911

     Pray God that we have personally never had to hear "911, what is your emergency?"  But if we have, or if we have heard it on tv, we know that the numerical identification "911" stands for an emergency situation, and warrants immediate action.  Today is September 11, or 9/11.  Ever since this date in 2001, 9/11 has come to mean what the designation 911 means, a crisis situation that touches our lives.  As we all know, on a beautiful, clear blue sky late summer/early fall day in the Eastern United States, our nation was attacked by terrorists, and we were caught up in an emergency that has touched our lives in a tragic way.  The twin towers in the city of New York, the Pentagon in Washington, and a field near Shanksville in Somerset County in Pennsylvania were the site of terrible loss of life and the origin of a fear and emptiness that touched the human condition.  On that 9/11 when so many 911 calls were made, we were changed.  Lives were lost, but so was so much more.  We were all affected.

     That day has become a "Where were you?" kind of memory.  For me it was very much like today, a clear, beautiful but warmer day.  I was on the September Priests' Retreat at Saint Joseph Hall Retreat Center in Greensburg.  The retreat had begun Monday evening and would run through Friday lunch, with Archbishop John Quinn, retired Archbishop of San Francisco as our retreat master.  On that morning we had prayed morning prayer, attended a retreat conference, and were preparing ourselves for a late morning Mass.  Someone had heard the news and we found and gathered around a tv.  We were saddened by the plane hitting the World Trade Center, praying for the victims of that horrible accident.  We were shocked when the second plane hit, and began to realize what so many were realizing, that this was no accident.  When the Pentagon was hit we were quiet with fear of the unknown.  And when the towers fell, we were speechless and I know that I was brought to tears.

     Saint Joseph Hall was also the site of the Pennsylvania State Police Regional Training Center, as well as the site of offices of the Attorney General's Office.  I mention this because when flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, but before it was announced, we knew something was up - all the the State Police vehicles took off like a bat out of h..., and soon after, the AG's offices closed and they left.  Then we heard about Shanksville.  The closeness of the tragedy hit home when we realized that we were very near the flight path that flight 93 took, for we are very close to that Somerset County community.   I can assure you that our liturgy that morning was somber and intense, and our prayers filled with the uncertainty and fear of those circumstances.  I went home that afternoon to check on the plans of the local community, and to prepare something for the bulletin.  It was a quiet ride home for me.  Even passing the local State prison in Greensburg and seeing the driveway blocked off gave me pause.  What was next was the question of the hour.

     Eleven years has past.  Every time I watch those towers fall on tv, or hear of the trauma of those involved, or reflect on the tremendous courage of the first responders, I am brought to tears.  It was a tragic day for the United States.  It was a time of great courage in the United States.  It is a day to be remembered and it must be a day of prayer to God.

Settling in America

     Today I am a part of the celebration of the 125th anniversary of the founding of Saint Joseph Polish Roman Catholic Church in Everson, Upper Tyrone Township, Fayette County Pennsylvania, a parish of the Diocese of Greensburg.  Father John Sedlak is the current pastor and a good and holy man.  I am attending the celebration because I have roots in the community going back to my great grandparents.  Here is a part of their story that I have gathered.

    Andrew Stachowiak was the eldest of three children of John and (?) who lived in the village of Wilkowyja, Poznan Province, Poland (then under German rule).  Andrew's father died when he was about eight.  Andrew was born December 2, 1854.  He met and married Frances Janiak who was born on December 27, 1858.  At the age of thirty, after serving in the German army, he and his wife and their three month old son, Stephen, departed from Bremen on the ship the Weser with 109 other passengers headed for America.
The Weser docked first in New York where most debarked, and then to Baltimore where my great grandparents set foot in the United States on April 20, 1884.  They headed for Upper Tyrone Township and the borough of Everson to work in the mines and the coke ovens of H. C. Frick, and to establish their new home.  The house they settled in is about two blocks from the church.

     They had travelled to Everson with the Joseph Martynowski family, whose son, John and daughter in law, Michalina (great grandmother's sister) were already here.  John Martynowski sponsored my great grandfather for citizenship in 1891.

     They built their family: children Stephen (Anastasia Szymanski), Mary (Joseph Cieslewicz), Thomas (Helen Banashak), Anna Eliza (Dr. Vincent Pisula), John Stanley(Bessie Kaminsky) [my grandparents], Constance (Julius Helinski), Walter (Cecelia Suchocki), and Peter (Stella Wottczak).  My grandfather, John was baptized in Saint Joseph, as was my dad's eldest brother and sister before they moved to near Uniontown.  And I am not the only priest in the family ... Mary and Joe Cieslewicz's grandson, Father Vince Cieslewicz, is a priest in the Erie Diocese.  These eight children of Andrew and Frances had a host of children and grandchildren for many generations now.  But Everson saw the beginning of the family's development in the United States.  I am very proud of my heritage, and honored to be a part of the celebration at Saint Joseph Parish today.  After the Mass I will pray at the graves of Andrew and Frances and thank them for the gift of life and of faith.

