Special blessings as we close the 2013 year with the tradition of the Children's Christmas Pageant at St Adalbert Basilica. It's wonderful to celebrate with family and friends.
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Mass of Remembrance – 11/02/2013
Life passes so quickly and it’s hard to imagine that it has been a year since our last Remembrance Mass. This special celebration has become a yearly occasion to gather together as a family and pray for our loved ones who have returned home to the Lord. So many of these individuals are buried at St. Adalbert Cemetery and represent generations of faith. Names are read and candles are brought forward. Our loved ones are not forgotten. Coming together in this holy place brings a sense of peace.
We ask you to join us for this Remembrance Mass on Saturday, November 2nd, 2013 at 5:30 P.M. (The musical program begins at 5:15 P.M.). Following this mass, refreshments will be served and all are welcome to gather for coffee and conversation.
Candle order form with details for purchasing candles is below. Please come early to pick up the candles prior to Mass.
St. Adalbert Basilica Feast Day Mass – 04/27/2013
Saint Adalbert Basilica will have a Feast Day Mass for its patron saint along with the Am-Pol Eagle's Citizens of the Year award presentations on Saturday, 04/27 at 5:30 at the basilica.
The Mass will also be highlighted by the singing of Brittany Mruczek.
Schedule of Upcoming Events including Easter Schedule
A Christmas Celebration and Social @ St. Adalbert Basilica
A Christmas Celebration and Social will be held in St. Adalbert Basilica on Saturday, January 12, 2013 at 5 PM. It will include prayers for all on the memory trees, Christmas carols, cookies, coffee, and conversation, followed by taking down the Christmas decorations. *There will be no Mass*
SAINT ADALBERT BASILICA
212 STANISLAUS STREET
BUFFALO, NY 14212
Mass of Remembrance Photos
Click on images for full view--->
Mass of Remembrance – 11/05/2011
Please join us for a special Mass of Remembrance to be held in the Oratory at St. Adalbert Basilica. Guest choir for the Mass will be Villa Maria Chorale, under the direction of Dr. Ireneusz Lukaszewski.
The musical program will begin at 5:15 P.M. Those who would like to submit names to be remembered during the Mass are asked to complete and return the form below – the names will be read and a candle will be lit in their memory (those who would like to bring forward the candle themselves during the Mass will have the opportunity to do so).
A reception will follow.
AM-POL Eagle: St. Adalbert Basilica celebrates 125th anniversary with spirit
The spirit, prayers and faith of the parishioners and friends of St. Adalbert Basilica was evident on Sun., Sept. 18 during the celebration of the parish’s 125th anniversary. The faithful focused on the “beauty” of the service and the recollection of the long history of the East Side parish.
Afterwards over 300 people attended a reception at Millennium Airport, Cheektowaga. There they were greeted with an exhibit of old class photos and historic pictures from the parish’s past.
Lori Dinero, a parish trustee, said "It was beautiful. What was beautiful about it was the focus on love and faith the people of St. Adalbert have had through the years. And, it was a celebration of that.”
William and Alfreda Wasik, former parishioners married 70 years, attended the event. Their two children attended school at St. Adalbert's.
Alfreda said of the anniversary Mass, “It was very beautiful, very sweet. The Chopin choir sang very beautifully. It's a shame it's going to close.” Alfreda was a member of the Mother's Club and remembers the nuns as being “very nice.”
William said the anniversary celebration was "well planned." He was a member of the Holy Name Society and was active in Boy Scouts at the parish. He remembered all the societies being very active. He also recalled Fr. Joseph Bialek as being "very helpful, active, and pleasant.” And, he added, "He was very outspoken."
Irene Kupinski, an active parishioner, said, "The service was just beautiful and I think God heard us. He gave us a last hurrah."
Her connection with the parish goes back to her grandmother who settled on Rother St. when there was just a wooden church at the site. She noted that a century ago her grandmother was there at the beginning of the parish and a century later she was there fighting to keep it open.
AM-POL Eagle: An open letter to Bishop Edward Kmiec
Dear Bishop Kmiec,
One hundred and forty years ago, my grandparents arrived from Poland, and immediately became parishioners of St. Adalbert’s Church. This church provided them with the security and comfort they needed in adjusting to their new homeland. Illiterate and poor, with a large family to support, they sacrificed to give to the church. They were no different from other parishioners at the time. The church took priority over the basic needs of their own family and children. If alive today, they would be shocked and unbelieving that, despite the wishes of current parishioners, the church hierarchy, represented in this instance by you, Bishop Kmiec, is determined to close St. Adalbert’s Basilica.
The church edifice was built by the people, by its parishioners. Many felt it belonged to them since it was their sweat and their talents and their money that built it. The Catholic hierarchy did not agree; it was the issue of ownership of the church property, not religious differences that historically resulted in the creation of the Polish National Church.
Yes, I have heard all the excuses for closing churches, shortage of priests, shrinking Catholic population, changing neighborhoods, shortage of money, etc. None of these are valid reasons for closing this basilica, or any of the beautiful, ethnic and historic churches in the area. Change is normal. The issue is not to react by consolidating or closing churches or converting them to oratories, but to evaluate what can be done to find solutions. All the above have answers if one takes the time and has the courage to act on these.
A church binds the community. It is the heart and center of the life of that community. When it is closed, or destroyed, as has happened in too many cases to date, it impacts upon the viability of the neighborhood. It also discourages Catholics from continuing their membership in and attendance at a Catholic Church. Why? Numerous reasons among them, difficulty in getting to another church, a feeling that their church has let them down, recognition that if the church hierarchy is not committed to serving them, the Catholic religion cannot be that important, even anger.
