Pierogi to Prayer

Each year in early November, the atmosphere across Poland is one of deep solemnity. Poles pause to remember their deceased loved ones and friends on the consecutive Roman Catholic feasts of All Saints on November 1st and All Souls on November 2nd. As we enter into this, our third season of Pierogi to Prayer, and considering this ancient Polish tradition, we would like to also pause and reflect on...

Each year in early November, the atmosphere across Poland is one of deep solemnity. Poles pause to remember their deceased loved ones and friends on the consecutive Roman Catholic feasts of All Saints on November 1st and All Souls on November 2nd. As we enter into this, our third season of Pierogi to Prayer, and considering this ancient Polish tradition, we would like to also pause and reflect on...

Each year in early November, the atmosphere across Poland is one of deep solemnity. Poles pause to remember their deceased loved ones and friends on the consecutive Roman Catholic feasts of All Saints on November 1st and All Souls on November 2nd. As we enter into this, our third season of Pierogi to Prayer, and considering this ancient Polish tradition, we would like to also pause and reflect on...

For the fourth and final part of “With God in Camden”, wewere pleased to welcome John DeJak. A Catholic educator by profession, John isalso the co-editor of the book “With God in America: The Spiritual Legacy of anUnlikely Jesuit.” This book brought together many of Father Walter’s archivedwritings and give a look at the life he led as a priest, spiritual director,and confidant following his retur...

Most of us don’t often think about saints havingfamilies. Nor do we usually think we would ever meet someone who is related to them in everyday life. As the 7th of 13 children, Walter Ciszek certainly had many such witnesses to his formative years and after his return it was this family that again would play a part in the remainder of his life. SueAnn Leighty is the grandniece of Father Walter. Ev...

In October of 2024, early on in the development of ourpodcast, I was fortunate to interview Jesuit Father Michael DesJardins, about his memories of a fellow Jesuit, Polish-American Father Walter Ciszek. Ciszek’s life story of arrest, torture, and imprisonment for some 30 years in the SovietUnion as told in his two books: With God in Russia published in 1964 and He Leadeth Me published in 1973 have...

In October of 2024, early on in the development of ourpodcast, we were fortunate to interview Jesuit Father Michael Desjardins, SJ abouthis memories of a fellow Jesuit, Polish-American Father Walter Ciszek. Ciszek’s life story of arrest, torture, and imprisonment for some 30 years in the SovietUnion as told in his two books: With God in Russia published in 1964 and He Leadeth Me published in 1973...

This September we bring the two topics of Music andWorld War II together with our returning guest, Dr. Michael Klein of TempleUniversity. Long time listeners may remember him from last season’s two partepisode on Fredrich Chopin which if you haven’t, I would encourage you to goback and listen to when you have a moment. As an expert in music and film, heinstructs on various subjects from music theo...

This September we bring the two topics of Music andWorld War II together with our returning guest, Dr. Michael Klein of TempleUniversity. Long time listeners may remember him from last season’s two partepisode on Fredrich Chopin which if you haven’t, I would encourage you to goback and listen to when you have a moment. As an expert in music and film, heinstructs on various subjects from music theo...

Welcome to Part II Few individuals have had such an impact on Europeanhistorymore than Napolean Bonaparte. And for the Pole we just met through his200 yearold words, it wasn’t always for their personal best. The image of thedeterminedgaze in the diminutive Corsican, a hand regally tucked into thebreast of hisshirt is iconic to say the least. And where history leaves off,pop culturepicks up. Often...

Few individuals have had such an impact on Europeanhistorymore than Napolean Bonaparte. And for the Pole we just met through his200 yearold words, it wasn’t always for their personal best. The image of thedeterminedgaze in the diminutive Corsican, a hand regally tucked into thebreast of hisshirt is iconic to say the least. And where history leaves off,pop culturepicks up. Often parodied, instantly...

How often have divisionsamongst religious denominations driven followers to the most unspeakablebrutality. In such times when religious fanatics inspired by nationalism haveshown the worst of humanity, there are also those martyrs who have fallenvictim to their aggression who have shown the opposite. One of these martyrs,St. Andrzej Bobola is the subject of our saint of the month reflection today....

