Marian McQuade of Oak Hill, West Virginia, has been recognized nationally by the United States Senate – in particular by Senators Jennings Randolph; and Robert Byrd – and by President Jimmy Carter, as the founder of National Grandparents Day. McQuade made it her goal to educate the youth in the community about the important contributions seniors have made throughout history. She also urged the youth to “adopt” a grandparent, not just for one day a year, but rather for a lifetime.

In 1973, Senator Jennings Randolph introduced a resolution to the Senate to make Grandparents Day a national holiday. West Virginia’s Governor Arch Moore had proclaimed an annual Grandparents Day for the state, at the urging of Marian McQuade. When Senator Randolph’s resolution in the U.S. Senate died in committee, Marian McQuade organized supporters and began contacting governors, senators, and congressmen in all fifty states. She urged each state to proclaim their own Grandparents Day. Within three years, she had received Grandparents Day proclamations from forty-three states. She sent copies of the proclamations to Senator Randolph.

In February, 1977, Senator Randolph, with the concurrence of many other senators, introduced a Joint Resolution to the Senate requesting the President to “issue annually a proclamation designating the first Sunday of September after Labor Day of each year as ‘National Grandparents Day’.” Congress passed the legislation proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day and, on August 3, 1978, then-President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation. The statute cites the day’s purpose as: “…to honor grandparents, to give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children’s children, and to help children become aware of strength, information, and guidance older people can offer”.

In Poland, Grandmother’s Day (Polish: Dzień Babci) was created in 1964 by the “Kobieta i Życie” magazine, and popularized from 1965 onwards. It is celebrated on January 21. Grandfather’s Day (Polish: Dzień Dziadka) is celebrated a day later, on January 22.”

Grandparents

Grandparents bestow upon
their grandchildren
The strength and wisdom that time
And experience have given them.

Grandchildren bless their Grandparents
With a youthful vitality and innocence
That help them stay young at heart forever.

Together they create a chain of love
Linking the past with the future.
The chain may lengthen,
But it will never part…

7:30AM – Holy Mass in Frackville.

HOLY TUESDAY, April 19th

10:00AM – Central Diocese Clergy Conference in Scranton.

4:00PM – Holy Mass of Chrism in St. Stanislaus Cathedral, Scranton, PA. — At the Holy Mass, which the bishop concelebrates with his presbyterium, and at which the oils are blessed, manifests the communion of the priests with their bishop. To show the unity of the presbyterium, the priests who concelebrate with the bishop come from different parts of the diocese.

HOLY THURSDAY, April 21st – Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper

The Mass of the Last Supper begins our three days of enacting the Easter mystery. In this rich celebration, we recall tonight the Passover meal that commemorates the liberation of Israel from Egypt, the institution of the Eucharist, and Jesus washing of the disciples’ feet.

6:00PM – Holy Mass in Shenandoah.

GOOD FRIDAY, April 22nd – The Lord’s Passion

According to the Church’s ancient tradition, the sacraments are not celebrated today or tomorrow. The celebration of the Lord’s passion takes place in the afternoon. The celebration consists of three parts: liturgy of the word, veneration of the cross, and Holy Communion. Fasting: all those of post-confirmation age are to fast TODAY limiting themselves to one full meal and two smaller meals, with no snacking between meals. These regulations are recommended for healthy adults. Children under First Holy Communion age, the infirm, those on restrictive medication and the elderly are exempt from the obligation of fasting.

2:00PM – The Liturgy of the Good Friday with adoration of the Cross and Holy Communion in Shenandoah. Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament will be held until 6:00PM.

HOLY SATURDAY, April 23rd

On this day the Church waits at the Lord’s tomb, meditating on his suffering and death. The altar is left bare, and the Holy Mass is not celebrated. Today’s service is arranged in: a) a brief service of light; b) the liturgy of the word; c) blessing of water.

11:00AM – The Liturgy of the Blessing of Fire, Water and Paschal Candle in Shenandoah. After the Liturgy – blessing of Easter food (baskets)

RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD — EASTER SUNDAY, April 24th

9:00AM – Easter procession. After Procession – Holy Mass – intention: for All Parishioners.

Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and may the perpetual light shine upon them.
May their soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.

Wieczne odpoczynek racz im dać Panie, a światłość wiekuista niechaj im świeci.
Niech odpoczywają w pokoju, Amen.

Polish President Lech Kaczynski and some of the country’s highest military and civilian leaders died on Saturday when the presidential plane crashed as it came in for a landing in thick fog in western Russia, killing 97, officials said.

Russian and Polish officials said there were no survivors on the 26-year-old Tupolev, which was taking the president, his wife and staff to events marking the 70th anniversary of the massacre in Katyn forest of thousands of Polish officers by Soviet secret police.

The crash devastated the upper echelons of Poland’s political and military establishments. On board were the army chief of staff, the navy chief commander, and heads of the air and land forces. Also killed were the national bank president, deputy foreign minister, army chaplain, head of the National Security Office, deputy parliament speaker, Olympic Committee head, civil rights commissioner and at least two presidential aides and three lawmakers, the Polish foreign ministry said.

