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125 Centennial Parkway North, Hamilton, Ontario, L8E 1H8, Canada |
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Tel: 905-561-5971, Fax: 905-561-5109, Hall rentals: 905-518-6159 |
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Fr. Drago Gacnik, SDB, župnik - Parish Pastor |
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Vestnik and Events for the year 2021 |
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Vestnik 2021
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Vestnik 2020
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Obituaries for the Year 2021
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OPENING OF THE CHURCH |
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On Friday, June 11, 2021, the feast of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, |
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we are allowed to open our churches for public Masses with 15% of the capacity. |
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For us this means 60 people in the church. |
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Friday, June 11 - Mass at 7:00 p.m. |
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Saturday, June 12 - Mass at 5:30 p.m. |
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Sunday, June 13 - Mass at 10:00 a.m. |
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Fr. Drago |
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V priponki so oznanila za nedeljo, 31. januarja 2021. |
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Fr. Drago |
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P.s.
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Community working together! |
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A reminder to anyone with a business, talent or skill - send us your information including details of what you do, the area you set is and contact information and we will share these details with our parish members. It is times like these that we can come together and support one another. |
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Heidy Novak |
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From: Father Drago.Gacnik@gmail.com
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| Subject: Community Working Together |
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| To: drago.gacnik@gmail.com |
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To our parish and community members,
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St. Gregory the Great Parish would like to participate in connecting our members with one another to help out during these challenging times! |
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Please open the attachment for information on how we would like to assist with the sharing of various skill sets within our community. |
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We look forward to working together and supporting one another during these times. |
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If you have any ideas on what more we can do to alleviate stress during COVID, please let us know! |
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Sincerely, |
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St. Gregory the Great Slovenian Church |
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Zupnijski Svet / Parish Council |
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Diocese of Hamilton - Updated Directives re COVID-19
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Events for the year 2016 |
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50 let zgodovine naše župnije |
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Vestnik 40 - 2016 |
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Predstavitev knjige: |
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Zlati jubilej župnije sv. Gregorija Velikega |
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(1964-2014) |
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Predstavitev bo imel avtor knjige, |
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g.Bogdan Kolar, Phd |
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Prešernov vecer v Torontu - February 20, 2016
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"a recital of Prešeren's Uvod v Krst pri Savici" |
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The Men's choir of St. Gregory the Great Slovenian Church, Hamilton, Ontario: |
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"Kje je moj mili dom", "Hišica draga domaca" in "Slovenec sem" |
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Father Drago is leading the choir |
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Dancing group |
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Sledila je tocka pianistke Nastasie Zibrat |
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Children's choir from Toronto |
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Slovenian Ambassador from Ottawa - Dr. Marjan Cencen |
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(Nekaj slik od sobotnega praznovanja Pršernovega dne. Fr. Drago) |
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At the dawn of St. Gregory's 50th Anniversary - June 22, 2014 |
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“MLAJ” made Slovenian Day really Slovenian. (Father Drago) |
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It is a Slovenian tradition to raise a decorated “mlaj” on all important events. |
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(courtesy of Olga Glavac, June 29, 2014)
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(courtesy of Father Drago, June 29, 2014)
(courtesy of Father Drago, June 29, 2014)
(courtesy of Father Drago, June 29, 2014)
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| (courtesy of Father Drago, June 29, 2014) |
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| (courtesy of Olga Glavac, June 29, 2014) |
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| Olga Glavac: Church Decoration, Venci, Mlaj - (courtesy of Olga Glavac, June 29, 2014) |
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First Communion and Confirmation - 2014 |
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in the light of SLOVENSKA ZUPNIJA SV. GREGORIJA VELIKEGA 50th Anniversary |
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They are beautiful arrangements, constructed with love and care by Olga. |
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Olga is a member of the Slomšek Altar Society. (courtesy of Olga Glavac, June 1, 2014)
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(courtesy of Olga Glavac, June 1, 2014) |
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(courtesy of Olga Glavac, June 1, 2014) |
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(courtesy of Olga Glavac, June 1, 2014) |
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(courtesy of Olga Glavac, June 1, 2014) |
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(courtesy of Olga Glavac, June 1, 2014) |
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| +Ivan Dobršek SDB (1911-2010) |
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Hamilton (Kanada), 22. avgust 2010 |
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Duhovnik Ivan Dobršek |
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| V Hamiltonu je na Gospodov dan, na god Device Marije Kraljice, v Gospodu mirno zaspal salezijanski duhovnik Ivan Dobršek (1911-2010), le nekaj dni prej, ko bi dopolnil 99 let ivljenja. Vecino svojega ivljenja in duhovniškega sluenja je rajni sobrat Ivan posvetil slovenskim rojakom po svetu. |
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Father Gacnik and Father Dobršek |
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| Med Slovence v Hamilton je prišel decembra 1970. Pred tem je deloval v Italiji, vec let med begunci v razlicnih taborišcih, nazadnje pa med gojenci salezijanskega zavoda na Opcinah pri Trstu. V Hamiltonu se je z navdušenjem in mnogimi talenti vkljucil v ivljenje slovenske cerkvene skupnosti in veliko pozornosti namenjal tudi kulturnim dejavnostim. Pod njegovim vodstvom se je razmahnilo delo slovenske upnijske šole, v kateri je tudi on sprva pouceval. upnijo sv. Gregorija Velikega je vodil do leta 1978, ko jo je predal v mlajše roke. Še dolgo potem pa je imel skrb za bolne in starejše farane, s katerimi je ohranjal redne stike. |
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| Njegova doba velja v zgodovini upnije za cas utrjevanja skupnosti in skupnega dela. V tem casu se je povecalo število slovenskih druin, ki so postale stalne obiskovalke slovenske cerkve. |
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| Zupnijsko obcestvo sv. Gregorija se je v letu 1996 veselilo 50-letnice njegovega mašništva, v decembru 2000 je slovesno praznovalo 30-letnico njegovega delovanja v njegovi sredi. Leto 2006 pa je prineslo slavje njegovega bisernega duhovniškega jubileja. |
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| Zadnji dve leti ivljenja, ko so ga moci pocasi zapušcale, je preivel v domu za starejše "Clarion" v Hamiltonu, ob ljubeci bratski skrbi upnika Draga Gacnika, portvovalnem osebju in pogostih obiskih upljanov od sv. Gregorija. |
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| Rajni sobrat Ivan bo pokopan v sredo 25. avgusta 2010 na pokopališcu Gates of Heaven, kjer e pociva pokojni sobrat Stanko Ceglar in vec drugih slovenskih rojakov. |
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| St. Gregory the Great Slovenian Church |
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| 125 Centennial Parkway North, Hamilton, Ontario, L8E 1H8, Canada |
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| Tel: 905-561-5971, Fax: 905-561-5109, Hall rentals: 905-518-6159 |
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| Fr. Drago Gacnik, SDB, župnik - Pastor |
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| St. Gregory the Great Slovenian Church - Hamilton, Ontario |
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| Interior of St. Gregory the Great Slovenian Church, Hamilton, Ontario |
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| Gospod škof dr. Marjan Turnšek and Drago Gacnik, SDB, župnik |
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| St. Gregory's Church, Administration and Hall |
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| Father Drago Gacnik at the cross on Mangart Mountain |
(http://www.skofija-sobota.si/slo/novica.php?id_novice=135)
The Voice of Canadian Slovenians
Bozicni utrip iz Hamiltona (Radio Ognjišce)
Thank you letter to Vestnik:
11/13/2011 3:21 PM
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| I recently discovered your wonderful web site and would like to thank you so much for hosting for Sveti Gregory Church Bulletins on the site. This has been a means for me to reconnect with this Church as my father was one of the founding members and contributed to the building, fundraising, etc, of this church during its early years. I also had my first communion there in 1965 and went to the first Slovenian school there - although I am still learning the language. |
