Although St. Adalbert Roman Catholic Church began 125 years ago and began under the leadership of two pastors from the Diocese of Brooklyn, our friars began serving there just 5 years later. In 1896, the Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, Bishop Charles McDonnell (1892-1921), entrusted the young Polish Parish to our Order of Franciscan Friars Conventual. Over these past 120 years, the parish has remained in the hands of our friars, served by 20 Franciscan Pastors. The current Pastor, Fr. Miroslaw Podymniak, OFM Conv. was installed as St. Adalbert’s 22nd Pastor, March 1, 2015.
St. Adalbert’s Parish is the oldest Polish parish in Queens, New York. Its history dates back to December of 1891, when Father Jozef Fyda, at the suggestion of Bishop John Loughlin – the Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn – made preparations for the creation of a new parish. On March 1, 1892, the Society of St. Adalbert was formed with Father Fyda as its chaplain. The Society counted fifty members. A decision was made to form a new Polish parish called “St. Adalbert’s – Bishop and Martyr.” A seminal meeting was held in St. Mary’s Parish in Winfield (today’s Woodside, Queens), NY. Father Fyda handled all of the formalities associated with the creation of this new parish and would become the parish’s first Pastor when it was formally created in March of 1892. With the assistance and generosity of the parishioners, Father Fyda raised the necessary funds to purchase the land on which the church would be built from Mrs. Julianne Berheimer in Newtown, NY (today’s Elmhurst, Queens). After eight months of construction, a small wooden church and rectory were erected. On November 13, 1892, the new Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, Bishop Charles McDonnell, blessed the new church. Initially the parish counted only thirty-five Polish families. That figure rose drastically as more Poles learned about a new church in the neighborhood that offered them the opportunity to pray in their native tongue. They came from near and afar: from Maspeth, Flushing, Bayside, Blissville, Winfield, Jamaica, Floral Park, Hempstead, Mineola, and other neighborhoods. As church membership grew, there was a need to create a parochial school where children could be educated in their Catholic faith and Polish culture. An elementary school was created on November 18, 1892. Initially the school offered a four grade level program. It was not until 1914, that an eight grade level program was offered. At first, classes were held in the church’s basement. Mr. Trynicki was the first educator to teach at the school. As the student body increased, Mr. Trynicki found himself overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work. In 1896, the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth joined the parish and undertook teaching at the school which they continue to do to this very day. In 1921, an official school building was constructed. In 1925, a new rectory was also built. In 1896, Father Fyda resigned as Pastor. He was succeeded by Father Boleslaw Puchalski. Later that same year, Bishop McDonnell entrusted the parish to the Order of Franciscan Friars Minor Conventual, commonly known as the Conventual Franciscans. Father Feliks Baran (OFM Conv.) became the parish’s first Franciscan Pastor. He served in that role from 1896-1906. In 1947, under the auspices of Father Jerzy Roskwitalski (Pastor of St. Adalbert’s from 1937-1957), a decision was made to construct a masonry church. The chief architect was Anthony DePace. On July 3, 1949, Bishop Thomas Molloy of the Diocese of Brooklyn, blessed the new church. “Built on a hill, the church towers over the surrounding area. The beige and light-brown bricks and sandstone give its grandiose gothic style a sense of lightness. It is wonderfully lit during the night. It stands in place of the old wooden church … It was the first church to be constructed in the Diocese of Brooklyn after World War II.” The current Pastor, Father Miroslaw Podymniak, was installed as St. Adalbert’s twenty-second Pastor on March 1, 2015. On April 24, 2016, Bishop Witold Mroziewski, the auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, celebrated the beginning of the Jubilee Year of St. Adalbert’s 125th Anniversary. St. Adalbert’s Parish in Elmhurst is the oldest Polish parish in Queens and the fourth oldest Polish parish in New York. The older Polish parishes include: St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr Church in Manhattan (1872); St. Casimir Parish in Brooklyn (1874) (merged with Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish); St. Valentine Parish in the Bronx (1890). “Every day constitutes a new page in St. Adalbert’s more than one-hundred year history. It is written by its parishioners and its Franciscan friars, with their black robes girded by a white rope.”
By: Father Stanislaw Czerwonka OFMConv Citations: D. Piatkowska, Polish Churches in New York, “St. Adalbert’s Parish and Church” Chapter, pgs. 429-48.
