Thanks to Father Jurkowski

The Polish Community in Atlantic City would like to express its sincere gratitude to Bishop Joseph A. Galante for 10 years of priestly ministry of Father Joseph Jurkowski whose selfless and dedicated service in St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parish deserves to be recollected.

On April 23, 2000, Father Jurkowski announced that Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio gave permission to celebrate the Holy Mass in Polish every Sunday instead of from time to time. Since then until today not one Polish Mass has been missed.

The Polish liturgical calendar has many holidays that are not celebrated in the United States. Father Joseph always remembered about “his” community and constantly during the Polish holidays we could pray during the Holy Mass in our language.

Thanks to Father Jurkowski and the Church of St. Nicholas of Tolentine we could always celebrate typical Polish Masses like the Midnight Mass (Pasterka), adoration of the crib by children at Christmas, The Way of The Cross in Lenten Season, blessing of the food during Holy Saturday, and Divine Mercy Sunday. During Lent before every Polish Mass we would sing the Lord’s Passion, in May we would pray the Blessed Mother of God Devotion and in June we celebrated Corpus Christi Devotion and Procession — even on the Boardwalk and on the streets of Atlantic City. In October once a week we would meet together to pray with the rosary.

During all those Masses and gatherings the church was for all of us a little piece of our beloved country — Poland. Those moments when we could pray together were giving us hope that even here, far away from home, we have each other. Father Joseph’s habit was taking care of every age group of the Polish community.

Father Joseph always made sure that his homilies are perfectly prepared, and everyone could count on Father Joseph to be at the confessional half an hour before every Polish Mass. Besides our regular Sunday Mass celebrated in St. Nicholas Church, Father Jurkowski celebrated baptisms, weddings, important anniversaries and funerals in the Polish language.

Father Joseph would have Christmas bread (Oplatek) for us which is so important on every Christmas table in our homes.

As our shepherd Father Joseph was constantly thinking of every detail to make sure our Polish Mass and other celebration were exactly like those in Poland. Thanks to him we have a Polish organist who would play and sing for us every Sunday.

Father Joseph’s dream was to make sure that the young generation of Polish people speaks two languages — Polish and English. To learn Polish and also Polish culture, habits and history at the very beginning of his work in St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church, Father Jurkowski began the Sunday School for the children and young people so they could have a chance to stay closer to their heritage. School was opened several years.

We also would like to thank to Msgr. William Hodge, pastor of St. Nicholas of Tolentine, who was always very welcoming to us.

Signed by numerous members of the Polish community in Atlantic City.