St. Martin St. Rose PNCC San Antonio Texas

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St. Martin St. Rose News

Pastor's Letter, February 2012

Bishop Thaddeus Peplowski of the Buffalo-Pittsburgh Diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC), in consultation and agreement with Prime Bishop Anthony Mikosvky, has bestowed upon the parishes in the State of Texas the right to be a Seniorate. As a Seniorate we are recognized as parishes working in unison under the one banner of the PNCC, and in the mission of the Buffalo-Pittsburgh Diocese in the State of Texas. The actual establishment of said Seniorate (or Deanery) will take place on Saturday, February 18 after the Confirmation Mass that the Bishop will celebrate with all the priests of the Seniorate at St. Martin and St. Rose Parish at 5:00 p..m.. We want to thank Bishop Peplowski for the great honor he is bestowing upon us all, and we ask all to pray for our parishes in Texas. St. Martin and St. Rose parishioners are preparing for these events (the Confirmations and the establishment of the Seniorate), and we ask that all the PNCC parishes and priests be present for this celebration. Please contact our Sister Aurora Rivas (SM), or Ms. Delma Manka, if you wish to help in any fashion. On a similar note, Bishop Peplowski plans to visit and do Confirmations at the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary PNCC Parish in Dallas, Texas. After that he will travel to San Antonio for Confirmations and the Seniorate on Saturday, February 18, and then on Sunday, February 19, he will visit Annunciation of the BVM Parish also in San Antonio. He will return to Buffalo, New York, on Monday, February 20.

Prayers: In thanksgiving for the recovery/healing of Rev. Mr. Benigno Pardo in Houston, Texas, and who will be with us when the Bishop visits. We continue to pray for Raymond Ortiz, Louis and Socorro Ortiz, Mr. Antonio Riera as he recovers from his surgery also, and for the newly elected parish committee that will be blessed during our coming celebrations. For the continued healing of Lourdes Marrero. In thanksgiving to Dr. Guali Marrero and his family, Father Rafael Ruiz and his family, for their support and encouragement. For Dora, Albert and Jacob Perez for their helping out in designing the invitation for the Confirmations and the establishment of the Texas Seniorate. For all those who continually help in cleaning and fixing things around the properties of our parish, especially the Ortiz family, the Chavez family, our Sisters Elsa Vielman (SM), Letty Sanchez (SM), Lillian Riera(SM), our Brother Fred Hernandez (SM), and all those who quietly do things for us all.

We received news that a couple of individuals continue to claim that they are clergy of the PNCC in Dallas. One claims that he is still a PNCC priest, and the other is a self proclaimed “deacon.” This came to the attention of the PNCC authorities, and a disclaimer was presented to a TV station in Dallas about the priest.. Many of you saw the report that clearly states that the priest has been deposed from PNCC. The so called “deacon” was never ordained in the PNCC nor did he ever complete seminary training within the PNCC. Please be aware of these claims, and also that those who have chosen to follow them have also been expulsed from the PNCC. The only PNCC parish we have in Dallas is the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and the administrator appointed by our Bishop has been Father Oscar Castillo.
Hoping to see some of you at the Confirmations and the establishment of the Texas Seniorate,

Father Augustin, SMOP

About our Parish

St. Martin & St. Rose

Our Parish invites you to worship with us on Sundays and during the week. We are almost at the corner of Nogalitos and Theo in the southwest of San Antonio. Join our small community of Catholics seeking to keep our faith alive!

St. Martin and St. Rose Catholic Church is a Parish of the Buffalo-Pittsburgh Diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church , established in 1897 by Bishop Francis Hodur for Polish nationals, and became known as the Polish National Catholic Church. Our parish in San Antonio was established by the religious community of the Samaritan Ministers, Missionaries and Oblates of Prayer to serve the many needs of our Hispanic population.

Our faith and tradition is Catholic, and our Church, along with the Roman Catholic Church, mutually recognize the validity of all the seven Sacraments. Our Masses (Eucharistic Celebrations) are in English and Spanish (and in Latin when requested). All our rituals are the same as in the Roman Catholic Church.

We believe in small basic Christian communities, we pray the rosary, have novenas and benedictions. We receive the Holy Eucharist under both species and the people are free to kneel or stand to receive the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have great devotion and respect for Our Lady, the Blessed Mother of Our Lord Jesus, and to the saints who have modeled for us how to live the Christian Life.