True freedom ... an everlasting inheritance

     With both political conventions over and the rhetoric going strong before the November elections, I feel compelled to pause and reflect upon promises made that cannot be met, hopes and visions expounded that are limited by our limitations and blindness, and a freedom professed by muttering lip service.  In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus had a man brought to him who was deaf, and because of his deafness had a speech impediment.  He was limited in his effectiveness to make a difference in society, and those who loved him were concerned for his welfare.  That is why they brought him to Jesus.  Was Jesus the last resort?  Or were they wise enough to realize that Jesus was the answer?

     Jesus put his fingers into his ears ... he touched his tongue and said "Ephphatha!" - that is "Be opened!"  The scriptures tell us that "immediately the man's ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly."

     I find the people and the leaders of this great nation stumbling over political correctness and mumbling about freedom in ways that can be pleasing to the ear or cute to listen to, but are lacking in truth and clarity.  They tickle the ear and the imagination, but their words and ideas are rooted in fantasy.  They promise what they cannot deliver, and make us desire that which they put forth as our wants and needs. 

     Their speech impediment comes from the fact that they have closed their ears to the Word of God, to the truth of the scriptures and the tradition of believing people, to the moral foundation that has been the building blocks of the nation.  Our religious moral foundation is being replaced with a secularism that is obviously not religious but is often not even moral.  How can they build upon a firm foundation of revealed truth when they reject any revelation that does not come from within themselves, from their need or want, from their relativism. 

     In Isaiah the prophet today we hear:

"Say to those whose hearts are frightened;

Be strong, fear not!

Here is your God,

he comes with vindication;

with divine recompense he comes to save you."

Then restoration is described, healing and power and renewal.

 

     Our politicians of all parties, our leaders of government and business, those who fashion and mold society say something similar.

To those whose hearts are frightened, I say

Be strong, fear not!

I AM HERE!

 

     The authors of the Declaration of Independence said that "we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable right, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."  Noble sentiments.  We are a work in progress.  It took many years to recognize the humanity and equality of the slave, it took many years of persecution and hatred before the foreigner was welcome, it took many years before there was an equality among the sexes.  The work is not complete ... but we are doomed if we close our ears to the revealed truth of God, to the teaching and lessons learned by the church and  history, and to the basic truth that we are not gods, but rather those whom he loves and entrusts with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  Today's Collect prayer says:

 

 

"O God, by whom we are redeemed and receive adoption,

look graciously upon your beloved sons and daughters,

that those who believe in Christ

may receive true freedom

and an everlasting inheritance."

A day to relax

      AN UPDATE  ...  I mentioned in my last post of an earthquake in Costa Rica yesterday, in an area where my cousin, Joy, and her family lives.  We heard from them, and even though they were frightened by the shaking, none of them were hurt and there was minimal damage.  It seems that the quake was very deep, which lessens destruction.  To those who thought of them and said a prayer, they and I are very grateful.

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     Today was one of those great days of relaxing and doing very little.  Wednesday into Thursday is my usual time to attempt to step back from the ordinary routine and relax.  Today was that day.

     I slept late, watched some morning TV, went to the movies with a priest friend and then joined with the Queen of Angels School Family for their "back to school" picnic at Oak Hollow Park, a township picnic park in the area.  The event was covered dish (which we seem to like to do in this area) and the amount and variety of food was unbelievable.  The kids had fun, the parents chatted, and the evening went extremely well.  There were close to 250 in attendance.  Tomorrow is another special event for the school community - a Walk-a-thon on the grounds of Saint Edward Church in Herminie.  The kids get sponsors to support their walking, with the proceeds going to the school.  Even the priests are getting into this by getting sponsors for themselves.  I, however, have problems with mobility, so my sponsors are supporting my "watching" of the walkers ( still received $150.00 in sponsorships).  I am looking forward to tomorrow, and will fill you in on the event. 

My first school Mass

      School has been in session since the 21st of August locally, but yesterday was my first visit to Queen of Angels, our local Catholic School with grades from PK through grade 8 (I was on vacation and then meetings last week).  The occasion of the visit was my first liturgy of the school year with the school family in the afternoon, and except for the heat (a hot stage under the lights in a non air conditioned auditorium), I enjoyed being with the kids. 

     The theme of the liturgy was sharing the light of Christ, with the students reciting a version of Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman's "Lead, kindly light".  They were told in the intro to the prayer that Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta and her sisters prayed this prayer often.

