There will be everlasting joy when God's Kingdom is established on earth.
[Psalm 21:1]
The community of Sacred Heart Parish celebrates the Kingdom of God as followers of Jesus Christ. Our worship is centered around the Eucharist, and we are inspired by God's love and mercy and guided by the Holy Spirit. The mission of our Parish is to respond to our baptismal call to live and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our valued tradition, celebrated through the Sacraments of the Church, inspires all within the Parish family to draw closer together into the Body of Christ. All are welcome at Scared Heart Parish.
Church Leadership:
John Kutek
Damian Wojtowicz
Web Master
wojtowicz.damian@tutamail.com
Polish National Catholic Church Preamble
The first and foremost objective and aim of this Church is the salvation and sanctification of the Polish people and of all others united with this Church. Man is sanctified when he follows the guidance of the Church and uses the spiritual means which the Church receives from God through Jesus Christ our Lord, "for there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 2:5)
By divine imperative the sacred mission of this Church is to carry the light of Jesus Christ before the people, constantly reminding them that their aim is to live in the spirit of God, in truth, love and righteousness, seeking the truth by reading and studying the Holy Scriptures with the aid of the accumulated wisdom of the ages.
The most fervent desire and prayer of this Church is to emulate Jesus Christ in fulfilling obligations toward God, family, nation and society. This Church's ideal and dream is to build for the Polish people and all others united with them a hearth around which they can rally, warm and strengthen themselves in their religious belief. Religion is the source of life and regeneration.
The History of The Polish National Catholic Church
The Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC) is an independent Old Catholic church founded by Polish-Americans during the late 19th century in Scranton Pennsylvania, USA. The founding of the church was a response from Polish immigrants who were disheartened with the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church. The leader of this newly founded National Church was Fr. Franciszek Hodur, a Polish immigrant and Catholic priest. On March 14th, 1897, the St. Stanislaus Parish was organized in Scranton Pennsylvania. The first mass was celebrated by Fr. Hodur on March 21st, 1897. Fr. Hodur’s National Church called for the following:
1. Legal ownership of church properties.
2. Parish government in secular matters by parish committees elected by the parishioners.
3. Appointment of pastorates of priests approved by parishioners.
4. Appointment of Polish bishops in America by Rome with input by clergy and laity.
In 1898 Fr. Hodur was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church, and challenged several Roman Catholic teachings, including papal infallibility and supremacy. On December 16th, 1900, Fr. Hodur and his parishioners decided not to return to the Roman Catholic Church. The first mass in the Polish language was celebrated on December 25th, 1901. Three years later in 1904, the first General Synod of the Polish National Church is held in Scranton Pennsylvania which resulted in the following actions:
1. A decisive break with the Roman Catholic Church.
2. Fr. Hodur is elected as bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church.
3. Straż (The Guard) becomes the official church newspaper.
4. Election of a Great Church Council of clergy and laity.
5. A Church Constitution for the Church is adopted, providing for Synods and a Great Church Council.
If you are interested in learning the complete history of The PNCC, select this link to the official historical timeline.
St. Stanislaus Cathedral
Fr. Franciszek Hodur
The History of Sacred Heart Parish
The Polish people who formed Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Minneapolis held their first meeting in January of 1914. At their meeting, they elected Max Snigielski as the first chairman of the newly elected parish committee. The decision was made to purchase land for the building of a church and soon after land was secured on Fifth Street North East.
The first Mass celebrated by the newly organized parish took place in March of 1914. By September of 1914 the newly constructed church was ready for dedication. On September 14th, 1914 the Reverend Joseph Plaga of All Saints Parish in Chicago, delegated by Bishop Franciszek Hodur, blessed the new Sacred Heart of Jesus Church.
At the parish’s beginning three groups came in being: the Ladies’ Altar Society, the Choir, and the Polish School.
Original site of Sacred Heart Parish