As a jurisdiction we accept married men to the priesthood, married priests from apostolic churches to the priesthood, and married priests may also become bishops. We are under the administration of a Prime Bishop, with Church headquarters in Scranton, PA. We have five dioceses in the U. S. and Canada, with numerous parishes. We also have parishes in Norway and in Italy.

History of St. Martin & St. Rose Parish PNCC

The origin of St. Martin and St. Rose Parish goes back to November 3, 1981 when a group of Roman Catholic laity, together with Reverend R. Augustin Sicard (an ex-Marianist), began a group of consecrated individuals. This group became known as the Samaritan Ministers and Missionaries, organized in honor of St. Martin de Porres and St. Rose of Lima, two Peruvian Dominican religious. The first establishment was on northwest San Antonio. By 1990 they had outgrown their place, and began a search for a larger place. At that time Father had been working with Father Rafael Ruiz at Lutheran General Hospital. Together with Father Celestino Treviño, an ex-Franciscan, they began to dialogue with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) for a Church. In 1993 ELCA vacated a property in southwest San Antonio and asked us to look at the site. Within that same month, a group of the parish committee got together and made arrangements to see the site. In May of 1994 we agreed to move forward with the purchase of the property, which included the Church building, a rectory apartment, and a hall. The 25 years note on the mortgage was carried by ELCA.

During the same period of time in 1994, the parish committee had begun dialogue with Bishop Thaddeus Peplowski for possible incorporation with the Polish National Catholic Church. Between 1972 and 1981, Father had worked with PNCC members in Toronto, Canada, and had made a previous attempt at dialogue with Prime Bishop Francis Rowinski. This dialogue was never completed, and it was not until 1995 that direct contact was made with the Bishop Ordinary of the Buffalo-Pittsburgh Diocese. Bishop Peplowski set up a number of meetings, and in June of 1996 St. Martin and St. Rose was officially established as a parish of the PNCC. From 1994 to 2005 mortgage payments were made to ELCA, but in 2005 they forgave our mortgage and allowed us to keep the parish and hall at the price of the payments already made.

The Samaritan Missionaries have made contact with a number of Roman Catholic diocesan priests in Mexico, and has helped establish three (3) parishes in the name of St. Martin and St. Rose Parish. These parish are now named: St. Rose of Lima, Immaculate Heart of Mary, and Holy Cross. Many donations have been made of monies and property goods for these establishments, and a number of missionary trips have been made on behalf of St. Martin and St. Rose Parish.

PARISH COMMITTEE
Chair: Aurora Rivas, SM
Vice-Chair: Elsa Vielman
Recording Secretary: Delma Manka
Treasurer: Dolores Chavez
Financial Secretary: Lillian Riera, SM

DIRECTORS:
School of Christian Living: Ivonne Gutierrez, assisted by Gina Agee
Property Manager: Louis Ortiz, assisted by George Chavez
Hall Manager: Herlinda Estrada
Music Director: Dora Perez, assisted by Albert Perez
Fundraising: Letty Sanchez, SM

SAMARITAN MISSIONARIES
Aurora Rosemary Hernandez, (SM)
Federico San Miguel Hernandez, (SM)
Reverend R. Augustin Sicard, (SMOP)
Socorro Catarina Ortiz, (SM)
Lillian Margarita Riera, (SM)
Leticia Guadalupe Sanchez, (SM)
Teresita Vielman, (SM)

Download the
2008 Declaration of Scranton
in PDF format

Joint Declaration on Unity

The Joint Declaration on Unity is an effort by the Polish National Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic Church to mutually recognize the unity in faith and morals in the Body of Chirst. This process has brought us to look at what unites us, rather than what separates us. We mutually accept the validity of all of the sacraments, the dogmas of the first seven Ecumenical Councils, and the teachings that has been handed down since the Apostles… If read carefully one will see that the effort to find the common ground has been very fruitful, and it continues as we move to unity in diversity. The difference between the two bodies is simply adminitrative, but not in matters of faith and morals.

The Roman Catholic-Polish National Catholic Dialogue Joint Declaration on Unity

Email St. Martin & St. Rose

Please email us at: smsrpncc@gmail.com or you can use the email form below.

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