For the Polish National Catholic Church, July 4 isn’t just the day Americans celebrate the country’s independence. It’s a day that holds special significance in the history of a church with American roots.
On that day in 1897, the Rev. Franciszek “Francis” Hodur, the church’s founder, blessed and dedicated St. Stanislaus Church in South Scranton. Then, in 1929, he blessed and dedicated Spojnia Farm, now the Bishop Hodur Retreat and Recreation Center, in Waymart.
To commemorate that day’s importance, the church will celebrate a Holy Mass at the Bishop Hodur Retreat and Recreation Center in Wayne County on Saturday. This year’s Mass will be celebrated by the Most Rev. Anthony Mikovsky, prime bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church, at 11 a.m. at the center, followed by a picnic that will feature traditional Polish and picnic foods, games and activities.
Mikovsky said this year’s Mass won’t be too different from previous years, with hymns and prayers having a patriotic theme, but with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence this year, he did invite local veterans groups to participate. With July 4 falling on a Saturday and the 250th anniversary, he expects more people will attend this year’s Mass.
“It is a special Mass written for Independence Day, very much focused on the prayers, very much focused on praying for our country,” Mikovsky said. “We really pray for the people of the country to embrace the freedom that they have, cherish it, but then also embrace the responsibility that goes with it.”
The Mass has been celebrated every year since 1929, even livestreamed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is done at the same time as Camp KURS, a summer camp for children ages 7 to 17 from around the country run by the Young Men’s Society of the Resurrection. The camp, which began as a way to train young men being drafted to serve during World War I in 1914, starts Saturday and runs through July 11.
This year’s camp will be themed around citizenship, which society President Nick Kazinetz said is important in the life of the church, and the country’s semiquincentennial.
“Bishop Hodur was a big believer in democracy,” he said. “Our people have a big say in who our bishops are and they have a right to the property, which is kind of unique. Bishop Hodur and the people, the Polish National Catholic Church have a very unique tie to not only our Polish heritage, but also moving forward with our American heritage.”
Rev. Francis Hodur, the first prime bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church, presides over the first Holy Mass at Spojnia Farm in Waymart in 1929. (Christine Lee/Staff Photo, Courtesy of Polish National Catholic Church)
The Most Rev. Anthony Mikovsky, Prime Bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church, shows archived newspaper articles about the church. (Christine Lee/Staff Photo)
The committee that formed St. Stanislaus Church in Scranton asked the the Rev. Franciszek “Francis” Hodur to serve as pastor in 1897.
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Rev. Francis Hodur, the first prime bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church, presides over the first Holy Mass at Spojnia Farm in Waymart in 1929. (Christine Lee/Staff Photo, Courtesy of Polish National Catholic Church)
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A church founded on freedom
St. Stanislaus Church, now St. Stanislaus Cathedral, was blessed four months after the church was founded in March 1897 by a group of Scranton faithful who split from the Roman Catholic Church over the lack of Polish clergy locally and Polish participation in the local parish, Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in South Scranton. Mikovsky said the parish had tried for months after its construction to have the Rev. Michael Hoban, bishop of Scranton, come to bless the church, but he refused unless the parish turned over its property deed to him, which it refused to do.
July 4 was chosen as the dedication date of the new church, located on East Locust Street in South Scranton, to highlight religious independence.
“It was very much chosen on the purpose of understanding, again, embracing the freedom that should be part of religious life,” Mikovsky said.
The farm was initially used as a summer retreat and camp facility for the young and included a place for the elderly, Spojnia Manor, which closed in 2012. The Bishop Hodur Retreat and Recreation Center was built in 1990, Mikovsky said.
The older people at Spojnia Manor helped tend to the farm and to one another, but state regulations on assisted-living facilities meant they had to discontinue the manor.
Embracing responsibility
Mikovsky said for the church, freedom is about responsibility, meaning people having a say in their religious life and caring for others, both of which drove the dedication of the church and the Waymart property and are at the foundation of the church. The inclusion of “national” in the church’s name reflects the people who make up the church and have a role in its governance.
“It’s both the freedom as well as the responsibility,” he said. “It’s about embracing the freedoms that the church has always believed should be in the church.”
July 4 is a way to celebrate the idea of embracing the responsibilities of freedom, which means getting involved in one’s community, Mikovsky said.
“The reason July 4th was picked in both of these (dedications) is still very much something to be embraced today … the two ideals of embracing your freedom and therefore embracing your responsibility.”