Fr. Miroslaw Podymniak, OFM Conv. – Pastor and Polish Friar of the Prowincja Matki Bożej Niepokalanej {Province of the Immaculate Mother of God} in Warszawa, Poland, serving with Our Lady of the Angels Province friars, Fr. Raphael Zwolenkiewicz, OFM Conv. – Friary Guardian and Parochial Vicar, Fr. Herman Czaster, OFM Conv. – In Residence, Fr. Patrick Gallagher, OFM Conv. – In Residence, and Fr. Stanislaw Czerwonka, OFM Conv. – Pariochial Vicar & Polish Friar from the Prowincji św. Antoniego i bł. Jakuba Strzemię (Province of St. Anthony of Padua & B. James of Strepa). Photo taken at the 2014 Our Lady of the Angels Province Chapter
Friar Antony at left with some of the friars of our Blessed Agnellus of Pisa Custody
Through the years, our own friars who have served in the Missions, as well as friars from around the world have traveled throughout the East Coast of North America, preaching and celebrating Mass with thousands of varied parish communities on behalf of our Franciscan Mission Association (FMA). Vital donation assistance made to our FMA has afforded a multitude of Franciscan Friars from around the world, a continuation of their missionary zeal; serving in circumstances unimaginable to most of us. This year, we have six friars from five countries (USA, Poland, Ghana, India and Japan) preaching our Summer Mission Appeal.
Fr. Antony during a 2012 Province Lay Staff and Friar, Co-Worker Pilgrimage to Assisi and Rome
One of the 2016 FMA preachers is Fr. Antony Nallukunnel, OFM Conv, who since 2007 has been serving the Faithful alongside the friars of our Custody of Blessed Agnellus of Pisa. St. Francis sent Blessed Agnellus to the people of England in 1224. Our friars came to be known simply as the “Greyfriars.” The friars of the Custody, members of our province, serve in England, Ireland, Scotland and Italy, under the leadership of our Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. It has been a very exciting few years for our friars in Great Britain and Ireland, as many new vocations are strengthening the Order and our presence is returning where it once was lost. After a 500 year absence caused by the danger of the English Reformation, our friars are again living in and serving the people of Oxford (2014).
Friar Antony most recently served in pastoral ministry at The Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in Fairview, Dublin, Ireland. He began his life as a Conventual Franciscan Friar at his home Province of St. Maximilian Kolbe (India) and was first assigned as the Director of the Franciscan Centre for Peace & Dialogue, in 1996. He was Ordained to the Priesthood on December 31, 1998 and his years in India included work as a Vice Rector, Novice Master and the Rector & Guardian of the Post Novitiate, Kolbe Ashram, Major Seminary, Alwaye, Kerala, India. While in the USA, Friar Antony will preach at 12 churches in 8 Diocese, in 2 months. Please keep the travels and mission of Friar Antony, and all of our friars preaching on behalf of the Franciscan Mission Association this year, in your prayers, as they travel up and down the Eastern Seaboard.
Financially support the Franciscan Mission Association’s Appeal by clicking on the following link. Be sure to type in “Franciscan Mission Association” in the box that asks if you want your donation to go in honor of someone or to support a specific ministry.
If you have any questions about the FMA, please feel free to call the Our Lady of the Angels Province Director of Mission Advancement, Mr. Joseph Hamilton, at 410-531-9200. He is also the Director of our evangelization and development offices of The Companions of St. Anthony. You can also read about last year’s campaign in the October 2015 Online Newsletter.
Donations may be made over the phone by calling 410-531-9200, as well.
If you would prefer to mail in a donation, please make the check payable to: Franciscan Mission Association 12290 Folly Quarter Road Ellicott City, Maryland 21042-1419
Your 2016 generosity helps our Franciscan missions around the world Ghana ~ caring for those afflicted with leprosy and other debilitating diseases. Philippines ~ serving in prisons and parishes, many in remote locations. India ~ built HIV/AIDS clinic & work with the hospital to care indigent patients. Peru, Zambia, Paraguay, Romania, and Sri Lanka ~ building houses of study where new vocations are renewing the face of the Church.
The last New York stop on the 2016Pilgrimage of the Relic of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv tour is our pastoral ministry of the Roman Catholic Community of Most Holy Trinity – St.Mary, in Brooklyn. Join Our Lady of the Angels Province friars, Fr. Justin Biase, OFM Conv. (Guardian of the Most Holy Trinity Friary and Parochial Vicar at Most Holy Trinity – St. Mary), Fr. Russell Governale, OFM Conv. (Vocation Director @ 718-510-5822 or vocations@olaprovince.org), Fr. Pedro de Oliveira, OFM Conv. (pastor of Most Holy Trinity – St. Mary), Br. Nicholas Spano, OFM Conv. (Director of the San Damiano Mission), and Fr. Mieczyslaw Wilk, OFM Conv. (a friar from Krakow who serves as Parochial Vicar at Most Holy Trinity – St. Mary) for a weekend filled with events honoring the Martyr of Charity‘s life.