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| Your site is also a great source of information regarding Slovenia, my father's country of origin. When he died in 1997, I promised that I would get there to visit the relatives on his side of the family that I had never met and was fortunate to do this in 2003. What a beautiful country!! My wife & I plan to go back in the near future and your web site will certainly help me understand even more of this country's history and origins. |
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Past Events
Former Parish Priests
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Rev. Kennedy Saldanha |
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Rev. Okorn Stane |
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Rev. Dr. Jože Bajzek |
Deceased Parish Priests
V spomin: (In memory of)
Zgodovina slovenske cerkve St. Gregory the Great
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Janez Bosko |
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Dominik Savijo |
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| Trojno praznovanje v Hamiltonu |
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| V slovenski upniji svetega Gregorija Velikega so imeli 31. maja 2009 trojno praznovanje. Praznovali so binkoštni praznik, poleg tega še prvo sveto obhajilo in srebrno mašo dušnega pastirja Draga Gacnika. Z njim smo se tudi pogovarjali za tokratno oddajo. |
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| Majnik, mesec cvetja in šmarnic, je bil letos v pripravah na trojno praznovanje v naši upniji. Zadnja nedelja v maju je vsako leto izreden dogodek za prvoobhajance - letos so bili štirje - in njihove starše. V sveem, cistem soncnem jutru so se upljani od blizu in dalec zbrali ob kipu Marije Pomocnice, ki stoji ob naši dvorani. Zaceli smo s skupinsko sliko. Po pesmi in molitvi, v kateri smo se izrocili Mariji, so prvoobhajanci pred Marijin kip poloili šopek ro. Nato smo se ob Marijini pesmi v procesiji podali v cerkev. clanice oltarnega društva, z gospo Olgo Glavac, ki vodila krašenje, so se zavzele in okrasile cerkev z spletenimi venci in belimi in rdecimi roami. |
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| Slovesnosti so se pridruili: naš starosta, skoraj 98-letnik, g. Ivan Dobršek, iz kanadske salezijanske skupnosti v Torontu pa pridigar g. Frank Kelly in brat pomocnik Bernie Dube. Med pridigo se je duhovito dotaknil vseh treh delov praznovanja. Pri bogosluju so sodelovali prvoobhajanci, njihovi starši in domaci pevski zbori. Ob koncu sv. maše so zadonele litanije Matere Boje z odpevi, ki jih je vodil moški zbor Majolka. Obenem je bila to prilika, da so vsi navzoci lahko zapeli, kar našim rojakom veliko pomeni, saj jih spominja na njihova mlada leta. |
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| Prvoobhajancem sem podelil spominke, nato je predsednik upnijskega sveta, Mirko Zorko spregovoril nekaj besed, predstavniki mlajše in starejše plesne skupine Soca pa so mi izrocili šopek s 25 nageljni, verigo iz paprija /na vsakem clenku verige so najmlajši napisali, koliko bodo zmolili za srebrnomašnika/ in darilo zupnijskihh organizacij. Zbor je zakljucil sveto mašo s pesmijo: O Marija, ti pomagaj nam... Vsak pa je ob izhodu iz cerkev prejel spominsko podobico z motivi iz naše cerkve. |
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| V tem ozracju se je nadaljevalo druabno praznovanje v naši zupnijski dvorani. Da je vsak dobil mesto pri mizi sta poskrbeli Terezija Sarjaš in Joica Vegelj. V dvorani se nas je zbralo okrog 400. e v petek in soboto so clani upnijskega sveta pripravljali in okrasili dvorano. Med kosilom so si lahko na platnu ogledali slike, ki jih je Tony Horvat zbral, nekaj iz moje mladosti ostalo pa iz skoraj 6-tih let dela v tukajšnji upniji. |
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| Glavno teo priprave kosila je nosila naša faranka Marija Bukvic in njene pomocnice v kuhinji, mladi pa so postregli hrano na mize. Po kosilu sta predsednik upnijskega sveta Mirko Zorko v slovenskem in podpredsednik Roman Štadler v angleškem jeziku nagovorila vse navzoce. |
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| Poleg faranov in društev iz Hamiltona: društvo sv. Joefa, Oltarno društvo in Katoliška enska zveza, so bili še predstavniki drugih društev iz junega Ontarija: Lipa Park-St. Catharines, Bled-Beamsville, Slovenski park-Cambridge, Sava-Kitchener, Triglav-London. V Londonu smo praznovali e prejšnjo nedeljo, ker je bila tam sveta maša. Skupaj s zupnijskimimi organizacijami so mi izbrani posebno darilo, potovanje v Sveto deelo. Nato sem spregovorit tudi sam in v kratkih stavkih orisal mojih 25 let duhovniškega delovanja in zakljucil, da je mojim novomašnim geslom: “Vse premorem v Njem, ki mi daje moc”. |
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| Nikoli prej si nisem predstavljal, da me bo duhovniška pot kdaj zanesla med rojake v Kanado, ampak boja pota so zanimiva. Praznovanje smo zakljucili s pesmijo moškega in mešanega zbora in seveda nazdravili ob torti. Naj se še tukaj zahvalim vsem clanom upnijskega sveta in vsem, ki so se slovesnosti udeleili za vse delo, ki so ga imeli pri pripravah praznovanja, naj jim Bog stoterno povrne. |
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| besedilo in foto: Drago Gacnik |
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| MARIJA POMOCNICA RAKOVNIK |
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| "Storite, kar morete, Bog bo storil to, cesar mi ne moremo storiti. Vse zaupajte Jezusu Kristusu v Najsvetejšem zakramentu in Mariji Pomocnici, pa boste videli, kaj so cudeži!" sv. Janez Bosko |
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HVALA TI, JANEZ PAVEL VELIK!
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DOBRODOŠEL, NAŠ PASTIR!
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Molitev za Duhovne Poklice
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Ne bojte se Kristusa!
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Božji Sin, ki te je Oce poslal ljudem vseh casov
in k ljudem na vseh koncih zemlje!
Priporocamo se ti po Mariji, tvoji in naši Materi:
daj, da v Cerkvi ne bo primanjkovalo poklicev,
zlasti tistih, ki se posebej posvecajo Tvojemu kraljestvu.
Jezus, edini clovekov Odrešenik!
Prosimo te za svoje brate in sestre,
ki so pritrdilno odgovorili na tvoj klic v duhovništvo,
v posveceno življenje in v misijone.
Daj, da se bo njihovo življenje prenavljalo dan za dnem
in postalo živ evangelij.
Usmiljeni in sveti Gospod,
še naprej pošiljaj nove delavce
na žetev v svojem kraljestvu!
Pomagaj tistim, ki jih klices,
naj hodijo za teboj v tem našem casu:
Daj, da bodo, zazrti v tvoj obraz,
z veseljem odgovarjali na cudovito poslanstvo,
ki si jim ga zaupal v blagor svojega ljudstva in vseh ljudi.
Ti, ki si Bog in z Ocetom in Svetim Duhorn
živiš in kraljuješ vekomaj. Amen.
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papež Janez Pavel II. |
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molitveni dan za duhovne poklice 2004 |
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Mi živimo, da bi ljudem pokazali Boga.
Samo tam, kjer je videti Boga, se zares zacne življenje.
Samo kadar v Kristusu srecamo živega Boga,
spoznamo, kaj je življenje.
Nismo slucajni in brezsmiselni produkt evolucije.
Vsak od nas je sad Božje misli.
Vsak od nas je hoten, vsakdo je ljubljen, vsakdo je potreben.
Nic lepšega ni kot to, da ga spoznamo
in drugim posredujemo prijateljstvo z njim.
Kdor sprejme Kristusa, ne izgubi nicesat,
prav nicesar od tistega, kar osvobaja življenje,
kar ga olepša in povelica. Ne!
Samo v tem prijateljstvu se na stežaj odpro vrata življenja.
Samo v tem prijateljstvu se resnicno sprostijo
velike možnost cloveškega bivanja.
Samo v tem prijateljstvu izkušamo tisto,
kar je lepo in kar osvobaja.
Na vso moc in kar se da prepricljivo vam želim reci:
Ne bojte se Kristusa! Ne jemlje nicesar, daje pa vse.
Kdor se njemu izroci, prejme stoterno.
Da, odprite, na stežaj odprite vrata Kristusu -
in našli boste pravo življenje.
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papež Benedikt XVI. |
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iz pridige v nedeljo 24. aprila 2005 |
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Spectacular Slovenia
From Prekmurje to the cruise on the Adriatic Sea
by Darinka Ferletic - Principal
Slovenian International Language School
Pictures are courtesy of Dr. Jožko Šavli
The title echoes the feelings of all of us who took part in the Slovenian school excursion of Slovenija this past summer. We all came back with unforgettable memories. The children and adults who were in Slovenia for the first time, could not believe how beautiful and picturesque it is, how friendly and hospitable are its people. We saw places that we studied about and many more that we had only seen in pictures or heard about.
Beltinci Manor
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Top right: Azure, a leaf crown Or, mounted with two natural antlers portraying six tines each, in the centre a pendent cross Argent (Zichy).
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Bottom right: Azure, a bleeding, cut Tartar head with turned-up moustache; his head is
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covered with a cap Gules trimmed with fur (Csàky). |
Our excursion began in Prekmurje with a look at an old windmill on the river Mura, saw the city of Murska Sobota and its surrounding area, took a tour of the famous Mura textile and clothing plant. In the castle of Beltinci, we were greeted by some school children, who played old Slovenian instruments for us, recited poetry and invited us to dance with them. In Velika Polona, we had a chance to tour an elementary school and meet its teachers and went to see the birthplace of a Slovenian poet, Miško Kranjec. We ended the tour of Prekmurje with a wonderful day at the famous health spa, Moravske Toplice - Terme 3000.
Castle Ptuj
The most remarkable of all Slovenian castles
Castle Ptuj and the arms of its owners.
On the right are presented the three arms of the Seigniors of Ptuj
Bottom, from left to right present the arms of the families:
Eggenberg, Tannhausen, Leslie and Herberstein
We made our way to Maribor, the second largest city of Slovenia, by way of Ljutomer and Ormož. From Maribor, we went to tour the castle of Ptuj, situated on a hill, in the middle of the oldest Slovenian city of Ptuj and attended Mass at Ptujska Gora in a famous pilgrimage church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, which dates back to the 14th century. Again the day ended with swimming in the health spa, Terme Ptuj.
In the Gothic era other types of Mary images were widespread in Slovenian lands. The most famous among them is the well-known relief of "St. Mary with protective covering" (Schutzmantelmadonna), which is found in the pilgrimage church of Crna gora or Ptujska gora (Maria Neustift) near Ptuj, Styria. The noble family of Ptuj (Pettau) and their relatives the Counts of Celje (Cilli) founded the church in ca. 1400. The relief origins from ca. 1430.