Some of the people on board were relatives of those slain in the Katyn massacre. Also among the victims was Anna Walentynowicz, whose firing in August 1980 from the Lenin Shipyards in Gdansk sparked a workers’ strike that spurred the eventual creation of the Solidarity freedom movement. She went on to be a prominent member.

“This is a great tragedy, a great shock to us all,” former president and Solidarity leader Lech Walesa said.

The deaths were not expected to directly affect the functioning of Polish government: Poland’s president is commander in chief of its armed forces but the position’s domestic duties are chiefly symbolic. Most top government ministers were not aboard the plane.

In Warsaw, Tusk also called an extraordinary meeting of his Cabinet and the national flag was lowered to half-staff at the presidential palace, where several thousand people gathered to lay flowers and light candles. Black ribbons appeared in some windows in the capital.

Kaczynski, 60, was the twin brother of Poland’s opposition leader, former Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Kaczynski’s wife, Maria, was an economist. They had a daughter, Marta, and two granddaughters.

Lech Kaczynski became president in December 2005 after defeating Tusk in that year’s presidential vote.

The nationalist conservative had said he would seek a second term in presidential elections this fall. He was expected to face an uphill struggle against Parliament speaker Bronislaw Komorowski, the candidate of Tusk’s governing Civic Platform party.

The constitution says the parliament speaker announce early elections within 14 days of the president’s death. The vote must be held within another 60 days.

Poland, a nation of 38 million people, is by far the largest of the 10 formerly communist countries that have joined the European Union in recent years.

Last year, Poland was the only EU nation to avoid recession and posted economic growth of 1.7 percent.

It has become a firm U.S. ally in the region since the fall of communism — a stance that crosses party lines.

A celebration different from those in other countries, with its most important symbols: opłatek, fir tree, first star, 12 dishes menu. That will be probably an important day also for you if you meet a woman from Poland and you decide together to create a stable union. Because undoubtedly your future partner will want to keep her/his traditions, which is so important for the Polish women and the Polish men, as certainly she/he will be happy if you pay attention to the Polish habits. Christmas is a very important moment for the Poles. It is often called the family day. Preceded by several weeks of waiting, it is celebrated liberally and according to the old tradition of the country. It is a spiritual and mythical celebration, and it always remains it, which is rather rare in our world of today, directed rather towards pure consumption.

Although Christmas is a religious festival, it is also a symbol. A symbol of new life – news year, a symbol of peace, conciliation, an exceptional time when all is possible and when even the enemies have the chance to be put into agreement. It is above all a whole symbol of the united family and diving in love and happiness. It is the time, which gives the direction of safety, heat, mutual comprehension. It has its own environments, its own flavors, single and remain deeply in the hearts of people.

Obviously, the habits vary a little in the different areas. I here will tell in short the traditions of my area.

The preparations with Christmas begin already a few weeks before, by the Advent. It is the time of the waiting. It is rather rare to see people organizing something during this time, it is rather the time of silence during which people seek their serenity. It is not rare, even now, to see people who make sacrifices, such as for example: not to eat candies or to void drinking alcohol. One of the traditions, as in other countries, it is to make cribs (the most famous Polish cribs are those called “Cracovian” or of Cracow).

The children often prepare their own decorations for the fir tree and the table. Christmas, is Boże Narodzenie (birth of the god) in Polish, is also called in the Polish language “Gwiazdka,” which wants to say in English “a small star” in the exact translation of Polish.

Christmas in Poland lasts 2 days: 25th and 26th December, but the most important day is the day before Christmas, on December 24. It is Wigilia in the Polish language is the equivalent of French Midnight supper. It is the day which, according to habits’, decides chance and success for the New Year. It is then very important to live this day in peace, good mood and good health, full of energy, because that says that all the year will be good.

Everyone rises early (not to be lazy all year!) and the last preparations start. At last, they prepare the house (the cleaning up).

When almost all work is made, the Christmas tree is decorated. In certain families, it is done some time in advance. Some use the decorations bought in shops or home made. Some put also candies, cakes, which could be then eaten. The fir tree, according to the tradition, must remain until January 6.
Obviously, under the fir tree, the gifts are or will be put, by Santa Claus who is generally called in Poland Święty Mikołaj, that is to say in exact translation in English Saint Nicolas. (Interesting: the festival of Saint Nicolas, on December 6, is also celebrated in Poland as the day during which gifts are offered to children in priority!)

Once the entire menu is ready to be served, the table is set. First of all, one puts hay (or straw) on the table – that points out to us the origins of Jesus, born in a cattle shed. That must also enable us to have a good luck (for which nothing misses) all the year. Then, the table with a tablecloth, generally white is covered. It is obligatory to leave one free plate, for a visitor not awaited who could come, as in memory with those of the members of the family who cannot be any more with us. The menu generally contains 12 different dishes and does not contain meat because it is the day of deficiency – and the food of all this day must be simple, without meat and without alcohol.

In the same way, the menu of Christmas is also simple: especially the fish with carp in several different dishes, mushrooms, vegetable and fruit. But in spite of the simplicity of the products, the receipts are often complicated and often require several hours of preparation, in which all family takes part in the tasks – each one wishes to be being useful and the preparations are most make an exceptional environment for the midnight supper.

