Lots of parishioners were present at 11:30 AM Mass at St. Stanislaus, the Motherchurch of New England Province. Provincial Superior, Fr. A. Rafal Kopystynski CM, and pastor’s associates Fr. Stanley Miekinia CM and Fr. Marek Sadowski CM, as well as Fr. John Krzyzanski OFM Conv., St. Stanislaus native, were concelebrants in the Eucharist. Among attendants were four of Fr. Roman’s nine brothers and sister. His sister Helena even came from Greece.

New Haven is the oldest Vincentian location in the Province of New England. First missioners from Krakow came here in 1904. For long years it served as community superior’s residence, when it was a mission, vice-province and when it became autonomous province. Fr. Kmiec first arrived to New Haven in 1997. When he came again in 2006 he became its pastor and superior of the house.

After the Eucharist another celebration commenced in the school auditorium at Eld Street. Aproximately 230 people attended the party organized by grateful parishioners. Short artistic program with songs and poetry presented by students of Polish Saturday School and some of the jubilant’s relatives opened the event. Special dinner for all the participants followed. (Slideshow above presents some pictures from the event).

Father Roman Kmieć, was born on October 10, 1961 in Szarwark, a village near Dabrowa Tarnowska and Tarnow, South Eastern Poland as one of the ten children of the local organist. As a child he inherited a lot of his father’s music skill who taught him to play piano, saxophone and accordion. Even today, on various occasions, Fr. Roman is seen and heard playing accordion.

After completing secondary education he was admitted to the Congregation of the MIssion in the Province of Poland in Krakow on December 8, 1980. Vincentians are very much recognized in his native neighborhood. Besides the Holy Family in parish in Tarnow where they are present as long as they are in New Haven, they also take care of the local Marian Shrine in Odporyszow. He studied philosophy and theology at the Vincentian Fathers Institute of Theology (ITKM) which he graduated with Master of  Theology diploma. On December 8, 1984 he took his vows and finally was ordained priest on may 24, 1986.

His first priestly assignment was position of parochial vicar Our Lady of Rosary Parish in Pabianice in central Poland. There he stayed for a year until he travelled to the United States in September 1987.

His first steps on American soil lead him to St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish, Brooklyn, NY. This place was chosen to let him improve his English and become engrossed in the large concentration of Polish immigrants. After spending one year at Greenpoint in 1988 he was assigned to St. Michael’s Parish in Derby, CT as vicar. His administrative and leadership talents were quickly recognized by superiors and in 1991, as a five years priest, he became Superior of the Community House there (replacing Fr. Ronald Wiktor CM) and held this responsibility until 1993.

Then he was appointed to St. Stanislaus Kostka in Brooklyn for the second time where he stayed as vicar until 1995. His next assignment was St. Peter’s Parish, Concord, NH where he was vicar again until 1997. On that year he was moved to St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr Parish in New Haven, CT with the same responsibility until 2003.

In 1996 Vincentians took over St. Cyril & Methodius Parish in Upper Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY with Fr. Joseph Mietelski CM as the first Vincentian pastor of the church at 150 Dupont Street. After sudden death of Fr. Mietelski, his vicar Fr. Rafal Kopystynski became administrator of the parish. In 2003 Fr. Roman Kmiec was appointed second Vincentian pastor of SS. Cyril & Methodius assisted by Fr. Joseph Wisniewski CM. When Fr. Tadeusz Maciejewski CM replaced him in 2006 Father Roman has returned to New Haven. This time as pastor and superior, which continues to be.

View more pictures in the gallery on our Facebook page

Meanwhile, on January 15, 2001 Father was elected Provincial councilor for the first time. And again in 2003 and 2004. Finally, he has been elected councilor on November 25, 2008 once again.

Among his classmates: Fr. Jerezy Berdychowski CM (left) and Fr. Zdislaw Gora (right)

Christa McAuliffe was the most publicized parishioner of all Vincentian parishes. The 700 household parish, one of four Catholic parishes in Concord NH was taken over by Vincentians from New England Province in September 1983.  From the moment NASA selected Christa as the winner of its Teacher-In-Space competition, she was a celebrity, a heroine. She was given a hometown parade and movie offers;  she was constantly asked to give television and radio interviews; there was a constant flow of newspaper and magazine articles about her.

A nation turned a teacher into a star not for anything she did, but for what she meant to us. The realm of outer space, once limited to daredevil astronauts with perfect physiques, had been opened to a 130-pound teacher from Concord HIgh School and St. Peter’s Parish. Her greatest athletic achievement was pitching for a championship softball team when she was a teenager.

Christa McAuliffe wasn’t the first non-astronaut to get a ticket on a shuttle flight. But she was the first ordinary “citizen astronaut”. 37 years of age, she taught social studies for 13 years and CCD 8th grade for five years at the St. Peter’s Center.

A mother of two children, she carried souvenirs for them into space: her nine year old son Scott’s stuffed frog,  Fleagle; her six year old daughter Caroline’s gold crucifix; and, not to be outdone, her attorney-husband’s class ring.

Christa was full of enthusiasm and responded graciously to her many well-wishers, hand shakers, autograph-hounds, and camera bugs. She believed one day colonies of ordinary people would live and work in orbiting space stations.

Television cameras and radio broadcasters swarmed Father Chester Mrowka CM, pastor of St. Peter’s Church, Concord,  at half-hour Memorial Service for her  at  St. Peter’s that Tuesday night.  He was driven by limousine to the University of New Hampshire for a late night television interview on CBS NIGHTWATCH;  BBC from London made a telephone radio interview; THE MCNEIL/LEHRER NEWS HOUR was televised live from the parlor as was Jane Pauley’s live interview on NBC’s TODAY SHOW.  That did not include the various local television broadcasting station plus WBZ’s Channel 4 from Boston. Photographers from JAPAN MAGAZINE and PARIS MATCH, among others, took various pictures and interviewed neighboring people.

In his Tuesday night homily, Father Chet described McAuliffe as a unique, charismatic person who dared to venture forth with optimism for the future. She was a very ebullient personality. She had a smile for everybody. She was a dedicated wife and mother. Concord is the kind of town where just about everybody knows everybody else. That’s why it hit severely hard.  She was a local celebrity.  To have this happen at a moment of exultation is belief and beyond description. There was a ghastly silence and a great numbness.

A more staid Funeral Mass was held at 11 AM on 3 February 1986, with the press relegated to the area across the street  from the church and now cameras allowed inside the church. The church was filled to capacity with relatives, business associates, and friends with personal ticket invitations only.  The names were taken from a previously prepared list for the anticipated welcoming reception.

Cardinal Bernard Law, the Archbishop of the Province of Boston and Bishop Odore Gendron, Bishop of Manchester, presided.  The main celebrant was Rev. James Leary of St. Joseph’s, Bristol, CT, a cousin of Christa.  The Master of Ceremonies was Rev.  William Helmick. Concelebrants were: Rev. Chester Mrowka CM, Pastor of St. Peter’s; Rev. Paul Bouchard and Rev. Christian, chaplains to the Cardinal; Rev. William Quirk, pastor; local clergymen, Rev. Richard Lower, Rev. Maurice, Rev. Aimee Boiselle, Rev. Daniel Messier, Rev. John Sledziona CM and Rev. Mitchell Wanat CM. The state and local government officials were headed by Governor John Sununu. (excerpts from Rev. Edward P. Gicewicz CM, Growth of the New England Province of the Congregation of the Mission 1904-2004, p. 191-192)