If you drive by St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Chappell Hill Texas on a nice sunny day you’ll likely see Henry Mazurkiewicz in his overalls mowing his yard or working in his garden. You can tell it’s Henry’s house because there is a big Polish flag flying on a pole in the front yard. Henry’s Polish pride was evident on Saturday, July 17, 2010 as he celebrated his 80th birthday with family and friends. Chappell Hill native Msgr. Harry Mazurkiewicz gave the blessing and then the guests dined on good Texas barbecue along with a tray full of home made kiszka and Polish pickles. The three beautifully decorated birthday cakes represented some of Henry’s favorite past times including fishing, gardening and swatting flies.
Henry’s nephew Dr. Jim Mazurkiewicz led a rousing rendition of Sto Lat and then later on St. Stanislaus’ new pastor Fr. Jozef Musiol joined in and sang Sto Lat again. Entertainment was provided by well known Polish musician Daniel Cendalski and his Country Boys band. The dancers in the crowd were kept busy with a good mix of old Polish tunes and other popular dance music. During the bands intermissions, Dr. Jim picked up his concertina and played more Polish music with his son James keeping time on the beben.
Below are a few photos of the fun and there is a slideshow of more photos on page 2and Videos of the fun on page 3
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.