Parafia p.w. Narodzenia Najświętszej Maryi Panny
ST. MARY’S POLISH PARISH
21 Wesley St., Sydney, NS, B1N 2M5
Tel.: (902) 564-4847
www.stmaryspolishparish.ca
Witamy wszystkich! Welcome to all!
St. Mary’s Polish Church is a heritage landmark designated by the Province of Nova Scotia
We are pleased to share our faith and rich traditions with the whole community.
Established in 1913. Church rebuilt in 2015-2016. Our second century of faith and service

PROBOSZCZ/PASTOR:  Father Dennis Lamey 902-564-4222; sttheresasydney@gmail.com

MSZY/MASSES: PLEASE NOTE: OUR CHURCH BUILDING IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED. MASSES AND IN-PERSON GATHERINGS AND ACTIVITIES ARE SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. PLEASE PRAY FOR BETTER TIMES.
Please see bulletin for information about televised Masses and opportunities to gather for prayer by telephone or computer

SPOWIEDŹ:  Godzina do uzgodnienia z księdzem.
SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION: Anytime upon request to the priest.

SAKRAMENT CHRZTU ŚWIĘTEGO:  Prosimy o kontakt z księdzem conajmniej na 1 miesiąc przed planowaną datę.
SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM: Please contact the priest at least one month in advance.

SAKRAMENT MAŁZEŃSTWA:   Zapowiedzi powinny być ogłoszone conajmniej na 6 miesięcy przed planowaną datę.
SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY: Intentions must be announced at least six months in advance.

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XII Niedziela Zwykła / Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time

CZYTANIA / READINGS:
Pierwsze czytanie: Jr 20,10–13
Psalm: 69
Drugie czytanie: Rz 5, 12–15
Ewangelia: Mt 10,26–33

First Reading: Jer. 20:10-13
Psalm: 69
Second Reading: Rom. 5:12-15
Gospel: Matthew 10: 26-33

RESPONSORIAL PSALM: W Twojej dobroci wysłuchaj mnie, Panie / Lord, in your great love, answer me

Local ecumenical service in English and Polish : Today, Sunday, June 21 on The Coast Radio FM 89.7 at 12 noon or you can watch it any time on our parish Facebook page. We did Psalm 86 in Polish as well as the hymn “Przyjdź, Duchu Święty”. The hymn asks for the Holy Spirit to bring us joy, strength, wisdom, and healing.

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OGŁOSZENIA / ANNOUNCEMENTS

Szczęśliwego Dnia Ojca! Happy Father's Day!

SUNDAY MASS WITH FR. DENNIS ON LINE: Mass may be viewed by going to: http://www.sainttheresasydney.com/

CONGRATULATIONS to Noah Starzomski-Wilson, who is graduating from Riverview High School and will be attending CBU in the fall. All the very best, Noah. Congratulations on everything you have accomplished. And thank you for the volunteer work you do to help others.

“STO LAT” to Nicole MacCormack on her birthday! Wishing you lots of health and happiness!

A NOTE OF THANKS: Larry Gniewek would like to pass along his thanks to everyone who sent him wishes recently for his birthday!

ONLINE MEETING / CONFERENCE CALL TO PREPARE FOR NOVA SCOTIA POLISH HERITAGE MONTH. Sunday, June 28, at 7:00pm Atlantic time. Please come with your ideas, including ideas for small projects. We will likely still be restricted by crowd size, but we want to make this September – the first N.S. Polish Heritage Month – very special! On October 3, 2019, the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, on our collective recommendation, voted unanimously to declare every September as Nova Scotia Polish Heritage Month. You can join this meeting by computer or simply call in from telephone. It’s very easy to connect.
JOIN BY COMPUTER – Please use this link:
https://zoom.us/j/95713018876
Meeting ID: 957 1301 8876
OR JOIN BY TELEPHONE: Please simply dial one of the following:
        +1 647 374 4685 Canada
        +1 647 558 0588 Canada
Meeting ID: 957 1301 8876

HELPING OUT WITH FREE FOOD HAMPER PROGRAM / DELIVERIES: The St. Michael’s Polish Benefit Society is working with the United Way and New Dawn / Good Food Bus to deliver free food hampers (safe, no-contact delivery). The Society is looking after mainly the Pier (other partner organizations have other areas). If you know someone who may benefit from a weekly hamper with some groceries, please call 902-563-1226 or e-mail tom_urbaniak@cbu.ca. Donations toward the program are also being gratefully received (via United Way of Cape Breton).  Please let us know if you might be able to help out.  PLEASE NOTE: This temporary pandemic-relief food program will be coming to an end on June 26, but we will be transitioning into other ways to help people in our community with food security. We will again be hosting The Good Food Bus – with very affordable fruits and vegetables. Our Food Cupboard will also continue and we will make extra efforts to keep it stocked. In collaboration with Pathways to Employment (charity that provides employment and training opportunities to people in our community who are living with mental illness),  we are doing our FOOD GARDEN again this year, and the vegetables will help in a small way with some of the local needs.

