Boldog-Kosidlo Wedding
On Saturday June 17, Andrea Boldog and Joseph Kosidlo were married at St. Casimir's parish in Lowell. The bride became a member of St. Casimir's last year and recently made her confirmation at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Manchester, NH. The groom and his family have been members of St. Casimir's for many years.
Father Tenus performed a lovely ceremony, welcoming the bride's family to our parish, providing heartfelt advice on marriage, offering good wishes, and even making humorous observations on the typical wedding preparations. Mrs. Janice Klimczak provided the music for the occassion.
Congratulations and many years of health and happiness to the new Mr. and Mrs. Kosidlo!
Blessing of the Pets
ANS Luncheon
The women of St. Casimir's met to socialize and celebrate their community efforts at Grassfield's restaurant in Andover, MA. It was a fun and relaxing luncheon where we had a chance to catch up and review what we've been able to do for our church and community.
This past year we were able to accomplish several community endeavors, including fundraising events for Project Wish and the Lowell Humane Society. ANS also sponsored the Pastor Appreciation Day luncheon and the "Souper Bowl of Caring" where we collected food for Lowell's Central Food Ministry.
"Souper Bowl" of Caring
Our ANS organization spearheaded a food collection drive to help our community's Central Food Ministry, located on 370 West 6th St. in Lowell. We collected canned soups, vegetables, pastas, cereals and other nonperishable food items. Many thanks to our generous parishioners who made this project a great success!
Easter Workshop
The women of the ANS sponsored a workshop to celebrate the Polish Easter traditions. Phyllis Hunt gave a lesson on pisanki. The words pisanki/pysanky are sometimes used to describe any type of decorated egg, but they traditionally referred to an egg created by the wax resist method using traditional folk motifs and designs. The designs are "written" in hot wax. When the wax dries the eggs are dyed. On Easter Sunday, these eggs are exchanged and shared among the family at the table. This is a symbol of friendship, similar to the sharing of the Opłatek (Christmas wafer) on Christmas Eve.
Beverly Runowicz demonstrated how to make a "butter lamb." Using a lamb shaped mold, Beverly created this traditional addition to an Easter dinner celebration.
Pastor Appreciation Day
Drive to Support School Nurses
St. Casimir's ANS society held a fundraiser to support the efforts of school nurses in area public schools. Many nurses purchase needed items for students in their care, often without reimbursement. JoAnn Menzia and Shirley Garvey reached out to their contacts in the community to see what kind of items would be beneficial to children from elementary school age to high school teens.
The ANS collected a variety of items, such as hygiene products, band aids, Kleenex packets, toothpaste, plastic cups,
sandwich bags, and colorful stickers. We are
hopeful that this effort will make the work of
school nurses a little easier and take some of the
monetary burden off their shoulders.
Memorial Day 2023
Memorial Day services were held on May 29, 2023 at St. Casimir's Cemetery in Pelham, NH.
We were blessed with a beautiful, sunny day with a little wind to keep the bugs away.
The program was opened by Irene Jaracz of the PAV Auxiliary who welcomed all. She asked Father Tenus to give the invocation which was followed by the singing of the American and Polish National anthems by Janice Klimczak. This was followed by the reading of the deceased of PAV members and auxilary members deceased since last year. Fortunately there were no PAV members from St. Casimir's on that list.
The Honor Guard performed the Salute to the Deceased with volley and taps. All veterans present then rose and stated their names, branch and dates of service.
Installation of Officers
The installation of Officers of the Parish Committee took place Sunday, December 17, 2023. Co-President Robert Hunt led the proceedings and Father Tenus offered prayers to the appointees; "Bless those who undertake the role of service to our parish." The swearing in of members followed. Congratulations and thank you to all who serve on the parish committee.
Parish Committee Co-Chairmen: Dr. Robert Quirbach and Robert Hunt; Recording secretary: Janice Klimczak; Treasurer: Shirley Garvey; Financial Secretary: Linda Hedrick;
Directors: JoAnn Menzia. Carol McNiff, Shirley Kourey, Patricia Whiting, Diane Quirbach, Deb Charette, Phyllis Hunt, Thomas McNiff, Stanley Kosidlo, Christopher Kowalski, Charlotte Stankiewicz, Paula Jones, Irene Jaracz, Christine Piec
Financial Reviewers: Stanley Kosidlo Jr., Christopher Kowalski, Dr. Robert Quirbach
Cemetery Committee: Robert Hunt and Dr. Robert Quirbach, Co-Chairmen: Robert Ferus and Thomas McNiff, Co-Superintendents: Paula Jones, Irene Jaracz, Stanley Kosidlo, Janice Klimczak, Phyllis Hunt.
Delegates to Seniorate meetings first year of two year term: Janice Klimczak and Linda Kosidlo.
Public Relations: JoAnn Menzia, Janice Klimczak, Linda Kosidlo, Debbie Starenas, Beverly Runowicz..
The parishioners of St. Casimir's honoured Father Tenus on Sunday, June 12 after mass. Our annual event featured wonderful foods made by volunteers and a gathering of church members to show our appreciation for our pastor's work. Father Tenus serves the church daily and serves the members during major life events, such as christenings, marriages, first communions, and funerals. It was a very nice to celebrate the day with our lovely luncheon.
