Easter blessing carries on
Cars line up outside church to continue Polish tradition with a few added precautions
The Rev. Jim Wozniak stood on the front porch of the parsonage at St. Matthias Parish in Crown Point on Holy Saturday, offering a blessing to the faithful who pulled up before him in their vehicles.
A line of cars wrapped around the parking lot waiting for their chance to stop at the foot of the walkway in front of Wozniak with their Easter food baskets in tow to participate in the cherished Polish tradition of blessing the ingredients for their Sunday meal.
Wozniak, who is of Polish descent, said many Polish parishes have always blessed Easter baskets for the first meal on Easter Sunday morning.
“Growing up we always did that as a family,” Wozniak said. When he came to St. Matthias, Wozniak said he continued that tradition, growing from six or seven families who participate to about 75 last year.
“We have a big crowd of people that look forward to this every year now,” he said.
In the wake of the gathering and contact restrictions put in place to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, that tradition was at risk, prompting Wozniak to get creative.
Typically, parishioners would bring their baskets into the church and place them on the steps to the sanctuary, Wozniak said. He then would proceed to offer a blessing for each item traditionally included in the basket — meat, dairy, eggs, bread, etc.
“This year, since we can’t have it in church and we can’t be close to one another, we decided to do it outside,” Wozniak. Instead of offering a blessing for each individual item, Wozniak said he will be offering a blessing for the entire basket and its contents. Upon making the Sign of the Cross at the completion of the blessing, the vehicle moves on.
Mary Szo and her sister Karen Szymanski, both of Griffith, were among those waiting to have their Easter baskets blessed.
“We have never missed a basket blessing in our lives,” Szo said.
Her daughter, Sheila Szo, and two of her grandchildren Tanner, 8, and Aurora, 2, all of Griffith, were with them, continuing the enduring Polish tradition of sweiconka, “the blessing of the Easter baskets”, which dates back in its current form to at least to the 12th century, according to the Polish American Center’s website.
“This makes my Easter complete,” Mary Szo said. The family attends St. Mary’s Parish in
Griffith and learned about the blessing of the baskets at St. Matthias online.
“I am very grateful to him,” Szo said, adding she was very grateful the Rev. Wozniak figured out a way to carry on the tradition. The sisters were afraid this would be the first time in their lives they would be unable to have their Easter meal blessed due to the coronavirus. Palm Sunday was the first in their lives they were unable to bring home blessed palms.
Sheila Szo said she remembers as a child going to church and the way all the food would smell. After the blessing, she would participate in the church Easter egg hunt. Unfortunately for her children, there will be no Easter Egg hunts this year.
The group brought a basket for another family member, who lives separately, and could not attend the blessing. They plan to place the basket on her porch.
“We all share the blessed food,” Szymanski said.
Inside their baskets were traditional items including homemade Polish sausage, lamb butter and colored eggs. There were even a few dog treats.
“Everybody in the family gets something blessed for their Easter breakfast,” Sheila Szo said.
Angie Krout of Lowell said she too has been going to church every Holy Saturday for the blessing of the baskets since she was a little girl. Krout, who attends St. Matthias, said she was happy, despite the restrictions on gatherings in place, that Wozniak was able to figure out a way to keep the tradition alive.
“I’m glad we are still able to do it,” Krout said. “Everyone is just adjusting with the changes right now.”
Rudy and Diane Bland of St. John, said it was great to be able to carry on the tradition this year in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
The couple have been worshipping during the stay-at-home order by following the livestreams from their church St. John the Evangelist in St. John and were not sure they would be able to participate in the long-standing Easter basket blessing tradition this year.
“We appreciate the blessing of all the food we have to eat on Easter,” Rudy Bland said.