The oldest grape vine in Europe
400 year old grape vine, "stara trta", located on Lent in Maribor
The next day, we went on a walking tour of Maribor. We saw its cathedral, the tomb of Anton Martin Slomšek, a grape vine, which is over 400 years old and still produces wine yearly, located on Lent by the river Drava and the city centre. We took the cable-car to the top of Pohorje to the ski area called Areh where we relaxed, had a picnic and played soccer. Next, we went to the Museum of Nature in Rogatec and then on to Rogaška Slatina to the world renown crystal factory, where we had a tour of the glass blowing and crystal making plant. At Velika Planina, we took a cable-car to the top, met a shepherd who tends to the sheep at the top from April to October and saw the huts that the shepherds live in. That night we came to Ljubljana, where we slept for the next four nights.
Ljubljana Castle
First it was a castle of the Carantanian dukes
Castle Ljubljana in his present-day renewed surface. In the left corner on top is the silver coin from 1240, called a denaric, which was issued by Duke Bernard of Carinthia (Carantania), from the mint of Lublana. On the right, the figure of Belin (Belenus), unearthed at Ljubljana castle (2nd century BC).
Next on our excursion was Zelimlje, to tour a private Salesian high school there. We were met by the Salesian provincial, Fr. Alojzij Dobravec and Dr. Bogdan Kolar, who were good enough to show us around the high school. We were amazed at the cleanliness, how well stocked the library was and at the class sizes. Dr. Kolar spent the rest of the day with us, showed us the castle of Ljubljana, Cankarjev dom, a concert hall, the Slovenian Parliament, the Opera, the monument of France Prešeren at Tromostovje, the market and the city hall. At the west end of the Ljubljana moor, we also went to see the animal museum of Bistra with Fr. Kolar.
"Savica" Falls (Slap Savice)
We began the next day by going to the pilgrimage church of Mary Help of Christians at Brezje, to thank her for all that we had seen and experienced so far and to ask her to help us have a successful excursion. At Lake Bled, we took a boat called "Pletna" to the only island that Slovenia has, with a church at the top and a wishing bell. From there, we went to Lake Bohinj, hiked to the waterfall Savica and took a cable-car to the top of mount Vogel from where we had a breathtaking view of Triglav, the highest mountain peak in Slovenia.
We could not leave this region of Slovenia without going to the birthplace of Slovenia's most famous poet, France Prešeren, in Vrba, then to Jesenice and on to the world renowned ski jump of Planica. We went to the top of mount Vršic and down the other side through the Soca valley to the Museum of Trenta, through Tolmin to Goriza.
Castle Otocec is situated on a small island in the middle of the Krka River (Lower Carniola). The arms of families, who were its owners back in history are shown above. On the left: Werde (Otoški), Villanders, Lenkovic. On the right: Sonze (Sonce) and Schwaiger (Švaiger), the latter depitcs a soaring lark.
Next, on our excursion was Dolenjska, where we drove through the Krka valley, stopped in Novo Mesto, took a walking tour to the top of its famous chapter church Kapitol. Next, we stopped at Otocec castle to take some pictures and then continued our way to the Catež health spa for swimming.
The next day being Sunday, we went to Mass in Cerknica in the region of Notranjska, where we met with our parish priest, Fr. Drago Gacnik, at his former parish church.
Postojnska jama
We could not go to Slovenia without going to the karst caves, Postojnska jama, and to Lipica, to see the famous Lipizzaner horses perform in their natural environment.
Our final days of the excursion were spent by the Adriatic Sea. In Portorož, we swam in the salty water of the Adriatic, took walking tours of the old cities of Piran, Izola, the port of Koper and in Strunjan, we learned how sea salt is mined.
As a conclusion to our stay in Portorož, we took a cruise along the Slovenian Adriatic coast to catch the last rays of the Adriatic sun and view the Slovenian coast from the boat.
Our sixteen-day excursion ended the next day with Mass at Rakovnik, the Salesian centre in Ljubljana with Fr. Drago, Dr. Kolar and Fr. Janez Potocnik officiating. We thanked our Blessed Mother for watching over us and for bringing this spectacular excursion to such a successful end.
We were pleased with the excursion, especially when we heard the children singing Slovenian songs on the bus or when we saw them make an effort to speak to the people in Slovenian. The children were always in good spirits, ready to go and never tired. We were proud of them and told them so, because many times our hosts praised them for being well mannered and polite.
At Rakovnik, when the relatives came to pick them up and it was time to say good-bye, we saw tears in their eyes and the expressions on their faces told us that they did not want the excursion to end. We knew that all of our efforts and hard work had not been in vain. We had achieved our goal.
Without hesitation, the children promised to return to Slovenia. Many times, I was asked if they would be allowed to go on the next excursion as well.
Now that we have all returned to our homes in Hamilton, enriched with wonderful memories of our ancestral homeland, Slovenia, and with unforgettable experiences, we would like to say a heart-felt "THANK YOU" to each and every one of you, who supported and helped our excursion in some way, be it with work at our many fundraisers or with financial support. We could not have achieved our goal in such full measure without your help!
With much pride and with great satisfaction, we can honestly say that the children of Slovenian school LOVED Slovenia and WILL RETURN yet again!
40 let župnije sv. Gregorija Velikega v Hamiltonu
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"Vsemogocni Bog |
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Naj nas s svojim duhom navdahne, |
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Da ja naša dolžnost
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Z ljubeznijo iskati srca, |
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Da se obrnejo od nepotrebnega |
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In mislijo bolj na svojo dušo." |
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Sv. Gregorij Veliki |
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O God, You look upon Your people |
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with compassion, and rule them with love. |
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Through the intercession of Pope |
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Saint Gregory, give wisdom to the leaders |
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of Your Church that the growth of Your people |
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in holiness and love of You may be the |
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everlasting joy of our pastors. Amen. |
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Ob 40-letnici …
Ob 40-letnici naše župnije sem zbral nekaj misli in kratko razmišljanje ob tem.
Prvi zacetki župnije so bili s sloensko mašo v najeti kapeli šole Holy Rosary. To je bila ena sveta maša ob nedeljah. Ko se je zacelo bolj resno razmišljati o svojih lastnih prostorih in se je kupilo zemljišce in zgradila spodnja dvorana, se je 15, avgusta 1965 župnija preselila v svoje prostore - kapela in dvorana skupaj. V zacetku šestdesetih let je bilo vpisanih za nedeljske kuverte okrog 60 družin, sedaj pa jih je 350. Takrat ste na kuverto prispevali $1.00, sedaj $5.00. Takratna povprecna placa za eno uro dela je bila $1.00, danes pa???
Za duhovno in kulturno delo imajo župljani sedaj na razpolago lepo sodobno cerkev z župnišcem, dve dvorani in prostore za Slovensko šolo. Poleg tega pa je tudi dovolj prostora za razne dejavnosti okoli cerve in dvorane (parkirišce in igrišce). Od ustanovite župnije je za župnijo skrbelo vec duhovnikov in sicer: dr. Alojz Tomtz, brata Karel in dr. Stanko Ceglar, g. Ivan Dobršek, g. Franc Slobodnik, g. Štefan Križnik, g. Danilo Lisjak, g. Stane Okorn, dr. Jože Bajzek, g. Cecil Noronha in sedanji župnik Drago Gacnik. Kot nedeljski kaplan je vec leh pomagal pri angleški maši g. Kennedy Saldanha. Veckrat so nadomestovali v poletnem casu še drugi duhovniki, tako dr. Alojzij Slavko Snoj, dr. Bogdan Kolar in g. Lojze Hribšek.
Ze od vsega zacetka so se po potrebi ustanavljala društva, nekatera od teh delujejo še danes, druga so prenehala. Namen vsega združevanja in ustanovitve župnije je bil predvsem obdržati vero in slovensko kulturo, ki sta tesno povezani. To je bilo v veliki meri doseženo, ker so se vsi zavedali, da samo s povezovanjem v skupnost lahko ohranijo svojo narodno zavest.
Ob vsem tem se nam postavlja vprašanje, ki zadeva našo prihodnost. Kot lahko iz statistike na spodnjem grafu razberete, je bilo število krstov v letih 1960 do 1975 precej visoko, kar pomeni, da so bili to otroci prve generacije. Potem je bilo nekaj let zatišja in ponovno je število krstov zraslo po letu 1990, ko so prišli otroci druge generacije. Crta grafa, ki kaže število smrti, se pocasi vzpenja, kar nam daje vedeti, da prva generacija pocasi odhaja. Število porok pa niha in v zadnjem casu bolj pada kot raste.
