OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SLOVAK CATHOLIC SOKOL – MEMBERSHIP 28,000 – HOME OFFICE: 205 MADISON STREET, PASSAIC, N.J. 07055 – www.slovakcatholicsokol.org

Periodical Postage Paid at original entry of Passaic, N.J., 07055 and additional mailing offi ces

VOLUME CIV PASSAIC, N.J., MAY 6 PASSAIC, N.J., MAY 6, 2015, 2015 NUMBER 5042

Slovensk¥ Katolícky Sokol

Za Boha a Národ For God and Nation

Scenes of the Annual Patronal Feast Day Observance of St. Joseph Hosted by Assembly 182St. John Nepomucene Parish + New York City + Sunday, March 22

Celebrating Sokol fraternalism and faith in the Big Apple

Headtable guests at this year’s St. Joseph’s Day celebration included, seated, l-r John A. Holy, Dr. Ladislav Korcek, second vice president and president respectively of Assembly 182; Milan Dait, president of Assem-bly 1 of the Slovak League of America; and Jozef Boda, fi rst vice president of Assembly 182. Standing, from the left, Nina Holy, national secretary-treasurer of the Slovak League of America our Honorary Supreme Offi cer Dr. Mary Z. Gasparik, Rev. Stefan Chanas, parochial vicar of St. John Nepomucene Parish, Joseph S. Gasparec, Anna Korcak and her husband, Jozef Korcak, fi nancial secretary and auditor respectively of Assembly 182 and Editor Daniel F. Tanzone who was the principal speaker.

PAGE 2 SLOVAK CATHOLIC FALCON, MAY 6, 2015

(Continued on page 15)

The traditional blessing of Easter food on Holy Saturday, April 4 took on special meaning at Most Holy Trinity Church in Yonkers, N.Y. Father Richard D. Baker, Chaplain of Group 1 and pastor of St. Malachy’s - the Actors’ Chapel in the Theatre District of New York City, is shown center holding an infant along with the parish administrator, Father Susai Antony D to his right. They are shown with some of the children who were present at the 1 p.m. blessing. Large turnouts participated at both the 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. blessings in the historic Slovak church. Most Holy Trinity Parish is scheduled to close on August 1 as part of “Making All Things New,” the largest reorganization project in the 206-year history of the Archdiocese of New York. A total of 122 parishes will be combined into 55 parishes with a number parishes to close, including Most Holy Trinity. Established in 1895 to serve the Slovak community, this year the parish observes its 120th an-niversary. Our Sokol, Assembly 219 has been active in the parish since 1925.

Final Holy Saturday Food Blessing at Yonkers, N.Y. Parish

Group 10 Enjoys Ice Hockey Game

On Sunday, March 29 Group 10, “Rev. Francis Sasinek” hosted a sports night out for its members. Our Group Sokols and Sokolky went to a Lehigh Valley Phantoms pro ice hockey game at the new PPL are-na in Allentown, Pa. The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are a minor league team in the Philadelphia Flyers organization. On March 29th, they played the Manchester Monarchs, an affi liate of the LA Kings. The Phantoms lost three to one. In spite of the loss, it proved to be a great game and even included two fi ghts. This all proved to be entertaining. Our Group 10 members had great seats, behind the home goal. Shown in the lower photo are some of the Group 10 members enjoying the evening, including, l-r, Matt Blanar, Paulette Blanar and Fran Blan-nar. The top photo of the jumbotron welcoming the Slovak Catholic Sokol. An enjoyable time was had by all. Continuing in Group 10’s sports activities, a visit to a baseball game is scheduled for August. Zdar Boh! - Susan Knoblauh, Group 10 secretary.

Pope Francis welcomes Slovak President

On April 9, His Holiness Pope Francis welcomed Slovakia’s President Andrej Kiska in the library of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican. It was President Kiska’s fi rst private papal audience since his election as president. President Kiska brought the greetings of all the residents of Slovakia and invited the Pope to visit. President Kiska and the Pope exchanged a number of gifts. President Kiska is shown above present-ing colorful books on the landscape and history of Slovakia. In his ad-dress to the Slovak president and his entourage, Pope Francis recalled the close ties over the centuries of the Slovaks with the Bishop of Rome and had high praise for the strong faith and commitment to Christian values which continue to guide the people of Slovakia in the best tradi-tions of the Cyrilo-Methodian heritage of faith. Following the audience at the Vatican, President Kiska along with Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak and Slovakia’s Ambassador to the Vatican, Peter Sopko hosted a dinner for Slovaks working at the Vatican at the Slovak Embassy.

May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary refers to special Mar-ian devotions held in the Catholic Church during the month of May honoring the Virgin Mary as “the Queen of May”. These services may take place inside or outside. A “May Crowning” is a traditional Roman Catholic ritual that occurs in the month of May. A number of traditions link the month of May to Mary. Alfonso X, king of Castile wrote in his “Can-tigas de Santa Maria” about the special honoring of Mary during specifi c dates in May. Eventually, the entire month was fi lled with special observances and devotions to Mary. The origin of the conventional May devotion is still relatively un-known. Herbert Thurston identifi es the seventeenth century as the earli-est instance of the adoption of the custom of consecrating the month of May to the Blessed Virgin by special observances. It is certain that this form of Marian devotion began in Italy. Around 1739, wit-nesses speak of a particular form of Marian devotion in May in Grezzano near Verona. In 1747 the Archbishop of Genoa recommend-ed the May devotion as a devotion for the home. Specifi c prayers for them were promulgated in Rome in 1838. According to Frederick Hol-weck, the May devotion in its pres-ent form originated at Rome where Father Latomia of the Roman

College of the Society of Jesus, to counteract infi delity and immoral-ity among the students, made a vow at the end of the eighteenth cen-tury to devote the month of May to Mary. From Rome the practice spread to the other Je-suit colleges and thence to nearly every Catholic church of the Latin rite. In Rome by 1813, May devotions were held in as many as twenty churches. From Italy, May devotions soon spread to France. In Belgium, the May devotions, at least as a private devotion, were al-ready known by 1803. The tradition of honoring Mary in a month-long May devotion spread eventually around the Roman Catholic world in the 19th century together with a month-long devotion to Jesus in June and the Rosary in October. In his 1965 encyclical, Mense Maio, Pope Paul VI identifi ed the month of May as an opportune time to incorporate special prayers for peace into traditional May devo-tions. Catholics offer Mary special honor in May: pilgrimages, visits to churches dedicated to her, little sac-rifi ces in her honor, periods of study and well-fi nished work offered up to her, and a more attentive recita-tion of the rosary. The last devo-tion on May 31 is often followed

Thoughts from our Supreme ChaplainMay Devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary

Rev. Andrew S. Hvozdovic

A PRAYER FOR THEWORLD MEETING

OF FAMILIESPHILADELPHIA 2015

God and Father of us all,in Jesus, your Son and our Savior, you have

made us your sons and daughters in the family

of the Church.

May your grace and lovehelp our families in

every part of the worldbe united to one anotherin fi delity to the Gospel.

May the example of theHoly Family, with the

aid of your Holy Spirit,guide all families,

especially those mosttroubled, to be homesof communion and

prayer and to always seek your truth and

live in your love.Through Christ

our Lord. AmenJesus, Mary and Joseph,

Pray for us!

SLOVAK CATHOLIC FALCON, MAY 6, 2015 PAGE 3

From the Desk of the Supreme Secretary

My Fraternal Viewby Steven M. Pogorelec, F.I.C.

CONTINUED COOPERATION WILL INSURE SUCCESS The success of any organization is closely tied to cooperation and hard work. As we approach our organization’s 110th Anniversary this July 4th, it is good to look back and see what has led to our suc-cess. Any institution surviving for 110 years certainly must have had some key ingredients. Cooperation and hard work on the part of genera-tions of individuals have led to our success. Wise and prudent decision-making on the part of our offi cers, both locally and on the Supreme Assembly level have contributed to what the Slovak Catholic Sokol has become - an outstanding fi nancial institution in the best traditions of the fraternal benefi t system. We have an excellent reputation, some-thing you earn and can not purchase. Generations of our members have been at the forefront of serving others in the best traditions of caring and sharing, the important ingredient which has led to our success. That ingredient sets us apart from the commercial insurance companies. Our many activities and fraternal benefi ts offer many opportunities for our members, especially our youth, to succeed in life. In our last issue, I hope you had the opportunity to read through the minutes of the fi rst quarterly meeting of our Board of Directors of 2015. As you can see, our organization continues to be strengthened and successful due in no short order by the wise decisions of our Board of Directors. The many important statistics provided indicate that we are on the right path to continued success. We have shown positive results in our membership and marketing efforts. We have shown increases over the past year. Our assets in 2014 amounted to nearly $70 million as compared to just $63 million in 2013. Our premium income has in-creased by one third and our annuity income has doubled. We have more than $196 million of life insurance in force - another record. And one of the most important statistic we can fi nd in these minutes is the fact that we had an increase of 369 life and annuity policies/certifi cates. The 2013 report indicated the increase was 78. The increase in mem-bership over the past two years is something we have not experienced for a long time. We have seen continued progress due to the fact that important decisions were made by the delegates of our 31st National Convention in 2011 and our Board of Directors. We have seen the posi-tive results of those wise decisions in our daily operations today. I mention these statistics because we are soon to host our 32nd National Convention in Pittsburgh, August 1-5. All is in readiness for this the highest governing body in the life of our organization. It is an example of democracy in action. Our Groups and local Assemblies and Wreaths have elected their representatives who will serve as delegates at the convention. Our Verifi cation and Eligibility Committee has ap-proved a total of 209 delegates who will participate in our 32nd Qua-drennial Convention. Wise and prudent decisions of the delegates will guide our organization in the coming four years and beyond. They will elect individuals who will serve on our Board of Directors and members of the Supreme Assembly. A convention is serious business and I thank the individuals selected to serve as delegates for their willingness to de-vote their time, talents and wisdom for the good of the Slovak Catholic Sokol. Of course there will be ample time to celebrate Sokol fraternal-ism at its best. Delegates, in addition to bringing along your wisdom and positive ideas at the convention, make every effort to bring along a new membership application. Pittsburgh is an attractive and popular city with many sight-seeing opportunities. From our earliest years, it has been a hub of activ-

ity for our Assemblies, Wreaths and Group 14. The Double Tree by Hilton Pittsburgh Greentree is the newest and largest Hilton brand fam-ily hotel in Pittsburgh. With its recent $22+ million renovation, the hotel will provide all the amenities needed for an enjoyable and successful convention. Our organization is very active in Pittsburgh and our del-egates are invited to visit the popular Slovak Catholic Sokol Club on the city’s historic South Side. Our traditional opening convention Mass will be celebrated in the impressive St. Paul Cathedral Church, Oakland on Sunday, August 2. Our own member, Bishop David A. Zubik will celebrate and offer the homily at the Mass which begins at 3 p.m. I invite our Pittsburgh area members to turn out for this Mass at which we seek God’s blessings on the deliberations of the 32nd Convention. So, I look forward to meeting and greeting many of our members in Pittsburgh. Over the years, I have often been asked whether life insurance coverage for children is a wise decision. While no one wants to talk about something happening to their children, there are a number of posi-tive reasons that children should be individually insured even when they may be covered on their parents’ insurance coverage at work. Losing a child is always traumatic. However, we all can recall a family member or friend who went through the death of a child. Guaranteed insurability is important. It can affect the child’s future insurability. Future health complications such as diabetes, obesity, blood pressure and cancer can prevent a child from being insured in adulthood. Having insurance on a child today will insure that they will always be covered regardless of their future health. As long as premiums are paid, insurance coverage continues for life. A whole life plan is excellent for children because it builds cash value. Over the years, the policy builds substantial cash val-ue and becomes a nest egg for the future. Your child can use this money in an emergency or to help pay for college expenses. The cash value will also provide protection against a lapsed policy should premiums not be paid in a timely fashion. And most importantly, since insurance premiums are based on age, coverage for children are very affordable. Purchasing insurance coverage for $25,000 and higher is an excellent start for a child. And term insurance for children is a good option for par-ents on a tight budget. While the policy does not build cash values, pre-miums are very affordable and the policy can be converted to whole life insurance when fi nances have improved. And in addition to the above reasons for purchasing life insurance for children in our organization are the many fraternal benefi ts offered to our children and young people. Our Slet is an example as well as our other sporting events. In addition, we offer scholarship grants to our youngsters. As a Catholic organiza-tion and fi rm believers in the benefi ts of the Catholic school system, we offer scholarship grants to members attending a Catholic grade or high school. In addition, we offer scholarships for students in a college, university or professional school. And knowing how many of our young families are on tight budgets, I especially appeal to the grandparents to consider enrolling their grandchildren in our organization. Many of our current grandpar-ents were themselves active in our organization often beginning when they themselves were youngsters. Think about it grandparents and thank you for giving any consideration to this request. Until next time, as we enjoy the beautiful spring season which we have been waiting for, may I extend warm fraternal wishes to all for good health and happiness. Have a great week and may Christ’s peace be with you today and always. Zdar Boh!

Sokol CalendarMAY 15-16

69th International Bowling Tour-nament at the Freeway Lanes,(Game of Wickliffe) Wickliffe, Oh., bowl-ers housed at the Radisson Hotel & Suites in Eastlake, Oh.

MAY 15-17 69th annual Pittsburgh Folk Fes-

tival at the Monroeville Convention

Center, festival hours are Friday, 4-10 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.- 10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.; ad-mission $6.00 at the door, children under age 12 and younger are wel-come free of charge.

SUN.MAY17 Afternoon of Slovak folklore and

dance hosted by the Slovak Ameri-

can Cultural Center of New York at St. John Nepomucene Social Hall, 407 East 67th St., New York, N.Y. beginning at 1 p.m., admission $5.00 for adults, children welcome free of charge.

SAT.MAY 30 2nd annual Eastern European

Food Festival hosted by Assembly 261 and Wreath 155 at the Slovak Catholic Sokol Club, 411 Crest-mont St., Reading, Pa. from 12 noon to 6 p.m.

SUN.MAY 31 Trinity Sunday observance

marking the closing of Most Holy Trinity Parish, 18 Trinity Pl., Yon-kers, N.Y. Mass at 3 p.m. followed by buffet supper, $30.00 per person; for reservations call the rectory at (914)963-0720, deadline is May 18.

MON.JUNE 1 Slovak Heritage Group meet-

ing at Mt. Lebanon Public Library, Castle Shannon Blvd., Pittsburgh, Pa., 7-9 p.m., free of charge; topic

for meeting is “Sites to see in Slo-vakia,” presented by travel-special-ist Theresa Dostalik.

SAT.JUNE 6 Annual picnic hosted by the Slo-

vak American Society of Washing-ton at Fort Hunt Park, Alexandria, Va. from 12 noon to 5 p.m., food and beverages, $20.00 for individu-als, $25.00 for couples; www.dcs-lovaks.org.

SUN.JUNE 7 Assembly 163 semi-annual

meeting at Dorothy’s Place, Do-nora, Pa. beginning at 1 p.m., dis-cussion of upcoming 32nd national convention will be on the meeting agenda.

SAT.JUNE 13 Quarterly meeting of the S.C.S.

Board of Directors via conference call beginning at 10 a.m.

SAT.JUNE 20 Annual Simply Slavic Festival

in downtown Youngstown, Oh. beginning at 12 noon, for informa-tion call Loretta Ekoniak (330)549-3760.

Annual Johnstown Slavic Festi-val at the Heritage Discovery Cen-ter located in the Cambria City area of Johnstown, Pa. from 12 noon to midnight, for information call Dan Kisha (410)273-1149 or at daniel.kisha@gmail.com. The annual fes-tival celebrates the traditions of the family of Slavic groups in the John-stown, Pa. area.

SUN.JUNE 28 Annual Slovak Day Picnic host-

ed by the Cleveland Slovak Radio Club at the American Sokol Camp, 2069 Royalwood Rd., Broadview Heights, Oh. from 12 noon to 8 p.m., ethnic food, entertainment, music by the Anthony Culkar Band, $4.00 admission at the gate.

TUES.JUNE 30 Assembly 9 patronal feast day

observance beginning Mass at Holy Name of Jesus Church, 1950 Barnum Ave., Stratford, Conn. at 7:30 a.m., breakfast will follow; for reservations call Tom Marticek (203)375-0762.

Concert of the Slovak children’s choir Pro Musica - Magnolia, spon-sored by the Western Pennsylvania Slovak Cultural Association at Syn-od Hall, Craig St., in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, Pa. beginning at 7:30 p.m., tickets adults $20.00, $7.00 children.