FOOD CUPBOARD: Please check out the new Food Cupboard, attached to the front of the Polish Village Hall. Thanks so much to everyone who has been helping to stock it! The sign on the Food Cupboard says “Take what you need, leave what you don’t, give what you can. Thank you!”

CAN YOU SPARE SOME TIME WEEKLY OR OCCASIONALLY TO HELP WITH MOWING / GARBAGE CLEAN-UP FOR THE CHURCH GROUNDS? Please contact Property Chair John Morykot at 902-756-2722 (Whycocomagh exchange) or 902-564-9652 (Sydney) or e-mail jmorykot@eastlink.ca. Thanks so much for your help!

WEEKDAY RADIO SPOTS ABOUT POLISH CULTURE AND LANGUAGE IN CAPE BRETON: The Coast Radio: Every weekday at 3:50pm and 7:50pm (FM 89.7). It’s called the “One Minute Polish Broadcast”. Learn a new Polish word, phrase, or cultural tradition. Presented by the St. Michael’s Polish Benefit Society. Would you consider sponsoring a whole week for $100? The Coast has kindly agreed to allow us to do this as a fund-raiser (they are not charging for air time). This will be a huge help to bridge the Society through the pandemic (the radio spots will continue afterwards as well), since hall revenues have dried up. Sponsors will be acknowledged on air (IMOs are welcome, birthday tributes, etc). Thanks so much! Dziekujemy!  And, we’re recruiting volunteers to go on air (pre-recorded). We’ll help you get ready. No previous experience required, and you do not have to be a Polish speaker. This will be a great way for us to bring forward members of our community, as well as promote and share Polish language and culture in our region.Our radio theme this coming week will be the accordion. Thank you to Joe Ryba for doing this segment! And thank you to Catherine and Herb Tucker for sponsoring this week.Thank you to our radio sponsors so far, who have each sponsored a week (all proceeds are helping the St. Michael’s Polish Benefit Society get through the pandemic and the temporary hall shut-down): John Morykot, Steve Melnick, Stephanie Black, Michael and Ursula Melski, Jerry Pocius, Sophie and Roddie O’Toole, Jeni Jackson, Catherine and Herb Tucker, Bernie and Jancia LaRusic, Anne Marie and Jimmie Campbell, Ryba family IMO Walter Ryba, Kathleen MacKenzie, Andy Parnaby, Paul Lenarczyk, Alison Etter, Tom Urbaniak

OPPORTUNITY TO GATHER FOR PRAYER IN “REAL TIME” DURING THE WEEK BY TELEPHONE OR COMPUTER: Rev. Alison Etter (who is closely connected to our parish through marriage to Tom Urbaniak) extends a warm welcome to parishioners and friends of St. Mary’s to be part of prayer intentions/conversations in real-time by linking in by telephone or computer at any of the following times on Sunday:
10:00 am – for 30 minutes followed by virtual tea time
11:00 am - children's activities
11:30 am – for 30 minutes followed by virtual tea time
By phone call 1 647 374 4685. Enter the meeting ID: 941 052 1825
Or by computer by going to this link: https://zoom.us/j/9410521825
If an additional password is requested for telephone or computer, it is 227259#.

Fifteen-minute weekday prayer (opportunity to offer intentions) will take a break this week and resume next week.

“PEOPLE’S SCHOOL” ON CBC RADIO ONE: Theme – Community Resilience and Leadership: the COVID-19 edition.This past Friday, we had Episode 25 – the final episode before the summer. You can find back episodes here: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-36-mainstreet-cape-breton . Or go to the Facebook page of CBC Cape Breton. Look for links that say “People’s School". This is an initiative of the Tompkins Institute (named after Fr. Jimmy Tompkins) – CBU.

DONATIONS TO OUR PARISH DURING THE TEMPORARY SHUTDOWN: Thanks very kindly for any help you can provide toward our ongoing expenses. As we have not had weekly collections, we are very grateful for any support toward covering the expenses of our parish. Donations can be made securely on-line at Canada Helps (which will email you an instant tax receipt):   https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/st-marys-polish-parish/. (link to this site is provided on our parish website homepage). Or by regular mail to St. Mary’s Polish Parish, 21 Wesley St., Sydney, N.S. B1N 2M5. Thanks for your support! It’s really appreciated. Bog zaplac!
PLEASE NOTE: Next deposit will be at the beginning of July. Many thanks!

