A festive celebration banquet, with special guests and honoured members, marked Regina’s St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church and parish’s 85th Anniversary. The theme for the celebration was: Honoring our past, Celebrating the present, Hoping & entrusting our future to Jesus Christ!
The year of special celebration began on November 1, 2015 in commemoration of the efforts taken in November 1930 by Father Anthony J. Gocki. Father Gocki was called at that time from Candiac by the Archbishop of Regina to discern the possibility of establishing a parish for the Polish speaking Catholics in the city. His apostolic zeal and pastoral experience helped him to form a community with 127 addresses. On February 14, 1931, the construction of the church began at Atkinson and 15th Avenue and on March 2, 1931, Archbishop James McGuigan signed the Decree Erecting St. Anthony’s Parish.
Those events were mentioned during a special evening banquet celebration held on Saturday, April 30, 2016, at St. Anthony’s Parish Hall on Winnipeg Street. Those gathered were mostly parishioners and friends of St. Anthony’s. A special greeting was proclaimed by the Very Reverend Lorne Crozon, Diocesan Administrator, who was placed in the position after the recent death of our beloved Archbishop Daniel Bohan.
The evening was conducted in English and Polish by members of the Parish Council, Elena Markowicz-Troy and Dorota Kowal. They introduced other significant guests of the evening, including the Very Rev. Mieczysław Burdzy, OMI, Vicar Forane and the Pastor of St. Henry’s Parish in Melville, SK. People also cordially greeted 92 year-old Sister Mary Martin Zywina whom, at the age of 7, witnessed the turning of the sod at the location for the future church of St. Anthony’s. Sister is very special in the history of St. Anthony’s Church, for she was the first vocation from the parish to religious life. Ted Stawarz was also recognized. In 1932, he was baptised at St. Anthony’s and has been a long-time devotee and participant of the yearly 13 Tuesdays Devotion. The devotions have been held at the church unceasingly since 1933.
Then Elena, Dorota and Father Stanislaw Poszwa, S.Ch., the current pastor at St. Anthony’s, introduced every family and participant to the 110 plus gathered at the reception. Most notable special guests were Father Marian Ogórek, S.Ch., the former pastor of St. Anthony’s, Mr. John Findura, a parishioner who is also a member of the City Council and Mr. Daniel Smela, President of the Polish Canadian Cultural Club.
After the dinner Fr. Mieczyslaw Burdzy, OMI, spoke on the topic “St. Anthony: Example, Inspiration, Help.” Speaking on the mission of the parish and the 85th anniversary, he invited those present “to look at heroes with the name of Anthony, that have been part of this parish journey directly or indirectly” – St. Anthony of Padua, the founding pastor; Rev. Monsignor Anthony J. Gocki, pastor for 43 years; Rev. Antoni Sylla, OMI, a missionary to the Polish community in Regina before the parish was established; and Antoni Kowalczyk, a lay brother of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate who served in Western Canada and has been recognized by the Church for his heroic virtues. His cause has been under study by the Holy See since 1979. “All four,” stressed Fr. Burdzy, “represent the values that this parish, its pastors, and its parishioners live by, sharing God’s Mercy through the corporal and spiritual acts of Mercy, while fulfilling their vocations in the Canadian church and environment.” Fr. Burdzy mentioned all pastors: Anthony Gocki, Eugene Lukasik, Mieczyslaw Wecki, Peter Klita, Stanislaw Moszkowicz, Stanislaw Ignatiuk, Jozef Calik, S.Chr., Mieczyslaw Szwej, S.Chr., Jerzy Frydrych, S.Chr., Marian Ogorek, S.Chr., and the current pastor, Stanislaw Poszwa, S.Chr.
Father Stanislaw then presented as a PowerPoint: From the History of the Polish and St. Anthony’s Community: Pictures and Documents. This presentation helped all present to better understand and give recognition to the many faithful parishioners, past and present, who gathered for their faith, commitment, sacrifices and respect for tradition and the Christian culture at St. Anthony’s.
The displays, especially old pictures, documents and newspaper articles that told the storied history of the Polish community and St. Anthony’s church, were arranged by Jola Troy and Father Stanislaw.
A powerful and very moving video presentation, created by Jola Troy, was shown: St. Anthony’s Church and Parish. Jola, one of the young parishioners, chose to research the history of the parish as part of a school Heritage Fair project. Jola was one among a few from her school who were selected to participate in the Regional Youth Heritage Fair in 2014. There, her research on St. Anthony’s parish allowed her to win the award for “Making the Connection between Historical Conservation and Quality of Life.” Later, she was also chosen as one of six students in Saskatchewan to participate in a national video contest on her topic. In her video, she interviewed Sister Mary Martin, who stated, “From the blessing of the ground to the top of the church steeple, this church will continue to be a beacon of faith for years to come. I am very proud to have been a founding member of this parish.”
For every guest of the anniversary celebration, especially all parishioners and friends of St. Anthony’s, Certificates of Recognition were prepared and signed by Christopher Borowski, president of the parish council and Fr. Stanislaw.
Door prizes were awarded to: Izabela and Grzegorz Tomczyk, Emila Kaluza and Adam Rybak. At the end of the celebration, all were invited to be a part of a momentous 85th anniversary photo by Henry Godnitz.
A special thanks to the Organizing committee: Christopher Borowski, Ryszard Zabron, Elena Markowicz–Troy, Emila Kaluza, Dorota Kowal, Urszula Zabron, Teresa Harris and Rev. Stanislaw Poszwa, S.Ch., for the work in creating the ambience to share this exceptional evening with the founding members of the parish and their descendants, with those who came to Canada after WW II, in the 1960’s and 1970s, the large group of immigrants after the Solidarity movement in Poland and now a recent wave of newcomers as job contractors, to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the St. Anthony’s Church and Parish in Regina.
Pictures by Henry Godnitz
