"CHANGING TO MEET
iSTN1K SPJST Herald
THE CHANGING NEEDS OF FRATERNALISTS"
"Joining Hands To Touch Lives-Fraternalism for the Family and Our Nation"
Official Organ Of The Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas, Founded 1897 BROTHERHOOD
HUMANITY
BENEVOLENCE
Postmaster: Please Send Form 3579 to: SUPREME LODGE, SPJST, P. 0. Box 100, Temple, Texas 76503 October 20, 1993 ISSN-07458800 VOLUME 81 NUMBER 40
Insurance written $3 million ahead of 1992
SPJST salutes volunteers for September sales The SPJST volunteer sales force continues to produce ahead of last year's figures. As of September 30th, the insurance written tally is approximately $3 million ahead of last year. All districts are doin g, quite well with District Five (Houston area) showing the biggest gain of more than $2 million. All districts are displaying a positive attitude toward L.tainin g, their respective sales goals.
On a personal achievement note, we would like to acknowledge all of our sales representatives who are helping by contributing to our successes. A special thanks to earned premium and number of application winners Albin Machu of District Two , Emii Petr of District Three, Martha Broz of District Four, June Smesny of District Five and Jarolyn Popp of District Seven.
The SPJST is proud of these and all producing sales representatives accomplishments. Keep up the good work.
Bernard M. Gebala, FIC Vice President —SPJST-
DISTRICT I EARNED PREMIUM Mildred Horak Lodge 13, Dime Box
DISTRICT II EARNED PREMIUM AND APPLICATIONS Albin Machu Lod g e 29, Taylor
DISTRICT IV EARNED PREMIUM AND APPLICATIONS Martha Broz, Lodge 160, San Angelo
DISTRICT I APPLICATIONS Susan Skrabanek Lodge 17, New Tabor
'STRICT III EARNED PREMIUM AND APPLICATIONS Emil Petr Lodge 84. Dallas
DISTRICT V EARNED PREMIUM AND APPLICATIONS June Smesny Lod ge 91. Crosby
tigliglks DISTRICT VI EARNED PREMIUM Annimae Mena Lodge 30, Taiton
DISTRICT VII EARNED PREMIUM AND APPLICATIONS Jarolyn Popp Lodge 133, San Antonio
DISTRICT VII APPLICATIONS Manta Foster Lodge 31, Yoakum
DISTRICT VI APPLICATIONS Charles Garrett Lod ge 97, Orchard (Photograph Unavailable)
Sentimental Journey leads to Hostyn
Old legends find new life in Czech Republic by Louis J. Polansky Lodge 1, Fayetteville PART FIVE
This week, Brother Polansky tells of his visit to the Hostyn church revered by the Moravians as a symbol of the power of belief in miracles. The legend is that there was a miraculous saving of the Moravian people from the Mongolians, who were called -Tartars." Even though there are numerous statues which symbolize this miracle, very few of the Moravian people are familiar with the story behind them. This is not hard to believe because the Czechs, including the Moravians, have been under the rule of foreign powers for centuries. Prior to the first World War, the Moravian lands were under Austrian occupation. After the war, in 1920, a unified Czechoslovakia was established. Hitler
ended this republic or democracy in the 1940s and Germany occupied Czechoslovakia until the end of the Second World War. There was then an occupation by the Russians which, at first, was vested in the establishment of a communist government until the Soviets invaded the country by force in the 1960s. This grip was not loosened until 1989. Many books were destroyed during this period as well as much of the history. To illustrate this point, I was given a hook for the Fayetteville Area Heritage Museum shortly before we left the Czech Republic. The book is entitled, as translated into English by me, History and the
Place of the Town of Frenstat Below Radhost in Moravia. This book was published in 1904 and it tells the history of Frenstat for 600 years. There are photos of buildings in the town and in the sur-
rounding neighborhood and these buildings still look the same as in the pictures. The book tells about the schools, hospitals, hotels, churches and other community events. In other words, it is a community profile. I took a copy of this book along and gave it to my cousin, Frantisek. No one ever heard of this book even though the book was printed in 1904 in Frenstat and written by people from the town. Anyway, my cousin had never heard of the legend of the Blessed Mother and Baby Jesus of Hostyn. The legend, as written by the Moravians, is that some Moravian people sought refuge on the Hostyn Mountain from the Mongolian Raiders who were devastating the country. There was a severe drought a the time. This is why they prayed for help from the Holy Virgin Mary. Help did come to these believers by
way of a storm which quenched the Moravians thirst and destroyed the Mongolian Camp. This legend later gave rise to a statue of the Virgin Mary of Mercy with the infant Jesus, throwing thunderbolts at the force. I have described this statue previously in my report. You cannot find this statue anywhere else throughout Europe . When the first Catholic Church was built at Fayetteville in 1870, such a statue was placed in the church. This statue was later given to another parish in Hillje and then rested in the home of Lillian Dornak of El Campo for many years. In 1988, the statue was completely restored to its original beauty and returned to Fayetteville where it is now displayed in the Fayetteville. Area Heritage Museum—another tie by the pioneers to their beloved Moravia and its legends.
(Continued on page four)