     I spoke of the challenge that we have at the beginning of an academic year to dedicate ourselves to learning all that we can about God and the talents and gifts that he has given us, especially learning about Christ.  This knowledge sets the stage for us to then move from knowing about him to truly knowing him with our hearts.  Head knowledge gives way to heart knowledge, which in turn leads to the desire to serve - both God and those entrusted to us by him.  To know him is to love him, and to love him is to serve him.  This is our task, our responsibility, and our joy.  After Mass I met and welcomed a brand new student in the 6th grade who had transferred in that morning, and spoke to several parents as well as reestablishing the ties with the youngsters at the school.  Queen of Angels is celebrating twenty years as our Regional School under that title.  Their excellent reputation is rooted in the long history of Catholics School education at Immaculate Conception, Saint Agnes and Saint Edward schools.

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     Prayers and thoughts ... I just read on the news that a 7.6 earthquake struck the Central American country of Costa Rica this morning at 10:42 ET.  The earthquake struck about seven miles SE of Nicoya ( a town of about 15,000 residents).  A report from the Red Cross said that there were no reported deaths.  I mention this because I have a cousin, Joy Flores Stoviak, who lives with her husband and family in Nicoya, and whose daughter, Jenifer, at one time served as mayor.  I have not heard from them as yet as to how they are, but a prayer and thoughts would be appreciated.

Asking the question

     This past Sunday's readings reminded us of the gift that God's law and commands are to us.  The law of the Lord was given to us in love and for our enrichment and perfection.  It was never meant to be confining or restrictive, but rather freeing and liberating.  And above all, it is a gift.  It speaks of the attitude of our heart which reflects our relationship with the life giving God who has accepted us as his own.  Thus the evil that touches our lives comes from within, from the hardened heart, the relationship that has no depth, the emptiness of hope and joy, the absence of love.

     Our need to pause and reflect upon our personal human condition is always there.  We call it an "examination of conscience".  It is a looking within and an evaluation of where I stand with God, the source of my life.  It is the asking of the question "Am I better off at this moment than I was the last time that I looked?"  I was always taught that this examination of conscience should be done every evening before retiring, looking back on the day, giving thanks for the blessings and seeking forgiveness for the failures.  It is definitely the correct question to ask in our preparation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the confession of our sins.  It is the right question to ask when I am confronted with a challenge that causes me to pause and reflect.

     Am I better off?  If the answer is yes, then praise God!  If the answer reveals that I have further to go to reach the goal, then I turn my prayers to the Lord and seek his mercy and love.  The key is not to hesitate or be afraid to ask the question, for until we reach our goal, we are a work in progress.

A pilgrimage of Love

     For seventy-eight years, on Labor Day weekend, pilgrims from all over the United States and Canada have travelled to my home town, Uniontown, Pennsylvania, for a pilgrimage honoring Our Lady of Perpetual Help.  This pilgrimage is hosted by the Sisters of Saint Basil the Great at their motherhouse at Mount Saint Macrina.  It centers around an icon/image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help given to the Sisters by Pope Pius XI with the request that the Sisters spread devotion to the Mother of God under this title.  This pilgrimage has been celebrated on their beautiful grounds since 1934.  The Sisters of Saint Basil the Great are a Religious Order of the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Church, whose dioceses/eparchies in the United States co-sponsor this annual gathering.

     The theme for this year is "Theotokos, Guide on the Journey of Life", looking to Mary to guide us on the right path, the path to the source of Life, her Divine Son.

     In our area of Southwestern Pennsylvania, the Byzantine Catholic Church is strong and they are good neighbors.  In all but one of my assignments they have had a church in the same or neighboring town.  I value the friendships that I have with many of their priests and people.  When I was in the seminary at Saint Francis in Loretto, we had three men studying there for the Byzantine Church, one of which, Father Dennis Hrubiak, is a priest of the Eparchy of Parma, Ohio.

     The pilgrimage is a wonderful experience of faith.  Beginning Friday evening with vespers, it concludes with a morning Divine Liturgy on Monday.  In between, the faithful gather and pray, they visit, have the opportunity for "the mystery of reconciliation" (a great name for confession), Divine Liturgies, Liturgy of the Hours, Mystery of Anointing, daytime and candlelight processions, teaching at a variety of levels (children, teens, adults), and prayers for the dead.   I remember attending as a youngster and again later in life and being truly moved.  Buses would pull up, the pilgrims disembark and a procession, led by a flower bedecked processional cross, would lead them to the icon shrine.  I remember in my younger days when Venerable Bishop Fulton Sheen, whose was bi-ritual (able to celebrate in both rites) would celebrate liturgy and preach to tens of thousands.  But most importantly I remember the simple and deep faith of good and humble people whose Labor Day weekend would bring them to Uniontown and Mt. St. Macrina - and still does.

     The pilgrimage is open to all, and is a time of grace ... and if you are local and would like to attend, you would be welcome.  Just to walk the grounds and experience the peace is a blessing.  More info can be found on the Sisters' web site: www.sistersofstbasil.org