THURS.JULY 16 92nd annual Pittsburgh Slovak

Day observance at Kennywood Park, West Miffl in, Pa. beginning with children’s games and treats at 12:30 p.m., Mass at 4 p.m. fol-lowed by cultural program, music for dancing begins a 6 p.m.

OUR NEXT ISSUE IS MAY 20TH

In keeping with our bi week- ly publishing sched ule, the next is sue of the Slovak Cath o lic Fal con will be that of Wednes- day, May 20th. Dead line for all pho tos and in for ma tion for this is sue will be Thurs day, May 14th. View e-Falcon on our website: www.slovakcatholic-sokol.org. Thank ing you for your con tin ued co op er a tion in this mat ter, I re main Zdar Boh! Daniel F. Tanzone, Editor

PAGE 4 SLOVAK CATHOLIC FALCON, MAY 6, 2015

The Wordof God ...

REFLECTOR ... Jotings fr om Sokol and Slovak life

Gospel for the Sixth Sundayof Easter - May 10th

John 15:9-17

Jesus said to his disciples: “As theFather loves me, so I also love you.Remain in my love. If you keep mycommandments, you will remainin my love, just as I have kept myFather’s commandments and remainin his love.“I have told you this so that my joymay be in you and your joy might becomplete. This is my commandment:love one another as I love you. Noone has greater love than this, tolay down one’s life for one’s friends.You are my friends if you do what Icommand you. I no longer call youslaves, because a slave does not knowwhat his master is doing. I have calledyou friends, because I have’ told youeverything I have heard from myFather. It was not you who chose me,but I who chose you and appointedyou to go and bear fruit that willremain, so that whatever you askthe Father in my name he may giveyou. This I command you: love oneanother.” The Gospel of the Lord.

Gospel for the Seventh Sundayof Easter - May 17th

John 17:11b-19

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesusprayed, saying: “Holy Father, keepthem in your name that you havegiven me, so that they may be onejust as we are one. When I was withthem I protected them in your namethat you gave me, and I guarded themand none of them was lost except theson of destruction, in order that theScripture might be fulfi lled. But now Iam coming to you. I speak this in theworld so that they may share my joycompletely. I gave them your word,and the world hated them, becausethey do not belong to the world anymore than I belong to the world. I donot ask that you take them out of theworld but that you keep them fromthe evil one. They do not belong tothe world any more than l belong tothe world. Consecrate them in thetruth. Your word is truth. As you sentme into the world, so l sent them intothe world. And l consecrate myselffor them, so that they also may beconsecrated in truth.” The Gospel of the Lord.

Filmmaker Coming to Youngstown May 16th to Show Final Mission Dušan Hudec, independent Slovak fi lmmaker and his producer, Darina Smrzova, will be coming into Youngstown on May 16th to have a showing of the Fi-nal Mission fi lm for us. We are so thrilled that they are stopping here between Washington D.C. and Chicago. This documentary fi lm tells the story of American air-men shot down over Slovakia during WWII and taken in and hidden from the Germans by Slovak villagers. It is a story most people have never heard…neither here nor in Slovakia! It is especially appropriate since May 16th is also Armed Forces Day. This will be a sort of “meet and greet” informal reception to introduce Mr. Hudec and Ms. Smrzova to the Youngstown area. We will have the free showing at the First Presbyterian Church at 201 Wick Avenue in downtown Youngstown, Ohio. There is also free park-ing there which is an added benefi t. The event will be-gin at 12:00 pm at the church hall. The drive is directly off of Wick Avenue between the church and the red brick Masonic Temple and the entrance is at the back of the church so it is very easy access. There is also a fabulous 24 poster display that goes along with the fi lm which was shown in Bratisla-va Square when the fi lm premiered last August for the 70th anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising. After introducing our guests we will show the fi lm and af-terwards have time for questions. We will serve some light refreshments. This showing is open to the public complements of the American Slovak Cultural Asso-ciation of the Mahoning Valley. As the WWII generation passes into history it is so important to preserve these stories and we are so lucky to be able to thank Mr. Hudec and Ms. Smrzova for helping with this effort. Please let everyone know about this event…it’s not too often that Youngstown has the Ohio premier of a documentary like this and we want everyone to know about it!

Afternoon of Slovak Folkloreand Dance in New York City The Slovak American Cultural Center of New York will host an afternoon dedicated to Slovak folk-lore and dance on Sunday, May 17 beginning at 1 p.m. in the social hall of St. John Nepomucene Parish lo-

cated at 406 East 67th Street in Manhattan. Prior to the pre-sentation, a luncheon featuring Slovak culinary specialities will be available beginning at 12 noon. The afternoon will feature the talent and artistry of young people of Slovak ancestry from

the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area. Various individuals and folk ensembles will present the rich mu-sic and dance traditions of the various regions of Slova-kia. One of the featured performers will be the talented, 13-year-old boy tenor, Andrew Pulver. Young Andrew, who is our Sokol of Assembly 182 in New York City, has performed at the famed New York Metropolitan Opera and as well as in area theatre companies. Folk ensembles expected to perform include Domovinka of SS. Cyril and Methodius Parish in Clif-ton, N.J.; Limboracik of New York, founded by the original Limbora Slovak Folk Ensemble; Slnovratok of Hillsborough, N.J., the children of the Slovak School at St. John Nepomucene Parish in New York; the Lipka ensemble of the Slovak Cultural Center of Linden, N.J.; children of the Slovak school at St. Michael’s Parish in Trenton, N.J.; and Hlas, the children’s group of the Pajtasi Ensemble of New York. An enjoyable afternoon celebrating the rich folk traditions of Slovakia is assured. Tickets are $5.00 adults with children welcome free of charge. Tickets may be purchased at the door. The Slovak American Cultural Center was founded in 1967 to promote Slovak culture

and heritage in the New York-New Jersey metropoli-tan area. This year then, “Stredisko” as the center is known within the Slovak community celebrates 48 years of promoting Slovak cultural awareness. Many Sokols and Sokolky over the years have been active in the work of this important cultural group.

Trinity Sunday Observance to markclosing of Yonkers, N.Y. parish With bittersweet emotions in play, Most Holy Trinity Parish in Yonkers, N.Y. will host its fi nal patronal feast day observance on Trinity Sunday, May 31. The occasion marks the 120th anniversary of the founding of the parish as well as the fi nal gathering of the faith community. As part of the Making All Things New project of the Archdio-cese of New York, Most Holy Trinity will offi cially close on August 1, 2015. Most Holy Trinity is one of 122 parishes in various parts of the archdiocese which includes three of the fi ve boroughs of the city of New York as well as seven northern coun-ties which will be consolidated into 55 parishes. The Yonkers parish will be among those closed. The observance will begin with a concelebrat-ed Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated at 3 p.m. in the church, located in Trinity Plaza in the Hollow section of the city where the fi rst Slovaks settled more than 125 years ago. Principal celebrant and homilist will be the Rev. Emil R. Tomaskovic, S.A., former Minister General of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement of Graymoor, Garrison, N.Y. Father Tomaskovic is a son of the parish who was ordained a priest in 1970 and celebrated his fi rst Mass there in January 1970. He is our Sokol of Assembly 219. Former pastors, and clergy as-sociated with the parish will be among the concel-ebrants. Daughters of the parish in religious life have also been invited to attend. Following the lit-urgy, a buffet supper will be enjoyed in the parish social hall located at 15 Trinity Plaza, off Walnut Street. Tickets for the supper, which will include a variety of traditional Slovak culinary specialities along with beer, wine and soda, are $30.00 per person for adults and $15.00 for children age seven and older. Children under the age of seven will be welcomed free of charge. For reservations, call the rectory at tel. (914)963-0720 or see a member of the committee. Advance dinner reservations only. Deadline for tickets is Monday, May 18. The parish had it beginnings when Holy Trin-ity Society, Branch 41 of the First Catholic Slo-vak Union sought permission from the New York Archdiocese to solicit funds in 1892 to establish a parish serving the Slovak community. The efforts of the Jednota lodge were crowned with success with the dedication of the parish’s fi rst church in the spring of 1895. This year’s Trinity Sunday cel-ebration celebrates the 120th anniversary of the dedication of the fi rst church. The faith commu-nity grew and prospered over the years. The parish soon outgrew the original church and in 1910, the current church of romanesque style was blessed and dedicated. A school was opened in Septem-ber 1911 under the direction of the Dominican Sisters of Sparkhill, N..Y. In 1924, the Sisters of SS. Cyril and Methodius of Danville, Pa. arrived in the parish and staffed the parochial school until 1986. The parish produced a number of vocations to the priesthood and religious life. At its peak in the 1950s, the parish numbered more than 1,000 active families. Over the past 120 years, the parish has been active in American Slovak life. Over the years, active lodges of all our Slovak fraternals has been a part of the fabric of parish life including our Slovak Catholic Sokol, Assembly 219 which was founded in 1925. A number of Sokols and Sokolky are serving the committee for the Trinity Sunday Celebration.

New Members SubmittedMarch 1 –31, 2015

FACE NEWRECOMMENDER CITY/STATE AMOUNT MEMBERSJennifer Ann Romine Milwaukee, WI $20,000 4Dusan Dorich Toronto, ON 10,000 2Mary Ann Workosky Johnstown, PA 10,000 1Robert J. Shedlock Lilly, PA 10,000 1Susan Blosser Canton, OH 10,000 2Robin Piotrowski Pittsburgh, PA 5,000 1

Life Insurence Totals $65,000 11

Recommender Total $65,000 11

SLOVAK CATHOLIC FALCON, MAY 6, 2015 PAGE 5

ISSN: 0897-8107

Established April 15, 1911Official Publication of the Slovak Catholic Sokol

Issued Bi-Weekly

Daniel F. Tanzone, EditorEditorial office: (973) 777-4010

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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Slovak Catholic Falcon,

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SLOVAK CATHOLIC SOKOLP.O. Box 899

205 Madison Street, Passaic, N.J. 07055Home Office: (973) 777-2605-06

WEB SITE –www.slovakcatholicsokol.org

As per our Organization’s Bylaws

Donation Requests for Considerationat the 32nd National Convention In order to insure that our members and delegates to our upcom-ing 32nd National Convention, scheduled for August 1 - August 5, 2015 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, understand the procedure for dona-tion requests at the Convention, I refer to page 15, Section 2.2(c) of our Bylaws. This section states: “The Petitions and Donations Com-mittee shall consist of the Supreme Chaplain, Supreme President, and Supreme Secretary. Donations shall be limited to a maximum of Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) to any one church, religious organization, social or cultural association, with a total donation limit of Thirty Five Thousand Dollars ($35,000.00). Petitions and requests for donations must be submitted in writ-ing and mailed to my attention at the Home Offi ce, 205 Madison St., P.O. Box 899, Passaic, NJ 07055 no later than one (1) month prior to the Convention. No Faxed copies or E-mails will be accepted. This year’s deadline for submitting all petitions and donation requests is Monday, June 29, 2015. No petition or donation request will be accepted from the Convention fl oor. The Committee shall submit a written report to the Convention. I hope that all members and delegates fully understand our Bylaws related to petitions and donations. Our Bylaws clearly state our offi cial policy and therefore serve as our guide in all our Conven-tion deliberations and decisions. I bring this important issue to your attention so that we all have suffi cient time to submit any petition or donation request to be considered by the Committee and delegates of the 32nd National Convention. I appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this important matter. Zdar Boh! Steven M. Pogorelec, F.I.C. Supreme Secretary

BRIDGEPORT, CONN.Assembly 9

On Tuesday, June 30, we will host our traditional patronal feast day observance honoring SS. Peter and Paul. Mass will be cel-ebrated at 7:30 a.m. at Holy Name of Jesus Church in Stratford for our living and deceased members. Following the liturgy we are hop-

Lodge Jottings

From the Supreme Physical Fitness Board

Mother’s Dayby Nancy Kropolinsky

Mother’s Day is the one day of the year we have the opportu-nity to give back to those who have given us so much - our mothers. The qualities which defi ne a mother can be transferred to all Sokol

adults as we are challenged to rear the youth of the organization. The following characteristics are attributes which I have experienced through my mother and hope to “Pay it Forward” to the subsequent generations of the Slovak Catholic Sokol: Mothers have a responsibility of raising their children. To instill values and beliefs in hopes to guide children into becoming respon-sible adults. Mothers also encourage commu-

nity involvement in their children. This can be seen in our Slovak Catholic Sokol life as well. Instilling Sokol values of commitment, involvement and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are components immersed in local Group activities as well as in our international Sokol events. Mothers place the needs of their children above their own. They show care, affection and love unconditionally. Transporting prospective athletes to drill, gymnastics and/or track practice, being involved and attending the International Slet and taking time out of a busy schedule to attend Christmas parties, Easter celebrations and Halloween events are all commitments of a mother that oc-cur naturally. I witness this commitment in our adult members as I saw the spectators at the 46th International Slet in 2013, the volun-teerism of the adults guiding the youth throughout their sporting events and the time spent attending practices. Mothers also encour-age and acknowedge their children’s contributions, support efforts and reassure. Senior Group members, offi cers and young adults at-tend events to encourage youth participation, offer assistance to the reluctant child and show through example Sokol activity involve-ment. Events such as the International Bowling Tournament, the International Softball Tournament, the International Golf Tourna-ment and the International Basketball Tournament are a testament of setting examples of involvement to our youth. Mothers have the task of imparting wisdom. Experience helps rear our youth. We all have wonderful memories of past Sokol activities and involvement and it is up to the current adult genera-tion of our organization to pass these traditions on to our youth. So this Mother’s Day, I celebrate my mother and all those who help guide and nurture our youth. It is through this wonderful example that our organization thrives. I believe the following poem by an anonymous author sums up our love for our mothers.

A Mother A Mother is one who understands the things you say and do.

Who always overlooks your faults and sees the best in you.

A Mother is one whose special love inspires you day by day.

Who fi lls your heart with gladness in her warm and thoughtful way.

A Mother is all these things and more - the greatest treasure known.

And the dearest mother in all of the world is the one I call my own. - Anonymous

The following upcoming Slovak Catholic Sokol sporting events are wonderful opportunities to demonstrate our involve-ment and create lasting impressions on our youth: our 69th Slovak Catholic Sokol International Bowing Tournament, May 15-17 at Game of Wickliffe in Wickliffe, Oh.; our 28th Interna-tional Slovak Catholic Sokol Softball Tournament, June 26-28 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; our 47th International Slet at Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pa. and our 60th International Golf Tournament, Mountain Valley in Barnesville, Pa. - Zdar Boh and Happy Mother’s Day!

ing to go to breakfast. In order to make the necessary arrangement, those interested in joining us for the breakfast, please call Tom Marticek at tel. (203)375-0762. An enjoyable time is assured. Our lodge had its beginnings when a group of young Slovak immigrants organized a social society in September 1904. In

September 1906, this group of 28 Slovak immigrant men was accepted as Assembly 9 of the re-cently established Slovak Catho-lic Sokol. Our founders chose SS. Peter and Paul as patrons of the Assembly. And the rest is history. We have enjoyed an active role in promoting the high ideals of Sokol fraternalism and have sup-ported many outreach projects within the Slovak community. Looking forward to seeing a good turnout at our annual meet-ing as well as our patronal feast day observance, may I remain Zdar Boh! Henry J. Zack Financial Secretary

READING, PA.Assembly 261Wreath 155

Continuing in our outreach to the community, we are pleased to extend a cordial invitation to area Sokol members and their friends to join us as we host our 2nd an-nual Eastern European Food Fes-tival on Saturday, May 30. Last year’s fi rst ever festival was very well received and so we again look forward to a successful event this year. The festival will be held at our Slovak Catholic Sokol Club, located at 411 Crestmont Street from 12 noon until 6 p.m. This event helps present the rich culinary traditions of the Slovak, Polish and Ukrainian communi-ties. A smorgasbord of tastings will allow visitors to savor many of our beloved specialities. Visi-tors can either eat in or take out. For those who like take out, we ask that you bring along your own container. An array of pastries and breads will also be available. In addition, participants can enjoy an array of imported beer and wines in the club’s popular beer garden. Needless to say, an enjoy-able afternoon is assured. Members of both our lodges are working hard to insure the success of this year’s Eastern Eu-ropean Food Festival. We hope that many Sokols and Sokolky, from near and far, will join us for some great feasting and fraternal fellowship.

