Generations of Camden’s faithful, who have long called Saint Joseph Church on Liberty Street their spiritual home, gathered with neighbors and friends at the landmark structure Oct. 23 to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the Polish Catholic Apostolate.
The church – with its iconic stained glass by Mayer Studios of Germany, ornate frescoes, and sanctuary festooned with flowers – was filled with hymns sung in Polish and English by Saint Lucia’s Choir during the Mass celebrated by Bishop Dennis Sullivan.
“The great German 13th century mystic Meister Eckhart once wrote, ‘If the only prayer you say is thank you, that’s enough.’ Very wise insight from a very wise man,” the Bishop preached during his homily. “Our prayer this morning is a prayer of thank you as we observe this significant anniversary – 130 years of this Polish Apostolate in this city.”
He continued, “The circumstances between 1892 and 2022 are completely different. But there are some constants. Number one: the preaching of the Gospel. The Good News. … Secondly, the teaching of the faith. Whether in English or in Polish, it’s the same thing. Third, I would suggest that the sacraments of the Church that sanctify the faithful, though they are now celebrated much differently than they were in 1892, they are the same. They sanctify the people of God. The sacraments make us holy.”
A fourth constant, Bishop Sullivan said: “the building up of the community of the faithful … as we now say, to be a pilgrim people.”
Lastly, he spoke of the tradition of safeguarding venerable Polish traditions, culture and language. “It’s so very important to know who you are – and to be who you are. Certainly Saint Joseph’s has done that very well.”
“So for all these I have mentioned … we give God thanks. And that is enough.”
Joining Bishop Sullivan on the altar were current and former pastors, priests and clergy in service to the Polish Catholic Apostolate. Father Adam Cichoski, rector of the city’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Parish, of which Saint Joseph Church is now a worship site, was also among those to concelebrate Mass.
In his remarks, Father Cichoski thanked everyone who had a part in the “big weekend for the Polish Apostolate of our parish,” including the choir, organist Stephen Obarski, the Knights of Columbus, the parish societies and school alumni.
Henry and Dorothy Szychulski were among the many who contributed to the effort. Henry Szychulski, who is president of the apostolate’s historical society, photographed the Mass and social that followed. His wife created the keepsake program.
Like most present, they are longtime members of the parish. As a historian, Szychulski reflected on a church that originated 130 years ago as “mainly a mission just off Broadway ministered by several priests” that became a bustling Polish enclave with the help of its first full-time priest, Father Michael Boronski, who was a pastor “with a gift for real estate development.”
“He got permission to build the original church and the grammar school,” said Szychulski, who received all his sacraments there as a child and young man. He fondly recalled that the priest’s efforts led to parishioners being “able to build homes around the church,” which lead to a flourishing enclave where the faith and Polish traditions could be maintained.
Though times and demographics have changed, the Saint Joseph Polish Catholic Apostolate and church remain an anchor of faith and tradition in the community, he said, likening both to “grandmother’s house” – where everyone feels a sense of home.
“That’s a good analogy,” he said.
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