Kaj lahko že iz tega lahko sklepamo in nacrtujemo za prihodnost župnije. Vsekakor, ce želimo, da se ohrani slovenska kultura, je potrebno zavihati rokave. Utopija bi bila, ce bi si predstavljali, da se bo slovenšcina kot govoreci jezik uporabljala pri tretji generaciji, vendar ohranili bi lahko zboretorej slovenski pesmi, pa seveda plese in druge narodne obicaje. Zato je naloga staršev, da ce to želijo, pripeljejo otroke in jih vkljucijo v slovenske programe. Duhovniki lahko pri tem pomagamo, spodbujamo, vsekakor pa ne moremo nadomestiti staršev in njihove zavzetosti. Kar je storila prva generacija, ob vsem ekonomskem pomankanju, je res veliko. Zgradili in uredili so prostore in to ob veliki pomoci vseh in vsakega. Koliko udarniških prostovoljinih ur trdega dela in prizadevanja, da bi vse to kar imamo danes, lahko zaživelo. Škoda bi bilo, vse to pustiti, da propade.
Z uvedbo angleške maše, kot sam razumem, se je hotelo pritegniti drugo in tretjo generacijo, ki boljše razume angleški jezik. Obenem pa vkljucevanje mlajših v kulturne dejavnosti, bo pomagalo, da ti pocasi prevzemajo odgovorna mesta pri vodenju društev in raznih skupin. Morda je pri kom strah, da ne bo šlo tako, kot so si starejši to zamislili. V kateri družini pa otroci delajo enako kot starši? Povsod je in bo prisoten nov duh, ki izhaja iz novih potreb in drugacnega gledanja na zgodovino in cas.
Kot je neka mati vprašala za nasvet strokovnjaka, kalo naj se obnaša do pravkar porocene hcere, da se bosta še naprej tako dobro razumete kot prej, ji je takole odgovoril: "Nikar ne popravljajte svoje vzgoje sedaj. Kar ste ji dali kot otroku, ste ji posredovali, sedaj pa ji pustite samostojnost. Ko pridete k njej na obisk, ne kritizirajte najprej, kako ima pospravljeno kuhinjo, kako ima zložene krožnike, preprosto ne vtikajte se v njeno življenje, pa bosta vedno v dobrih odnosih. Pustite, da vas postreže in samo ce vas prosi za kakšno uslugo, potem pa ji priskocite na pomoc. Ne pa da se vsiljujete, kaj vse bi ji radi zanjo sedaj naredili. Za to ste imeli cas, ko je bila še doma, sedaj pa ima svoje življenje".
Nekako tako je tudi z našo drugo in tretjo generacijo. Bodimo jim v oporo, ko jo potrebujejo, pustimo pa jim, da pokažejo svojo ustvarjalnost, svoje talente in pripravljenost, da stvari peljejo naprej. Tisti, ki ne morete pomagati fizicno, lahko pomagate z molitvijo. Naj nas vse podpira tudi Marija Pomocnica, ki se ozira na vsakega, ki prihaja pod njeno okrilje.
Drago Gacnik, župnik
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| Cerkveni programi in Duhovniki fare St. Gregory the Great |
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| (material and information has been provided by Toni and Maria Franc, Grassie, Ontario, Canada) |
Društva in skupine v župniji
CERKVENI ODBOR je že od samega zacetka župnije tisto jedro, ki povezuje vsa društva in skupine, pomaga župniku pri vodstvu in upravi župnije, organizira razne duhovne in družabne aktivnosti, daje vzpodbude, pospešuje dobro pocutje in duhovni blagor faranov. Vsestranski napredek župnijske skupnosti je v veliki meri tudi sad vsakoletnega vodstva Cerkvenega odbora.
LITURGICNI ODSEK v župniji svetega Gregorja Velikega si je zadal nalogo, da predvsem skrbi za lepoto bogoslužja. Clani odseka se srecujejo pred vecjimi slovesnostmi, ki se vršijo z župniji in pripravijo celoten potek bogoslužja. Med letom pa skrbijo za branje beril in za drugo potrebno sodelovanje faranov pri bogoslužju.
KATOLIŠKA ZENSKA ZVEZA je kanadska ženska organizacija, ki povezuje ženske po kanadskih župnijah. V naši župniji je ena prvih organizacij. Ustanovljena je bila 1968. Clanice, ki jih je nekaj nad sto, se duhovno povezujejo v molitveno skupnost zlasti ob prvih petkih, pri šmarnicah in v oktobru pri molitvi rožnega venca, veliko pa pomagajo pri organiziranu raznih aktivnosti v župniji, še posebno kot kuharice.
SLOMŠKOVO OLTARNO DRUŠTVO, ki je bilo ustanovljeno 1962 leta, je še vedno aktivno. Cišcenje na prve petke, šmarnicna pobožnost in molitev rožnega venca je tista vez, ki clanice združuje v kršcansko skupnost, katera prosi za božji blagoslov in varstvo vseh. To je poudarjeno še z vsakoletnim romanjem k Marijinem svetišcu. Tudi cišcenje cerkve je še vedno skrb Slomškovega Oltarnega Društva. Upamo, da nas bo še naprej spremljal božji blagoslov in, da se nam bo še kdo pridružil.
GOSPODARSKI ODSEK
Leta 1982, ko so bila dokoncana dela okoli nove Cerkve, je bil takratni odbor za gradnjo ali gradbeni pododsek razrešen svoje naloge. Vseeno pa se je scasoma pokazala potreba poorganizaciji, ki naj bi skrbela za vzdrževanje cerkve, tako zunaj kot znotraj. Ustanovili smo takoimenovani "Maintenance committee", ki se je pa tik pred praznovanjem 25. Obletnice župnije preimenoval in reorganiziral v današnji "Gospodarski odsek". Po en clan iz vsakega pododseka farnega odbora je clan tega odseka. Odsek je doživel lepe uspehe zadnjih petih letih delovanja. Eden izmed najvecjih uspehov je bila prav gotovo postavitev zvonika in zvonov, ki so bili blagoslovljeni ob 10 - letnici cerkve. Bogu hvala in vsem, ki so podpirali to delo. Gospodarski odsek gleda z velikim upanjem v prihodnost in napredek slovenske župnijske skupnosti.
DRUŠTVO SVETEGA JOZEFA - VILLA SLOVENIA
Društvo svetega Jožefa ima dolgoletno tradicijo delovanja. Ta župnijska organizacija je še zlasti zaživela pod vodstvom župnika gospoda Karla Ceglarja.
Pred desetimi leti so clani društva zaceli razmišljati ogradnji doma za upokojence.
Zelja se im je izpolnila 25. Septembra 1992, s slovensno otvoritvijo doma Villa Slovenia.
Villa Slovenia je privlacna zgradba s 30 stanovanji zgrajeni s pomocjo provincijskega ministerstva za stanovanja. Celotno poslopje je podkleteno, dovršeno in opremljeno z društvenimi sredstvi. Prostori in igrišca za balinanje so na voljo clanom in župljanom za družabna srecanja vsak torek zvecer ob 7:30. Upravni odbor društva upravlja delovanje stanovanjske zgradbe po predpisih ministerstva za stanovanja, obenem pa se trudi, da v okviru župnije svetega Gregorja Velikega in slovenske skupnosti deluje kot podporna slovenska organizacija.
SLOVENSKO KULTURNO DRUŠTVO PRI ZUPNIJI SVETEGA GREGORJA VELIKEGA - HAMILTON
Društvo sestavlja pet odsekov, ki pri župniji obstajajo že od 1960 leta. Leta 1988 pa so se odseki povezali in si dali skupno ime. V zadnjih petih letih so posamezne enote dosegle veliko opaznih uspehov.
Slovenska šola je bila reorganizirana in vklucuje tudi prvi razred, kjer se ucijo samo besed. Otroci koncajo šolo po 7. Razredu. Vse stopnje imajo novejši, zanimiv in bolj razumljiv program. V redni program smo vkljucili tudi verouk, pri katerem pa se otroci pripravljajo tudi na prvo obhajilo in birmo. Slovenski jezik je možen tudi na srednji šoli v 10 razredu kot dodaten predmet. Vsako poletje izberemo dva primerna študenta, ki gresta na tecaj slovenšcine v Ljubljano.
Zbori - Cerkveni zbor (mešani, moški, ženski) obstoja od ustanovitve župnije in sodeluje pri cerkvenih in kulturnih dejavnostih v župniji. Leta 1993 je moški zbor "Majolka" obhajal svojo 25. Letnico.
Mladinski zbor zadnja leta precej sodeluje pri mašah.
Mladinski odsek je uredil in opremil mladinsko sobo. Organizirali so veliko družabnih vecerov, plesov, smucanj in duhovne obnove. Nekaj mladih iz župnije je odšlo na srecanje s papežem v Denver - Colorado leta 1993.
Slovenska folklorna skupina Soca je pripravila vrsto originalnih plesov iz vseh podrocij Slovenije. Dali so narediti narodne noše iz 19. Stoletja s podrocja Gorenjske, Prekmurja (2), Bele Krajine, Štajerske in nacrtujejo narediti še primorsko. Nastopali so po razlicnih krajih v Kanadi in v Združenih državah, leta 1993 pa so ob 25-letnici nastopili v Sloveniji.
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| Športni odsek je z odprtjem novih aktivnosti, kot so acrobatika in hokej povecal število clanov. Rednemu športu - odbojki in nogometu pa so dodali še tedenski športni program za otroke.
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| Rev. Dr. Loius Tomc, 1903 - 1989 (to the right) |
Rev. Dr. Stanley Ceglar, 1915-1994 (to the left)
Slovenska verska skupnost je bila ustanovljena na pobudo pater Alojzija Tomca in v pocastitev skofa Gregorja Rozmana (1883 - 1959) v Hamiltonu.
