SUNDAY DISPATCH, SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012
SACRED HEART CHURCH BAZAAR
BILL TARUTIS/FOR THE SUNDAY DISPATCH
Rosemary Borkowski, left, of Suscon, and Marianne Kocylowski, of Bear Creek, join other volunteers in pinching the edges of stuffed pierogies at Sacred Heart Church.
PIEROGIES ... IN A PINCH
Volunteers turn out for annual church festival in Dupont By JOE HEALEY jhealey@psdispatch.com
P
we did as kids. It’s enjoyable. We have fun.” Hours and hours of work are put in to making 33,000 delicious Polish treats. From peeling potatoes and grating cheese to kneading and rolling the dough. Then there’s the stuffing and pinching and boiling and cooling and See PIEROGIES, Page 4
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lop. Fold. Pinch. Repeat. It’s not an easy job, but for the members of the pierogi assembly line at Sacred Heart Church in Dupont, it’s done with pure love. “It’s our parish and we put our hearts and souls into this,” said Marianne Kocylowski, of Bear Creek, part of the crew getting ready for church’s annual bazaar last week. “We talk about old times, the things
Rose Ann and Arlene Skrzysowski, of Dupont, spoon out mashed potato balls to stuff pierogi dough in preparation for the annual Sacred Heart of Jesus Church picnic which concluded Saturday night.
SUNDAY DISPATCH, SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012
Carolyn Klimek, of Dupont, mixes pierogi dough. BILL TARUTIS/ FOR THE SUNDAY DISPATCH
Pierogies
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Continued from Page 3
packing and storing. The process begins the night before when parishioners peel the potatoes. The next morning, the potatoes are boiled then mashed with cheese (15 pounds of potatoes get about four pounds of “After 50 cheese), cooled years, I and scooped into small know what balls. I’m doing. Another assembly line has It’s all in the dough mathe finchine kneading gers. It’s balls of dough, which is fed inlike one to a mechanizsmooth ed roller. The pinching sheets of dough are laid flat and motion.” a group of volMildred unteers, using Mlodzienski round cookie Dupont cutters, makes the discs. (Over a ton of flour and 21,600 eggs goes through the dough machine.) The dough rounds are placed on a cookie sheet and taken to the pinchers’ tables. The ball of filling goes in the middle of a dough circle and the women fold them into half moons. Then they pinch. And pinch. And pinch. Mildred Mlodzienski, of Dupont, said there’s really no secret to proper pierogi pinching; you just learn over time. “After 50 years, I know what I’m doing,” she said. “It’s all in
Tom Titton, of Dupont, rolls pierogi dough before it is cut and stuffed.
Frank Skrzysowski, of Dupont, uses a hole saw to drill cores out of cabbages to make them easier to boil for halushki and piggies.
the fingers. It’s like one smooth pinching motion.” Kocylowski, a lifetime member of Sacred Heart, said you have to make sure the pierogi is completely sealed. “If there’s a hole in the dough, it will come apart when they’re boiling,” she said. “We have to make sure they’re closed real good.” After a tray is full, it is taken into the kitchen where each pierogi is submerged in a vat of boil-
ing water. (Fourteen massive cauldrons of boiling water make for a very hot kitchen, by the way.) “When they float, they’re done,” Lacomis said. They’re then put in a cold water bath: a pretty complex system with a pump and many large blocks of ice. Joe Lacomis, of Suscon, Pittston Township, food chairman for the bazaar, said volunteers will make 22,000 potato, 5,500
Greg Zawacki, of Old Forge, transfers pinched pierogies to pots of boiling water in the kitchen.
cheese and 5,500 cabbage pierogi. “By far, the potato ones are the most popular,” he said. At the bazaar, they sell for 75 cents each or 3 for $2. “We never raised the price on them,” Lacomis said. Frank Skrzysowski, of Dupont, was coring cabbages … with a drill. “You take out the core and it’s easier for the women to make piggies. The cabbage just falls
off.” Lacomis got emotional when he looked across the hall and saw all the volunteers hard at work. He said there were over 100 volunteers, including more than 40 volunteer “pinchers.” “We’re a family here,” he said. “Sacred Heart Church is a family. I get a little emotional when all these people show up to help out. It’s just amazing.”
