The parishioners of St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Chappell Hill, Texas would like to invite you, your relatives and friends to join the parish for their  “4rd Annual Dozynki Mass and Celebration” honoring our Polish Heritage by giving thanks for our many blessing during the week of Thanksgiving.

The mass and celebration will be held on Sunday, November 18, 2012 beginning with the holy rosary at 8:30 a.m. and mass at 9 a.m.

There will be a mass procession with participants in traditional Polish costumes at the beginning and ending of mass with a Dozynki wheat basket, baskets of bread and salt, a picture of our holy mother “Our Lady of Czestochowa” and small Dozynki bouquets. The mass procession will include Father Jozef Musiol and altar attendants, participants in Polish costumes, St. Stanislaus RE youth, St. Stanislaus Altar Society and St. Stanislaus Knights of Columbus with the St. Stanislaus choir singing in Polish.

Following mass, we will have a procession from the steps of St. Stanislaus Catholic Church (with all mass participants/everyone) going to the parish hall with the church bell ringing until we reach to the hall.  Inside the hall, we will have a welcome by the leadership of the church parish, a program from Danial Cendalski about Polish musical family history, the first dance with the leading boy and girl harvesters, a Polish pot luck meal ( favorite recipes of your family), music by Polska Kapela, a silent auction supporting the RE youth, pierogi eating contest, PGST children’s activities and on-line family genealogy research, a power point presentation from Dr. Jim Mazurkiewicz’s recent visit to Poland and a short live auction.

All those interested in celebrating their Polish Heritage with their family and friends are encouraged to help make this a successful event.   Everyone is encourage to bring a Polish covered dish for lunch to share for the Dozynki celebration to recognize the end of harvest and honor the memories of our Polish ancestors by bring a favorite recipe dish from your  mothers and grandmothers.  You can begin a family tradition by cooking your favorite recipes together.  Thus, continuing to pass down these tasty recipes to the next generation and creating many new beautiful memories that will be remembered for generations to come.

There is an old saying, “families that cook together, stay together”.

In addition, we would like to encourage those that have Polish costumes to please wear them to mass and participate in the procession.  If you do not have one, men can wear black pants with a white shirt & a red ribbon and the women can wear a flower wreath with red and white ribbons on their heads, white blouses, patterned skirts or red skirts with red necklaces.

The money collected will go to pay for the 2012/2013 St. Stanislaus religious education (RE) program.  Bring your children and grandchildren to create memories and family stories that will be told for generations.  You and your children/grandchildren will remember the quality time that you spent with them as we now reminisce about our parents and grandparents who spent quality time with us.  These are the treasures of life that cannot be bought or sold, but passed down from one generation to another through the lives we touch.

Dozynki is celebrated in Poland to this day and it is done with ritual and pageantry followed by plenty of good food, drink, music and dancing.  Once again, your support is requested in helping make the “4rd Annual Dozynki Mass and Celebration” at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church a success with family and friends.   Please forward this information to anyone that would be interested in attending.

Dziekuje!

Dr. Jim Mazurkiewicz