On our episode today wehave two guests, Father Jonathan Sawicki of the Diocese of Harrisburg, and FatherStephen Robbins who is returning for his second appearance on our program. Similarin age and backgrounds, we discuss our understanding of faith as inherited fromour ancestors but also as to how it impacts the work of ministry today in a verydifferent Church. A Church which sometimes struggles to...

Our surnames can tell people a lot about us, notonly our national origin or heritage, but their also connected to those thathave come before us with the same name. For better or worse our names can causea form of prejudice unfairly defining us before we have a chance to defineourselves. St. Urszula Ledochowska was born to a long and illustrious line ofPolish nobility, yet in taking on the mission...

Welcome Back! In Part IIof our interview with Jan Ledochowski of the ancient Ledochowski Family westart to look a bit more at current events including the Ukraine-Russia War, aswell as some more stories about notable members of the Family who went on tosainthood and the highest levels of the hierarchy within the Church including a19th century Cardinal and 20th century foundresses of tworeligious o...

For anyonewho spends a lot of time metaphorically living amongst Polish History, you tendto see a lot of surnames that crop up again and again no matter the century. Leszczynski, Poniatowski, Radziwill, just to name a few round out a veritablePolish who’s who of movers and shakers. Another one of these surnames is sharedby our guest today, and it is this history that brings him to our program. Jan...

Have you ever felt as if by not taking a side, youwind up an enemy of everyone? Such was the case of the remarkable life of ourSaint of the Month, Blessed George Matulaitis-Matulewicz. A Lithuanian priesteducated in Poland he helped reinvigorate the Marian Religious Order and laterbecame Bishop of Vilnius during the turbulent post- World War I years. In alife dominated by suffering and struggle, b...

For centuries, the Polish-LithuanianCommonwealth was an imposing state dominating Central and Eastern Europe. This nation, made possible by a 14th century royal marriage, joined together two ethnicities who share a common history, yet who are also ethnically distinct. This relationship can sometimes prove cumbersome to our modern understanding of nationality and ethnicity.   Today we welcome Tom S...

St. Maximilian Kolbe has emerged as one of the mostwell-known Twentieth Century Saints to have emerged from the horrors of World War II in Poland. His story of self-sacrifice for a fellow prisoner in Auschwitz has made him a symbol of selfless martyrdom and Christian care for another. His work before his martyrdom can be seen as one of the original“influencing” movements through his use of radio....

This month we tackle the influencing craze as we sitdown with Krystian Nowak, a Polish Highlander living near Zakopane in the gorgeous mountain region of Poland. A native of Chicago with Polish ancestry, Krystian has taken to social media as an influencer to promote Highlander culture in his own unique way. Influencing has become an internet craze for bad or for worse, yet perhaps the true value o...

“Boys will be boys” as the old cliché goes. Yet such apithy saying to excuse the mischievous or rambunctious nature of children,masks the undeserved circumstances that children around the world findthemselves subject to that may produce such a behavior. Poverty, ignorance, prejudice,and socioeconomic factors can squash the potential of children before they evenget the chance. Our Polish Saint of t...

March is traditionally a month that is associated withthe Irish celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day. This month we take a page out ofthese celebrations to discuss the lives of Count and Countness Markiewicz. Apair of revolutionary personalities who straddled the boundaries between Polandand Ireland but also between counterculture and rebellion. Our guest, Dr. Lauren Arrington, author and professor o...

Regularlisteners to our Polish Saint of the Month reflection, are used to a particularformat. However, today we are going to do something a bit different. Since wehave already heard a lot about the life of Father Jerzy Popieluszko from ourinterview with Judith Kelly in our regular episode this month, we’re going tolisten to his own words from one of his homilies. The English Translation readwill b...

In October of 1984 at the young age of 37, Father JerzyPopieluszko, the chaplain of the Solidarity Trade Union was murdered at thehands of agents of the Polish Communist secret police. His martyrdom galvanizedthe nation and greatly influenced the events which led to the fall of Communismin Poland. In successive years, Father Jerzy’s message of non-violence and hislegacy of resistance to oppression...

Have youever considered what it would be like to put your life on the line for yourfaith? Our Polish Saint of the Month is Saint Melchior Grodziecki. A Polish Jesuitwho lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Listento his story of faith and reflect on this martyr of the Thirty Year’s War withus today. Music andSound Effects courtesy of freemusic.org 220118_1781-2_FR_ChurchOrgan.wavby kevp...