Zdar Boh! Kathi Smolkowicz

Lower that Pressure May is Blood Pressure Educa-tion Month. If you already have high blood pressure, limit your-self to no more than two alcoholic drinks per day. Try these lower-alcohol alternatives: * Wine spritzers made with 2 ounces of wine and 4 ounces of club soda. * Light beer or wine. * Mixed drinks made with half the usual amount of alcohol. Of course you can enjoy unlim-ited amounts of these nonalcoholic drinks: * Sparkling water with a slice of lemon or lime. * Soft drinks * Nonalcoholic beer or wine.

PAGE 6 SLOVAK CATHOLIC FALCON, MAY 6, 2015

Held in Pittsburgh, Pa., February 6-8Minutes of the Annual Meeting ofthe Supreme Physical Fitness Board

FIRST SESSION, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2015 The meeting of the Supreme Physical Fitness Board took place at Embassy Suites in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The meeting was opened at 7:15 p.m. by Supreme Director of Sports and Athletics Edward D. Moeller with an opening prayer led by Supreme Assistant Physical Directress Katie Swift. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Supreme Assistant Physical Director John Underation. The roll call was taken by Supreme Physical Fitness Board Member Denise DiMartino. All present with the exception of Damian Suess who was expected to be late due to work commitments. Brother Moeller asked members of the Supreme Physical Fitness Board Jennifer Romine and Frank Laury to be the Recording Secretaries for this meeting.

Welcomes and Remarks: Supreme President Larry Glugosh wished everyone luck in their planning for the year, especially with the Slet and Convention this summer. Supreme Secretary Steven M. Porgorelec, F.I.C. echoed the words of the President and wished everyone good luck in their decision making, good health and good travels. Supreme Physical Director Dusan Dorich expressed gratitude for all the hard work and dedication of the board and reminded everyone that it is going to be a busy year with the Slet and Convention coming up. Supreme Physical Directress Kathy Watkins welcomed everyone and reiterated the sentiments of the Supreme Physical Director. Supreme Director of Sports and Athletics Edward D. Moeller stated the goals and objectives for the meeting: Prepare ourselves for the upcoming year, including fi nding ways to improve our sporting events and our membership. He stressed that it will be a time-consuming meeting because we have many things to accomplish. Director of Sales and Marketing Albert J. Suess, Jr. reported on how our organiza-tion is doing in sales and marketing. • Looked at footprint and direction and discussed where we are and what we yet need to do. • On the right path. In 2007 $188,417 premium dollars and in 2014 it was $7,224,094.00 premium dollars. • On the other side is the fraternal side…our membership as recommenders in 2007 had 325 policies written and in 2014 we had 106. • Our job on the board is to sell our “product” and our programs. Our sporting programs are getting less and less participants. Everyone on the board needs to have input in all of our sporting programs and make them better and more enticing to all membership. He asked for us to give some thought to our programs. What do we need to do to build on the programs? • Good luck at all the deliberations and planning.

IDEAS• Communication• Leadership is HUGE• Have new members but need a place……• Loss of trust/confi dence in the leaders because they don’t know them/society• Share paper info of one tournament at the tournament before…communication• When Falcon went electronic, many of them do not get the info anymore.• Encouraged to “think outside the box”.• Remember, the foundation is your LOCAL group and local involvement. Need the local leadership.• Reach out to district level…get the district tournaments going again.• Long discussion on how to sell the product AND the program. How can we help each other????• Need to fi gure out what it is we do well and direct resources to it and fi gure out what isn’t working and change it. Start small and work on small problems….

Old Business Supreme Director of Sports and Athletics Edward D. Moeller asked the board to review the minutes from the last meeting and be prepared to discuss them in the beginning of the meeting tomorrow.

2014 Clinic - Kurz Report was given by Supreme Physical Directress Kathleen Wat-kins and Supreme Physical Director Dusan Dorich They reported that the clinic and camp were both very successful. In the future, the camp and clinic will be held at separate times. In addition, only two or three staff members will be needed at the camp because the camp was run so effi ciently and the supervision of the children was top notch. The numbers at the clinic were down slightly due to work commitments and the late summer date. Sister Watkins then proceeded to provide the Physical Fitness Board with the re-sults of the 2014 Group Activity Reports as seen below:

2014 Activity Report – FEMALE

Additional Activities: Group 1 – Bowling Tournament - 25 Christmas Party - 20 Group 2 – Care and Share Program Make a Difference Day, Join Hands Day St. Martin’s Day Celebration Benefi t, Pontifi cal Slovak College of Saints Cyril and Methodius They honor the Veterans Group 3 – Christmas Party - 16

Group 4 – Boston Store Activity Fundraiser – 10 Milwaukee Slovak Day Picnic – 45 Family Fall Fest - 25 Christmas party – 52

Members of the Supreme Physical Fitness Board met at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Pittsburgh to fi nalize our organization’s sports activities for 2015. Supreme President Larry M. Glugosh, top row far left, is shown with the members including front row, l-r Katie Swift, Supreme Sports Director Edward D. Moeller and Kathleen S. Watkins. Second row, l-r, Denise DiMartino, Martin Degnan and Jennifer A. Romine. Third row, l-r, James C. Matlon, John M. Underation and Nancy Kropolinsky. Top row, k-r, Brother Glugosh, Frank P. Laury, III, Dusan Dorich and Damian J. Suess.

GROUP GROUP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 19

Basketball 8 7 Volleyball 8 15 Track and Field Gymnastics 77 Golf 6 6 16 Softball Bowling 20 16 24

International

GROUP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 19

Basketball (Eastern Districts )

7

Volleyball (Eastern Districts )

10

Track and Field Gymnastics 3 Golf 1 4 4 2 3 6 Softball Bowling 2 5 7 8 4 13 7 1 Clinic 1 3 2 1 2 2 2

2013 Activity Report – MALE

GROUP GROUP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 19

Basketball 14 25 Volleyball Track and Field

Gymnastics 15 Golf 4 12 4 14 78 16 23 Softball Bowling 25 40 25

SLOVAK CATHOLIC FALCON, MAY 6, 2015 PAGE 7

(Continued on page 8)

Group 5 – Christmas Party – 34 Lottery Calendar Fundraiser Group 7 Easter Egg Hunt – 14

Group 14 – Family Halloween Party - 170 Children’s Christmas Party - 150 St Cecilia Day Breakfast – 50 Semi-Annual Meeting – 20 Ladies Night Out – 165 Gymnastics Registration – 85 Wreath 22 Monthly – 15-18 per meeting Assembly 16 Meetings – 10-15 per meeting Pitt Football Outing – 49 Pittsburgh Pirate Game - 45 Group 17 – Children’s Christmas Party – 75 Group 19 – Communion Breakfast - 40 Local Golf - 23 Family Fun Bowling – 40 Fundraising Event – 50 Children’s Christmas Party – 30 Supreme Director of Sports and Athletics Edward D. Moeller established commit-tees for break-out sessions. Supreme Physical Fitness Board Member Frank Laury made a motion to end this session. Seconded by Supreme Physical Director Dusan Dorich. Meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

SECOND SESSION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2015 The meeting of the Supreme Physical Fitness Board was opened with prayer at 9:00 a.m. by Supreme Physical Fitness Board Member Damian Suess. Roll call was taken by Supreme Physical Fitness Board Member Nancy Kropolin-sky. Thirteen members were present. Supreme Secretary Steven Pogorelec was excused. Welcoming remarks were given by Group 14 President Kathleen Watkins. Supreme Director of Sports and Athletics Edward D. Moeller asked the SPFB if there were any corrections or deletions to last year’s minutes. None were reported. Supreme Physical Fitness Board Member Marty Degnan made a motion to accept the minutes. Seconded by Supreme Physical Fitness Board Member Denise DiMartino.

Review of Falcon Articles Supreme Physical Fitness Board Member Denise DiMartino reported that all ar-ticles for the year were turned in.

Assignments for the 2015 year: January – Frank Laury’s December 2014 article was printed in January, so this month did not need another article. February – Frank LauryMarch – John UnderationApril – Denise LendackyMay – Nancy KropolinskyJune – Jennifer RomineJuly – Marty DegnanAugust –Dusan Dorich/Kathy WatkinsSeptember – Damian SuessOctober – Marty DegnanNovember – Katie SwiftDecember – Jim Matlon

Presentation of Committee ReportsRules and Regulations

Gymnastics • It is recommended that the minimum number of participants in each event for gymnastics be changed from 5 to 3 for points to be awarded. If there are three gymnasts from at least two different Groups then points will be awarded.• Get rid of rules and regulations #14, #19 and #21 in the general rules and regulations because these pertain to team scores in each age group which are no longer pertinent since there are no longer team trophies or points awarded in each individual category. There will still be individual places given in each age group, but no “team” trophies will be given in gymnastics with the exception of the over all gymnastics team winner. • Under methods of scoring for team get rid of #5. This rule pertains to gymnastic age group teams which have been eliminated.• Group Prizes…eliminate #5 and 6. These rules pertain to gymnastic age group teams which have been eliminated.

Sports Information and Communication• Discussed the need for a fl yer at each event promoting the next event--- Supreme Physical Fitness Board Member Jennifer Romine will create this fl yer and email to Assistant Supreme Director of Sports and Athletics James Matlon and Supreme Director of Sports and Athletics Edward Moeller.

• Would like to see a board set up at each event highlighting our events/ organization with fl yers, etc.

• COMMMUNICATION Please add that if there are individuals interested, they can join the competition (softball, volleyball, basketball) and will be placed on another team. It was requested that we put this in the article. Need to fi gure out the fi nancial logistics for

the individuals.

• Welcome Packet We would like to work together to promote the program, not just the product. Supreme Director of Sports and Athletics Edward Moeller will formulate a letter and add it to the welcome packet. All agreed that this would be a good idea.

• All pictures and event results are posted on the Slovak Catholic Sokol website.

• The SPFB should be posting to the Slovak Catholic Sokol Facebook page to remind people which events are coming up.

• Supreme Physical Fitness Board Member Martin Degnan offi cially apologized for not following through on the email blast he was going to do since last meeting. He will begin it asap.

• Supreme Physical Fitness Board Member Damian Suess will put a message on Facebook asking for anyone interested in being part of the E-mail blast to e-mail Supreme Physical Fitness Board Member Martin Degnan at mcoach1986@aol.com.

Sports Programs• Softball Tournament This year’s tournament will offer a Men’s Division and a Coed Division. Need to visit the coed softball rules and publish it. Supreme Physical Fitness Board Member Martin Degnan and Assistant Supreme Director of Sports and Athletics James Matlon will look into the rules and publish them in the Falcon.

• The Volleyball Tournament at the Slet will be co-ed.

• Recommended that we aim for the Central District Basketball and Volleyball Tournament to become active again..

• Golf tournament participants would like to see golf alternating locations. This has been considered and worked out.

• Golf participants would like to see something other than a steak dinner. This is hotel/ banquet specifi c.

• Golf 9-hole participants had to pay a tournament fee but were not eligible for tournament prizes. If the interest grows, then we can revisit. Only three golfers participated. The 9-hole option will remain an option for 2015 with hopes for some growth in participation.

• Bowling is joining with another fraternal for 2015. The rule, scoring and fees will be merged.

Group/Assembly correspondence Reviewed the recommendations that were submitted last year and tabled to this meeting, as well as, the recommendation submitted for this meeting.

• Recommend that the format of volleyball be changed two games to 15 at the Slet. Volleyball the fi rst night and the fi nals on a different day. Will be changed for this Slet.

• Recommend that music be added to march in at ceremonies and torch bearer. Will be added.

• Recommend that no glow sticks are used because it is not dark when the Slet participants do the mass drill. All agreed.

• Recommend that there be a review of track and fi eld events to fi x the qualifi cations. Supreme Director of Sports and Athletics Edward Moeller and Assistant Director of Sports and Athletics James Matlon will take care of this.

• Recommended that 13+ have only just semis and fi nals. This is more based on numbers because of so many running an event, need the prelim. Taken under advisement.

• Recommend that women’s javelin be offered if there is interest. This event will be added to the qualifi cation form. If there are at least 5 females, we will run the event.

• Recommend that some relays take place on the fi rst day of track. If schedule allows, this will occur.

• Recommend that cancelled track events be communicated ASAP (before Slet if it is known) and individuals made aware that they are placed in an alternate event ASAP. Supreme Director of Sports and Athletics Edward Moeller will take care of this.

• Recommend that individual drills be changed to take place during track like it used to be. All agreed that individual drills run more smoothly when it is scheduled on the fi rst day when Groups are arriving and other events are not taking place. Individual drills will be kept as is.

• Groups 1 and 11 asked permission to combine to form a drill team if neither has

PAGE 8 SLOVAK CATHOLIC FALCON, MAY 6, 2015

(Continued from page 7)

enough participants to have a team. It was agreed that this will be permitted, but they cannot earn points; however, they may place in the event.

• Recommend that directors/directresses be permitted to compete in individual drills but not be required to do two other events. This is a rule that will not be changed. If a director/directress wishes to complete in individual drills, they must compete in either two track and fi eld or two gymnastics events. They do have the option to not compete at all.

• A letter was received from Brother John Himlecky regarding the walking program and his disappointment in not receiving a walking stick when he reached the 10,000 miles. Katie Swift spoke to this letter and has had active communication with him throughout the years. Supreme Director of Sports and Athletics Edward Moeller will take care of this.

Supreme Physical Director Dusan Dorich made a motion to close the session. Sec-onded by Assistant Physical Directress Second session adjourned at 11:45 a.m.

THIRD SESSION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2015 The third session was opened with a prayer by Supreme Physical Fitness Board Member Frank Laury at 12:00 p.m.

Clinic/Slet • The international fl ag presently in Group 5’s hands is really Group 14’s fl ag as they won it for the third time in a row at the 2011 Slet, so it was theirs to keep. A new fl ag needs to be made so that the 2011 Flag can be returned to Group 14. Supreme Physical Director Dusan Dorich will take care of this. • 2017 proposed Slet sites are being looked into by Supreme Physical Director Du san Dorich and Supreme Physical Directress Kathleen Watkins

• Chaperones will have a list of duties/responsibilities to ensure coverage at all events and supervision in dorms.

• Group t-shirts at opening ceremony. All shirts will be the same design, but each group will have a different color. A recommendation will be made to the Board of Directors to use this as a souvenir for the Slet, so the cost would be covered by the Slovak Catholic Sokol. Not to exceed $10.00 per shirt.

• Supreme Physical Fitness Board Member Damian Suess was asked to create the gymnastics qualifi cations video tape for male and female gymnastics as soon as possible

• At the last Slet, all Groups were asked to make a donation to the Feed My Sheep Food Pantry. This was very successful. Supreme Physical Fitness Board Member Nancy Kropolinsky will organize this again this year.

• Supreme Physical Fitness Board Member Nancy Kropolinsky is in charge of all the medical forms for the Slet. The SPFB will meet to discuss any concerns.

• Based on recommendations from various Groups, the SPFB is looking to revise the Slet schedule. Supreme Director of Sports and Athletics Edward Moeller will look it over based on the University’s availability and cost factor. Things may need to be adjusted based on the results. See below for tentative schedule:

Tentative 2015 Slet ScheduleMONDAY Board Arrival (assigned daily responsibilities)TUESDAY 8 a.m. - 11 a.m. Registration10:00 -11:00 Meeting of Judges10:30-4 p.m. Individual Drill competition1:00 - 2:00 Director/Directress meeting5:00 - 6:00 Dinner6:30 – 7:45 Mass/Group Photos/ Opening Ceremony/announcement of drill fi nalists 8:00-10 p.m. Volleyball 13 and over / Soccer and Basketball 12 and under

WEDNESDAY 7:30 -8:00 Breakfast 8:30-12:00 Track and Field (fi eld events, possible longer runs, coed relays)12:00 - 1:00 Lunch1:30-4:30 Senior Drill competition5:00-6:00 Dinner6:30-9:30 Gymnastics

THURSDAY7:30 - 8:00 Breakfast8:30 – 8:45 Individual drill fi nals (fi nalists only to perform for judges) 8:45-12:00 Junior Team Drilling Volleyball fi nals (following drill competition) 12:00-1:00 Lunch1:30- 4:45 Track (all semi’s)

Minutes of the Annual Meeting ofthe Supreme Physical Fitness Board

5:00 – 6:00 Dinner6:30-10:00 Track

FRIDAY7:30 -8:00 Breakfast 8:30-12:00 Track Finals12:00 -1:00 Lunch1: 00 - 2:30 Exhibition practice3:30 - 6:30 Closing Ceremonies/Exhibition/Mass6:45 -10 p.m. Picnic Dinner / dance SATURDAY 7:30 – 8:00 Breakfast 8:30 onward Dismissal

New BusinessSporting EventsMay 15-17, 2015 – Bowling tournament --Freeway Lanes in Cleveland, OH—Ed and JimJune 26-28, 2015 – Softball Tournament…Cole Field in Wilkes Barre, PA---- Damian (Sub-ject to change)July 14-18, 2015 – International Slet at Slippery Rock University----AllAug 14-16, 2015 –Golf at Mt. Valley in Hazelton, Pa. - John Underation

Physical Fitness Recommendations for the Board of Directors: • Prize Allotment for the International Bowling Tournament be $60.00 per team. • The Banquet and Souvenir allotment for the International Bowling Tournament not to exceed $25.00 per participant.• Banquet, prize and souvenir allotment for the international Golf Tournament not to exceed $50.00 per participant.• Allotment for the International Softball Tournament not to exceed $750.00 per team (est. 15 per team) submitting an entry fee of $400.00. ($450.00 for late entries)• Allotment not to exceed $1,000 for props for both male and female. • Any Group of 25 or more of male or female participants can have a chaperone• Two members of board of directors can be chosen as chaperones.• Entire board of directors attend the Slet exhibition• Judges be four past Slet participants and four outside judges.• $50 per director/directress and $30 to assistants per diem per day for the Slet. • Allotment of no more than $10 per participant for an opening ceremony/souvenir t-shirt. • An allotment of $2,000.00 for the Walking prpgram. • An allotment of $250 be provided to the Supreme Director of Sports and Athletics for all annual administration supplies.

