Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic parish in Houston, Texas was host to the 46th Annual St. Cyril and Methodius Slavic Heritage Festival on Sunday, September 13, 2009. The morning began with holy Mass which included a procession of the harvest wreath and bread. Monsignor Slawomir Oder, the Catholic Church official in charge of promoting the cause to declare the late Pope John Paul II a saint of the Church, was a special guest celebrant. After Mass, a special ceremony of the laying of the corner stone of Our Lady of Czestochowa’s new Pope John Paul II hall was held.
At noon, there was a welcoming ceremony for the Slavic Communites of Poland, Ukraine, Czech Republic and Croatia along with the singing of the United States and each participating countries national anthems. A colorful procession of the country flags and dance troops and a presentation of the queens of the Slavic nations followed.
Ethnic group and commercial booths lined the entry into the festival. A great variety of slavic food was available as well as beer, wine and other drinks. Entertainment was provided for the large crowd under the covered stage by Our Lady Of Czestochowa Polish School Dancers. MiReDo, Ridna Shkola Ukrainian Dancers, Chris Rybak And the Czech Heritage Singers, My Houstonskie Cepry Folk Dancers, Zhuravli Ukrainian Dancers Of Houston, Christina Gentry And Robert Ermis, Houston International Dancers (Croatian) and Vlodko Kotsiouruba & The Ukrainian Sounds.
Below are a few photos of the fun and there is a slideshow of many more photos on page 2.
Slideshow of many more photos on page 2
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.