The menu is often a little different in each area and varies according to families, but much of dishes resemble. And often as the principal rule which is complied with in many families: no alcohol this day. Thus soups: barszcz, zurek or the soup with fish, the sauerkraut cooked with dry peas or dry mushrooms, pierogi – uszka (exact translation in English: small ears) is the ravioli with mushrooms, the ravioli with sauerkraut, the small raviolis, carp (in different ways of preparation), the herring in vinegar or in different salads, the salads with the dry fruits, the kutia (the mixture of poppy, nut, honey, corn, grapes) useful with small simple cakes, the poppy, the eternal potatoes, different cakes – of which that with the poppy (which must also bring back happiness all the year), as well as the gingerbread or small honey and gingerbreads, symbolizing the wealth of family all the year, the cakes with the grapes, nuts and with the dry fruits, hazel nuts symbolizing the success, the fruits varied, of which apples symbolizing the beauty and a good health.
And the most important “dish” on the table it is the oplatek (unleavened bread, as for the communion), because it is the symbol of division and conciliation. Resulting from the especially religious tradition (prepared in several formats and dimensions, it presents scenes in connection with the birth of the Jesus child), it is today a symbol of peace and love and that for all people, without taking into account their religion. Even the politics meet before Christmas with “oplatek” to divide it between them and symbolically with all the Polish people. These meetings of the “oplatek” are also organized in certain companies, schools, clubs, etc. So, people who work together or who meet for different activities, express their friendship and the respect the ones for the others.

It is a so important tradition, which those which cannot pass from Midnight supper together (of which often the family living abroad), exchange the opłatek by sending it by the post office accompanied by a postcard with the wishes – a very popular habit in Poland: to send a postcard or more often of the wishes only simply is very current for Polish, even with those which one does not know personally, but to which one is addressed in this moment, even if it just acts of request for some information (as example: I receive every year of many of postcards of my Polish members). Every year, in period of Christmas, of the thousands (see million!) postcards circulate between Poland and all the countries of the world, where my Polish compatriots are at the time given.

But let us return to our table. The opłatek is thus put on an often decorated plate (and if possible, more beautiful than the other plates) and occupies the centre of the table – the most important place.

Because Christmas is a family celebration above all, it passed in the family circle first of all. The nearest family thus meets on December 24 in the evening, the fir tree (with the gifts below) decorated and the covered table, they wait until the first star appears on the sky. It is the sign which the festival can begin and people can sit at the table. But before it is made it, one divides the oplatek (the oldest of the family starts) and people exchange wishes to each other. The most important is that the next celebration is celebrated with all the family and that its members are numerous at least as much (or even more). It is the mythical moment, where one forgives oneself all the bad moments and one promises to start again a new life.

Interesting: in old time, people shared also their opłatek with their animals. This tradition is always present in certain areas and certain families. And one said (and always says), that this exceptional night, even the animals speak the human language. Then, people sit at the table (the old tradition said to sit according to the age) and the dinner starts. It is important at least to try all the dishes not to know the hunger the next year and to have a good luck. It is also preferable not to rise and not to leave the table before the end of the dinner. This is why all the dishes are put on the table at the beginning to eat it so that everyone tries it and nobody gets up to serve the dishes one after the other.

Once the dinner finished, one distributes presents and one continues the evening by singing Christmas songs (called in Polish “kolędy” – which will be still present in the everyday life during a few weeks). The evening generally finishes around midnight and those who which wish it can go to the midnight mass (pasterka), which in Poland is always at midnight. It is preferable not to clear the table, but to leave it until the following day (for nothing to miss the next year).

The 25th and 26th December, the Poles go to visit each other, always in family. And these 2 days generally pass. At the table, because the meat and all the others food from now on are allowed and it only remains to consume all food so preciously prepared.

Merry Christmas!

The February 2nd is a day when the Christmas season in Poland ends.

October is the month when the Polish community in the United States celebrates its heritage, traditions, culture and history. Special events, such as those occurring during October, which attract a great number of citizens, are the best way to remind people, hard-pressed in everyday life, that they are Poles and should be proud of it. This creates the feeling of being part of a group, adding to the national consciousness within the Polish community. 


Polish Heritage Month was first celebrated in August 1981 in Pennsylvania. The event became a great success in the city, and five years later it was made a national campaign. The date was moved into October to allow school children to take part in the celebration. 
This year the celebration enters its 25th year, and the month is dedicated to those who fought for freedom. For example, Lech Walesa and the leaders of the Solidarity movement who led the cause of freedom that became the downfall of communism across Europe.
 This month also recognizes notable figures like Ignacy Jan Paderewski, who helped attain Polish freedom after World War I; as well as Polish generals of the American Revolution, such as Casimir Pulaski.

We honor the memory of Bishop Franciszek Hodur who organized the Polish National Catholic Church as a spiritual haven, a place of self-determination, and a voice for the freedom and rights of Polish immigrant workers in the United States. The Church celebrates this day in honor or all its members who represent the broad cross-section of cultures and heritages that make up our country.