Reverend Marek Bożek

In honor of Saint Blaise, the patron saint of people with throat illnesses, we will hold a special blessing of throats at both the Saturday and Sunday Masses. All those with throat disorders, or anyone who wishes to avoid getting such a malady, are invited to participate in this rite, whereby the priest touches the throats of the faithful with two crossed candles while invoking the prayer of the Saint and imparts God’s blessing.

On Saturday or Sunday following the Valentine’s Day we invite you to “drag” your wife, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, partner or significant other to church for Mass! Make him or her sit right next to you, maybe even hold your hand for a second or two!  During each Mass on February 18-19 weekend there will be a special time to renew your vows, or - if you have never said them out loud - to use the “L” word at church for the very first time :-) It might be your best Valentine Day gift ever!

The Zapusty Dinner is a Polish version of the famous “Mardi Gras” celebrations. In Poland sometimes it is also called “Fat Thursday”, for it was celebrated as the last Thursday before Lent - the last chance to dance and be merry before fast. The most desirable food on this day is “pączki”, a special kind of donut filled with fruit jelly. In our church in addition to pączkis we will serve Italian Sausage, cheese tortellini, salad, bread and desert, all for $8.00 per person.

The season of Lent, in which we prepare for the celebrations of Jesus’ death and resurrection, starts on Wednesday, February 22nd. As a sign of penitential character of those forty days, the foreheads of the faithful are signed with ashes. In our church this will be done during the 7:00 p.m. Mass. We  encourage all Parishioners to attend this poignant ceremony.

Our Singles and Widows/Widowers Ministry is inviting all interested for another outing, this time at  Friendly's Bar & Grill  (3503 Roger Place ). It is said that they  serve the best fried chicken, but we would also be able to order from the menu. Let’s meet at 12:30 p.m. at the church parking lot and enjoy each other’s company while making our taste buds happy!

This year, as a part of our preparations for Easter we invite our parishioners, especially our lady parishioners, to consider joining us for a new kind of activity: Easter Bonnet Making Party! The Easter bonnet, as part of the new clothing on Easter symbolizes the end of the dreary winter and the beginning of the fresh, new spring. At the turn of the century it was popular for families to stroll to church and home again to show off their "Sunday best". On Sunday, March 25th we will gather in the small room of the Polish Heritage Center at 10:15 a.m. to prepare our very special Easter bonnets - please bring your own materials and tools. Of course, we will wear our creations to one of the Easter Masses!

We encourage all Parishioners to prepare themselves spiritually for Easter by celebrating the Sacrament of Penance. Every Saturday there is an opportunity for  confession from 3:00 p.m. until 3:45 p.m. Additionally on Friday, March 30th there will be several priests listening to confessions from 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. At 7:00 p.m. a Communal Penance Service will be celebrated along with the Stations of the Cross. At the end of that service, General Absolution will be offered to all present, as an alternative to individual confession.

We are very excited to announce another spectacular Parish Trip in Spring of 2013! (end of April - beginning of May) This time we will visit three central-European countries: Austria, Czech Republic and Poland. In twelve days we will discover all the most important sites in Vienna, Prague and Krakow. Of course, we will also pray at the Shrine of Black Madonna in Czestochowa and visit amazing town of Zakopane in Polish Tatra mountains. Estimated cost of the trip is below $3500.00 per person. All the preparations have begun and we are ready to officially start the sign up list. Please, contact the rectory (314.421.5948 or office@stanislauskostka.com) if you would like to join us on this magical trip!

Our parish is offering an adult Bible Study for anybody interested in deepening their knowledge of the sacred scriptures and thus growing in faith. We meet every Saturday after the 4:00 p.m. Mass, usually about 5:15 p.m. at the rectory. Meetings last no longer than one hour and anybody can join at any given week. At this time we are reflecting on the Book of Genesis.

In response to a request made by a group of Parishioners we are establishing Polish Conversation Club. We invite all who would like to improve their Polish vocabulary and conversational skills to join us every Thursday in the rectory at 12:15p.m. Bring your lunch and we will read together an article in Polish from a Catholic weekly magazine “Tygodnik Powszechny” and discuss together its content while having lunch with a group of friends and Parishioners. This group will be especially helpful to all who used to speak Polish when they were younger but by now have a difficult time holding a conversation in this language. No grades and no pressure to perform!