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Auxiliary Bishop Robert Chrz\u0105szcz (center) of Krakow, Poland, and Bishop Robert Brennan stand with children from Polish Supplementary Schools in the New York area who participated in the Polish American Heritage Mass and represented their schools with traditional banners. (Photo: Adriana Rodriguez)<\/p>\n
by Tablet Staff<\/p>\n
PROSPECT HEIGHTS \u2014 Celebrating Mass at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph on Oct. 18 in honor of Polish American Heritage Month, Auxiliary Bishop Robert Chrz\u0105szcz of Krakow, Poland, highlighted the three things that are key to preserving Polish heritage.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay these three things of which St. Paul speaks remain alive in our families: Faith that becomes action, love that is not afraid of sacrifice, and hope that can endure even a long journey across the ocean and through an entire lifetime,\u201d Bishop Chrz\u0105szcz explained in his homily. \u201cThen our heritage will not remain merely a memory. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be alive. And it will have a future.\u201d <\/p>\n
Bishop Robert Brennan and Auxiliary Bishop Witold Mroziewski concelebrated the Mass, which included traditional Polish hymns, and the faithful wore traditional Polish folk attire. The theme was \u201cFaith, Freedom, Heritage,\u201d which, according to Father Grzegorz Stasiak, coordinator for the Polish Apostolate in the Diocese of Brooklyn, is an ode to the 250th anniversary of American independence.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Polish Apostolate in the Diocese of Brooklyn Celebrates Kingdom of Poland\u2019s Birth<\/a><\/p>\n He said it was a good opportunity to celebrate Polish heritage and American identity. \u201cFor Polish Americans, this anniversary is especially meaningful,\u201d Father Stasiak, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish, Brooklyn, told the Tablet. \u201cWe are grateful to the United States for the opportunities and freedoms this country has given us, while remaining proud of our Polish roots and Catholic faith.\u201d <\/p>\n Like Bishop Chrz\u0105szcz, Father Stasiak highlighted the importance of Polish American heritage, especially reminding young people of its value. For that reason, he said the annual Mass is not only a cultural celebration, but an opportunity to come together as one family of faith and remember the \u201cgenerations of Polish immigrants who built our parishes and communities here in America.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cWhen Polish immigrants came to the United States, they brought not only their language and traditions but also their faith,\u201d he said. \u201cThey built churches, established schools, and created communities where future generations could remain connected to their spiritual and cultural roots. <\/p>\n Today, we have a responsibility to continue that legacy.<\/p>\n