4 new applications were submitted by Supreme Physical Fitness Board Member Jennifer Romine. A SPFB conference call is scheduled for April 12, 2015 at 7 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss Slet plans. Background Checks are being reviewed. There is a new law in Pennsylvania that may affect our checks that were already done. Kathy will let us know what needs to be done. This would affect the Physical Fitness Board, chaperones, and leaders. Each member of the Supreme Physical Fitness Board was asked their fi nal thoughts on the meeting and if any further items needed to be discussed. A lively conversation took place with the conversation being about how the meeting was handled and the expectations of this board moving forward. Supreme Physical Fitness Board Member Damian Suess made a motion to ad-journ the meeting. Seconded by Supreme Physical Fitness Board Member Nancy Kropolin-sky. The closing prayer was offered in memory of past or present members of the board who are sick or have passed away. Meeting adjourned at 2:25 p.m.

Slovak Catholic Sokol MuseumDonations for January - March

We are pleased to acknowledge receipt of the following donations received from January to March 2015. These donations are earmarked for our Slovak Catholic Sokol Museum located at our home offi ce in Passaic, N.J. The mon-ies received from these donations fund our annual $1,000 Memorial Scholarship Grants which assist our young people in their educational endeavors. The number of these Memorial Grants is dependent on the amount of donations received. Do-nations for the museum are welcome throughout the year.

DONATIONS RECEIVEDIn Memory of Donated by David Miller Edward & Janice MoellerJohn E. Jasenec Edward & Janice MoellerAnn Kollesar Edward & Janice MoellerEleanor E. Venit Edward & Janice MoellerAll faithfully departed members Slovak Catholic Sokol Board of Directors

Total donations received $280.00Thank you for your generosity

Zdar Boh!Dennis J. Zifcak, Supreme Treasurer

SLOVAK CATHOLIC FALCON, MAY 6, 2015 PAGE 9

The National Slovak Society celebrated its 125th anniversary at a gala reception and dinner on Saturday, March 7 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Canonsburg, Pa. Founded under the leadership of Peter V. Rovnianek in Pittsburgh on February 16, 1890, the NSS, as it is commonly known, is the oldest Slovak fraternal benefi t so-ciety in the United States. At its fi rst convention, Rovnianek was elected its fi rst national president and adopted the motto “Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.” Founded as a non-sectarian society, the NSS

Oldest Slovak fraternal

NSS Celebrates its 125th Anniversaryplayed an important role in the life of the early Slovak immigrant community. In 1907, Rovnianek along with the Rev. Stephen Fur-dek founded the Slovak League of America to champion the cause of the Slovaks who were then one of the subject peoples of the Austro-Hungarian empire. The NSS lead-ership championed the cause of political self-determination for the Slovaks at home and were instru-mental in helping establish the fi rst Czecho-Slovak Republic in 1919. At the end of its fi rst year, the NSS counted 289 members and assets of

Sokol members at the 125th anniversary celebration of the NSS are shown above and include, l-r, Supreme Director of Sports and Athletics, Edward D. Moeller and his wife, Janice; Chris Chervenak, our Sales and Marketing Director Albert J. Suess, Jr. and his wife, Paula; Fran Blazek, Supreme Secretary Steven M. Pogorelec, F.I.C.; and his wife, Annie; NSS president and our Sokol, David G. Blazek, Mary Ann Naple and Member of the Supreme Physical Fitness Board Damian J. Suess and his guest, Ondrejana Zatek.

$238.06. Today, the organization counts more than 28,000 members with asset exceeding $800 million. Over the years, we have enjoyed a close relationship with the NSS and in recent years co-hosting various sporting events. David G. Blazek currently serves as national presi-dent with Linda M. Strom as na-tional secretary-treasurer. The Keynote Address at the 125th anniversary banquet was given by Joseph Annotti, president of the American Fraternal Alliance, the trade association of the frater-nal benefi t system in the U.S. and Canada. Other speakers included Congressman Timothy F. Murphy, Pennsylvania State Senator Matt Smith and Representative John A. Maher, Peter Zelenak, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Slovak Embassy in Washington, D.C., Honorary Slovak Consul Joseph A. Senko, and Pennsylvania Fraternal Alliance President Nickolas M. Kotik among others. Representing our organization at the celebration was Supreme Secretary Steven M. Pogorelec, F.I.C. Again, our congratulations and best wishes go out to the National Slovak Society on the occasion of its 125th anniversary. May the NSS continue to champion the high ide-als of the fraternal benefi t system and a credit to Slovak fraternalism.

Supreme Secretary Steven M. Pogorelec, F.I.C. and his wife Annie are shown with NSS chief executive offi cers, national secretary-treasurer Linda M. Strom and national president David G. Blazek.

On Saturday, September 12 the his-toric pilgrimage of the Slovak Catho-lic Federation is scheduled for Wash-ington, D.C. The pilgrimage will take place at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Concep-tion, the largest Catholic church in the United States. The shrine is located at 4th Street and Michigan Avenue, N.E. in our nation’s capital. The pilgrimage will be held in conjunction with the 125th anniversary of the founding of the First Catholic Slovak Union and the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the Chapel of Our Mother of Sor-rows, patroness of Slovakia. It was on September 4, 1965 that the Slovak chapel was blessed and dedicated. On that occasion a crowd of more than 10,000 from all parts of the United States and Canada participated. The program for the pilgrimage be-gins with the arrival of pilgrims from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. At 11:15 a.m. a wel-come will take place in the Upper ba-silica. Recitation of the Rosary begins at 11:30 a.m. From noon to 3 p.m., pilgrims will have the opportunity for lunch as well as enjoy tours of the shrine. Beginning at 1 p.m. the sacra-ment of reconciliation(confession) in the crypt church. At 3 p.m. a solemn pontifi cal concelebrated Mass will be celebrated in the great Upper Church. Principal celebrant and homilist of the liturgy will be His Eminence, Don-ald Cardinal Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington. Complete details of the pilgrimage will be announced shortly. The Slovak Catholic Federation (SCF) is the representative body of American and Canadian Catholics of Slovak ancestry. It was founded on February 22, 1911 at the former Sacred Heart of Jesus Slovak Church in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. under the leader-ship of the Rev. Joseph Murgas. The SCF promotes the bonds of fraternal cooperation among Slovak Catholic fraternals and Slovak Catholics in the

Slovak Catholic FederationPilgrimage schedule announced

United States and Canada sponsor-ing various religious and social ac-tivities. It publishes an annual, Dobry Pastier - The Good Shepherd, which includes articles of interest to those of Slovak ancestry in both English and Slovak. Annual membership dues are $15.00 for individuals, $30.00 for a family, and Life Membership is available at $100.00 for those aged 60 and older and $150.00 for individuals aged 59 and younger. Annual dues for local fraternal lodges and districts is $35.00. Membership includes a subscription to The Good Shepherd. For the past 37 years, the SCF has sponsored the SS. Cyril and Metho-dius Appeal which raises funds in support of the Pontifi cal Slovak Col-lege of SS. Cyril and Methodius in Rome as well as religious communi-ties of men and women in Slovakia. For additional information on the SCF and this September’s pilgrim-age, contact the national secretary-treasurer, Dolores M. Evanko at 173 Berner Ave., Hazleton, PA 18201. The current national president of the SCF is our Supreme Chaplain, Rev. Andrew S. Hvozdovic of Sayre, Pa. Father Hvozdovic expresses thanks and gratitude to Sokol members and lodges for their continued support of the work of the SCF and hopes to see many of them in Washington, D.C. on September 12.

Dobrú chuť

Mother’s Day has always been somewhat different from other special occasions and holidays. Christmas and Easter both have religious meanings. Unfortunately, too many look upon Christmas as a time to exchange gifts, and on Easter as a day for wear-ing new clothes and coloring a few eggs. Other holidays mean a day off from work, a chance to watch a parade, eat a huge dinner, or to set off fi re-crack-ers. Each of these celebrations

is for one’s exclusive enjoy-ment and pleasure. But on one day people think of somebody besides themselves. On Mother’s Day they are unselfi sh. It is a day set aside to express more than ever the love, honor, and respect held for Mothers. So give Mother a gift or fl owers and try to make her realize what she means to you. It’s a good idea, don’t you think? Why not make the most of it this Mother’s Day...

Mother’s Day(with Love) May 10

PAGE 10 SLOVAK CATHOLIC FALCON, MAY 6, 2015

Our quadrennial convention is being held in Pittsburgh, Pennsyl-vania from August 1-5, 2015. If you will be representing your group as a delegate or if you are accom-panying a delegate, there are many exciting things to see and do in and around the Pittsburgh area. Come early or extend the trip a few days and enjoy the many wonders that Pittsburgh has to offer. If you want to plan ahead, I have listed some in-formation below. Feel free to con-tact me at kathyw626@verizon.net or at 412-225-8233 with any ques-tions you may have. I will be put-ting together some group activities for the evening (i.e. Hofbrauhaus, Casino trip, etc). Details will be in the paper in June.

Saint Anthony’s ChapelIf you have never visited Saint An-thony’s Chapel, you are missing out on an amazing piece of his-tory! This shrine, dedicated to “The Wonder Worker” Saint Anthony of Padua, houses a vast collection of relics and has been designated a Historical Landmarks Founda-tion. The chapel has been featured on many television shows such as 20/20, EWTN, public broadcast-ing, local news and hundreds of internet and national publications. (www.saintanthonyschapel.org) Tours are offered on Saturday - Thursday starting at 1:00, 2:00 and 3:00. Audio tours are available on days without tour guides (please make inquiry with Chapel Sitters).

Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

A collection of four dynamic, distinctive museums, and the Pitts-burgh region’s home for great art and science exploration. The four museums are: The Carnegie Mu-seum of Art, The Carnegie Mu-seum of Science, The Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and the Andy Warhol Museum. (www.carnegiemuseums.org)

Carnegie Science Center

There is so much to do at the sci-ence center. Your kids will love it. (www.carnegiesciencecenter.org)Blast off to the Buhl Digital Dome for an exhilarating, one-of-a-kind planetarium show! This hi-def, full-dome experience will take you from the farthest regions of the cosmos to the inside of the human body. See the history of Western Penn-sylvania come to life at the legend-ary Miniature Railroad & Village®, open for its 89th season. Run, bounce, spin, climb, and tumble into Highmark SportsWorks®, a science and sports experience unlike any other! As you roam the gallery in our brand-new building, fi lled with nearly 30 hands-on exhibits, you will explore

and discover the physics of sports, nutrition and health, and try our ex-citing sports challenges. Climb aboard the submarine to learn how 80 men used their ex-pertise, humor and sheer ingenuity to carve out a rough and adventur-ous life during Requin’s lengthy defense and scientifi c missions, some of which are still classifi ed to this day! State-of-the-art and battle ready when she set out just days be-fore the end of World War II, USS Requin holds the distinction of be-ing the Navy’s fi rst Radar Picket submarine. In the Kitchen Theater, you’ll learn about the science of food and cooking in a fun 1950s atmosphere. Live demonstrations—part cook-ing class, part science lab—take you through the biology, chemistry, and physics that combine to make your favorite foods. From emulsi-fi ed sauces to fi ery fruit, the Kitch-en Theater delivers edible science in 30 minutes or less! Which kinds of animals live in a coral reef? What is symbiosis? Discover answers to these ques-tions and many more at the Science Center’s underwater encounter, SeaScape. Explore what’s under the sea in our 2000 gallon, inter-connected, fi ve-tank living coral reef ecosystem, containing well over 400 species of plants and animals, including live mangrove trees. Examine microscopic life at MicroSeaScape, or just relax and enjoy the view! Observe feedings daily. Pittsburgh is a national leader in green building – constructing buildings with an emphasis on im-proving the health of humans and the environment, conserving ener-gy and materials, and maintaining a high quality of life. See and feel which materials are used in green buildings, test differ-ent types of insulation, and measure how much energy is used in a light bulb. See how our impacts add up by making choices in a green home and a conventional home. Right now, engineers in south-western Pennsylvania are on the cutting edge of developing new materials to replace those that are potentially hazardous to the envi-ronment and our heath, and to con-sume less energy when used in our homes. The exploration station is an 8000 square feet exhibit of fun-fi lled activities and exhibits that encourage open-ended exploration and problem-solving. Here children can discover the how and why of science concepts and processes as diverse as magnetic forces, lasers, aerodynamics and embryology.

Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh

If you have young children with you, this is a wonderful place. This museum provides innovative mu-seum experiences that inspire joy, creativity and curiosity. It is a great

family experience. (www.child-rensmuseumofpittsburgh.org) Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood has a trolley to play in, dress-up clothes and many other fun activities. In the studio you can create a screen printing picture, paint, mold clay, or make crafts. In the garage you can build things and take them apart. They even have a real car to play in and a gas pump to pretend you are put-ting gas in the car. In the waterplay area, you can put on a raincoat and boots and play in the pond or use pipes to make water shot at someone. In the theater, you can watch the great shows that are performed throughout the day. The nursery is a special place for infants and toddlers. The attic has a crooked room and a wooden slide as well as an inter-active puppet theater.

Just Ducky Tours

It’s a boat, It’s a truck, It’s a DUCK! Tour Pittsburgh on the Just Ducky boat/truck. It starts on land and ends up in the water. (www.justduckytours.com)

Mt. Washington and the Inclines

No visit to Pittsburgh is com-plete without a ride on one of the restored 1800s inclines to the top of Mt. Washington. The USA Week-end’s 2003 Annual Travel Report ranked it the second most beauti-ful place in America. The stunning nighttime view of Mount Washing-ton features a sweeping panorama of downtown Pittsburgh and the surrounding countryside. The land-mark skyscrapers of Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle are nestled at the point where the Allegheny and

Monongahela rivers fl ow together to create the mighty Ohio. At night, lights twinkle from both the city and more than 15 bridges. The restored Mon Incline (short for Monongahela), built in 1870, carries residents and tour-ists between Mount Washington and the popular Station Square shopping complex. About a mile down the road, at the other end of Mount Washington, the beautiful Duquesne Incline still retains its original, 1877 ornate wooden cable cars. The top station is a must-see for visitors, featuring many excel-lent displays and photographs of Pittsburgh history, as well as a gift shop and outdoor observation deck.

The National Aviary

You can see 500 birds represent-ing over 200 species. www.aviary.org

Nationality Classrooms at the Cathedral of Learning

These ethnic rooms are located in the Cathedral of Learning, one of the tallest education buildings in the world. The building is part of the University of Pittsburgh campus, and used by thousands of students

One of our country’s most livable and exciting cities

Delegates to our 32nd Quadrennial Convention will have much to see in Pittsburgh

SLOVAK CATHOLIC FALCON, MAY 6, 2015 PAGE 11

MARK YOUR CALENDAR AND SAVE THE DATES!

