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!
We are pleased to share our faith and rich traditions with the whole community.
Celebrating 100 years of faith and service (1913-2013)

PROBOSZCZ/PASTOR:  Father Paul Murphy 564-4355

MSZY/MASSES: Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. followed by Novena to Our Lady of Częstochowa. Praying of the Rosary begins prior to Mass at approximately 3:35 p.m.

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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Piąta Niedziela Zwykła / Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time

TODAY’S MASS INTENTION is for Antoni Nowak offered by Jancia and Bernie LaRusic. Eternal rest grant onto him O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. Wieczny odpoczynek racz Mu dać Panie, a swiatłość wiekuista niechaj Mu świeci na wieki wieków. Amen

The Vigil Candle this week is for Pope Francis’s February prayer intention: “That the Church and society may respect the wisdom and experience of older people.”

Eucharistic Minister for today: Kay Violande

Ushers for collection today: Bernie LaRusic, Michael Melski

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NASTĘPNY TYDZIEŃ / THE WEEK AHEAD

Wednesday, February 12, 4:00 p.m. Mass followed by Novena to Our Lady of Częstochowa. Praying of the Rosary prior to Mass beginning at approximately 3:35 p.m. The Mass intention is for Ron Melski offered by Liz Melski.

Sunday, February 16, 9:30 a.m. The Mass intention will be for John LaRusic offered by Jancia and Bernie LaRusic.
Lectors: Elaine Tynski-Shipley, Anne Marie Campbell
Eucharistic Minister: Suzanne Campbell       
Altar Servers: Brianna, Nicholas                                        
Ushers: Robert Melski Sr., Toni LaRusic
Greeters: Mary (Micka) DiPenta, Teresa Fagan
Altar Society volunteers for February:  Peggy Ryba, Ursula Melski, Lynette Ryba                   

Collection receipts for Sunday, February 2:  $1731.05 (broken down as follows: $545.00 weekly contribution, $324.00 monthly supplementary contribution, $22.00 candles, $15.00 loose, $690.00 fuel, $90.00 building fund, $39.00 Polish micro-market. Thank you very much for your generous support of St. Mary’s Polish Parish. Dziękujemy serdecznie!

MASS CARDS/VIGIL CANDLE: Contact Tom Urbaniak (563-1226)

IN MEMORIAM DONATION: To make an In Memoriam donation, please pick up one of the IMO cards/St. Mary’s Polish Church envelopes at the back or speak with Shauna McKay. These will be acknowledged in the bulletin. We also welcome donations to the Building Fund, as we continue with improvements and repairs.

“IMIENINY” (NAME DAYS) FOR THE COMING WEEK. Help to maintain a longstanding Polish Catholic tradition by acknowledging relatives, friends, and colleagues who are celebrating their “name day,” corresponding with the feast day of a saint of the same name.  Where there is more than one saint of the same name who has been assigned a day, your “name day” is the one closest to your birthday. It is customary in the Polish tradition to acknowledge the name day of a relative or friend:
February 9: Bernard, Eryk, Eryka
February 10: Gabriel, Jacek, Elwira   
February 11: Lucjan, Maria, Olgierd, Świętomira
February 12: Julian, Laurenty, Nora
February 13: Grzegorz, Jordan, Katarzyna, Toligniew
February 14: Dobiesława, Józef, Konrad, Krystyna, Lilian, Liliana, Mikołaj, Niemir, Niemira, Zenon, Cyryl
February 15: Georgina, Jordan, Jowita, Józef, Klaudiusz
February 16: Bernard, Dan, Danuta, Julianna

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OGŁOSZENIA / ANNOUNCEMENTS

PLEASE NOTE THAT IF SCHOOL IS CANCELLED ON WEDNESDAYS DUE TO WEATHER OUR WEDNESDAY MASS WILL ALSO BE CANCELLED. THIS APPLIES TO WEDNESDAYS ONLY.

SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING AFTER MASS TODAY FOR ALL PARISHIONERS: We would be grateful if everyone could remain after Mass here in the church for a short special general meeting of parishioners. The Rada would like to provide an update on recent dialogue with the diocese and seek parishioners’ guidance on forthcoming issues requiring resolution.

The family of BLANCHE “BRONIA” MARKOTICH, who passed away on Wednesday, is in the prayers of all of us. Visitation will be held today from 2-4 and 7-9 pm at T.W. Curry Parkview Chapel. Funeral Mass will be celebrated here at St. Mary’s Polish Church on Monday at 11 a.m.

