Poland Religion in daily life/ INTERVIEW for school paper

Hi,
I am a 3rd year College student in the US and I am writing a term paper comparing and contrasting the Catholic Church in America and Poland and ANY helpful info. will help! I also need to interview someone that has lived or is currently living in Poland and is Catholic. Please reply or email me at PhillySeller2@aol.com ...... Thanks Brett

P.S.

I am writing the paper because I am part Polish and am a Catholic in America and would like to know more about Poland and the culture.

what kinds of questions do you have?

The MAIN question is what are the differences between the Polish Catholic Church and the American Catholic Church? Also, What traditions are similar but things are done differently (related to religion)?

sorry, but you're asking us to write the essay for you, this is too difficult and time consuming, at least for me. if you had some specific questions it would be easier to answer.

IN POLAND:
1. Churches don't have carpets
2. Very few people go up to receive the Holy Comunion
3. The host is placed directly into the open mouth
4. In Some churches you kneel down when receiving the Host
5. With the sign of peace, they just nod their heads at you
6. People leave before the priest
7. When walking in a pew, they just walk in without kneeling first
8. You can stand and ushers don't bring an extra chair out for you
9. They bless Easter Baskets on Easter Sunday
10. People dress up nicer
11. They don't have bathrooms
12. They don't heat most churches nor do they have air conditionairs
13. They don't have missalettes
14. Priest doesn't shake hands with you at the end of the mass
15. They don't have Bingo or after-mass socials
16. The priest walks up the "ambona" to give the sermon
17. Lay people don't give out the communion
18. You see older people during the day praying the rosary
19. They won't clap their hands after a baptismal
20. The mass is in polish

Exactly!


Are you sure we are thinking about the same Poland? :)


Bathrooms? :) :)


It's true that I've never saw a church with air conditioning, but they do heat churches in winter. It's just not an easy task to properly heat few centuries old building.

Well from what I can see, Polish church is the same as Catholic church in england..Im curious to know what they do in America now

As for heat in church - whats that...it was always freezing in my church I say was because Im a lax catholic these days....

1. Churches don't have carpets
- mine does.

2. Very few people go up to receive the Holy Comunion
- wtf? O_o I'd say, very few people DON'T go

3. The host is placed directly into the open mouth
- sadly, not everywhere. I was kinda shocked to have it placed on my hand :/

5. With the sign of peace, they just nod their heads at you
- in my church most shake hands ._.

6. People leave before the priest
- w.h.a.t? O___o'''' The Priest leaves first, ALWAYS!

7. When walking in a pew, they just walk in without kneeling first
- not true, most kneels first, at least in my church

8. You can stand and ushers don't bring an extra chair out for you
- true ._. but I say there's too much standing people! It's impossible to find so many chairs

10. People dress up nicer
- c'mon, christians believe it's a holy place, you can't go in there in vulgar clothes ._.'

11. They don't have bathrooms
- in USA they have? O_O'''''''''

12. They don't heat most churches nor do they have air conditionairs
- I agree with air conditionars, but in winter they DO heat churches ._. Temperature this winter reached 30 degrees negative, they HAD to

14. Priest doesn't shake hands with you at the end of the mass
- shake hands with so many people....?

17. Lay people don't give out the communion
- because they shouldn't ._.

19. They won't clap their hands after a baptismal
- I sooo won't comment on this, I still can't understand this

20. The mass is in polish
- and thank the God for that!

I suppose all catholic traditions / masses are the same - the asthetic i.e whether a church has carpets or aircon isnt really important - we go we pray we receive absolution on a saturday at confession and go out and sin on a saturday night yet go and receive communion on a Sunday.....hmmm but thats life...

Don't get so excited, Ly- .There are many, many, many churches in Poland. It's impossible to go to each one. I am just saying what I have observed based on the ones I did go in Warsaw, Krakow, Zakopane and surrounding areas.

Many people in the US wear jeans to church, I don't consider that "Sunday Clothes".
And yes, churches in the US have bathrooms, and they're free!!!!

as for how a priest gives communion, that depends on the priest or how a person wants to take it, a lot of older people at my church used to take it in their had yet younger people would take it on the tonge

People go to church in jeans....oh thats disrespectful, sunday attire is smart, I had glasses as a kid and even had sunday glasses...lol

I've seen bathrooms in English churches too......

krysia - ive only ever been in one church in England so my knowledge is limited, ours didnt have a bathroom for the congregation, but like I said the asthetics of churches around the globe are different but mass is the same...the priest will wear the same colours all round the world at easter the same as midnight mass will be held on xmas eve

My church doesn't have a carpet. All other points I agree with Ly_.

In America during communion, an usher stands next to the row of seats organizing people and everybody goes to communion.
In Poland I met people who don't go because they feel they have sinned and don't feel like they should be be receiving the Holy Communion.