St. Maximilian Kolbe Relic Tour July 22-24, 2016 Friday, July 22, 2016
7:00 p.m. Arrival & Welcoming and Veneration of the Relic of St. Maximilian Kolbe
followed by a Tri-Lingual Mass (English, Spanish, Polish) Saturday, July 23, 2016
8:30 a.m. Holy Rosary (Tri-Lingual)
9:00 a.m. Tri-Lingual Mass in honor of St. Maximilian Kolbe with veneration of Relic
The celebration continues with light refreshments &
the viewing of the video Life for Life, in School Gymnasium Sunday Masses
8:15 a.m. Polish Mass followed by veneration of Relic of St. Kolbe
9:30 a.m. English Mass followed by veneration of Relic of St. Kolbe
10:45 a.m. Spanish Mass followed by veneration of Relic of St. Kolbe
12:30 p.m. English Mass followed by veneration of Relic of St. Kolbe
(Excerpt from the July 3rd St. Adalbert Roman Catholic Church – Parish Bulletin) THE RELIC OF ST. MAXIMILIAN KOLBE TO BE VENERATED AT ST. ADALBERT PARISH, ELMHURST, NEW YORK JULY 15 – 17, 2016
Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of St. Maximilian Kolbe, O.F.M., the Our Lady of the Angels Province U.S.A. is offering the faithful the opportunity to venerate the first class relic of the saint. On 28 May 1941 St. Maximilian Kolbe was transferred to Auschwitz and branded as prisoner 16670. He was assigned to a special work group staffed by priests and supervised by especially vicious and abusive guards. His calm dedication to the faith brought him the worst jobs available, and more beatings than anyone else. At one point he was beaten, lashed, and left for dead. The prisoners managed to smuggle him into the camp hospital where he spent his recovery time hearing confessions. When he returned to the camp, Maximilian ministered to other prisoners, including conducting Mass and delivering communion using smuggled bread and wine. In July 1941 there was an escape from the camp. Camp protocol, designed to make the prisoners guard each other, required that ten men be slaughtered in retribution for each escaped prisoner. Franciszek Gajowniczek, a married man with young children was chosen to die for the escape. Maximilian volunteered to take his place, and died as he had always wished – in service. Do not forget to ask this great saint, who was willing to give up his own life, to intercede for you or your loved one’s addiction! He will surely hear your prayers and present the to Our Lord!
(Excerpt from the July 10th St. Adalbert Roman Catholic Church – Parish Bulletin)
As St. Adalbert Church continues to celebrate their 125th Anniversary as a Parish, they invite all to venerate the Relic of St. Maximilian after all Masses July 15-17, 2016. They will have the relic on display during those days, in their lower church.
St. Adalbert Roman Catholic Church Mass Schedule:
Friday, July 15th: 6:45 a.m. & 9:00 a.m.
Saturday, July 16th: 9:00 a.m. & 5:00 p.m. Vigil Mass Note: Reconciliation on Saturday from 4-5:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 17th: 8:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m. (in Polish) & 11:30 a.m
Friday, July 8th ~ 6:00 p.m.
Welcoming the holy relics with a brief prayer service in church.
After the prayer service, the video Life for Life, will be shown in the church hall. Saturday, July 9th ~ 4:00 p.m.
Lord’s Day Vigil Mass followed by Veneration of the Relics. Sunday, July 10th ~ 10:00 a.m.
Bi-Lingual (English-Polish) Mass followed by Veneration of the Relics
All are welcome to join Our Lady of the Angels Province friar and pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Fr. Conrad Salach, OFM Conv., the parish staff and the parishioners who are celebrating 111 years as the Mother Church of Polonia in the Greater New Bedford area this year, as they take the weekend to learn more about and to honor St. Maximilian Kolbe, a confrere of our Order.
Pilgrims Venerate with Fr. Conrad Salach, OFM Conv.
The Assembly
The Reliquary of the 1st Degree Relics of St. Maximilian Kolbe (Beard Fragments)
Most often, although our friars live in one friary, their ministries vary. One great example is the “family” of friars who live in the St. Paul Friary, in Kensington, CT. While most of the friars living there primarily serve the people of St. Paul Catholic Church, one of the resident friars serves as the pastor of a parish that is less than 10 miles away.
