Polish clergy to gather in Schenectady

They will be celebrating the 12th annual gathering of the Polish American Priests Association (PAPA) at Schenectady's Ramada Inn and Convention Center. Parishioners of the Church of St. Adalbert are hosting the gathering, which is being coordinated by Revs. Carl Urban, pastor, and John Lysogorski, both priests of the Albany Diocese.

A visit by Cardinal Adam Maida of the Detroit Archdiocese is one of the highlights on the agenda. On April 25, he will be the main celebrant and homilist at a Mass, which is open to the public.

Priest honored

According to Father Urban, Father Watroba will be recognized for "his faithfulness to the Church and the Gospels, his ministry of the priesthood, and his dedication to his parish and the Polish community. Over the years, Father Watroba has been an inspiration to all of us."

The award, the group's highest honor, is named after a Polish priest who founded the first permanent Polish U.S. settlement in Panna Maria, Texas, in 1854. Father Moczygemba, a missionary who spoke seven languages, was chairman of the Polish Convention of 1873 and is considered a patriarch of the Polish-American community in the U.S.

Ethnic ties

Bishop Yanta's vision for the group was inspired by his attendance at an annual gathering of Spanish missionary padres who met annually in the 1980s to celebrate and preserve their own heritage.

Cardinal Maida, who has been a member of PAPA since its inception in 1989, told The Evangelist that "we meet annually to share our ideas with each other, to give thanks, and celebrate our Polish culture and national heritage. This helps us to meet the challenges we face."

Heritage

"Here in Detroit," he said, "we have between 50,000 and 100,000 recent Polish immigrants who still speak Polish as their primary language. Many do not know how to speak English yet. How do we minister to them?"

It is important to him that he and his priests know their people's traditions, and be able to share in the customs and culture which are still very important to these new Americans, while also effectively ministering to them in their new lives as Polish American Catholics.

"The Holy Father has often spoken on the context of faith and culture," Cardinal Maida said. "Faith should permeate our lives. Faith is the common denominator between diverse cultures; it is what brings us together. We believe that it is vitally important to keep alive our faith and our culture while celebrating the unique gifts of all people. By meeting with each other, sharing our common culture and heritage, we can continue to learn ways in which we can be effective ministers of the faith."

'Privilege'

"We are very privileged to honor this group of priests who gather together to celebrate their priesthood and fraternity," he told The Evangelist. "In this time of decline in the number of priests, it is encouraging for me to be a part of the celebration of their priesthood and proud Polish heritage."

The public can attend the following events:

* April 24, noon Mass at St. Mary's Church, Schenectady;

* April 25, 5:30 p.m. Mass at St. Adalbert's Church, Schenectady, with Cardinal Maida;

* April 25 banquet, following the Mass, at the Polish American Club, Albany;

* April 26, 7 p.m. vespers (in Polish) at St. Michael's Church, Cohoes, led by Bishop John Yanta of Amarillo Texas.

(For information, registration and banquet reservations at $20 per person, contact the Church of St. Adalbert in Schenectady at 346-4204.)

(04-19-01) [[In-content Ad]]