March 2011

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.

Holy Week and Easter 2011 schedule Read More »

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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