G. dr. Lojze Tomc. Ustanovil je slovensko župnijo in jo vodil prvo desetletje do 1. 1971. Umrl je v Clevelandu, leta 1989.
Rev. Dr. Stanley Ceglar
1915 - 1994
G. Dobršku je prišel 1. 1971 na pomoc g. dr. Stanko Ceglar, ki je poleg verouka predvsem vodil administrativno delo G. Stanko je umrl 1994.
Rev. Karel Ceglar
Leta 1975 pride v župnijo g. Karel Ceglar. Sad njegovih odlicnih sposobnosti je nova cerkev in župnišce, zgrajeno 1982 G. Karel je vodil župnije od takrat še vedno pomaga pri župniji.
Dolgoletna želja gospoda Karla Ceglarja je bila, da bi se nekoc zgradil dom, kjer bi živeli Slovenci. Na nek nacin se mu je ta želja izpolnila, ko se je društvo svetega Jožefa odlocilo za izgradnjo "Villa Slovenia". Skupaj z krajevnimi oblastmi je izgradilo stanovanjsko poslopje s tridesetimi stanovanji za upokojence, ki lahko sami vodijo gospodinjstvo. Društvo svetega Jožefa pa ima v zgradbi zase kletne prostore, ki jih vsa slovenska skupnost v Hamiltonu uporablja predvsem za razvedrilo.
Slovenska hranilnica "Slovenia Parish Credit Union" tudi najema tam svoje prostore. Poslopje je bilo slovesno odprto septembra 1992.
The Slovene Religious Museum in Sticna
In 1991, the Salesian priest Karel Ceglar, who was born in Sticna, donated an extensive archive on the Slovene missionary Friderik Baraga (1798–1868) and a collection of Slovene emigrant publications to the monastery. For many years a parish priest in Hamilton, Ontario, Karel Ceglar collected interesting material with his unselfish work, money, and knowledge. Now housed in the monastery, Ceglar's library has became an indispensable source of information for every researcher of these subjects. In 1977, on the 200th anniversary of the birth of Friderik Baraga, the monastery held an exhibition on this important Slovene missionary in North America, and the material for the exhibition was taken mostly from Ceglar's library.
(please read also: Pilgrimages and Festivities)
Leading parish priest: Rev. Drago Gacnik
Skupina, ki redno sodeluje pri angleški maši, skupaj z upnikom in gostom dr. Snojem
Rev. Ivan Dobršek
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| +Ivan Dobršek SDB (1911-2010) |
Hamilton (Kanada), 22. avgust 2010
Ivan Dobršek, 96-letnik
Delo je nadaljeval g. Ivan Dobršek, ki je 1. 1970 prišel iz Trsta. Med njegovim službovanjem je zlasti napredovala slovenska šola, pevski zbor in odersko delo. Zupnijo je vodil do leta 1978. Kljub svoj starosti sedaj v 92 letu starosti (15. Sept. 2003) še vedno veliko pomaga v župniji, zlasti ko obiskuje bolne in starejše farane.
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| Dobrodoslica novemu salezijancu, duhovniku, Rev. Cecil Norohna, ki je 24. februarja prisel v naso skupnost Hamilton in zupnijo sv. Gregorija Velikega za duhovnega pomocnika. Ker je bistvo redovnistva zivljenje v skupnosti, smo tako postali prava skupnost. Hvala mu za pripravljenost, da je bil - oce je portugalec, mati pa indijka - bil pripravljen priti v naso slovensko skupnost. Najprej ga je skrbelo, kako bo s slovenscino, pa smo ga potolazili, da tukaj tako ali tako vsi znajo anglesko, s tem pa nima tezav, saj je ze 12 let v Kanadi. S svojo bogato zivljensko izkusnjo bo lahko obogatil in s svojo vedno vedro besedo popestril tudi nase bogosluzje in skupno zivljenje. Malo se bomo prilagodili, sem pa tja kaj spremenili in bomo vsi zadovoljni. Tako bo skrbel za nedeljsko enajsto angleska maso, pa tudi ob sobotah, bo odslej obicajno vecerna masa v anglescini. Med tednom pa bomo pri bogosluzju do.
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Special Welcome to Father Cecil Noronha who will be helping out here at St. Gregory's on a regular basis. Special Thanks to Father Kennedy for everything he has done in the past 5 years and we wish him well.
Rev. Franc Slobodnik
Sedanji župnik g. Franc Slobodnik je prišel iz Slovenije za novo leto 1981. Najprej je skoraj štiri leta pomagal kot kaplan, v jeseni 1984 pa je prevzel vodstvo župnije.
Rev. Štefan Križnik
Leta 1991 (5. Augusta) je prišel v župnijo gospod Štefan Križnik, ki je prevzel službo kaplana. Študiral je v Zelimljah, v Torinu (Italia) in bil posvecen v Mariboru 29. Junija 1990. Takoj po novi maši je bil namešcen za kaplana v Veržeju. Zaradi potreb v Hamiltonu je poleti 1991 sprejel povabilo, da bi odšel za nekaj casa v Hamilton na pomoc. V župniji pomaga pri pevskih zborih, sodeluje pri raznih društvih, uci verouk v slovenski šoli in pristopi na pomoc, kjer je potrebno.
Z novim letom 1993 smo na obcnem zboru sklenili, da zgradimo ZVONIK, ki je bil v nacrtu vse od zacetka, a je zanj zmanjkalo denarja. Odlocili smo se za tri zvonove, ki bi vabili k maši, pozdravljali farane in se od njih poslavljali. Jesenski banket je tako bil obarvan s praznovanjem otvoritve zvonika, in zlato mašo gospoda Stanka Ceglarja. Gospod Stanko Ceglar je praznoval svojo zlato mašo v Sticni v Sloveniji in pri nas ob župnijskem banketu. V jeseni se je preselil v Villo Slovenia, kjer bi pomagal v župniji in v miru preživel leta, ki mu jih je Bog namenil. Kmalu ga je poklical k sebi, 20. Januarja popoldne je umrl za posledicami srcne kapi. Naj bo ta album povecen tudi njegovem spominu.
Rev. Danilo Lisjak
January, 2004
Misijonarja Danilo Lisjak in Vilko Poljansek piseta:
Spostovani prijatelji in misijonski sodelavci v domovini in zdomstvu!
Prisrcen pozdrav vsem skupaj z velikega Konga sredi Afrike izpod zarecega vulkanskega kraterja! Kar hitro se je leto obrnilo in zdi se mi, kot bi bilo en sam dan. Nasa hisa je namrec tako napolnjena z mladimi vseh starosti, da se tudi noc vcasih spremeni v dogajanje. Prav v tem trenutku - 9. Ura zvecer - sem se vrnil od nasih malckov, ki jih je od vceraj 59 (pripeljali so se dva dvojcka - siroti vojne v Bunii na severu), ki so vsak na svoj nacin jemali slovo od flaskice z mlekom in podremali. To so vecina otroci od 3. Mesecev do enega leta in pol ali dveh. Pri nas so to poletje nasli zavetje. Drugih tristo internih pa je razlicnih starosti vse tja do 18. Leta, ko se izucijo poklica in se postavijo na svoje noge. No cez dan se jim - notranjim - pridruzi se cez tisoc otrok od zunaj, ki so mnogi sprejeti v druzine v okolici, zaradi pomanjkanja prostora v centru, in pridejo k nam v solo in na hrano. Med temi je sedaj med 200 in 300 podhranjenih otrok, med katerimi jih ostane kar nekaj vsak dan v intenzivni negi. Lonci so veliki in do sedaj smo se zmeraj zmogli vse nahraniti. Zadnja posiljka velike kolicine hrane - predvsem mleka v prahu - slovenske Karitas, nam zagotavlja se boljso oskrbo nasih v vojni preizkusenih otrok. Vsem, ki ste na kakrsenkoli nacin podprli akcijo 12-metrskega kontejnerja, ki je prispel 29. novembra, se iskreno zahvaljujem. Zdravstveno stanje otrok se je v zadnjem casu znatno izboljsalo, saj so nam dobrotnike pomagali kupiti posestvo bananovcev, kar je popestrilo vsakdanji menu nasih otrok. Na eni od mestnih trznic, kjer je veliko pocestnih otrok, smo odprli v nekaj od obcine najetih barakah "pocestno univerzo" za opismenjevanje otrok z ulice in tudi odraslih. Delo lepo uspeva. V nacrtu so se drugi predeli mesta, kjer je veliko ogrozene mladine. Tako smo mogli dati tudi zaposlitev mnogim uciteljem. V gradnji prav ta petek odpiramo tretji povecani internat in tudi notranjo ambulanto, kjer so se financno izkazali mladi iz Nemcije. Do Velike noci bi morali dokoncati tudi veliko obednico, kuhinjo in primerna skladisca za hrano. Tri skupine zidarjev poleg nase zidarske sole vsak dan prenasajo vrece cementa in vsak v svojem koncu ustvarja. Oni pravijo, da zelo hitro napredujejo, meni pa se zdi pocasi. So pac v svojem ritmu, kateremu se moramo mi prilagajati. Je pa veliko veselje pri nas zidariti, saj si v kupih peska nedalec od gradbisca tudi nasi otroci, kot mi v otrostvu, v vseh variantah zidajo gradove sanj iz opeke. Komaj kaj dogradimo, ze je premalo prostora. Deklice so najbolj stisnjene, saj skoraj vse spijo po dve na eni postelji. Tako se veselimo trikraljevske akcije slovenskih otrok.