August 1- 5, 2015

Groups - Assemblies - Wreathsfor the

Slovak Catholic Sokol32nd

Quadrennial Convention

at the Doubletree By Hilton

Pittsburgh - Greentree 500 Mansfi eld Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15205

Zdar Boh!Plan now to be there!

and faculty each day. The local col-lege campus might not be the fi rst place that comes to mind when planning a sightseeing trip, but the Nationality Rooms at the Univer-sity of Pittsburgh are a notable ex-ception. These 26 functional class-rooms in the towering Cathedral of Learning display the rich ethnic heritage of the Pittsburgh area, each architected and decorated in a style that exemplifi es the country they represent. Where else can you visit 26 countries in one day! The Nationality Rooms were de-signed as gifts to the University of Pittsburgh from the various ethnic groups that settled in Allegheny county. The Nationality Rooms in-clude authentic examples of Classi-cal, Byzantine, Romanesque, Re-naissance, Tudor and Empire styles and architecture. The 26 Nationality Rooms at the Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learn-ing include the Czechoslovak Room, the Italian Room, the Ger-man Classroom, the Hungarian Room, the Polish Room, the Irish Classroom, the Lithuanian Room, the Romanian Room, the Swed-ish Room, the Chinese Room, the Greek Room, the Scottish Class-room, the Yugoslav Classroom, the English Classroom, the French Classroom, the Norwegian Class-room, the Russian Classroom and the Syria-Lebanon Room on the fi rst fl oor. The third fl oor includes the Austrian Classroom, the Japa-nese Room, the Armenian Class-room, the Indian Room, the Early American Room, the African Heri-tage Classroom, the Israel Heri-tage Classroom and the Ukranian Classroom. Eight new Nationality Rooms are in the planning stages.

Old Economy Village

Former home of the Harmony Society, a nineteenth century Chris-tian communal society best known for its piety and industrial prosper-ity, Old Economy Village is a six-acre historic site representing the social, religious and economic hub of the Harmony Society. The Old Economy Village was the home of the nineteenth century Christian communal group, the Harmony Society. Established in 1824, Economy was known world-wide for its piety and industrial prosperity. (www.oldeconomyvillage.org)

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Awaken your senses. Immerse yourself in 17 distinct botanical experiences. Encounter something of the secret life of plants. And glimpse one of the world’s green-est public gardens. There are 19

indoor and outdoor gardens. (www.phipps.conservatory.org)

Rivers Casino

You could be one of our next big jackpot winners by playing on one of our 3,000 new and excit-ing slot machines, e-Blackjack or e-Roulette tables. Rivers Casino also offers 86 of your favorite table games, including a dedicated 24 table poker room. (www.theriver-scasino.com)

Senator John Heinz Regional History Center

An affi liate of the Smithsonian Institution, the History Center is the largest history museum in Pennsyl-vania. The 275,000 sq. ft. museum features six fl oors of long-term and changing exhibition space, includ-ing the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, a dynamic museum-with-in-a-museum, and the Library & Archives, an extensive scholarly re-source documenting 250 years of life in Western Pennsylvania. Supreme Physical Fitness Board Member Katie Swift and I are look-ing into group rates for some night-time activities. We are also looking into shuttle busses or taxi service so that people do not have to try to fi nd their way around Pittsburgh. Look for information in future issues of the paper and at slovakcatholicso-kol.org. Zdar boh! Kathleen S. Watkins Group 14 President

During their stay in Pittsburgh,

Our 32nd Quadrennial Convention delegates are welcome to stop

by and visit our popularSlovak Catholic Sokol Club at 2915 East Carson Street

located on the city’s historic South Side

Convention Choir Forming

This is a call to all delegates who will be attending the 32nd National Convention of the Slovak Catho-lic Sokol, August 1-5, 2015 at The Doubletree by Hilton Pittsburgh Green Tree. We know that where there are Slovaks, there is sing-ing. We are hoping to put together a choir for the Offi cial “Opening Mass” of the Convention. The music will be congregational in nature, a mix of English and Slo-vak Hymns, most of which have been sung at previous Convention Masses. The choir will assemble in the choir loft of St. Paul’s Cathe-dral, and it would help if we had an idea as to how many we could ex-pect. Therefore please before July 18th email our Supreme Chaplain, Father Hvozdovic at ahvoz87@gmail.com if you wish to be a part of this choir.

Slovak Honorary Consul in Pennsylvania, Joseph T. Senko has visited Slovak 25 times since 1995, including ten tours which he has arranged and escorted. His wife, Albina, was born and raised in Slovakia. With their experience, they have created a customized tour for 2015 which will take you across Slovakia. Each night we will stay at a fi rst class hotel. Over 270 people from the United States have enjoyed these past tours escorted by Joe and Albina Senko. In addition to touring many his-toric towns in Slovakia, the tour will visit famous historic sites in neighboring countries - Vienna in Austria and Budapest in Hungary. The tour will take us from west to east through Bratislava, the spar-kling new and restored capital of Slovakia; Trnava, known as the “Little Rome of Slovakia” with its many important churches; Modra, famous for its pottery, where will see a demonstration in a ceramic factory; the world-famous spa town of Piestany; historic Banska Bystrica, the majestic High Tatras, the famous shrine town of Levoca, Bardejov which is includes in the UNESCO list; Presov, the sister city of Pittsburgh; and Kosice, Slo-vakia’s second largest city. In addition to visiting several fa-mous castles and museums, we will also enjoy listening to live folk mu-sic, tour many churches and enjoy topnotch dining in several typical Slovak restaurants. Unique to this tour is: receiving a spa treatment, attending a mock Slovak wedding, several wine tast-ings, meeting with Slovak dignitar-ies and enjoying rafting on the Du-

najec river which forms the natural boundary between Slovakia and Poland. As we travel through the various regions of Slovakia, arrangements can be made to visit relatives or dis-cover ancestral towns and villages where one can learn about one’s an-cestors at an additional cost. These are just some of the highlights of this wonderful tour. The 11 days you will spend with us will be enjoyable, educational, pleasantly surprised at the wonderful sites and sounds

11th Consular tour to Slovakia set for August 23 - September 2which Slovakia has to offer visitors. For a detailed itinerary and pay-ment schedule, contact Joe Senko at tel. (412)956-6000 or jtsenko@aol.com. He will provide you with a list of hotels, fl ight schedules, payment schedule and restrictions. Joe and Albina are veteran travelers and as-sure all a delightful visit to the land of our ancestors. Both are our So-kol members in Pittsburgh, Assem-bly 16 and Wreath 22, respectively. May your 2015 new year’s resolu-tion be to visit Slovakia.

PAGE 12 SLOVAK CATHOLIC FALCON, MAY 6, 2015

What's making headlines in our ancestral homeland

News and Views from Slovakia...

President Kiska speaks with Pope Francis and invites him to visit Slovakia The Church has to be open to all people, Slovak President Andrej Kiska and Pope Francis agreed at a private audience at the Vatican on April 9. “Pope Francis emphasized what he often says - that the Church has to fi nd a way to every person,” said Kiska on his Facebook page. Regarding the openness of the Church, Kiska mentioned to the pope, among other things, the baptism of the children of single mothers and reception of the Eucharist by divorcees. Another topic of conversation was the suspension of the former Archbishop of Trnava, Robert Bezak, C.Ss.R. “We’ve long dis-cussed Bezak’s situation and what troubles us in Slovakia,” said the president. Kiska greeted the pope in the name of all believers in Slovakia and also invited him to visit the country. “I informed the pope of our desire for him to visit our country. He thanked President Kiska and sent his greetings to everyone in Slovakia,” wrote Kiska on his Facebook profi le. The two also discussed the role of the Church as an institu-tion. According to Kiska, the Church should bring society core values such as forgiveness, love, decency and understanding. “This is a task that the pope confi rms and considers important in today’s complicated world,” said Kiska. President Kiska was on an offi cial visit to the Holy See, April 8-9.

Dzurinda to become Poroshenko’saide, should help usher in reforms Two-time Slovak prime minister Mikulas Dzurinda is to become a foreign advisor to Ukrainian President Petro Porosh-enko, TASR learned on April 1. “I received the offer on March 31 and after a short consid-eration I decided to accept it,” said Dzurinda, Slovak premier between 1998-2006, told teraz.sk website. The crux of Dzurinda’s work is to revolve around help-ing Ukraine undertake key political and economic reforms. “Ukraine wants to be part of the West, and is in need of major modernization,” he said. The story of Slovakia is inspirational in this regard, as the country overcame an uneasy period of economic transforma-tion, he said. “Ukraine needs to export, not only import, thereby increasing its competitiveness,” he added. Dzurinda also rejected notions that Ukraine has close to no chance of success in this. “The question is: do you stand up or go down. It’s in the major interest for my homeland to have a stable, peaceful and predictable neighbor in Ukraine” said Dzurinda. Dzurinda’s former long-time aide, two-time deputy prime minister (1998-2020 and 2010-12) and, most importantly, two-time fi nance minister (2002-06 and 2010-12) Ivan Miklos re-cently became an advisor to Ukraine’s Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko and Economy Minister Aivaras Abromavicius. Both Dzurinda and Miklos sit as independent Members of the parlia-ment of Slovakia.

Cardinal Vlk says Bezak’sreturn to Slovakia unlikely In an interview in the latest issue of the Czech publication Katolicky Tydennik(Catholic Weekly), Czech Cardinal Milo-slav Vlk says that former Archbishop Robert Bezak, C.Ss.R. is unlikely to return to Slovakia. Vlk was present at Bezak’s private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican last week. Bezak was removed from the post of Archbishop of Trna-va in the summer of 2012 by then Pope Benedict XVI. The rea-sons reportedly included Bezak’s views on some Church mat-ters, including him wearing civilian clothes in public and having gay priests serving in his area. The offi cial reasons are unknown

though, as Ceska Televize(Czech Television) also reported. However, rumors at the time clearly pointed to Bezak’s blowing the whistle on some past Church fi nancial misconduct. According to Cardinal Vlk, the case is coming to its con-clusion. “I have a feeling that Archbishop Bezak is not return-ing to Slovakia. The Pope gave him moral satisfaction and I am convinced that he has designated an appropriate post for Bezak that will represent his rehabilitation,” said Vlk in the interview. Vlk specifi ed that he has been interested in Bezak’s case since it emerged in 2012. Following the Vatican visitation to Trnava that led to Bezak’s dismissal, Vlk said that he was con-tacted by people close to Bezak who handed him copies of im-portant documents. Since 2014, Vlk has been directly involved in communication with Bezak and demanded that the Vatican Secretariat of State directly take on the case. When things were not moving, Vlk spoke directly to Pope Francis to request an audience for Bezak. In March, the audience for Bezak was set for April 10. Vlk said that the meeting of Slo-vak President Andrej Kiska with Pope Francis on April 9 con-tributed to moving the case along. He stressed that Kiska’s audi-ence wasn’t planned in the context of Bezak’s audience, which had already been prepared. Vlk also added that the Church in Slovakia has been visited by several Vatican representatives in-terested in the case.

New website to be launchedfor EU Slovak Presidency A new website is to be launched to serve as the main com-munications channel for the Slovak presidency of the European Union, scheduled for July to December 2016, TASR learned on April 1. One of the steps to be taken regarding Slovakia’s historic fi rst presidency of the EU is to create a logo. The government approved a report on April 1 on the state of Slovakia’s prepara-tions for the presidency, which was presented by the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry. In addition, the number of staff working for central gov-ernment authorities will be enhanced, as well as the Permanent Representation of Slovakia in Brussels. Training for employees involved in preparing and carrying out the presidency will con-tinue. Additional public procurements will be organized, and conference facilities at the Reduta building on Zupne Square and at the Borik Hotel will be supplemented with extra technical equipment. Sponsorship cooperation will be discussed with the private sector. The Foreign Affairs and Culture Ministries plan to sign a memorandum on cooperation on preparing cultural and social presentations. According to the envisaged work program, Slo-vakia will be visited by more than 20,000 delegates. Opening ceremonies will take place in Bratislava and Brussels early in July of next year as part of the cultural events. The expenditures on preparing and carrying out the presi-dency are estimated at $20 million, of which $13 will go on per-sonal, travel and accommodation expenses.

NBS: Slovak economy to growby 3.2 percent this year The Slovak economy is expected to grow this year by 3.2 percent, 3.8 percent in 2016 and 3.5 percent in 2017, ac-cording to the latest mid-term prediction of the Slovak central bank(NBS) released on March 31. “Whereas the positive impact of the reduction of oil prices on the economy has been lower than expected in the previous prognosis due to the slight increase in crude oil euro prices, the fully realized program of extended purchase of assets will have a

Many hotels have served Slovakia over the centuries. Located in various areas of the country, they have pro-vided service for visitors and tourists. Over the years, many great manor houses have been restored as hotels. The Art Hotel Kastiel is a unique facility. It is located in the village of Tomasovo just outside Bratislava in western Slovakia. It has its beginnings some 250 years ago as the country estate of Baron Jan Jesenak. It was completed in 1769 in the classical baroque style. In addition to its three wings, it contains a traditional English garden. Over the years, the estate passed ownership to other aristocratics, including the Crazkovic, Vay and Strasser families. Dur-ing World War I it served as a military hospital. Follow-ing the communist takeover of Czechoslovakia in 1948, the manor house was taken over by the state and served as a children’s home. Following the fall of communism, the estate was returned to the Strasser family. In 2005, the family sold the estate. It was then completely restored to its former glory. Today, the Art Hotel Kastiel is a popular hotel with fi rst class facilities and amenities hosting many national and international conferences and gatherings.

Selected stories are provided by TASR-Slovakia, the Slovak Republic’s offi cial News Agency.

positive impact on the Slovak economy mostly by virture of high-er eurozone demand and the weaker euro exchange rate,” NBS Governor Jozef Makuch said at a press conference. According to him, the quantitative easing launched by the European Central Bank(ECB) is likely to have a positive impact on the Slovak economy in the form of 0.6 percent GDP growth in the next two years. Aside from ECB activities, it’s also rising foreign and domes-tic demand that should contribute to the acceleration of the Slovak economy. “The growth is likely to be driven also by the expected dynamic growth in the Slovak export markets, particularly due to the improved eurozone outlook,” added Makuch. Also, more jobs are expected to be created on the labor market, said NBS. “Rising domestic demand also fuels the em-ployment, which is increasing quicker than expected. We expect 22,000 jobs to be created in 2015,” said NBS vice-governor Jan Toth, adding that average employment could be 12 percent in 2015 and drop to 10 percent by 2017. NBS also expects wages to grow. “Salaries will rise quicker particularly in the health care and education sectors and should align gradually with labor productivity,” said Toth. In 2015, wages are likely to grow by 2.6 percent. Consumer prices this year should drop by 0.3 percent, said NBS, whereas infl ation is expected to start rising as of next year and equal 1.7 percent in 2016 and 2.4 percent in 2017.

SLOVAK CATHOLIC FALCON, MAY 6, 2015 PAGE 13

Washington Slovaksset picnic on June 6 The Slovak American Society of Washington, D.C.(SASW) will host its traditional picnic on Sat-urday, June 6 at Fort Hunt Park in Alexandria, Va. Fort Hunt is part of the National Park System and is about 12 miles south of the Belt-way, off the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Festivities be-gin at 12 noon and continue until 5 p.m. All members, prospective members and guests are welcome. An enjoyable afternoon is assured. This Slovak style picnic is joint-ly organized with the Washington Slovak Meet Up group. Food and variety of beverages(beer, wine, soft drinks) will be provided. Cost to members is $15.00 for individ-uals and $25.00 for couples. Non-members and guests are charged $20 for individuals and $30 for couples. Non-members who join SASW will receive a $5 discount per person. Children age 10 and under are welcome free of charge. Further details will be avail-able on the SASW web site www.dcslovaks.org and Facebook. Res-ervations are required.

