On Sunday morning, September 18, 2011, the second day of the annual Polish Harvest Festival, Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic Church held a very special Dożynki Mass. Dożynki is a traditional Polish Harvest Festival that dates back for many centuries in Poland. It is a feast to celebrate the end of the harvest for the farmers.
The Mass was celebrated by the church’s new pastor Father Waldemar Matusiak with this years festival honorary hosts, former pastor Fr. Leszek Wedziuk and Barbara Ostrowski in attendance. The Mass began with a Dożynki procession led by the festival hosts who were carrying a large basket of bread. They were followed by a group of parish youth, adults and friends of the parish dressed in colorful Polish folk costumes. They carried a large framed picture of Our Lady Of Czestochowa that was crafted from harvested grain. The procession also included a similar picture of Pope John Paul II.
The festival hosts sat in chairs of honor at the front of the church during the Mass and brought up the gifts of bread and wine. At the end of the Mass they distributed the Dożynki bread for all to enjoy.
Below is a slideshow of photos of the beautiful Dożynki Mass at Our Lady Of Czestochowa Church.
James Smock has always held an interest in his Polish ancestors and heritage. He is a native Houstonian with Polish roots in Bremond, Marlin and New Waverly, Texas.