BLESSED MARY ANGELA

The altar honoring Blessed Mary Angela at her original motherhouse in Krakow, Poland. Photo taken by Fr. Krysa during his July pilgrimage to the original sites of the Felician Sisters from the second half or the 19th century.

Article posted in the Obeserver,September 19,2009

On Tuesday Sept. 15, Bishop Edward U. Kmiec, Bishop of Buffalo granted the WNY Polonia a new patroness: Blessed Mary Angela, beginning a new era for the merged churches of Saint Hyacinth's and Saint Hedwig's in Dunkirk.

"I welcome this opportunity with great enthusiasm," said Bishop Kmiec, "remembering how I prayed for her beatification while at the parish of St. Hedwig in Trenton, N.J."

Sr. Lorraine Tylczynski, provincial superior, along with Buffalo promoter of Bl. Mary Angela, Sr. Renee Kurczaba, received the announcement of this first parish in the world named after their founderess with gratitude to God. When Fr. Czeslaw Krysa, Pastor, explained how the past year of prayer and awareness raising led the merged communion of faith (May 2008) to accept a mission of renewal concentrating on:

Sr. Renee exclaimed, "That's Mother Angela!" Felician Sisters have ministered in Dunkirk since the parish founding in the late 1800s.

"The miraculous cure from neuropathy of our parishioner, Lillian Halasinski (1984)," commented Fr. Krysa, "... moving Mother Angela Truszkowska's cause to beatification in 1993, motivated us to form a Wednesday Mother Angela prayer and discussion group led by Sr. M. Rachel Mikolajczak, CSSF, who serves as pastoral associate."

Throughout the year prayers of the faithful at Sunday Mass reflected her charisms, and specially crafted weekly bulletin articles helped members to get to know Mother Angela more intimately.

On her feast day, Oct, 10, 2008 a Mass, followed by a Felician recognition social, was celebrated. Lenten Stations of the Cross featured excerpts from her personal writings. This summer, Fr. Krysa made a pilgrimage to her shrine at the Krakow motherhouse in Poland and on returning preached a homily series on her faith witness.

Her patronage was presented on several occasions to various parish leadership groups and societies. At all Masses on the weekend of Sept. 5 parishioners, in a special canvassing, wrote down their opinions, yielding 82 percent in favor of the change.

Leadership, young and senior, Societies, and Faith Formation groups of the newly named parish are planning an opening Mass at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11, the day following her feast day. Felician representatives and local priests have been invited. After Mass Sr. Renee will give a power point presentation on the life of Blessed Mary Angela. Her presentation will be followed by the annual Fall Chicken Barbecue Dinner.