Fr. Mark Curesky, OFM Conv. is pastor of St. John Catholic Church, in Cromwell, CT, where our friars have been serving in leadership roles since 1995. This pastoral ministry will be the July 4th stop in the Pilgrimage of the Relic of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. that remains in the New England area through mid-July. He and the St. John Parish community welcome all to join them for a special Independence Day Mass at 9:00 a.m., at which veneration of the relics will be available. This is a wonderful way to celebrate freedom and the sacrifices that help protect that gift. The closing of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Fortnight for Freedom is July 4th; the day we in the USA celebrate our cherished liberty, as a nation.
Witness to Freedom: This year, the USCCB showcased women and men of faith who bore or continue to bear witness to freedom in Christ, as part of the Fortnight for Freedom 2016, that runs from June 21 – July 4, 2016. Included in that list is St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. (Follow link to PDF) The photo used by the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, for this publication, is one of our small shrine of St. Maximilian located on the grounds of the Shrine of St. Anthony, in Ellicott City, MD. At the October 10, 1982 canonization of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. many items were blessed by the Holy Father (Pope Saint John Paul II). Among them was the centerpiece statue of St. Maximilian Kolbe, now housed within the small shrine. The end of our 2016 relic tour, takes place where it all began. All are welcome to join our friars in this celebration at the Shrine of St. Anthony, on the Feast of August 14, 2016 Closing Ceremonies, in celebration of the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe, August 14th. While you are with us, take a few moments to visit our small outdoor, open air shrine and pray with our beloved Martyr of Charity.
Our Pilgrimage of the Relic of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. is going to remain in the New England area through mid-July. It will then head to our ministries in New York City and New Jersey before returning to the Shrine of St. Anthony, in Ellicott City, MD for the August 14, 2016 Closing Ceremonies, in celebration of the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe.
After spending the end of June with the Felician Franciscan Sisters (Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice, in Enfield, CT) where friar, Fr. Noel Danielewicz, OFM Conv. serves as chaplain, the relics move onto our pastoral ministry of St. Paul Catholic Church, in Kensington, CT, for the first weekend of July. Please join the parish community and our friars living and working from the St. Paul Friary, including the pastor of St. Paul Parish, Fr. Robert Schlageter, OFM Conv., for veneration at any of the parish Masses offered on those three days.
Veneration Opportunities at St. Paul Catholic Church (Kensington, CT)
Friday, July 1, 2016:
Daily Masses at 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Saturday, July 2, 2016:
Vigil Mass at 4:00 p.m. (Reconciliation is also offered from 3-3:34 p.m.) Sunday, July 3, 2016:
All Masses – 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 noon
On Monday, the 4th of July, the relics of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. will be available for veneration at our pastoral ministry of St. John Catholic Church, in Cromwell, CT. Our Lady of the Angels Province friar and pastor, Fr. Mark Curesky, OFM Conv., along with his congregation, welcome you to join them for 9:00 a.m. Mass. Friar Mark also lives in community with the friars of St. Paul Friary who include not only Friar Robert, but the Parochial Vicars of St. Paul Catholic Church: Fr. Raymond Borkowski, OFM Conv., Fr. Charles Jagodzinski, OFM Conv and Fr. Timothy Lyons, OFM Conv. When a friar is unable to live in a friary due to health needs or work constrictions, he is considered “de familia” to a friary because friars of our Order are always part of a friary “family.” St. Paul Friary has two such friars: Fr. Augustine Pilatowski, OFM Conv. (living in an assisted living facility) and Fr. Jerzy Auguscik, OFM Conv. (a member of the Province of St. Maximilian Kolbe in Gdansk-Poland, who works with our province and serves as Administrator of St. Francis of Assisi Church, in New Britain, CT).
The Bishop of Mansa (Zambia), Bishop Patrick Chilekwa Chisanga, O.F.M. Conv., visited the friars of Our Lady of the Angels Province who serve in Ellicott City, MD (June 21-22, 2016). Already that week, our friars were hosting the “Americas Project” delegation of six Friars and laity from Colombia (June 16-23, 2016). Also from June 20-22, 2016, the Minister Provincial from Korea and another Korean friar were visiting Friar Max who is a Korean Friar serving at the Shrine. Oh there is more. Fr. Marcin Buntow, OFM Conv. (pictured at right chatting with Province Secretary, Friar Richard-Jacob), who is in the USA preaching on behalf of our Franciscan Mission Association was also on campus. We even had a surprise visit from one of our pastoral ministry Youth Groups on June 22, 2016. To top it all off, Ellicott City was hit hard with severe weather, causing power and water outages. Needless to say. It was a very interesting weekend as Friars from five continents were on the Ellicott City Campus working and visiting the friars of Our Lady of the Angels Province. This week was a strong witness to the Order’s inter-nationality and inter-culturality.
