

From the Pastor, Parish Life /

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ash Wednesday marks the start of our preparation period. The journey begins with contrition, owning up to our sin and brokenness, and evaluating the state of our relationship with God. Ash Wednesday, by its very name, reminds us of our mortality. We are created from dust, and to dust we shall return. Therefore, when we pass on to the other side and we stand before God, we may be asked to give an account of our lives.

Ash Wednesday, March 9th, Holy Mass with the blessing and distribution of ashes will take place at 12 (noon) and 7 p.m.

Fasting and abstinence – we have to eat only one full meal and 2 small ones. Of course meals have to be meatless. (on Ash Wednesday & Good Friday and all Wednesdays and Fridays in Lent).

Lent is a season of the Christian year whose name comes from the Latin for “lengthening of days.” Lent is for preparation, a journey of preparing our souls to encounter the amazing mystery of Christ’s life, death and resurrection. Easter can never mean quite as much without the journey through Lent.

Lent compels us to return to Christian discipline and to make time for genuine spiritual care for ourselves. Lent is a time to center our thoughts on God and to remember that we are spiritual people on a physical journey. What stands in your way of a closer walk with our Lord Jesus?

During these days of Lent, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus. Let us support each other in our joys and sorrows, and in the challenges we face. Remembering the words of Psalm 46, “God is our refuge and strength ….a very present help in times of trouble.”

Let us turn to the Lord, our refuge and strength. Let us walk together in peace and love.

We will be meeting at 7 p.m. on Friday nights during Lent for a special Lenten Devotion – The way of the Cross. (Droga Krzyzowa). All are invited, so please join us.

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New Parish Committee Elections

From the Pastor, Parish Life, PNCC /

On March 20th, this year we elect the New Parish Committee for 2011 following 9:30 Mass.

I hope that you are aware that your attendance on this meeting will testify to your maturity and responsibility. If you as the members of the PNCC, and as the parishioners of the Saint Valentine Church, you will live and work according to teachings of Jesus, and will propagate the democratic principles of Christ. You may then be assured of His presence, help and cooperation. If we gather for common prayer, tasks or efforts; if we will work and struggle for His Holy Cause; Jesus, our Master, Jesus our Leader and Jesus our Savior, will sustain us. For our work is His work; our toil, His toil. Jesus is with us. He wants to help us. We must work together the young parishioners and aged parishioners, Parish Committee members and the rest of parishioners. Because the Church is a Body of Christ, in the church is Jesus Christ, the Church is His, and He is ours. Let us pray together, let us work together. Come, and testify that You are responsible for St. Valentine’s Church.

As a Pastor of Parish I want you to know, that Parish is a Community of people who believe in One God in The Holy Trinity and worship God together as a Assembly minimum once a week on Sunday. This is the reason of existence of Parish.

In St. Valentine’s Parish are three categories of people:

  1. parishioners who use Church as a holy ground for prayer and worship; listening the Words of God and receive Holy Sacraments; and also they take care of material matters of parish, paying dues, offerings and support parish organizing and participating in many fundraiser events.
  2. parishioners who are shut-ins, or aged, and who support Parish according to their means and abilities. Also parishioners who only pay dues and offerings, but they never or very rarely attend church; probably keeping their membership for funerals or other events of life (weddings, Baptisms, First Holy Communions, etc.)
  3. people who don’t pay dues, who are like sympathizers of parish, and make offering in support.

According to the Constitution of Polish National Catholic Church, every year is called Parish Meeting to elect a Parish Committee. The Parish Committee together with Pastor has to manage and develop Parish, taking care of parish finance and properties.

Who is able to be elected as a parish committee member? Only parishioner who belong to the first category: true parishioner/members who use Church as a holy ground for prayer and worship; listening the Words of God and receive Holy Sacraments; and also they take care of materials matters of parish, paying dues, offerings and support parish organizing and participating in many fundraiser events.

The lot of St. Valentine’s Church, depends on you, your presence at the Parish Annual Meeting will be expected and is very necessary.

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Åš+P Rev. E. Owen Groman

From the Pastor, PNCC, Prayer /

Rev. Owen Groman passed away January 14th, 2011; Funeral Mass in his memory: January 29th (Saturday) at 11 a.m. at St. Valentine’s Church, following interment at St. Valentine’s Cemetery in Andalusia, 875 Mill Road, Bansalem, Pa.

Fr. Groman was very well known among Polonia, especially as musican director of the “Janosik” dance group. May Your servant and priest Owen rest in peace O Lord!

From The Burlington County Times:

The Rev. E. Owen Groman, of Wilmington, N.C., formerly of Riverton, died Friday, Jan. 14, 2011.

A graduate of Palmyra High School, Rutgers University, the Savonarola Theological Seminary in Scranton, Pa., and the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass., the Rev. Groman served as pastor of several parishes and missions throughout the eastern United States for more than 30 years, in both the Polish National Catholic Church and the Episcopal Church.

He was preceded in death by his father, Edward. He is survived by his wife, Joanne, of Wilmington, N.C.; daughter, Marcyanna of Frostburg, Md.; mother, Wanda Groman of Riverton; father-in-law, Joe Samarra of North Carolina; sister, Victoria Kristian of Pennsauken; brother, Mark Groman of Delran, several cousins, nieces and nephews; and many close friends and professional associates who valued his capacity for compassion and understanding.

Relatives and friends are invited to gather at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Valentine Polish National Catholic Church, 2330 Margaret St., Philadelphia, where the funeral Mass will follow at 11 a.m. Interment will be in St. Valentine Cemetery, Andalusia.

Arrangements by the Slabinski Funeral Home, Philadelphia

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