(nadaljevanje v naslednji stevilki Vestnika).
BOTRSTVO - POMOC ( PRI ŠOLANJU)
Rev. Stane Okorn
Rev. Prof. Jože Bajzek
Zgodovina slovenske cerkve St. Gregory the Great:
Karantanski in Slovenski papez - Gregor V
Pope Gregory V, his idealistic picture among a series of pope images
in the Basilica S. Paolo fuori le mura in Rome.
by Dr. Jožko Šavli
(should be St. Gregory the Great. Article has to be corrected. (D.J.)
Dne 3. maja 996 je dr. Egon Kapellari, škof iz Celovca, daroval spominsko mašo v kripti pri sv. Petru v Rimu, kjer je pokopan papez Gregor V., z izvirnim imenom Bruno Koroški. Minilo je namrec 1000 let, odkar je bil Bruno, sin karantanskega vojvode, kot prvi neromanski papez ustolicen na papeškem prestolu. Bil je doslej prvi in edini karantanski, nikakor ne „nemški" papez, kot nemški in avstrijski svet vztrajno navajata. Tudi koroški cerkvejni list Kirchenzeitung (25.2.1996), ki je porocal o obletnici in pocastitvi spomina njegove smrti, ga v zadevnem porocilu ni omenjal kot nemškega. Cerkveni tisk v Sloveniji ga je povsem prezrl.
Kdo je bil ta papezc Njegov oce, vojvoda Oton Koroški († 1004), je bil imenovan na ta polozaj leta 978. Bil je sin Konrada Rdecega, vojvode v Lotaringiji, in Liutgarde, hcere kralja in cesarja Otona I. Velikega. V Karantaniji je bival nedvomno ze pred imenovanjem, zelo verjetno kot grof v grofiji ob Anizi (Enns). Kot navaja namrec staro izrocilo, je bil papez Bruno rojen pri Stenah (Steinach), zahodno od mesta Liezen (danes Zg. Štajersko). Njegovo rojstno letnico postavljajo v cas okoli leta 971.
Brunova mati je bila Judita Luitpoldinka, o kateri imamo malo vesti. Njena rodbina, Luitpoldinci, je izhajala od Luitpolda (Leopolda, † 906), ki je bil bratranec vojvode, kasneje kralja ter cesarja Arnulfa Koroškega († 899). Bil je mejni grof v Karantaniji in potem tudi na Bavarskem. Njegov starejši sin Arnulf († 936) ga je nasledil na Bavarskem in je bil zacetnik bavarske rodbinske veje. Mlajši sin Bertold († 947) je oceta nasledil v Karantaniji in pozneje tudi brata na Bavarskem. Po njegovi smrti je bil njegov sin Henrik Mlajši v nasledstvu prezrt. Karantansko in bavarsko vojvodstvo je kralj Oton I. raje podelil svojemu lastnemu bratu Henriku.
Iz zgodovinskih virov nam je znano ime Juditinega oceta. Tudi on se je imenoval Henrik. Izhjal naj bi iz bavarske veje, kot navajata nemško ter njemu podrejeno avstrijsko zgodovinopisje. V virih da je naveden „samo enkrat", in sicer leta 953, ko mu je kralj zaradi upiranja odvzel posesti na Grobniškem polju na Koroškem, in jih podelil Solnogradu. Toda ta Henrik je lahko le Henrik Mlajši, iz karantanske veje, s koroško posestjo, ki je imel tudi vzrok za upiranje, ker je bil v nasledstvu po ocetu prezrt.
Papez Bruno Koroški je torej po materi karantanskega, to je slovenskega porekla. Toda z imenovanjem za vojvodo v Karantaniji je tudi njegov frankovski oce postal Slovenec v smislu karantanskega prava, imenovanega institutio Sclavenica ali Slavica lex. Narodna pripadnost je takrat pomenila pripadnost pravu, v našem primeru karantanskemu ali slovenskemu, ne pa pripadnosti plemenu ali rasi, in tudi ne dezeli kot ozemeljski enoti. Vsled tega je ta papez po svojem osebnem imenu tudi prešel v zgodovino s pridevkom „koroški" in ne mogoce „frankovski" ali „nemški".
Bruno Koroški je nedvomno odrašcal v Karantaniji. Imel je tudi starejšega brata Henrika, ki je postal oce Konrada II., prvega cesarja iz dinastije znamenitih Salijcev. Mlajši brat Konrad je nasledil oceta kot vojvoda v Karantaniji, najmlajši brat Viljem pa je postal škof v Strasburgu. Odrašcajocega Brunota so poslali v stolnicno šolo v Wormsu. Po koncanem šolanju je bil posvecen v duhovnika, in je postali kaplan na dvoru mladega kralja Otona III., svojega sorodnika.
Leta 996, ko se je Oton III. mudil v severni Italiji, je dvor prejel sporocilo da je umrl papez Janez XV., ki ga je bil iz Rima pregnal samodrzec Krescencij. Kraljev svet se je takoj sestal, in po takratni postavi izvolil novega papeza, kaplana Brunota.
Ta je s spremstvom takoj pohitel v Rim, premagal nasprotovanje tamkajšnje duhovšcine in ljudstva, in 3. vel. travna 996 so ga ustolicili na papeški prestol. Privzel si je ime papez Gregor V., po svojem velikem vzorniku Gregorju Velikem. Kmalu je prišel za njim tudi kralj Oton III., in na Vnebohod, dne 21. vel. travna, ga je nov papez kronal za cesarja. Ze po kakem mesecu se je Oton III. znova odpravil na sever. Krescencij, ki ga je bil Oton III. na Brunotovo prošnjo pomilostil, je takoj izrabil priloznost, in zanetil nov upor. Papez se je umaknil v Spoleto in potem v Pavijo. Krescencij pa je medtem v Rimu ustolicil novega papeza po imenu Filagat.
To je bilo nekaj nezaslišanega. Cesar je kmalu znova prišel v Rim s svojo vojsko, in dal strašno kaznovati Krescencija in krivega papeza. Papez Gregor V. oziroma Bruno Koroški je znova prevzel oblast nad mestom. Toda ni zivel vec dolgo, saj je ze meseca svecana 999 umrl za malarijo. Pokopali so ga v kripti pri sv. Petru, in nad sarkofagom postavili latinski napis, ki se, v prevodu, takole glasi:
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Tisti, ki ga tukaj zemlja krije, |
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bil je videza prijetnega ocem, |
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papez peti po imenu Gregor, |
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prej pa Bruno, rodbine kraljeve Frankov, |
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sin Otona in matere Judite, |
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jezika tevtonskega, v Wormsu izšolan. |
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Bil je mlad, ko je zasedel Apostolski sedez |
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za dve leti in skoraj osem mesecev, |
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vse do dneva 18. v februarju. |
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Sam bogat je ubogim ob sobotah delil oblacila |
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glede na apostolov število. |
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Govoril je jezik Frankov, pa še ljudsko in latinsko, |
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poucevaje ljudstvo v treh jezikih. |
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Oton III. poveril mu je credo Petra |
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in bil po njegovih rokah maziljen za cesarja. |
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Ko je potem na zemlji odlozil spone svojega telesa, |
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so ga polozili na desno stran soimenjaka. |
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Umrl je februarja 18. |
Iz napisa je razvidna dobrodelnost tega papeza, pa tudi dobrosrcnost saj je izprosil od cesarja, da je pomilostil njegovega nasprotnika Krescencija. Da ga je ljudstvo v Rimu spoštovalo, prica tudi krasen sarkofag, katerega so izdelali kmalu po njegovi smrti. Na njem so vklesani prizori iz zivljenja sv. Petra in Pavla. Brez posebnega dovoljenja obisk tega prostora za javnostni mogoc, in Gregor V. lahko pociva v miru.
St. Ciril in Metod
by Dr. Jožko Šavli
Ratbod je leta 836 sprejel pokrajinskega kneza Pribina iz Nitre na Moravskem in njegovega nasilni Mojmir, veliki knez Moravske. Leta 840 je kralj Ludvik Germanski podaril Pribini v alod vso Spodnjo Panonijo.
Knez Pribina je leta 860 padel v bojih z Moravci. Sledil mu je sin knez Kocelj, ki je bil razsvetljen in omikan vladar.
Vzpostavil je dobre odnose s knezom Rastislavom, novim vladarjem na Moravskem. Zanimalo pa ga je tudi delo svetih bratov, slovanskih apostolov Konstantina (Cirila) in Metoda v tej deželi. Rastislav ju je bil povabil iz Bizanca, zato da bi širila evangelij. Prevedla sta zato bogoslužne knjige v stari cerkvenoslovanski jezik.
Ko sta bila leta 867 na poti k papežu v Rim, sta se sveta brata za dalj casa ustavila tudi na Kocljevem dvoru v Panoniji. Dal jima je 50 ucencev, da bi jih vzgojila in posvetila v duhovnike.