THE REV. CHARLES ROKOSZ
1944-2012
FALLEN SHEPHERD
Longtime area priest recalled as loving, holy
Rev. Charles Rokosz gives the homily during the inaugural mass at Nativity of Our Lord Parish in Duryea in 2010. Rokosz passed away last week. SUNDAY DISPATCH FILE PHOTO/ PETE G. WILCOX
By JOE HEALEY
jhealey@psdispatch.com
As a young Holy Rosary pupil was readying for summer vacation, The Rev. Charles Rokosz teased him. “I hope you have a lot of homework,” Father joked. Quick on his feet, the child responded, “I hope you have a lot of Masses.” Duryea and the surrounding community lost “He was a one of its spiritual model for leaders us priests Wednesday when because Rokosz, he was 67, sucsuch a cumbed to the good brain canshepcer he beherd.” lieved he had deMonsignor feated John Bendick just a year ago. Parishioner Carl Witkowski said Rokosz was a “priest’s priest” and a great example of the traditional parish pastor with an adjoining school. “Children loved him, parishioners likewise,” Witkowski said. Rokosz’s administrative, financial, structural and organizational skills served him well as leader of the Dureya Catholic community, but his unwavering spiritual leadership made him shine, Witkowski said. Msgr. John J. Bendik described Rokosz as a gentle
soul, soft spoken and very loving. “He was admired and respected by his people and his peers because he was such a kind and loving man,” Bendik said. “He was a model for us priests because he was such a good shepherd.” Rokosz’s diagnosis manifes-
ted itself at Mass on Dec. 26, 2010, while delivering his homily. He began to stutter and garble his words. “I asked my wife if he was speaking Latin,” said parishioner Mitch Megliola. “We realized he was having some sort of episode and an ambulance
took him to the hospital.” Many thought it was a stroke or his blood pressure, but the diagnosis was significantly worse: a brain tumor. After months of radical treatment, surgery to remove the tumor and recuperation at the church rectory, Rokosz announced at Mass that he had
beaten the cancer. But several months later, the cancer returned. He was taken to the assisted living area of Little Flower Manor in Wilkes-Barre several months ago, but was recently moved to the hospice unit. Witkowski visited Rokosz recently at Little Flower. “His spirit and personality was able to shine through the illness,” Witkowski said. “Through it all, you F U N E R A L could still D E T A I L S see his great A viewing will smile.” be from 3 to 6:30 p.m. Bendik also spent today at Holy Rosary Church some time on Stephenson with Rokosz Street in Duin his final ryea, followed by a Vigil Mass days. “When I at 7 p.m. A Pontifical Mass visited him, of Christian he made you Burial will be feel at at 11 a.m. Monhome. He day in Holy kept a very Rosary Church. positive attitude, even up to the end,” Bendik said. “He was on the edge of eternity and still had a very deep faith and was open to God’s will.” Rokosz, a Plymouth native, attended Saint Mary’s, Plymouth; Saint Vincent’s High School, Plymouth; St. Charles Seminary, Catonsville, Md.; and St. Pius X Seminary, Dalton. He was ordained on May 9, 1970. His first pastor assignment was at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Hughestown on Jan. 13, 1984. He took over at Holy Rosary on June 20, 1991. See ROKOSZ , Page 6
SUNDAY DISPATCH, SUNDAY, JULY 15, 2012
Rokosz Continued from Page 3
Rokosz presided over a tumultuous time in the parish, when the three Duryea churches were ultimately merged into one. The borough of about 4,500 had three churches, each representing its own parish. But dwindling population, church budget crunches, priest shortages and a changing society led the Diocese of Scranton to decide to close many churches and consolidate others. Duryea was not immune The first was St. Joseph’s, which shut its doors in March 2010 and saw its parish merged with Holy Rosary. Then came word that Sacred Heart of Jesus would also be closed, though the church was given a reprieve as a worship site within the new parish. On Nov. 28, 2010, Holy Rosary parish was also closed. All three were merged into a new parish with a new name, Nativity of Our Lord. “He was a steadfast leader during that time,” Witkowski said. Rokosz added some levity to that very sad time. “I certainly feel a lot better right now than I did the past few days,” Rokosz told the Times Leader. “I had no parish. Just sheep wandering around.” The new parish name has significance to those in Duryea, Rokosz told a reporter. The nativity of Jesus was an event that includ-
ed or represented the namesakes of the three Duryea parishes – Joseph, Jesus and Mary. “Our parish received more than we expected or asked for in our new name,” Rokosz had said. “We got the extras,” he said, mentioning others that were part of the nativity scene, including the animals, the wise men, and ‘even a star.’ The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton, will preside over Rokosz’s funeral on Monday. “I have had the privilege of knowing Father Rokosz for well over 30 years, first as a friend of my family, as a brother priest in service to the Diocese of Scranton and also as a dear friend,” Bambera said. “His priestly presence has touched the lives of countless numbers of individuals in many ways. I will remember him most for his wonderful sense of humor, his deep concern and compassion for people, his kind and gentle ways, and his ever faithful devotion to the Lord whom he served so well.” Katherine Gilmartin, principal of Holy Rosary School in Duryea, worked alongside Rokosz since the early 1990s, first as a teacher then as a principal. She spoke of his sense of humor. “He sat down at the teachers’ lunch table one day and told us we’d have to come in on Saturdays for the next few months for Catechism instruction. He said it with such a straight face that we all just sort of looked at each other and agreed.”
He was kidding, obviously, but sometimes “he would walk away, you were never sure if he was joking or not. He was a tremendous supporter of the school. He loved the children.” He’d often joke with the children in the cafeteria, she said.
“Like one time he asked a 5year-old what they thought of the next election,” she said. For Gilmartin, three things that stood out regarding Father Rokosz: “His kindness and concern for others, his thoughtfulness and his personal faith.”