THANK YOU to everyone who made a non-perishable food bank contribution last Sunday during our parish lunch. These have been delivered to Loaves and Fishes.
Recent IMOs (“in memory of”) contributions to the Building Fund:
IMO M. Chomiuk from Anna Wesolkowska
IMO Catherine Curtis from Joan Mosher

MEETING WITH Hon. ZACH CHURCHILL: Thank you to those who helped with this in response to the note in last week’s bulletin. The provincial government (as part of caucus meetings in Sydney) had requested a meeting on Wednesday with representatives of the Polish community. Minister Zach Churchill and his assistant attended. There were specific points from the meeting that he will take to the Premier and Minister of Communities, Culture and Heritage, and report back to us: support for heritage language learning, a role for the Polish community in helping shape provincial tourism and immigration strategies; a proposed policy for provincial departments to give first consideration to community halls when renting space; and a change to the Heritage Property Act so that landmarks like ours that are protected for reasons of culture or language could use heritage grants to support cultural and language preservation programs on site.

ST. PHILIP’S AFRICAN ORTHODOX CHURCH – AFRICAN HERITAGE MONTH: An invitation from Lady Isabel Waterman, President, St. Philip’s Altar Guild: You are cordially invited to come and share in our annual African Heritage Month celebration program at St. Philip’s Orthodox Church, Sunday, February 16th at 3:00 p.m. There will be songs, music, storytelling, poetry, some history of the church, etc. Musical entertainment will be provided by Eddie Parris and the Inspirational Singers, and the singing group called “Just Friends”. Refreshments and fellowship will follow in the lower church hall.

YOU’RE INVITED: The 2nd Annual "DonRonJoe" Family Skate, in honour of Don, Ron and Joe Melski, will take place on Saturday, Feb.15 at the Pier Rink from 5 to 6 p.m. Admission is free but donations will be accepted, and please bring a food bank contribution if you can. All money raised will go to the St. Michael’s Polish Benefit Society for the Polish Village Hall. This initiative started last year as one of the Melski family’s contributions toward our parish’s Sto Darów community service initiatives. It has now become an annual event!

LEARNING BASIC POLISH IN A FUN, RECREATIONAL SETTING: There appears to be some interest in Polish-language learning for both adults and youth. But we heard that rather than rote instruction, a lot of grammar, etc., people would like fun, recreational activities as a way to learn (or keep up) basic Polish – an outing, setting a table, role playing, cooking, crafts, etc. – as well as learning some of our Polish prayers and songs. Would this interest you? And if so, what format or kinds of activities? Please let any member of the Rada know. We will work to put some activities together for the spring.

WORLD DAY OF THE SICK – FEBRUARY 11: This day was instituted by Blessed Pope John Paul II on the day of the Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes. Let us all pause in prayer for everyone enduring any illness or infirmity. May we find the time to help everyone in need and ensure that everyone is cared for with the greatest dignity.

Marian Pilgrimage: 11 May to 25 May 2014: Fatima Italy Dubrovnik and Medjugore: $4,500.00 all inclusive. For information, please contact Tom Lamey: 830-5010 or tlamey@gmail.com

The 4th Annual “Weekend of Grace for Men” Retreat will take place from April 25-27th 2014 at Bayside Camp in Sambro Head, Nova Scotia. Guest speaker will be Father Robert Arsenault, with the Companions of the Cross. Early bird registration cost is $155.00, until February 24. Regular admission is $175.00. Registration fee includes two nights accommodation and five delicious meals. Come and join us for an enjoyable weekend of prayer, great teaching, music and fellowship. For further information or a registration form, please visit  www.weekendofgrace.com

SWIĘTY WALENTY: THE PLACE OF ST. VALENTINE IN THE CHURCH AND IN THE POLISH TRADITION: Very little is known about St. Valentine, and there may be more than one saint of the same name. The “Martyr Valentinus who died on the 14th of February on the Via Flaminia close to the Milvian bridge in Rome" still remains on the official list of saints for local veneration. When the General Calendar for universal liturgical veneration was revised in 1969, St. Valentine’s name no longer appeared. In Poland, St. Valentine, who is remembered as a third century bishop, is the patron saint of the Archdiocese of Prezemysl. In the Polish tradition, although St. Valentine is remembered for having blessed marriages that were prohibited by the Emperor, his patronage has been associated less with couples, marriages, and love, and more with people suffering from serious illness or restrictive conditions, particularly psychological illnesses and epilepsy.