Friars from Columbia, Zambia, Korea, Ghana & the US gather for a group shot in the Shrine’s dining room.
The Custos of the Order in Colombia, Fr. Jhon Jairo, OFM Conv., two other Friars and three laymen spent the week of June 16-23, 2016 in Our Lady of the Angels Province, with Friar Michael Lasky, OFM Conv. and Fr. Julio Martinez, OFM Conv., exploring common ways of collaborating in the area of Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation (aka JPIC). Friar Michael and Friar Julio are members of the Our Lady of the Angels JPIC Commission. The shot was taken outside of the Portiuncula Chapel at the Provincial House on 6-21-2016
The Minister Provincial of Korea, the Very Reverend Fr. Titus Yoon, OFM Conv. accompanied by Korean friar Fr. Aloysius Hong, OFM Conv. visited their Korean confrere Fr. Max Soo Choi, OFM Conv. (pictured top right) who serves at the Shrine of St. Anthony. They were hosted by our Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. and the other friars of the Portiuncula Friary, June 20-22.
On Wednesday, June 22, 2016, “Total Youth Ministry” from our pastoral ministry at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Community (Burlington, NC) visited the Friars who serve at the Shrine of St. Anthony and the Provincial House (Province Leadership Offices) in Ellicott City, MD. {Picture taken in the Provincial House Conference Room with Shrine Director, Fr. Michael Heine, OFM Conv. (right in habit) and Province Secretary, Fr. Richard-Jacob Forcier, OFM Conv. (back in stripes)}
One of our most unique and long lasting ministries of Our Lady of the Angels Province is the Fr. Justin Rosary Hour. Through the use of radio broadcasts, purchasable recordings and program access on the internet, the “Rosary Hour” brings the Gospel message to all those hungering for the word of God, in Polish. It is the oldest Polish language Catholic radio program in the world; established by Fr. Justin Figas, OFM Conv. in 1932. Friar Justin Figas’ vision to “bring the message of Christ to the people of Polonia in the Eastern United States and to the large cities of the USA and Canada, and to aid them in carrying out this message in their own lives and develop a consciousness to aid their fellow travelers in order to attain their own good and the good of society” (Mission Statement) is continued today through the work of our friars, staff & volunteers at this Hamburg, NY based ministry. A great way to fully understand the desires of Fr. Justin is to listen to an English translated version of a 1937 program, read by our Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv.
Recently, the lay director of the Fr. Justin Rosary Hour, Jerry Kornowicz, commissioned a new plaque depicting some of the history of the Rosary Hour so that visitors would never forget the work of Friar Justin.
This year, Our Lady of the Angels Province will gather to honor all of our Profession and Ordination Jubilarians at a special September 28th celebration, to be held at one of our ministries in New Jersey. Since this celebration is attended only by confreres and some family of the Jubiliarians, many have individual celebrations throughout the year, close the the actual Anniversary date, attended by friars, family, friends and of course the faithful to whom the friar serves.
On June 19, 2016, one such celebration was held for Fr. Noel Danielewicz, OFM Conv., who currently serves as chaplain for the Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice (the Felician Sisters) who live and work in Enfield Connecticut. They are an active-contemplative Order of Religious women, who blend a life of prayer with a life of service. There are many aspects of service provided by the Felician Sisters throughout the world but those in Enfield offer adults with cognitive impairments a day program providing safe, warm, individualized care.
Friar Noel has spent these past 40 years since his Ordination to the Priesthood serving in many capacities throughout our province. Prior to his work with the sisters and for the parishioners of the Basilica of St. Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr (Chicopee, MA), he had been a teacher, a pastor, a vocations director, a shrine director and an English tour guide at the Basilica Papale di si San Francesco d’Assisi. He has also given of his time and talent to the province at large; serving as a member of several Commissions, Teams, Caucuses and Boards.
Some of the Friars, Sisters, and guests with Fr. Noel (front row). On hand were several of his confreres, including two of his classmates, Friar Jude Surowiec, OFM Conv. (currently serving as a professor at the College of Our Lady of the Elms, Chicopee, MA) and Friar Martin Kobos, OFM Conv. (currently serving as pastor of Mother Cabrini Catholic Church, in Shamokin, PA) and Our Lady of the Angels Province, Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv.
St. Adalbert’s Parish is the oldest Polish parish in Queens, New York. Its history dates back to December of 1891, when Father Jozef Fyda, at the suggestion of Bishop John Loughlin – the Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn – made preparations for the creation of a new parish. 