Megliola said that after Mass the children would always ask him how many more days were left until summer vacation. “He would always have that number,” Megliola said. “It was 110 or 58 or whatever. He really had a connection with the kids.”
ST. JOSEPH MARELLO PARISH BAZAAR — TODAY!
OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL GROUNDS William St., Pittston MAIN ATTRACTIONS • Porketta Sandwiches • Tripe • Clams • Red/White Pizza • Pizza Fritta • Pasta Fagioli • Potato Pancakes • Ice Cream • Sausage & Pepper Sandwiches • Strawberry Shortcake • Hamburgers • Hot Dogs • Philly Steak Sandwiches • Chicken Tenders & Fries • Pierogies
Games For The Whole Family! Speciality Baskets, Novelties and Drawings
Bazaar Opens Today at 4 P.M.
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT:
SWEET PEPPERS & THE LONG HOTS 6-10
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Don’t miss your chance to win a brand new 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE OR $20,000 (only 2000 tickets will be sold) Other drawings are for $1,000, $500.00, $250.00 $100.00 & $50.00 Drawings will take place tonight, July 15th Rev. Charles Rokosz greets his parishioners at Nativity of Our Lord Parish in Duryea. Rokosz died last week at age 67. FILE PHOTO/PETE G. WILCOX
i or shine. hi W l t off seating. ti EVERYONE IS INVITED TO ATTEND. Rain We hhave plenty
SUNDAY DISPATCH, SUNDAY, APRIL 22, 2012
G R E AT E R P I T T S T O N AT W O R K
Martha rings Duryea market for some rings By JOE HEALEY
jhealey@psdispatch.com
She was running down Main Street, chasing the UPS deliveryman. A box of kielbasi packed in ice needed to be shipped. Fast. Brenda Sepelyak, co-owner of Komensky’s Market, was trying to get several rings of her store’s award-winning smoked and fresh rings to New York City by 10 a.m. Destination: The Martha Stewart Show. It started with a call from the show’s producers, Sepelyak said, the day before the show was taped. “The place where Martha
normally got her kielbasa in New York City closed and she asked her audience if they knew of any good places,” Sepelyak said. “Somebody mentioned us.” The show’s producers asked if Sepelyak could get them several rings for the next morning’s show. That’s when Sepelyak started to sweat. The UPS driver had already come and gone. “I ran down the street trying to catch him,” she said. “Thank God I found him and we arranged to make the delivery by 8 a.m. the next morning.” Komensky’s was featured in the first segment of Stewart’s show, but because Easter is one
of the busiest times at the market, those working at the store couldn’t even watch the show. “We were so busy, we had to TiVo the show,” Sepelyak said, noting she and her husband, Robert Sepelyak, have very little time to watch TV during Easter week. “She gave us a nice plug,” she said of Stewart. Sepelyak said the meat was prepared and served to Stewart’s staff as part of an Easter banquet. Komensky’s Market is at 412 Main St. in Duryea. The business ships its product locally and around the world. “It’s such an honor,” Sepelyak said. “We love Martha. We think we found a new customer.”
Brenda Sepelyak of Komensky's Market on Main Street in Duryea shows off a ring of smoked and fresh kielbasi on Thursday. JOE HEALEY/THE SUNDAY DISPATCH
Pittston’s Arts SEEN Gallery readies for workshops By JOE HEALEY
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jhealey@psdispatch.com
Maria Livrone displays some of her glass work at Arts SEEN on Main Street in Pittston on Tuesday. Livrone is the new director and the facility has plans to start art workshops and classes. JOE HEALEY/THE SUNDAY DISPATCH
Thinking about trying your hand at pottery? Is silk screen your dream? Want to have a brush with oil painting? Arts SEEN Gallery on South Main Street is being remodeled to accommodate numerous art workshops, according to the shop’s new directors, Maria Livrone and Bill Zack of Visions in Art Glass and Metal. Once complete, the new classroom will host workshops for virtually all mediums of art, including pottery, glass, silkscreening, photography, oil, acrylic, fiber, origami and jewelry. Livrone said the classes should begin around the end of May and will be taught by various local artists. “Downtown Pittston is in the middle of a rebirth and we’re glad we’re part of it,” Livrone said. The public, for-profit gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat-
urdays; and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. It features art from more than 30 local artists. Christine Altmann, an artist in residence, rents an 8-foot by 8-foot space in the gallery and specializes in seasonal, holiday art with a specialty on Halloween. The gallery owners plan to host an Art on Main exhibition, similar to what is going on in numerous local cities, on the second Friday of every month. The first one will be from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on May 11. “We’re inviting local artists to show off their work,” Livrone said. “There is so much artistic talent in this area, it’s unbelievable.” Other artists on display include Pittston native Bill Brandenburg, Estelle Campenni of West Pittston and Sherri Prokopchak, of Kingston. Others include Kevin McGroarty, John Levandoski, Marylin Querci and Leandra Hetro. Livrone encourages residents to visit the gallery’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ artsseengallerypittston