The custom of honoring moth-ers dates back to the ancient Greeks who worshipped Cybele, the mother of the gods. In medi-eval England, a celebration called Mothering Sunday was observed. It was the day when the mother church of each diocese was hon-ored. It eventually became the custom to visit one’s own mother on this special Sunday with a gift of fl owers and a special cake with an iced inscription, “For My Dear Mother.” In the United States, Mother’s Day began in 1907 when Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia asked her church to hold a special service in honor of mothers everywhere, on the anniversary of her own mother’s death. Soon similar church services were held annual-ly throughout the nation. Largely

Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) As part of our philanthropic endeavors, we have chosen the Wounded Warrior Project as our charity for the 32nd International Convention. The mission of this esteemed organization is to honor and empower wounded warriors. Their purpose is to raise aware-ness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service mem-bers, help injured service members aid and assist each other, and provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members. Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) serves veterans and ser-vice members who incurred a physical or mental injury, illness, or wound, co-incident to their military service on or after September 11, 2001 and their families. On that date, America watched in hor-ror as approximately 3,000 people died including hundreds of fi re-fi ghters and rescue workers. Many warriors note a sense of duty to volunteer for the military following these tragic events. With advancements in battlefi eld medicine and body armor, an unprecedented percentage of service members are surviving severe wounds or injuries. For every US soldier killed in World Wars I and II, there were 1.7 soldiers wounded. In Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, for every US soldier killed, seven are wounded. Combined, over 48,000 servicemen and women have been physically injured in the recent military confl icts. In addition to the physical wounds, it is estimated as many as 400,000 service members live with the invisible wounds of war in-cluding combat-related stress, major depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Another 320,000 are believed to have experienced a traumatic brain injury while on deployment. If you, your group, assembly, or wreath are interested in mak-ing a donation to this very worthy cause, please make checks pay-able to the Wounded Warrior Project and mail by July 20th to: Kath-leen S. Watkins, 7019 Highland Creek Drive, Bridgeville, PA 15017

Zdar Boh! Kathleen S. Watkins Supreme Physical Directress

On the Level Level spelled backwards is level. And that’s why it’s important to read every issue of this paper - your paper. Never can tell what you will learn next.... For instance, do you know what bees do with their honey? Well, they cell it! You wouldn’t have wanted to miss that gem.

Who’s on First? Nobody

May 5 marked the 111th anni-versary of baseball’s fi rst “perfect” game, turned in by pitcher Denton T.”Cy” Young. On that day in 1904, Young’s suberb pitching did not allow a single opposing player to reach fi rst base. Young’s outstanding performance led the Boston Ameri-cans to a 3-0 victory over Philadel-phia in the American League. The Cy Young Award, given each year to the outstanding American and National League pitchers, was created to honor him.

Remember Mom May 10

due to the efforts of Ms. Jarvis, in 1914 the Congress of the United States passed a joint resoution naming the second Sunday in May of each year as Mother’s Day.

Held in Pittston, Pa.

Minutes of the Annual Meeting ofGroup 7, “Rev. Joseph Murgas” The Annual meeting of Group 7 “Rev. Joseph Murgas” was held on Saturday, November 15, 2014 at St. John Evangelist Church, Pittston, Pa. The meeting was called to order at 1:30 P.M. by President Michael Horvath. Rev. Richard Cirba said the opening prayer, thanking God for his blessings and asking God to guide us through this meeting. This was fol-lowed by the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Marty Degnan and recited by all in attendance. Brother Michael gave a review of an active year. There was group participation in the activities on a local and national level . Brother Michael thanked all for being dedi-cated which makes the group what it is. The support from the offi cers and members made 2014 a good year.Sokol day was successful and we can build on it. We lost a key offi cer, 1st Vice President, Ann Kolessar who was a dedicated participant on Sokol Day. She will be in our hearts and minds as we will carry on with this tradition. This year our Chaplain Rev. Rich-ard Cirba celebrated his 25th year as a priest. He will celebrate the 11:00 AM Liturgy at St. Robert Bellarm-ine’s Parish next Sunday. AfterMass there will be a social, in his honor, in the Church Hall. We accomplished what we needed to with meetings and activities and with the support from the offi cers, Parents Club, and members we had a successful year, though we had to deal with the loss of an offi cer. We hosted basketball and vol-leyball, and softball. We thank the parents club (Assembly 59) for their support and help with the activities. There was participation in the March for Life. We have a conven-tion in August and we will see what changes are required by the insur-ance commission and what by-law changes will take place. Our Organi-zation is healthy and doing well. Irene Kaschak, Recording Sec-retary, took the roll call. There were 15 Offi cers and 5 Delegates present. One offi cer was excused. Total pres-ent 20. The minutes were read, and there was one typographical error to be corrected. The motion to accept the minutes as approved was made by Andrew Hvozdovic and seconded by Midge Malshefski. All in favor. There was one correspondence, read by Nancy Fedor. Fifteen minute Break. Following the break, the reports of offi cers were read and each one had a motion made to accept and second-ed. All were in favor. At this point the report of the audi-tors was presented. Brother Andrew Hvozdovic presented the report and stated that he and Brother Bernie Novabilski found all the statements and checks were accounted for and all found in good order. There were no questions. On a motion by Kelly Palchanis, seconded by Dawn Palch-anis the auditors report was accepted. Nancy then gave the Treasurer’s re-port which included a detailed out-

line of the income and expenses. On a motion by Andrew Hvozdovic, seconded by Kelly Palchanis, the treasurer’s report was accepted. The Verifi cation Report was the same as at the time of roll call. There were 20 members present. Suhlas. The Bonds and Salary Commit-tee: Michael Horvath, Nancy Fe-dor and Irene Kaschak were on this committee and Nancy reported that the committee saw no need for an in-crease at this time. The motion to ac-cept was made by Fred Graham and seconded by Bernie Novalbiliski. The Resolution Committee: Rev. Richard Cirba, Suzanne Horvath and Audrey Graham were on this com-mittee. The Resolutions’ Report was presented by Rev.Richard Cirba. RESOLVE To remember in prayer: Pope Francis, that God would bless him in all his endeavors. RESOLVE To pray to the Holy Spirit to guide the Bishop of Scran-ton, Joseph C. Bambera, and the faithful of the diocese so that togeth-er we can build up the kingdom of God as we prepare for the future of Parish Pastoral Planning. RESOLVE To pray for our clergy, that God grant them the strength and guidance in their ministry. RESOLVE To work together for the growth of membership of our Slovak Catholic Sokol. RESOLVE To acknowledge any-one who is observing a special oc-casion especially our Chaplain Rev.Richard Cirba as he celebrates his 25th Anniversary in the Priesthood this year. RESOLVE To thank and appreci-ate all who helped with the prepara-tion and participation in the events of the year. RESOLVE To pray and encour-age families in this Year of the Fam-ily to be fruitful and productive as we Celebrate this year of the Family with Pope Francis in Philadelphia; RESOLVE To pray for the protec-tion and defense of Religious Free-dom in the World. RESOLVE To encourage support and participation in any activities of Group 7’s Parents Group. RESOLVE To continue to work within Group 7 and our organization with the offi cers and members con-tributing our time and effort to the best of our abilities and to keep them in our prayers. A motion was made by Heather Horvath and seconded by Philip Walsh. New Motions Committee: Midge Malshefski, Peggy Polney, Tony Ra-simus and Amy Blasco. Amy read the changes in the previous year’s motions. Some motions were added and those that no longer were perti-nent were omitted. All items updat-ed, deleted or added, each received a Suhlas. Physical Fitness Board: Fred Graham, Dawn Palchanis, Heather Horvath, Philip Walsh, Steve Hvoz-dovic, Danielle Zablotney, Kelly Palchanis: The report of the PhysicalFitness Board was presented by Kelly Palchanis . Changes and up-

dates were read. A motion to accept the Physical Board items: updated, changed and added, was made by Suzanne Horvath and seconded by Midge Malshefski. Nomination Committee: Steve Vitek and Philip Walsh. Steve re-ported that all offi cers present were willing to stay on if there were no nominations from the fl oor. Therewas the position of 1st Vice Presi-dent and one for Auditor, John Yen-cha, since he was not present. Midge Malshefski made a motion to nomi-nated Audrey Graham for the offi ce of 1st Vice President and Nancy Fe-dor seconded the motion. All were in favor and Audrey accepted the position. Andrew Hvozdovic made a motion to nominate Tony Rasi-mus for the offi ce of Auditor and it was seconded by Marty Degnan. All were in favor and Tony accepted

the position. Michael thanked John Yencha for his years of service. All offi ces were fi lled. Installation of the new offi cers followed and conducted by Rev. Richard Cirba. We had a break to attend the lit-urgy, which was celebrated by Rev. Richard Cirba and concelebrated by Msgr. John J. Bendik, and Rev. Peter Tomezak, Assistant Pastor. The offi cers, delegates and a few members attended the liturgy, The living and deceased members of Group 7 were remembered. After Mass we continued with the meeting which was then followed by a light luncheon. Old Business: There was no old business at this time. Brother Mi-chael took this time to thank The North End Catholic Slovak Club for allowing us to continue our regular meetings. Also Msgr. Beeda who is

interested in our Group Activities as well as Headquarters. New Business: There are two items to consider at this time 1). Monthly meetings will begin in Jan-uary and we will set up our agenda for the coming year. 2) Site of next annual meeting will be considered at our monthly meet-ing. Good of the Order: No one had anything to add. The meeting closed with a prayer for our living and deceased members as well as for those in the Armed Services, led by Rev. Richard Cirba. Following the prayer, the assembly sang Hej Slovaci as well as the na-tional Anthem of Slovakia, Nad Ta-trou Sa Blyska, Zdar Boh! Respectfully submitted, Irene Kaschak Group 7, Secretary

PAGE 14 SLOVAK CATHOLIC FALCON, MAY 6, 2015

Sokol Birthdays

MAY 10 Rev. Andrew S. Hvozdovic, pas-tor of the Church of the Epiphany, Sayre, Pa. and our esteemed Supreme Chaplain. Eleanor A. Kava, Elmwood Park, N.J., a member of Assembly162, Clifton, N.J. Dolores J. Sonoga, Youngstown, Oh., a member of Wreath 54, Youngstown, Oh. Frank Zalesny, Jr., Poughkeepsie, N.Y., a member of Assembly 219, Yonkers, N.Y.

MAY 13 Michael Malshefski, Nanticoke, Pa., a member of Assembly 136, Nanticoke, Pa. Emma Primini, Woodbury, Conn., a member of Wreath 1, Bridge-port, Conn.

MAY 14 Megan E. Maslar, Douglassville, Pa., a member of Wreath 155, Read-ing, Pa. David Smeriglio, Wayne, N.J., a member of Assembly 219, Yonkers, N.Y.

MAY 15 Matthew Duda, Edwardsville, Pa., a member of Wreath 147, Larks-ville, Pa. Dolores Ganobcsik, Lorain, Oh., a member of Wreath 111, Lorain, Oh. Michael R. Kava, Wallington, N.J., a member of Assembly 162, Clifton, N.J. Parker Pyo, Lilly, Pa., a member of Assembly 79, Lilly, Pa. Jennifer Zemanek, Lorain, Oh., a member of Wreath 111, Lorain, Oh.

MAY 16 Adolf Benca, Jr., Newburyport MA, a member of Assembly 314 in Boston, Mass. Robert Latshaw, Reading, Pa., a member of Assembly 261, Read-ing, Pa.

MAY 17 Joann Keenan, Pittsburgh, Pa.,a member of Wreath 14, Johnstown, Pa. Jennifer Blucas, Johnstown, Pa., a member of Wreath 14, Johnstown , Pa.

MAY 18 George A. Blanda, Union-town, Pa. a member of Assembly 69, Smock, Pa. Carol C. Neslusan, Portsmouth, N.H., a member of Assembly 28, East Douglas, Mass. Matthew Parodi, Maywood, N.J., a member of Assembly 162, Clifton, N.J. Peter E. Pietras, North Las Ve-gas, Nev., a member of Assembly 219, Yonkers, N.Y. Angelo A. Ricci, III, Ashley, Pa., a member of Assembly 59, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Carmella Marie Suess, Pittsburgh, Pa., a member of Wreath 22, Pitts-burgh, Pa. Mark N. Spisak, Johnstown, Pa., a member of Wreath 14, Johnstown, Pa.

MAY 19 James H. Buck, Canfield, Oh., a member of Assembly 108, Youngstown, Oh. Albert J. Gutasy, III, Greenwich, N.Y., a member of Assembly 219, Yonkers, N.Y. Robert Kudlacik, Parsippany,

N.J., a member of Assembly 162, Clifton, N.J.

MAY 20 Daniel Palkovic, Erie, Pa., a mem-ber of Assembly 64 Erie, Pa. Nicholas J. Royle, Lemoyne, Pa., a member of Assembly 261, Read-ing, Pa.

MAY 21 Scott W. Athey, West Windsor, N.J., a member of Assembly 188, Lansford, Pa. Lubica Benca, New York, N.Y., a member of Assembly 314, Boston, Mass. Joan P. Santangelo, Erie, Pa., a member of Wreath 15, Perryopolis, Pa.

MAY 22 Alexis Eckenrode, Lilly, Pa., a member of Assembly 79 in Lilly, Pa. Karen Ann Mesaros, Johnsown, Pa., a member of Assembly 82, Dunlo, Pa.

MAY 23 Joseph S. Gasperec, New York, N.Y., a member of Assembly 48, Philadelphia, Pa. Nicole Krzysik, Clifton, N.J., a

The 38-member Choir Pro Mu-sica - Magnolia a children’s choir from Slovakia are coming to Pitts-burgh to perform in concert on Tuesday, June 30. The choir is one of the best loved and most famous choirs in Slovakia. The choir was created by joining two choirs to-gether - Pro Musica of Michalovce and Magnolia of Sobrance, cities located in the Zemplin region of eastern Slovakia. Since it merger, the choir has been representing Slovakia in both cities in many in-ternational competitions, winning 18 gold medals, 10 silver medals and 3 bronze medals. Participating at concerts and competitions, the choir has visited almost all Euro-pean countries and has performed in 13 states of Mexico. The choir’s repertoire includes all musical periods and genres, from classical compositions to the

Slovak children’s choir coming to Pittsburgh

May Marks Maid’s Month There have been for many generations a lot of girls named May or Mae - and for hundreds of years a month named May. Who had the name fi rst? The manner in which the month of may got its name is lost in antiq-uity. However, the most widely accepted theory is that it came from Maia, the mother of Mercury, the messenger of the gods. The Romans identifi ed her with Maia Majesta, an ancient Italian god-dess of spring, to whom the priests of Vulcan made sacrifi ces on the fi rst day of May.

Slovak Catholic Federation Seeks Contributors for 2015 The Good Shepherd Annual

Dobry Pastier (The Good Shepherd), has been published annu-ally by the Slovak Catholic Federation for the past four decades. It had it beginnings in 1921 when it began as a monthly. The Good Shepherd is chock full of interesting and informative articles, focusing on topics which are of interest to Slovak-American Catholics. The Federation is once again accepting articles for inclusion in its 2015 edition. Poten-tial contributors should note that while the scope of the publication is broad, articles solely political in nature will not be accepted. Timothy L. Wagner of Youngstown, Ohio will serve as editor for the 2015 edi-tion. The deadline for all articles is June 1, 2015. Due to the pub-lication schedule, articles received after the deadline will not be included in the annual. The annual will be available for distribution in the latter part of 2015. In order to facilitate the editing and printing of The Good Shep-herd, the following guidelines are established for authors who would like their work to be considered for inclusion in the annual: GENERAL INFORMATION • All articles must be type-written, double-spaced, in Microsoft WORD format in 12 point, Times New Roman font. For the sake of the editor, please do not capitalize all words (or entire sentences), unneces-sarily use exclamation points, etc. The article layout should be similar to articles printed in daily newspapers and magazines. • It is strongly preferred that English articles be e-mailed to Timothy L. Wagner, Editor, at: dobrypastierscf@gmail.com. In this age of modern technology, it is faster and more cost effective to work from a text that is provided digitally instead of having to retype the entire article. • If it is not possible for an article to be e-mailed, an original “hard copy” may be mailed to: Timothy L. Wagner at 2215 Coronado Avenue, Youngstown, Oh 44504 . “Hard copy” means that articles are either typed or hand-written by the author. Please do not send photo copies of articles or photos. • To be accepted for publication, articles must be between three and ten typewritten pages. Articles fewer than three pages or beyond ten pages will not be accepted. USE OF PHOTOS • If using photos within the article, photos must be included at the same time the article is sent to the Editor. (If sending photos dig-itally, save as separate JPGs to accompany the article.) Please indicate where photos are to be placed within the body of the article. Be sure to properly identify the persons, places and/or situations depicted in the photo(s). If no indication is given as to where, within the article, the photos are to be inserted, the photos will not be used. • In the event that an article is e-mailed and photos are not in-cluded as attachments, the actual photographs, along with a hard copy of the article, must be mailed to Editor Timothy L. Wagner for inclu-sion in the article. (If more convenient, photos can also be saved to a CD which the printer can then link up with the article.) Once again, please be sure that the photos are properly identifi ed and note where, within the article, the photos are to be inserted. Photos must always ac-company the article for which they are intended. • Captions must be included with the photos. This allows read-ers to better understand the relationship of the photo to the content of the article.

