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“The kids may speak Polish to their parents and at Polish class, but they speak English to each other and everywhere else. It’s easier for them”.
One of the many volunteers at St. Michael’s, Sandra Jemioto, works as a secretary in the office. She was married in the church 53 years ago and says it’s the beauty of the building that inspires her to worship. She says the interior looks the same as it did when she was married but, unfortunately, she admits, some changes were made to the ornate style after Vatican II when the church relaxed some of its rules and cut back on the “opulence.” Some of the decorative wooden railing and an ornate pulpit were removed from St. Michael’s for more modest accouterments.The interior still hosts an impressive array of murals and stained glass, however, and a 76-year-old Italian marble statue of the Virgin Mary still stands outside the main doors.
parishioners came for a special service to honor their deceased relatives. All Saints’ Day has been a solemn holiday in Poland since the 7th century A.D. Mass is held at the church, and then as a procession, Father Marek and his parishioners go to the cemetery and pray. Visitors may leave flowers or light candles for deceased loved ones. In Poland, only 2% of the population is said not to visit a grave during All Saints’ and All Souls Day on November 2. In December, the basement was full of church volunteers preparing fillings for a fundraising holiday pierogi operation.The pierogi, a dumpling of unleavened dough wrapped around either savory (potatoes and cheese or sauerkraut) or sweet (prunes) fillings boiled and served hot, was expected to bring in a
“She gets crowned every May 1. People use her as a landmark here on Route 34.”
Parishioner volunteers make pierogies for a fundraiser, mashing potatoes and cheese to fill approximately 600 pastries to sell.
According to Father Marek, St. Michael’s is like any Polish church in Poland from 100 years ago. •••.
few hundred dollars over a weekend and the volunteers planned to prepare about 600 of them.
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