V Rimu je papež potrdil bogoslužje v starem cerkvenoslovanskem jeziku. Pozneje, leta 870, je bil Metod imenovan za nadškofa Panonije in Moravske.
Toda bavarski škofje so silno nasprotovali Metodovemu delu v Panoniji, ki so jo imeli za svojo misijonsko deželo. Zato so Metoda zajeli in ga dali na Bavarskem zapreti v jeco. Šele na strogo papeževo zahtevo so ga po treh letih spustili.
Metod se je vrnil v Panonijo, kjer je med njegovo odsotnostjo knez Kocelj sam vodil nadškofijo. Bavarski škofje so ostro zagrozili Koclju zaradi njegove podpore Metodu. In res je knez Kocelj leta 874 izginil iz zgodovine.
Od takrat je Metod svoje poslanstvo lahko opravljal le še na Moravskem, vse do svoje smrti leta 885.
Frederick Baraga
Apostle of the Indians
American and Slovenian Candidate for Blessing
1797 - 1868
Baraga Days 2014
by Dr. Jožko Šavli
In the past centuries the deeply spiritual life in Slovenia had given rise to many great personalities, whose activities spread beyond the borders of Slovenia into the rest of Europe and even as far as the newly discovered America. Among scores of Slovenian missionaries who came to the New World, Bishop Frederick Baraga is the most widely known. One of the most inspirational figures in the history of the American Church, an indefatigable missionary among the Indians of the Upper Great Lakes, Baraga laboured in a vast territory of over 80.000 square miles, including areas of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Canada.
A towering figure of the Catholic Church and a candidate for beatification, Baraga continues to live in the hearts of the faithful as an epitome of goodness: the Snowshoe Priest, the Shepherd of the Wilderness, and Apostle of Ottawas and Chippevas (Otchipwe).
Baraga's Homeland
A very small inscription on the wall of the manor house of Mala vas, south of Lublana (Slovenia), says that Frederick Baraga was born there in 1797. The new parish of Dobrnic, an hour's walk away, was founded in 1784. Soon after Frederick's birth, his father moved his growing family to the nearby borough of Trebnje.
His parents infused their own virtues into his character; from his father, he received gravity, a sense of order, energy and firmness; from his mother a sensitive soul, a sovereign love for God and tender devotion to our Heavenly Mother and her bountiful love for the poor. He had two younger sisters whom he was taught to help and protect, at the cost of self-sacrifice.
At that period, the Slovenian provinces were part of the Austrian Empire, in which German language prevailed. Therefore Frederick began to study this language. Around 1800, the incessant wars being waged by Napoleon and his generals were moving back and forth across the land. The French troops occupied Slovenian provinces. For several years, they formed a particular State called Provinces Illyriennes. In 1809, in Lublana, the centre of provinces, Frederick Baraga started high school, in which the language of instruction was French. The death of his mother (1808) and father (1812) followed closely one upon the other and grieved him deeply.
In Lublana, Frederick met professor Dolinar, who kept a boarding house for students. Frederick and his sisters were welcomed into the distinguished and highly principled Dolinar's family and they progressed in virtue and learning. It was professor Dolinar who later advised Frederick to attend the university in Vienna. Here, he spent most of his time studying law and perfecting his knowledge of French, English, Spanish and Italian.
In those days, there was a great master in spirituality in Vienna, the Redemptorist, Father Clement Hofbauer. Many young men went to him with problems of all sorts, and to all he gave peace of soul. On the 12th day of July 1817, for the first time, Baraga met the priest who was to influence his life profoundly. He remained in close touch with the Redemptorist who had answers to all his problems and he proceeded to his spiritual formation.
In 1820, he wrote: "The desire to be a priest dawned in my soul on December 1st with such vehemence that I decided to enter the seminary as soon as I had finished my law studies". Hofbauer insisted he take his degree. Then, Baraga decided to become the Lord's herald, little knowing that he was destined to work for the Church in the region of the Great Lakes.
Call to the Missions
On October 22nd, 1821, he presented his request to the bishop for admission to the seminary at Lublana. On September 21st, 1823, he was ordained, and the day after he celebrated his first mass in the Cathedral of Lublana, at the altar of the Blessed Sacrament. Then, he was sent to a parish. When he preached, the church was filled to overflowing and many came from beyond the parish boundaries to listen to him. His love for souls inspired him to take his pen and write about the greatness of the Faith. He wrote and published a prayerbook Dushna pasha (Pasture of the soul), which has been, ever since, the favourite prayer book for the Slovenian faithful.
Title page of Dusna pasha (Pasture of the soul) from 1830. It was reprinted a number of times, for the last time in 1905 in 80,000 copies.
This Slovenian prayerbook was a very sensation. In 1830, it was published first in 2000 copies, which were soon out of print. Thereafter, it was reprinted in 3500 greater and 5000 minor copies; its issues until 1945 were 2000, 4000, 4000, 3000, 5000, 2000, 600 copies. In 1905, the Mohorjeva Publishing in Celovec - Klagenfurt published it anew in 80.000 copies. In that period, the Slovenian speaking population was of ca. 1,5 million, and this event shows clearly their deep religiousness.
The Diocese of Lublana offered Frederick none of the ideal living conditions of Hofbauer's centre in Vienna. Jansenism and Josephinism poisoned the air. Jansenism, which preached inordinate strictness in observing God's Commandments, made chambers of torture of the confessional and closed the doors of the Tabernacle to the faithful. The Bishop of Lublana himself was a Jansenist. On the other hand, the Josephinism involved the intervention of the State in purely ecclesiastical affairs, in the abolition of the pious associations, and favoured many, not always orthodox popular devotions, such as the unauthorized exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, the unauthorized public recitation of Rosary and the Way of the Cross. - In such circumstances the zealous ministry of Baraga was impeded. He felt he could not act otherwise toward the faithful and at the same time follow his conscience. The Curia's distrust and hostility grew daily and made the situation more and more contradictory.
A booklet of barely sixty pages telling the story of the Diocese of Cincinnati fell into Baraga's hand. He opened it, and read it through to the last word. The Diocese of Cincinnati, at that time, included a large area of the United States, i.e., the State of Ohio, Michigan and the Territory of the Hurons to the West with 988,800 inhabitants. In this vast territory the Church found itself in very difficult conditions, particularly the Indian missions, that had no priest at all.
The booklet read by Baraga told the story of the Diocese of Cincinnati during the apostolate of Bishop Fenwick, a former student of the Propaganda Fide College in Rome. According to the Propaganda Fide he was the Bishop of the poorest Diocese of the Catholic world. Bishop Fenwick attempted the impossible while trying to improve conditions. Beside financial help, priests were urgently needed.
However, the arguments which clinched the matter for Baraga was not the wonderful example of Bishop Fenwick, but the Indians. There were places where Indians had been without a priest for 65 years. The Indian missions, which had been so prosperous under the Jesuits, when those lands belonged to France, seemed to be condemned to a slow death with the arrival of Protestant British colonisers. - Baraga read the booklet and for two months he was deeply shaken by an interior conflict. Then, he asked his Bishop to be released from the Diocese of Lublana, to go to work as a missionary in the Diocese of Cincinnati.
The Leopoldinen Stiftung of Vienna, which sustained the missions, had presented Baraga's request to Bishop Fenwick. Just as soon as the answer from Cincinnati arrived, the Ordinary of Lublana, Bishop Wolf, gave Baraga the Littrae dismisiae as requested by civil authorities. Then Baraga left for Vienna, and then toward America. On December 1st, 1830, he stepped from the ship in New York. After a long journey, on January 31st, 1831, he reached Cincinnati.
The Apostle of the Indians
It was not difficult to find a post for the newly arrived apostle. Bishop Fenwick wanted to introduce the new missionary personally to the Indians; therefore Baraga had to wait a while before going there. He took advantage of the delay to study the Ottawa language. His teacher was William Maccatebinessi, son of the Indian chief of Arbre Croche (Harbour Spring). On May 1st, 1831, Baraba knelt for the first time, in front of the altar in the little church of Arbre Croche, to thank God for his safe journey and for having placed him in the midst of the Indians.
When Baraga started his work, the extent of the Diocese of Cincinnati was greater than that of the whole France. They were many and heartbreaking adverse factors: the immensity of territory, scarcity of means, lack of priests, the policy of Governments. After two months he wrote: "I am the only priest of the Diocese of Cincinnati living amongst the Indians… I am the only white man in the region."
When he first reached a mission, Baraga's first step was to found a residence; build a church, his own home and a school. Poverty was great, and the lack of financial means was serious, but the lack of priests was graver. Another grave problem was the scandalous behaviour of the white merchants and speculators who sold liquor, at a great profit, to the unsuspecting Indians. This ruined them in large numbers, besides disgracing the Christian way of life in their eyes.
In 1831, Baraga was named Vicar General of Wisconsin and later, he was made Vicar General of Michigan. The Leopoldinen Stiftung assisted him with even more substantial alms, considering him a son of the society, the first to offer himself to be sent to the Indian missions.
In the four places he evangelised: Arbre Croche, Grand River, La Pointe and L'Anse, the Indians were disposed toward Christianity. He insisted that the catechism and schooling be taught in the native language. At that time, the Indians were treated with great injustice and were, therefore, in great distress. Baraga took up their defence, and said that he was to follow them wherever they were sent.