ARTICLES IN SLOVAK Slovak articles can be e-mailed to Timothy L. Wagner, but a hard copy (including all accents) must also be mailed to him. (Please indi-cate that the article was both mailed and emailed.) Frequently, accent marks, diacritical characters, and other special characters do not come through properly when articles are e-mailed. Having a hard copy of the article, appropriately marked, will save valuable time and minimize errors. As Editor, Sister Bernadette Marie retains the right to correct grammatical errors, delete repetitions, rearrange ideas to make them clearer, etc. Mr. Wagner also retains the right to determine the appro-priateness of articles for the publication. However, he will not substan-tially change the author’s ideas without fi rst consulting the author. Our sincere thanks to all the faithful contributors to The Good Shepherd! Your contributions, year after year, ensure that the Slovak Catholic Federation is able to provide a quality annual which helps cel-ebrate our Catholic faith, preserves our Slovak heritage, and allows our readers to stay in touch with what’s happening in the Catholic Church, in Slovakia, and in the Slovak-American community. We are looking forward to your contributions again this year.

Communications CommitteeSlovak Catholic Federation

member of Assembly 162, Clifton, N.J. Courtney Michelle Macurak, Kennesaw, Ga., a member of Wreath 22, Pittsburgh, Pa.

MAY 24 Alexis R. Gordulic, Youngstown, Oh., a member of Wreath 54, Youngstown, Oh. Anna Kanta, Joliet, Ill., a member of Assembly 257, Chicago, Ill. Edward Kanta, Joliet, Ill., a mem-ber of Assembly 257, Chicago, Ill. Jon-Henry Kubej, Renton, Wash., a member of Wreath 14, Johnstown, Pa. Matthew Kudlacik, Jr., Clifton, N.J., a member of Assembly 162, Clifton, N.J. Jennifer A. Masi, Basking Ridge, N.J., a member of Assembly 182, New York, N.Y. Diana K. Vanderheyden, Win-throp Harbor, Ill., a member of As-sembly 11, Chicago, Ill. Felicia Zalesny, Cortlandt Manor, N.Y., a member of Assembly 219, Yonkers, N.Y.

most modern songs of the 21st century, from adapted folk songs to popular songs. The members of the choir also perform traditional dances of the Zemplin region. Their Pittsburgh concert will be held at Synod Hall in the Oakland section of the city next to St. Paul’s Cathedral on Craig Street beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 20. Ticket prices are $20.00 for adults, $7.00 for children age 12 and under, $17.00 for groups of 10 or more adults; and $5.00 for groups of 10 or more children. Advance ticket sales only. The proceeds of the con-cert are earmarked in support of Pro Musica - Magnolia. Make checks payable to WPSCA and send same to Manor Oak Two, Suite 500, 1910 Cochran Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15220. For additional information call Joe Senko at (412)531-2990 or (412)956-6000.

The famed Slovak Children’s choir, Pro Musica - Magnolia will perform on Tuesday, June 30 at Synod Hall, 125 North Craig Street in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh beginning at 7:30 p.m.

SLOVAK CATHOLIC FALCON, MAY 6, 2015 PAGE 15

Scholarship available tostudy in Slovakia For the tenth consecutive year, the Western Pennsylvania Slovak Cultural Association(WPSCA) and the Stephanie Husek Scholar-ship Fund is offering a scholarship to attend the Summer Slovak Lan-guage and Culture Program(SAS) at Comenius University located in Slovakia’s capital city of Bratisla-va. The course runs from August 2 to August 22, 2015. The WPSCA will award a grant of $2,500 to cover transportation, tuition, room and board to the successful can-didate. Applicants must meet the following requirements: must be a full time college student, must be of Slovak heritage, must not have previously attended the pro-gram, must apply to Comenius University for acceptance, and must be willing to attend WPSCA events when requested to discuss the program. The SAS Summer School is the oldest summer language school in Slovakia and is designed to enable students to improve and enhance their knowledge of Slovak as well as increase their knowledge of Slovak literature and culture. For for information on this summer’s grant, contact Joseph T. Senko at (412)531-2990 or (412)956-6000.

What is Friendship? Good friends are those to whom you can tell all your problems and complain to your heart’s content. They will listen carefully to what you say and their faces will register concern in all the right places. Finally, they will remem-ber some of your “important” statements and with high regard for your friendship, they will for-get the rest - the kindest thing they can do.

The Pennsylvania Fraternal Alliance(PFA), known as The Keystone of Fraternals, will again accept nominations for its 2015 Fraternalist of the Year. Any mem-ber of the Slovak Catholic Sokol residing in Pennsylvania may be nominated for this award. Mem-bers who through example and accomplishment and who provide outstanding volunteer service may be considered. The award includes a certifi cate and medallion presented to the hon-oree at the 2015 PFA annual meet-ing in October. The honoree will be invited to attend the meeting with two(2) complimentary lunch tick-ets along with $250 to help defray

the cost of attending the luncheon. Only the honoree and guests will be invited to attend the annual meet-ing. The award is administered by the PFA Fraternalist of the Year Award Committee headed by Irene Ju-gan, chairperson of the Polish Na-tional Union. An application form is available by contacting Editor Daniel F. Tanzone at the home of-fi ce. Deadline for completion of the application is September 1, 2015. We have many dedicated, hard working Sokols and Sokolky in Pennsylvania who beautifully mir-ror the high ideals of the fraternal benefi t system who should be con-sidered for this award.

Pennsylvania fraternalist of the year program

Continuing in its benevolent tradition of many years now, the Slovak Alliance of Greater Bridge-port, Inc. will again offer a $1,000 scholarship grant to a deserving student. Guidelines, procedures and application forms for the schol-arship are available by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the scholarship committee chair-person, Eileen S. Wilson, 395 Pil-grim Lane, Stratford, Conn. 06614.(no telephone request.) Among the requirements is that an applicant, grandparent(s) or parent(s) must be a member of the Alliance for at minimum of three years and be of Slovak descent and

reside in the state of Connecticut. Deadline for the return of the completed application forms is May 11, 2015. Recipient will be notifi ed by June 8, 2015 and the award will be presented at the June 25th meeting of the Slovak Alli-ance. The scholarship is paid direct-ly to the school. Slovak Catholic Sokol members have been active in the Slovak Alliance for many years. The alliance was founded by the late Rev. Stephen A. Panik, who was the long-time pastor of SS. Cyril and Methodius Parish in Bridgeport. Zdar Boh! Eileen S. Wilson, Chairperson

Bridgeport Slovak Alliance scholarship available

Many of you have seen this article in the paper before. Several Years ago, I wrote this article because I un-derstand that it is diffi cult for a child to be away from home. I also realize that it can be just as diffi cult for the parents to be away from their child. Each Slet year, I have this article published again because there are always young children who will be attending the Slet for the fi rst time, and I believe this can be benefi cial to them, as well as their parents. For some children the Slet is more than just a competition, it is the fi rst time that they are spend-ing more than one night away from home. This can be a diffi cult time for many children. Hopefully, this expe-rience will be a positive one that will help your child feel more comfort-able when you are not with them. Being at the Slet without a parent offers a wonderful opportunity for both you and your children to prac-tice “letting go” -- an experience that can contribute to the development of healthy independence. Learning to let go allows children to develop au-tonomy and a stronger sense of self. Here are some ways to help your child feel more secure about being away from home: • Listen to and talk about con-cerns. As the day of departure ar-rives, some children understandably experience uneasiness about going off to the Slet. It is important to talk about their fears and try to put them at ease. Rather than acting on what you believe his or her feelings to be, ask good questions such as: “We’ve been busy packing your gear. What are your thoughts about heading off to the Slet in a few days?” • Give him/her confi dence. Communicate your confi dence in his/her ability to handle being away from home and remind him/her about “small victories,” successes he/she has experienced in other situ-ations. • Let him or her know that be-ing away from home is part of grow-ing up. Sometimes children struggle with leaving mom and dad because they know you are struggling with letting them grow. If you are anx-ious about your child leaving, you will make it harder for your child. Tell him/her that being away from home is all part of growing up. It is something that you, as the parent, must also deal with. • Pack a special note or card. Hide a card or small note in their suitcase so when they get there they will know that you are thinking about them. You could even write one card for each day so that he/she has one to open each morning or evening. Something as small as this will help a child adjust to being away. • Make sure he/she is ready to take care of his/her own hygiene. It is important for your son/daughter to know how to shower, brush their own teeth, hair, etc. Remind them that hygiene is important, especially after a long day at the track. • Tell him/her you are only a phone call away. Let him/her know that they can call you if they are feel-ing sad or homesick.

• Bring a little piece of home. Have your child choose one special thing that reminds him/her of home (a picture, teddy bear, action fi gure, blanket) and make sure it is packed in their suitcase. • Tell them to have FUN. Dis-cuss how much fun it will be to spend a week with their friends. Talk about competing, sharing a room with someone else, eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner together, having late night pizza, etc. • Let them know you support them. If you are going to be at the Slet, let him/her know that you will be there everyday to cheer them on. If you will not be there, tell your son/daughter that you will be think-ing about them and want them to do their very best. • Prepare your child for the pos-sibility that he/she may not “win”. In today’s society, many children have been taught that everyone is a winner. In sports like T-ball, every child gets a trophy at the end of the season. This sometimes leads chil-dren to believe that they will always be rewarded for a job well done. Although we would like to believe this, it is not always the case. There will be winners and losers. Not ev-eryone will get a medal or trophy. Even though a child may do his/her very best, they may not get anything except verbal praise from the coach. Tell your child that you are proud of him/her no matter what. Tell him/her that he/she is always a winner in your eyes and the trophy or medal does not mean anything to you. As a mother, I understand the dif-fi culty of wanting to keep your child “under your wing” forever, but this is a great opportunity for your child. He/she will gain independence, form lasting friendships, and make lifelong memories. A child feels a sense of accomplishment when they gain some independence and make their own decisions. He/she may not make the best food choices at the cafeteria, as I found out when my oldest son told me he had ice cream for breakfast every day, but that is all part of the experience. All that really mattered was that he en-joyed himself. He came back from the Slet raving about how much fun he had and that he could not wait to go again. This year my middle son will also be attending the Slet, and I am absolutely sure that his breakfast will include cookies and ice cream and if it is available. It may not be the best choice for breakfast, but I can guarantee it will be a story he will share with his friends. Jacquie McTaggart once said, “Your child will be better prepared to tackle the bumps on the road of life if he has been given the gift of guided independence.” So parents . . . Relax. . . your children are in very capable hands. I am sure their independence will surprise you! I am looking forward to working with all of your children at the upcoming Slet at Slippery Rock University.

Zdar Boh! Kathleen S. Watkins Supreme Physical Directress

Coping With Being Away From Home Scholarship Grants: Wreath 1 &

Assembly No.9, Inc.Bridgeport, Conn.

These grants are a one time only benefi t in the amount of $200.00 each. To apply, members of either Wreath 1 or Assembly 9 must have a permanent life insur-ance policy with a face amount of at least $3,000 and have been a member for at least 5 years. Appli-cants must be currently enrolled in a college or Catholic high school. To request an application, call Judith Salamon at tel. (203)333-3716 or Eileen S. Wilson at (203)378-8837 and specify either college or Catholic high school grant, as well at the address to which the application should be mailed. The application must be completed and returned by our Sunday, June 14, 2015 meeting for consideration. Promoting education among our members has been a priority of the Slovak Catholic Sokol for generations. Zdar Boh! Fraternally, Judith Salamon Eileen S. Wilson

(Continued from page 2)

by a solemn procession, during which a statue of the Virgin Mary or a portrait is carried back into the church. Some May devotions may take place outside in a forest or a dedicated special place. There is no fi rm structure as to the content of a May devotion. It usually includes the singing of Marian anthems, readings from scriptures, and a sermon. Although prayers likely include the recitation of the Hail Mary, the rosary itself is not usually a part of this particular devotion.One particular practice character-istic of May devotions is the May altar, whether in a church or as a “house altar” in the home. The cus-tom of the May altar stems from southern European countries. With the development of May altars in churches, the custom spread to set up this type of “altar” also in the home. Marian devotions may take place within the family, around a “May Altar” consisting of a table

with a Marian picture decorated with many May fl owers. The fam-ily would pray together the rosary. This specifi c devotion has been supported be several popes includ-ing Pope Pius XII in his encycli-cal Ingruentium malorum: • The custom of the family recitation of the Holy Rosary is a most effi cacious means. What a sweet sight - most pleasing to God - when, at eventide, the Christian home resounds with the frequent repetition of praises in honor of the High Queen of Heaven! Then the Rosary, recited in the family, assembled before the image of the Virgin, in an admirable union of hearts, the parents and their chil-dren, who come back from their daily work. It unites them piously with those absent and those dead. It links all more tightly in a sweet bond of love, with the most Holy Virgin, who, like a loving mother, in the circle of her children, will be there bestowing upon them an abundance of the gifts of concord and family peace.

May Devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary

Appeal for the Missions Our good friend and long-time missionary in India, Father Paul Cruz again reminds our members that used Christmas and other religious cards, as well as pens, pencils, rosaries and statues are needed for the children of his parish. Father Cruz has nearly 5,000 children who attend three schools within his parish. They are in need of these items which assist in their religious education. Or if you can’t send these items, a monetary donation would be greatly appreciated. Father Cruz expresses thanks and gratitude to our many members who have supported his mission over the years. He sends his bless-ings to all our members as we anticipate the joy of the Easter season. Send items or donation to: Father Paul Cruz, P.O. Box 691571, Kolliyam-691571, Kerala-INDIA.

PAGE 16 SLOVAK CATHOLIC FALCON, MAY 6, 2015

YOUR BENEFICIARIES When was the last time you looked at your des ig- nat ed ben e fi cia ries on your valu able Sokol insurance pol i cy? How im por tant is it? Just think about how much your life has changed. Have you mar ried, divorced, had chil dren, may be you lost a loved one? This is an item you should con sid er an nu- al ly. If you do need to make chang es to any of your pol i- cies, con tact the Home Of- fi ce at 800-886-7656.

CHANGE OF AD DRESS OR REQUEST

FOR SLOVAK CATH O LIC FALCONP.O.BOX 899 • 205 MADISON STREET

PASSAIC, N.J. 07055

NEW CHANGE CAN CEL LA TION

Certifi cate No._____________________________________

Name____________________________________________

New Ad dress_____________________________________

City_________________State____________ Zip_________

Old Ad dress_____________________________________

City__________________State____________Zip_________

(Editor’s note: We have noticed a number of returned copies of our Falcon due to incorrect ad dress es of our members. We ask that when individuals move, that they com plete the form below for a change of address or call the home offi ce. We thank you for your continued co op er a tion)

All is in readiness for this sum-mer’s exciting 47th International Slet. This year’s competition will be held July 14-18 at Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pa. Our Slet is a wonderful opportu-nity for many family and friends of our Slet competitors to join them. Many out-of-town Sokol members will join our athletes at this sum-mer’s competition. Many of our Sokol families make the Slet week a part of their traditional summer vacation. I have listed a number of hotels which are nearby Slippery Rock University along with their rates and amenities. Each hotel listed below includes an indoor pool and complimentary breakfast. All of the pools were approximately the same size. When I visited each hotel a few years ago, they all appeared very clean and the staff was friend-ly and courteous. In my opinion, I believe that the Best Western offers the best deal, since it is signifi cantly cheaper than the other hotels and offers the same amenities. I suggest that you make early reservations. Call the hotel you are interested in and ask them to set aside a block of rooms for your group. If you are a AAA member, you may be able to get a better rate. Some of the hotels will provide a discount if you mention that you are going to Slippery Rock Univer-sity for a competition.

Fairfi eld Inn and Suites by Marriott (This hotel is closest to the university, but it is the most ex-pensive),

1000 University Parkway Slippery Rock, Pa. 16057

tel. 724-406-0535 Amenities include: heated indoor

Places to stay near Slippery Rock University,site of our 47th International Slet

pool, fi tness center, complimentary breakfast. There is a block of 10 rooms be-ing held until April 29th. The group rate is $139.00 plus tax. Please ref-erence the Slovak Catholic Sokol. All hotels listed below are about 12 minutes traveling dis-tance from the campus. They are near Grove City Outlets and Volant Amish Country. There is also a Hampton Inn, but it is completely booked.

Best Western1924 Leesburg Road

Grove City, Pa. 16127 tel. 724-748-5836

Amenities include: heated indoor pool, fi tness center and complimen-tary breakfast.