FINANCIAL UPDATE: Any fellow parishioner who would like to periodically receive detailed financial updates during the pandemic, or for any questions about finances, please don’t hesitate to be in touch (902-563-1226). The Finance Committee had a conference call on Saturday to review figures and accounts. Overall, thanks to you, our parish has remained in a viable and healthy condition through this unprecedented time and is up to date on all bill payments.  We have applied for the federal wage subsidy (to help cover our share of pastor’s and part-time bookkeeper’s remuneration during the pandemic).

W uchodźcach i wysiedlonych jest obecny Jezus. Jesteśmy wezwani, aby w ich twarzach rozpoznać jego oblicze, które nas zapytuje (Mt 25, 31-46). I to my będziemy tymi, którzy podziękują mu za to, że mogli go kochać i jemu służyć.- Papież Franciszek, 20 czerwca (Światowy Dzień Uchodźcy)
“Jesus is present, as He was at the time of Herod, in each person forced to flee to safety. In their faces we are called to see Christ’s face who pleads with us to help. In the end, we will be the ones to thank Him for being able to love and serve.” – Pope Francis, June 20, 2020 (World Day of Refugees)

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE ST. MICHAEL’S POLISH BENEFIT SOCIETY will be held by Zoom and teleconference (whichever is easier for you) right after the planning meeting for Polish Heritage Month (Sunday, June 28, 7:00pm)

MEMBERSHIP IN THE ST. MICHAEL’S POLISH BENEFIT SOCIETY – RENEWALS AND NEW MEMBERS -- A WARM WELCOME: Membership is open to any person of any background with an interest in Polish heritage and culture and who supports the mission and objectives of the Society. It’s the oldest Polish organization of its kind in Canada (founded in 1909!). The membership fee is $30 a year. Monthly meetings are only obligatory for members who have been elected to the board (though other members are always welcome to attend), but all members receive periodic updates, can vote at the Annual General Meeting, and are welcome to participate on projects and working groups as their time permits. You do not have to live in the area to be a member – it’s a way of maintaining a connection and continuing support. For current, members this is also the time of year to renew. Many thanks!

The Society has been very active in the past year, not only running the Polish Village Hall and developing future renovation plans (funding applications are under consideration), but doing cultural and language workshops in the past year (eg. Polish Hospitality for Beginners, Polish Gardening for Beginners, and, in collaboration with Pogoria Polish Folk Ensemble, Polish Acting for Beginners), partnering on the Polish Cape Breton Pop-Up Museum and the Community Breakfast at the Polish Village Hall with the Honourable Mayann Francis, hosting the Good Food Bus during the winter, covering Whitney Pier for the Food Hamper Program, Food Cupboard, radio spots on Polish Cape Breton culture and language, hosting sister-city planning meetings, hosting student workshops on park design and community development walks, organizing a Christmas Market (some of which supports the parish). Thanks to everyone who has helped out in any way with these and other projects. In the past year, the Society also marked its 110th anniversary with a beautiful event!

Please call (902-563-1226) to register as a member or go to this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Y4JovpcdoeXhIalMbHp-l9akxQPWBqgYEXKhWPNRN2o/viewform?ts=5ebde2c8&edit_requested=true

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Above: This is the St. Michael’s Polish Benefit Society’s sign on Victoria Road.

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Update on Covid-19 Protocols 

From Bishop Wayne Kirkpatrick:

Dear Friends in Christ, 

On Thursday, June 18 we received word from Dr. Robert Strang, the Chief Medical Officer of Health for Nova Scotia that effective immediately there are changes to gathering limits in the province due to the lower rates of COVID -19.  The number increases from 10 to 50 people that can gather while maintaining 6 feet of physical distance; this includes those who gather for religious/faith services.

This is good news for all places of worship. We need time now to plan and prepare for safe re-opening. As Bishop, I am prepared to allow that, in a few week's time, our churches may re-open for public worship with no more than 50 people PROVIDED we can follow our forthcoming diocesan protocols which will require cleaning and disinfecting, as well as ensuring the required physical distancing at all times. If we are successful in taking these small steps forward, we anticipate approval for larger gatherings in the near future.

Not all of our parishes will be prepared to re-open so soon and that is fine.  We need to be confident that we have enough volunteers, cleaning supplies, and instructional information in place to ensure the safety of all, including our clergy.
Those who may not be able to attend church for health reasons or due to capacity restrictions are dispensed from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass.  I encourage our parishes to continue to livestream, video or provide radio coverage of Masses.

Yours in Christ,
 
Bishop Wayne Kirkpatrick

 

Życzymy błogosławionego tygodnia / Wishing you a blessed week!