During the month of May, sisters of St. Casimir's ANS lovingly place fresh flowers to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary. Each Sunday various members arrange floral tributes at the side altar venerating the Mother ofdivine grace.
This year, in addition to honoring our spiritual mother, Mary, ANS members made crosses as a tribute to departed mothers, grandmothers, godmothers or cherished women in their lives. We were lucky because our talented Parish Chairman, Bob Hunt, made wooden crosses for our project. Bob donated the wood and painted each cross white. The sturdy crosses measured approximately twelve inches by nine inches.
After Sunday Mass on April 30, our group met at the Parish Center. Under the direction of one of our crafty ANS sisters, Phyllis Hunt, we decorated our crosses with artificial flowers, greenery, bows and embellishments such as faux bees, butterflies, etc. We used wire to affix our creations to the crosses. All the materials we used were donated by Phyllis from her trove of craft supplies.
Our beautiful crosses were blessed by
Father Tenus and placed by ANS
members at our parish cemetery
where they looked lovely at the
tombstones. Some crosses traveled to
be placed at beloved women's gravesites
out of state. Each cross lovingly designed
and placed marked a special mother
or woman.
Members of St. Casimir's and friends from the Lowell Polish Cultural Committee proudly march in the parade of nations that marks the start of the Lowell Folk Festival. The festival is held from Friday through Sunday on the last full weekend of July each year, and is presented by Lowell National Historical Park, Lowell Festival Foundation, the National Council for the Traditional Arts, the City of Lowell, the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce.
On Saturday October 7th St. Casimir’s held a special blessing for all well-behaved cats and dogs. Father Tenus prepared booklets for the service so all those who attended could participate. The booklets contained prayers for pets that can be used at home, and also information about St. Francis of Assisi, who saw God reflected in nature and was a great lover of God's creations. Many of the stories that surround the life of Francis say that he had a great love for animals and the environment.
Parishioners Shirley Khoury and Bob Hunt read scripture for the special service. Father Tenus blessed each pet individually. Each dog received a St. Francis medal and a bag of dog treats donated by Charlotte Stankiewicz. Along with the medal, each cat also got a cat toy donated by JoAnn Menzia.
Helping the Lowell Humane Society
The ANS society of St. Casimir's spearheaded a fundraising event to benefit the Lowell Humane Society. Our parishioners were very generous in their donations to animals in need. We collected needed items such as dog and cat food, treats and toys, paper towels, bleach, blankets, towels, sheets, and peanut butter. Thanks to Paula and David Jones, Christine Piec, JoAnn Menzia, and Janice Klimczak for helping to collect and deliver these items.
The Inaugural Nor'easter of 2024
A massive winter storm slammed Lowell Massachusetts and other parts of the Northeast over the weekend on Saturday, Jan. 6, and Sunday, Jan. 7, with Lowell and surrounding towns getting around 18 inches of accumulation.
Though the church looked serene covered in the snow, access was impossible and clearing it all away would be a long and arduous task.
Thanks to Father Tenus and Christopher Tenus for taking on the huge job. These photos show just how much snow had to be cleared away on the steps, sidewalks, and entrances to the church, rectory and hall. We are fortunate that they were able to do this work.
Members of the choir present a gift
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St. Casimir's Parish
Polish National Catholic Church
268 Lakeview Avenue - Lowell, Massachusetts 01850 USA
ANS President JoAnn Menzia and Co-Chairs Robert Hunt and Bert Quirbach with Father Tenus
PAV Donation
Our parish was honored with a gift from the Polish American Veterans of Lowell. Father Tenus read a letter thanking St. Casimir's for our continuing support of the organization, such as use of the parish hall for events, use of the kitchen for food preparation, and the Masses said for our veterans.
Irene Jaracz of the Ladies Auxillary of the Lowell PAV, presented a generous check to St. Casimir's on behalf of the orgnaization. Mrs. Jaracz is also the widow of Robert Jaracz, a dedicated PAV member who helped organize the club’s annual Sun Santa party to help local families in need enjoy Christmas.
We are so very grateful to Irene and the Polish American Veterans of Lowell and their dedication to helping the community. She is shown here with co-chairs of the parish, Robert Hunt and Dr. Robert Quirbach, and father Tenus.
St. Casimir's ANS May Project
Blessings for the New School Year
St. Casimir's has been busy preparing our students for a new school year. The ANS society spearheaded a fundraiser for school supplies for children in Lowell, which were delievered to Project Wish for distribution to those in need. Parishioners were generous with their donations of pencils, pens, notebooks, and other supplies for use in the classroom.
Father Tenus then held a "blessing of the backpacks" for the students of St. Casimir's who brought their backpacks to church. This blessing coincided with Youth Sunday, and special prayers were offered for all the parish youth as they begin a new school Year.
ANS members Deb Charette, Janice Klimczak, Beverly Runowicz, Paula Jones with President JoAnn Menzia and Father Tenus.