A NOTE OF GRATITUDE TO ROMAN CATHOLICS OF POLISH HERITAGE FROM THE HEAD OF THE UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH: The head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church (also known as the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church), which is in Communion with Rome and recognizes papal authority, is His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halych.  (The Ukrainian Catholic Church includes our neighbours at Holy Ghost in the Pier.) Archbishop Sviatoslav recently wrote a letter thanking Roman Catholics of Polish heritage for their prayers during this time of crisis in Ukraine. As he stated, “W obecnej niezwykle dramatycznej sytuacji w jakiej znajduje się Ukraina, słowa solidarności i pamięci modlitewnej są dla nas ogromnym błogosławieństwem Bożym.” [“In the current dramatic situation in which Ukraine finds itself, your words of solidarity and your prayers are for us a great blessing from God.”]

THE RENOVATED AND REFURBISHED POLISH VILLAGE HALL is a comfortable, well appointed, modernized venue for events large and small. Please consider renting the hall for your events. Please call 564-8494.

PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR ON-LINE “VIRTUAL TOUR” AND AN 8.5 MINUTE PARISH WELCOME VIDEO ON OUR WEBSITE:  www.stmaryspolishparish.ca

Wishing you a blessed week! Bóg zapłać!

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PRAYER FOR THE OPENING OF OUR SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING (RIGHT AFTER MASS TODAY, HERE IN THE CHURCH):
We will pray Hail Mary in Polish. The text is on page 7 of our book Przez Pokolenia: Prayers and Customs of St. Mary’s Polish Church (found in the pocket of your pew). The following is a guide to pronunciation:
Zdro-vash / Mar-ee-o / Wask-ee-sh / pe-w-na / Pan /z / toe-bow
Bw-o-go-swa-vio-na-sh / t-i /me-en-dz-i / nee-e-vee-asta-me / ee / bwogos-swav-yona / ov-ots
z-i-vo-ta / Tvo-yego / Yez-oos
Shvien-ta / Mar-yo /Mat-ko / Bo-dg-a / M-oo-d-l / sh-e-w / za /nam-ee / g-dg-esh-ni-mee /
Ter-az / ee / vv / go-gee-ni / sh-mier-chee / nash-eh. Amen.

OUR OPENING HYMN TODAY (which refers to arriving at God’s chapel):
1.Do Twej dążym kaplicy/ Co z brzegu czeka nas/Wśród wichru, nawałnicy/W pochmurny, słotny czas/Byśmy tam wciąż dążyli /I nigdy nie zbłądzili: 
Ref.: Maryjo, Maryjo, o Maryjo świeć! 
2. Jak cudnie w zmierzchu cieni/ Twój obraz sercu lśni! /Wód kryształ się rumieni/Na nim Twój promień drży/O Jutrznio powstająca/O Gwiazdo z chmur świecąca … Ref.

OUR CLOSING HYMN TODAY -- Królowo Ziem Polskich (Queen of the Polish Lands)

Królowo ziem polskich, morza pól i gór! Do stóp Twych padamy, przyjm błagalny chór. Zdrowaś, zdrowaś, zdrowaś, zdrowaś, Częstochowska Panno Maryjo! Niech z wiarą, nadzieją, dla miłości Twej, Do Ciebie lgną wierni, jak do Matki swej. Zdrowaś, zdrowaś, zdrowaś, zdrowaś, Częstochowska Panno Maryjo!	Queen of the Polish lands, the sea, fields and mountains! Before thy feet we kneel; accept our appeal, our chorus. Hail, Hail, Hail, Hail, O Virgin Mary of Czestochowa! With faith and hope in your love, May the faithful hasten to you, as to their Mother. Hail, Hail, Hail, Hail, O Virgin Mary of Czestochowa!

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TODAY’S HYMNS:
Entrance: Do Twej dążym kaplicy [I Will Hasten to Your Chapel] – not in hymnal; please see bulletin insert
Offertory: #147
Communion: Daj Mi Jezusa [Grant Me Jesus] -- #106
Post-Communion: O mój Boże kocham Cię [I Love Thee, My God] – not in hymnal
Closing Hymn: Królowo Ziem Polskich [Queen of the Polish Lands] – not in hymnal; please see bulletin insert.