In a self-confession, which Baraga made to his Bishop, he said: "I must visit the sick, hear frequent confessions of my people. I have to instruct the newly converted Indians and those who wish to become Catholics, I have to preach five times on Sunday, twice in the Indian language, twice in French and once in English… To attend to all of these duties in my mission, I find time too short…"
Shrine of Bishop Baraga in L' Anse (Michigan)
In January 1852, he had to visit a group of Indians in a faraway village. He reached it by walking without stop for 24 hours, day and night on snow shoes, with only a piece of bread in his pocket.
The Bishop
At the National Council, in 1852, the Bishops discussed the problems concerning the creation of new Sees, because of the rapid increase of Catholics in the United States. The Bishop of Detroit proposed the creation of an apostolic vicariate in the zone of Lake Superior, because the territory was so vast that he could not adequately fulfil his apostolic mission in it. As candidate for the new vicariate he proposed Father Baraga, who had been working there since 1831.
The Bishops accepted the proposal that was sent to Rome. On August 22, 1853, Propaganda Fide wrote to the Archbishop of Baltimore requesting him to mail to Baraga the nomination of Vicar Apostolic of Michigan with the Episcopal title of Amyzonia "in partibus fidelium". On November 1st, the Feast of all Saints, the imposing ceremony took place in Cincinnati. Archbishop Purcell, assisted by bishops, consecrated Baraga. The See of the new Michigan vicariate was in Sault Ste. Marie.
In the same month Baraga left for Europe. The motive was, exclusively, to find priests for his new vicariate and to present to Rome his request, that the Michigan Vicariate be raised to be a residential diocese. This could be realized not earlier than in 1857 with the issue of a pontifical bull.
The map of Baraga's missions presented to the Propaganda Fide Collegium, in 1855.
Nevertheless, after several years, Bishop Baraga sent to Rome the request to transfer the See of the Diocese to the city of Marquette (Michigan). The description of the conditions in the diocese, which he sent to Rome in 1861, is almost a photograph of his diocese. He accepted also the administration of the neighbouring territories belonging to the Dioceses of Detroit, Milwaukee, Saint Paul and Toronto. The lack of priests was, for many years, his chief preoccupation. The material goods were next to nothing… The population was composed of a variety of nations, languages and social ranks. Catechism was taught in each of four languages, according to the principle of equality of nations.
Finally, with a decree sent to Baraga in 1865, Propaganda Fide informed him of the concession given by Pope Pious IX to transfer the See of the Diocese to Marquette. Baraga's history as we know it speaks for itself of his truly apostolic soul. He was a typical apostle who renounced honours and riches and gave himself in bondage to the Church, for the salvation of the souls of the Indians.
During the Second Plenary Council of Baltimore, in the session of October 10th, 1866, Baraga was struck down with an apoplectic stroke. He left Baltimore, to return to his beloved flock. He was paralysed in all his limbs, but still active as the head of his Diocese. All his life he confided in Jesus Heart, and then his task went towards the end. It was on Sunday, January 19th, 1868, when he died and went to God for payment.
In less then forty years, the Diocese of Marquette passed from infancy to full growth. Without doubt, this remarkable progress can be attributed to Baraga, and this is a better memorial than any that was ever placed on his tomb.
The Writer
There is no doubt that it was due to Baraga that the Indians were given books in their own language. As soon as he arrived in Arbre Croche, he decided he must write a catechism and a dictionary in the language he had learned. It necessitated a real knowledge of the language, but very soon Baraga had acquired it so perfectly that the Indians were enchanted. These very books are, today, one of the principal sources of information on the Indian language, which have completely disappeared.
His Indian books are written in Ottawa and Otchipwe, and the Potowani and Nanomino Tribes could also read these. His religious writings are distinctly pastoral: the most important is the volume of Ottawa Anamie-Masinaigan (The book of prayers). The same book was published also in the Otchipwe language, printed 1837 in Paris. The book in Ottawa named Jesus Obimadisiwin Oma Aking (The life of Jesus, Paris 1837), which followed the Otchipwe edition, contains a sacred story, sermons for the missionaries and a few pamphlets to help the new missionaries read the Indian language. Baraga wrote altogether 32 Indian books. Among them the Katolik Emaniad o Nanagata Vendamo Masinaigan (The mediation of the Catholic Christian about the eternal truth, Detroit 1850) was the most voluminous and the best.
He wrote also in German and in Slovenian. In 1836, his book in German concerning the history and customs of the Indians of North America was published in Lublana (Slovenia), and in the same year his French translation was issued in Paris. A Slovenian edition was published in Lublana, where also other Baraga books were produced, the last of them being Nebeške rože (The celestial flowers, 1848).
Baraga's book in Otchipwe language printed in Lublana, in 1843, and the Otchipwe dictionary published in Detroit, in 1853.
His books have also a historical value as they have presented the knowledge of languages now extinct. Baraga's principal non-religious publications were The Grammar of the Otchipwe Language (Detroit 1850) and the double dictionary: English - Otchipwe and Otchipwe - English (Detroit 1853). Besides writing, Baraga had also to take responsibility for the printing those books which were hard to sell. Several times, after the printing had been started, Baraga still had to find the money to pay for the binding of the books.
Baraga's Memorial
Frederick Baraga originated from Lower Carniola, which has been, because of the great religiousness and prayers of its inhabitants, a very "spiritual province" of Slovenia. Apart of Baraga, other great missionaries originated from this area like Ignacij Knoblehar, the missionary in Sudan, or Janez Gnidovec, the Bishop of Skopje in Macedonia, and many others. But the forces of evil could not tolerate this fireplace of Slovenian religiousness, and it was certainly not by accident, when anti-religious forces devastated it during the WW2. Nevertheless, the name Baraga and his fellows originated from this country; they remain in people's memory and continue to be an example of solid faith and of virtues for generations to come.
The present-day Cathedral of St. Peter in Marquette, in which Baraga's grave is found.
The apostle of the Indians, Frederic Baraga, was buried in the Cathedral of St. Peter in Marquette. At the See another Slovenian, Bishop Ignacij Mrak, followed him. In 1879, the latter was followed anew by a Slovenian, Bishop Janez Vrtin. In the same year, the cathedral was completely destroyed by fire, but Baraga's coffin was not demaged. The Bishop let build a new cathedral, which in 1935 also burnt down. And again, Baraga's coffin remained untouched. A very miracle!
In America, a Bishop Baraga Association was founded in the territory of his mission. Still today, the image of the "Snowshoe Priest" continues to be an example of complete devotion to God and to the Christian mission. So, in 1967, Bernard J. Lambert from L'Anse (Michigan), where the legend of this devout man of God lives on through countless reminders of his mission, published Baraga's biography under the title Shepherd of the Wilderness. The book was reprinted in 1974.
The efforts for Baraga's proclamation of Blessing and Saint are in course already for many years. Many faithful turn to him for intercession with God on different subjects. But a granting is necessary, so that a miracle could be documented. For example, a miraculous recovery. Therefore, our supplications for his intercession in many of our affairs must be repeated over and over.
Since Slovenia became independent, and the identity of Slovenians as a state nation on the world level has been introduced to the American public, the name of Bishop Baraga is sparkling among the nations, which contributed to the spiritual and cultural progress of the United States. More than a century before the independence, Frederick Baraga and many others carried into the world the name Slovenia with their honourable deeds.
Bishop Baraga's Grave
P. Bruno in Kostanjevica
It is found in the so-called Bishop's Crypt of the St. Peter Cathedral of Marquette.When Bishop Baraga died, in 1868, his precious remains were placed in a plain pine coffin and interred under the Cathedral in a specially-made crypt near the Blessed Virgin altar. Fire destroyed the Cathedral in 1879, which some years later was rebuild. Fire again destroyed the Cathedral in 1935. In both fires, Baraga's grave was miraculously saved. Thereafter, a particular crypt was built under a lateral chapel, where the bishops of Marquette repose. A distinct place was reserved for the body of Bishop Baraga separated from the tombs of other bishops. The crypt has two rooms. As you enter the first room, there is an altar and prayer cards to Bishop Baraga. In the second room are the burial vaults with a place to kneel and pray for the Lord's help through the intercession of Bishop Baraga. In 1959, plaques were placed on each of the bishop's tombs, a prie dieu was set in place, there is a table for printed matter and a guest registry. Signs and improved lighting aided visitors.
(Courtesy of the Bishop Baraga Assotiation)
Anton Martin Slomšek
Uniše, Slom, 26.11.1800 – Maribor, 24.9.1862
Škof, teolog, pisatelj, pesnik, pedagog
Ljudski Tabori
by Dr. Jožko Šavli
V Celovcu je leta 1851 lavantinski škof Anton Martin Slomšek ustanovil Družbo sv. Mohorja, ki je zacela izdajati vsakoletni knjižji dar za ljudstvo. To se je ohranilo do danes. Njene knjige, imenovane mohorjevke, so prihajale v vse slovenske dežele in tudi med izseljence v Ameriki in drugod po svetu. Opravile so veliko delo pri izobraževanju slovenskih ljudi in utrjevanju njihove zavesti.