And I have seen people in Poland leave before the closing song. Mostly the ones standing in back.
In America the priest shakes hands with the people. Not with all, because it's impossible, but he does stand out there smiling and ready to talk to you.

At the sign of peace in Polish churches, I have observed people just glancing at you. Some say they don't want to touch.
In America they clap hands after a child is baptised or renewing vows for older couples or some other distinction made by the priest.
Every church is different, depending on the parish and priest.

Krysia,

I can't speak for churches in the US, and while I agree with Ly_, what you say about Polish churches is somewhat true in my area. Like you say. All churches are different.

krysia - Where did you live in Poland if you did? or how did you know about the things claimed?

9. They bless Easter Baskets on Easter Sunday

Sunday????? In Krakow it is on Saturday.

I would say about shaking hands with people , priests do it in England I am afraid it is impossible in Poland as there are too many people in the church.

I have notce few more differences but between Poland and England- Polish sermons are much loooonger.( sometimes tooo long)
People in Poland are brught up with bigger respect to church, being there. I was last time on English mass and peopel who were living previous one were talking really loudly.eating somthing...

And one more think- I didn;t see it my Catholic church but Church of England they have little play area in tee back for children to play?:)

I can;t believe it would ever happen in Poland.

Iwona,

Yes you're right. Easter baskets on Saturday. In a service which lasts about 15 minutes and is repeated most of the day. Sometimes this service is outside if the weather is good [at our church]

A little test for you all. What is in the basket ?

Thats sunday school for children - bible classes etc.

Yes, Easter baskets are blessed on a Saturday. I meant during Easter. It's not a tradition in the US, unless there is a Polish priest in the parish. Our parish has a Polish priest, and we bless baskets on Saturdays, but very few people come, only about 4 or 5.

And churches in America have a room for the children. I was in those rooms many, many times, because the kids get bored during the sermon, and if they're very young, they don't know what the heck the priest is talking about and start crying. Then everybody gives you dirty looks. So then, mothers with young children walk out to this sound-proof baby room. There are toys and a loud-speaker where you can continue hearing the sermon.

And where else can you change a diaper, but in the church bathroom?

A little test for you all. What is in the basket ?

few painted eggs, sausage, bread, salt, little sheep made of sugar, "yeast babka"- and boxes as basket decoration.

BrettG...
Please Im just teasing now:
the Polish Catholic Church is an old-catholic church in Poland seperated from Rome.
Iam also roman -catholic and live in Denmark,so my point of wiew in this discussion
is established via informations from international catholic magazine...........

Many articles describe the polish roman-catholic church as pre -II Vatican.The modernization
of liturgy and pastoral praxis does not existe in Poland.I dont know why?but I had read so-
me news in a catholic magazine about the american polish r.catholics they have the same
praxis.Im sadly, since the polish pope had the pontificate many reforms were stopped and the spirit in the r.-catholic church were full of restriction and authoritarian and superdogma-

tic rules fore the priests,theologians and critical lay catholics.Sadly,sadly.

pax et bonum
Jola

Divorce in the polish Catholic church is a big No No in poland
Divorce in a polish Catholic church in the US, No big deal..

Getting holy communion in a Polish Catholic chuch is done either in your hand standing or kneeling. In your mouth standing or kneeling.
I have seen it done both ways.
I could not tell you in poland .

I know in a polish catholic church in the US People do Celebrate by clapping , wedding,baptism,so fourth.

Priests in poland are more strict during a mass than here in the US.
A priest in poland will stop a mass and ask you to leave if you act like a fool.
Here in the Us they won't stop a mass. At least I have never seen it stopped.

In the US the church is packed on Holidays by poles.

Normal polish sunday mass is not that full of poles .

Confession is open during the first half of the mass. At every Mass.
Sometimes after mass too a priest will come back and listen to your confession.

After mass there is usually a few members who will stay and light candles and pray for there loved ones.
As far as I remember. As a kid the church remained open all day to everyone.
It was only locked at night.

And as far as clothes. You had to be dressed nice . AS a kid I had too.
as an adult I go in Jeans, Or what ever clean clothes I have at the time.
I don't know why it would matter how you are dressed. You don't go to church to get noticed by others , Or to show off your goods , You go to pray and worship the lord.

So wearing my Armoni or whatever has no relevence in worshiping the lord.

brettG.....
Sorry I mean the polish national catholic church,so you can say he he he to me.....
And dear polish catholic foregive me, if you will be mad by my oponion about the former
polish pope.

I really don't see much evidence of it in daily life. People get dressed up for church but they do the same back home.

they usually have marble. It would be a shame to cover it:)

LOL, Olaf. I completely agree. It's rather sad that the money goes to marble rather than continuing where Jesus left off. Greed knows no end :( :(