Dear Parishioners:
Last Sunday, I was invited to attend a ceremony at Moravian Hall for the dedication of a historical marker commemorating the Moravian Club of Nueces County. The Moravian Club was established in 1923 as a social and fraternal club for those of Czech heritage.
Stepping through the doors of Moravian Hall brought back many good memories of dances, BBQ’s, family gatherings, weddings, and lots of other celebrations I had attended there throughout the years. Having a Czech background, I have grown to appreciate the music and the food associated with the culture that has been so much a part of my life.
Standing in the building evoked many strong sentiments within me. I could almost hear the “oompah” music in my mind. Polka is in my blood. Whenever it starts up, my feet take on a life of their own. No, they don’t carry my body out onto the dance floor! That would be an interesting sight to see (and not a good one at that)! But involuntarily they just start tapping to the beat of the music.
While mingling with the folks who came for the celebration, I couldn’t help but eye the baked kolaches at the other end of the room. Growing up with a Czech mother and grandmother, kolaches were just about as critical to survival as were bread and water! Recognizing that I had already eaten too much that day, the kolaches were definitely tempting, but I chose to drink a little “pivo” (that’s a Czech word for a certain beverage of the alcoholic kind) instead. As I chatted with people in line for food, I tried to recall all the Czech expressions I know like “yak se mas” (“how are you”) and a word that every Czech kid learns - “pupek” (“belly button”).
Knowing one’s culture and heritage is a good thing. It gives a person a sense of groundedness, but it also colors one’s way of approaching God. Pope John Paul II stressed the importance of identifying oneself with one’s culture. Culture shapes and forms who we are and also the outlook that we have on the world. It is a very powerful thing.
As Catholics, we come from an infinite variety of cultures and backgrounds, but we also have a specific Catholic culture that shapes and forms us in our beliefs. It is important that we strive to maintain our Catholic cultural practices so that we keep alive the richness of our Faith and cement the mysteries of salvation within us.
During this Lenten season, I encourage you to join me in Catholic devotional practices like the Stations of the Cross, abstaining from meat on Fridays, the recitation of the rosary as a family, confession, or any other prayers that intimately connect us to the life of our Lord. In doing so, we will not only be celebrating our Catholic culture, but handing it on for future generations as well. God bless!
Fr. Paul