Holiday Inn Express Suites21 Holiday BoulevardGrove City, Pa. 16237

tel. 724-748-5514 Amenities include: heated indoor pool and hot tub, fi tness center and complimentary breakfast.

Comfort Inn118 Garrett Drive

Grove City, Pa. 16227tel. 724-748-1005

Amenities include: heated indoor pool, fi tness center and complimen-tary breakfast.

There is a block of 25 rooms be-ing held until April 29th. The group rate is $100.00 plus tax. Please ref-erence the Slovak Catholic Sokol. Make your plans now and be as-sured of a memorable Slet experi-ence with your children and friends. See you in Slippery Rock, PA. in July. Zdar Boh! Kathleen S. Watkins Supreme Physical Directress

The Supreme Physical Fitness Board Members, as well as the Group Physical Directors, Direc-tresses and Sports Directors, are hard at work preparing for the up-coming International Slet that will take place from July 14-18, 2015 at Slippery Rock University in Slip-pery Rock, Pennsylvania. The previous issue of the Slovak Catho-lic Falcon contained information about accommodations in the area. We hope that you are planning on coming out to cheer on your local group. Thus far, we have confi rmed that the following groups will be in at-tendance: Group 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 11, 14, 17, and 19. The following Slet related items were approved at the Supreme Physical Fitness Board meeting in February of this year: • The co-ed volleyball tour-nament (13 and over) will be re-vamped this year. • Javelin will be added for women 16 and over (if enough women sign up) • A basketball and soccer ac-tivity (12 and under) will take place during the volleyball competition.

• The Slet schedule is being revamped with a possibility of run-ning some track events at night and beginning our track competition with some relays. • The number of participants in each event for gymnastics will be changed from 5 to 3 for points to be awarded. If there are three gymnasts from two different teams points will be awarded.Additions and Changes to the Gen-eral Rules and Regulations: • Only Slet participants are permitted to ride the bus to the Slet. In addition, only Slet participants are permitted to stay in the dorms. • The Group Physical Director, Directress, Sports Director and their assistants must be at all events to supervise their group participants. If for any reason, any of the above mentioned people will be absent from an event, they must receive prior permission from the Supreme Physical Director, Supreme Physi-cal Directress or Supreme Director of Sports and Athletics. • In gymnastics, all rules, awards, etc. pertaining to age group teams has been eliminated. Gym-nastics awards will include indi-

vidual places for each age group as well as an overall team trophy, but there will no longer be trophies given for a team score in each age group. You should be planning your track and gymnastics qualifi cations meet soon. The Slet registration forms have already been e-mailed to you. The qualifi cation forms, medical release forms, etc. will be e-mailed to all directors and direc-tresses in April. They will also be on the website. All forms will be due by the beginning of June. All Directresses: Contact Katie if you need to order leotards for gym-nastics or scarves for the Frozen drill. (katie70@aol.com) Contact me ASAP if you are in need of drill uniforms or if you have any extra (kathy2323@gmil.com) An abbreviated copy of the Slet schedule will be in the Falcon once all events and places have been ap-proved by the college. I am looking forward to seeing all of you at the Slet this summer! Zdar Boh! Kathleen S. Watkins Supreme Physical Directress

Getting Ready for the 2015 International Slet at Slippery Rock University

Pre-Convention Committeesappointed by the Supreme President

MEMBERS OF THE BYLAWS COMMITTEEAlbert J. Suess, Jr., F.I.C.

Assembly 16, Pittsburgh, Pa., chairperson

Therese M. BucAssembly 11, Chicago, Ill

Eileen S. WilsonWreath 1, Bridgeport, Conn.

James G. JerekAssembly 108, Youngstown, Oh.

Joseph A. HarakAssembly 261, Reading, Pa.

MEMBERS OF THE NEW MOTIONS COMMITTEEJoanne E. Spisak

Wreath 14, Johnstown, Pa., chairperson

Susan L. BlosserAssembly 180, Canton, Oh.

Chet DziubaAssembly 227, Toronto, Canada

Roger J. ManyakAssembly 28, East Douglas, Mass.

Stephen A. RomanAssembly 72, Catasaqua, Pa.

All is in readiness for our ex-citing 69th International Bowl-ing Tournament which is scheduled for Friday, May 15th and Saturday, May 16th at the Free-way Bowling Lanes in Wickliffe, Oh. Since the bowling facility has enough al-leys to accommodate all of the

bowlers from both our Slovak Catholic Sokol and the Greek

Catholic Union at one time, the decision has been made to have one squad time for both the Team Events on Friday night and the Doubles

and Singles Events on Saturday. The Team Events will be held

beginning at 7:30 p.m. with food being provided at the Bowling Alleys from 6 to 7:15 p.m. for our bowlers. This will allow for our bowlers to get something to eat before bowling and also al-low our members the opportunity to fi nish up earlier in the evening so that they can continue to en-joy fraternal fellowship. Also, the Doubles and Singles Events will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning. This gives everyone the opportunity to sleep a little lon-ger and also the ability to fi nish up earlier so that they may have more time to prepare for the eve-ning’s program and banquet. If there are any questions related to this year’s bowling tourna-ment, feel free to call me at (412) 881-3506. I look forward to an exciting tournament in the best traditions of Sokol good sports-manship. Zdar Boh!

Fraternally yours, Edward D. Moeller Supreme Director of Sports & Athletics

69th International Bowling Tournament Announcement

SLOVAK CATHOLIC FALCON, MAY 6, 2015 PAGE 17

KIDS’ CORNER “Detský kútik ” May, 2015

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By Dr. Michael Kopanic May = máj [ my ] (Latin origins) mother = matka [maaht – kah ] Mother’s Day - Deň matiek [ Den maw-tyek ] (soft „n“) Happy Mother's Day ! = Šťastný Deň matiek! [Shtyawst–nee den maw–tyek ] (soft „n“) spring = jar [yaar] flower = kvet [kvet] tree = strom [strome] blossoms = kvety na strome [kvetee nah strome] to blossom = kvitnúť [kveet-noot] The trees are blossoming. = Stromy kvitnú.

May Days to Celebrate

May 1- May Day

May 5– Cinco de Mayo

May 6– Nurse’s Day

May 10– Mother’s Day

May 25– Memorial Day

Fun Facts About Mother's Day �� There was a stamp commemorating the holiday in 1934. �� It is the biggest day of the year for the restaurant industry. �� There were around 4 million births in 2009. �� Carnations are the traditional flower for Mother's Day. �� There were over 122 million phone calls on this day in 2011. �� There are an estimated 1.7 billion mothers worldwide. �� Each year around $2 billion is spent in the

United States on flowers.

PAGE 18 SLOVAK CATHOLIC FALCON, MAY 6, 2015

Report of the Supreme Secretary for the Month of February 2015ASSETS

YEAR TO DATE Cash - Senior Account $ 890,631.38 Cash - Bank of Montreal 5,027.77 Cash - Payroll Account 40,000.00 Petty Cash 220.00 Investments - Bonds & Bills 56,269,664.01 Investments - Stocks 7,702,205.58 Capital Reserve 1,483,273.24 Stock Adj. to Book Value 2,450,950.85 First Mortgage Loans 937,645.43 Loans on Certifi cates 122,916.51 Accrued Interest Receivable 689,089.58 Prepaid Expenses 23,686.31 Sokol Building 2,707,974.61 Land 204,108.00 Furniture & Fixtures 159,182.34 Computer 123,637.86 Sokol Baby Spoons 10,075.00 Due From Groups 766.44 Accounts Receivable 44,299.86 Non-Admitted Assets -166,073.00 TOTAL ASSETS $73,699,281.77

LIABILITIES AND RESERVES YEAR TO DATE Life Reserves $51,600,876.00 Reserve Dep. Furn. & Fixtures 150,508.34 Reserve Dep. Sokol Building 2,630,574.48 Asset Valuation Reserve 1,412,920.00 Interest Maintenance Reserve 117,535.00 Reserve for Supplemental Contracts 1,900,247.93 Reserve Emp. Retirement Plan 4,787,861.00 Reserve for Convention 325,000.00 Matured Endowments 83,709.24 Claims Payable 212,938.00 IBNR Payable 30,000.00 Conversion - Canadian Currency 680.00 Accounts Payable 77,155.20 Sokol Secure Fund 465,507.14 Mary Jane Rich Scholarship Fund 85,000.00 Emil Slavik Scholarship Fund 100,000.00 Dr’s Lesko Medical Scholarship Fund 20,000.00 Krista L Glugosh Memorial Scholarship Fund 24,000.00 Dividend Accum. At Interest 327,746.92 Dividend Payable 49,284.66 Advance Premiums 29,539.00 Premium Load 2,900.00 TOTAL LIABILITIES $64,433,982.91 Undistributed Funds - Sokol 9,265,298.86 TOTAL LIABILITIES & SURPLUS $73,699,281.77 INCOME FEBRUARY YEAR TO DATE Interest on Bonds and Bills $ 156,466.76 $ 342,366.50 Accrued Interest Paid -972.23 -972.23 Other Investment Income 2,231.48 2,292.52 Dividends on Stocks 14,366.30 34,298.60 Interest on Mortgages 5,914.02 10,065.97 Sale of Cookbooks 215.15 245.15 Rent Received - Sokol Building 1,760.00 4,630.00 Premium Income 113,986.30 269,095.14 Annuities 1,081,942.87 1,301,060.18 Miscellaneous Income 1,801.12 1,781.12 Sale of Securities/Amortization 49,542.11 74,534.12 TOTAL INCOME $1,427,253.88 $ 2,039,397.07

EXPENSES FEBRUARY YEAR TO DATE

Operating Expense - Sokol Building $ 4,918.59 $ 8,417.99 Building Maintenance & Repairs 0.00 1,900.00 Rental Area Expenses 131.72 330.85 Property Taxes - Sokol Building 0.00 27,093.97 Depreciation Sokol Building 311.52 623.04 Rent for Space 1,250.00 2,500.00 Pension Plan - Print 563.14 1,126.28 Salaries - Offi ce Employees 43,500.60 82,485.00 Salaries - Editorial Employees 6,144.00 12,888.00 P/R - Taxes Employer 4,065.25 7,462.62 Hospitalization 9,151.55 14,273.38 Pension Plan - Offi ce/Offi cers 13,398.40 26,796.80 Offi ce Expense 2,135.63 2,894.84 Computer Expense 4,800.89 4,800.89 Actuarial Expenses 1,025.00 1,025.00 Accountant Expenses 2,600.00 5,200.00 Postage-Offi ce 101.49 130.45 Telephone - Offi ce 330.04 630.06 Telephone - Editorial 126.90 265.20 Printing - Katolicky Sokol 2,800.00 5,600.00 Postage - Sokol Paper 5,490.00 6,365.00 Misc. Publication Expense 854.91 1,001.09 Other Printing 189.40 783.87 Other Legal Expenses 17,553.72 17,553.72 Death Benefi t Claims Paid 74,629.00 107,819.00 Cash Surrender Values Paid 9,773.25 31,056.70 Annuity Surrenders 223,905.17 251,199.51 Matured Endowments Paid 335.00 1,286.00 State Insurance Dept. Lic./Fee 3,254.00 3,254.00 Bank Charges - Bond Account 10,970.71 21,913.75 Dues & Subscription 750.00 1,558.85 Donations & Contributions 300.00 700.52 Other Coaching, Insurance 736.00 761.00 Convention Expenses 25,482.35 25,482.35 Commission Expense 57,250.62 96,239.33 Annuity Commissions 27,334.33 31,736.77 Advertising/Promotions 100.00 1,371.62 Agency Expense 2,504.58 8,641.26 Board of Directors Expense -51.26 -51.26 Physical Fitness Board Expense 8,250.26 8,250.26 Supreme Offi cers Insurance Bond 0.00 1,424.00 Fratenal Congress Expense 100.00 100.00 Local Fees/ Rebates 63.06 1,637.69 Interest Expense 1,087.29 2,246.26 TOTAL EXPENSES $ 568,217.11 $ 828,775.66 TOTAL INCOME (LOSS) $ 859,036.77 $1,210,621.41 ZDAR BOH! Steven M. Pogorelec, FIC Supreme Secretary Slovak Catholic Sokol

Corruption is a clear threat to the health of any society, Foreign and Euro-pean Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak said on April 21 during his meeting with senior anti-corruption coordinator for Europe George Kent from the US De-partment of State. Slovakia wants to engage in closer cooperation with the USA in order to aid the fi ght against corruption. Lajcak at the same time stated that Slovakia, as well as the whole European Union(EU) puts enormous emphasis on this agenda - not only within the organization, but also with respect to its foreign partners. As further revealed by the Foreign and European Affairs press department, the talks of the two diplomats broached the situation in Ukraine. Lajcak ob-served that the future of reforms in

Ukraine depends on to what extent the country manages to do away with deeply rooted corruption. Kent was on a visit to Slovakia, April 20-21. His main agenda was to discuss with Slovak senior state offi cials and representatives of civic society the coordination of activities of the United States and Slovakia in the fi ght against corruption. On April 20, Kent held talks on the issue with Slovak Prime Minister Rob-ert Fico. The premier at the meeting de-clared that Slovakia is ready to engage in cooperation with the United States. Kent will be provided access to a government-drafted action plan concerning the fi ght against corruption and will then be ex-pected to come up with specifi c mea-sures to boost the fi ght.

Lajcak meets US State Departmentanti-corruption coordinator Kent

SLOVENSKÝ KATOLÍCKY SOKOL, 6. MÁJA 2015 PAGE 19

ISSN: 0897-8107

Úradn¥ ™asopisSLOVENSKÉHO KATOLÍCKEHO SOKOLA

Zalo¢en¥ 15. apríla 1911 – Vychádza ka¢dú druhú stredu

Majitel« a vydavatel«:SLOVAK CATHOLIC SOKOL

Daniel F. Tanzone, redaktor Telefónne ™íslo: (973) 777-4010

V£etky ™lánky, príspevky a správy treba posielat« na adresu:Editor, Slovak Catholic Sokol, P.O. Box 899

205 Madison Street, Passaic, New Jersey 07055

(Pokračovanie zo str. 20)

Ach, tá naša slovenčina......Môže to byť aj ako jeden z Raw food receptov do vášho jedálnička. - Varech.sk

...Pozeráte sa na plochý displej? Ste out, pozrite sa prečo. - hn.sk

...Must have jarnej sezóny: Ktorý z 5 hitov jari máte už v šatníku? - glanc.sk

Crazy pšeno s pudingom - prav-da.sk

Single domácnosti nie sú len otázkou voľby, ale i životných okolností - hn.sk

Kivi-jahoda pomarančové smoothie - Varecha.sk

Slovensko-americké kultúrne stredisko Vás srdečne pozýva na prehliadku slovenského folklóru v nedeľu 17. mája o 1.00 hodine v hale Kostola sv. Jána Nepomuc-kého, 411 E 66th Street, New York. V programe sa predstaví oper-ný spevák z New Jersey Andrew Pulver a detské tanečné súbory Limboráčik z NY, Domovinka z Clift on, NJ, Slnovrátok z Hills-borough, NJ, Slovenská škola pri

Prehliadka slovenského folklóru v NYCKostole sv. Jána Nepomuckého z NY, Slovenská komunita pri Kos-tole sv. Michala v Trenton, NJ, Slovenské centrum detí Lipka z Linden, NJ a Hlas s doprovodom folklórnej hudobnej skupiny Pajtáši z NY. Vstupné je $5.00, deti do 16 rokov majú vstupné zdarma. Od 12.00 hodiny budú na predaj slovenské jedlá. Bližšie informácie:

www.SlovakAmericanCC.org

Najvyšším miestom na Slovensku, kde pravidelne pracujú ľudia, je observatórium na vrchole Lomnického štítu vo Vysokých Tatrách. Nachádza sa v nadmorskej výške 2 632 m. Vrchol Lomnického štítu vo Vysokých Tatrách je ideálnym miestom na cenné meteoro-logické a astronomické výskumy a merania. Budova, ktorú tu vy-budovali v roku 1940 spolu s visutou lanovkou, je pozoruhodným technickým dielom. Pravidelné meteorologické pozorovania sa v nej uskutočňujú od roku 1940. V roku 1962 zriadili na Lomnick-om štíte pracovisko astronómov z laboratória fyziky kozmického žiarenia a koronálnej stanice Astronomického ústavu SAV. Vd’aka unikátnym prístrojom sa observatórium zaradilo medzi svetovú špičku v oblasti slnečnej koróny. O spoluprácu prejavili záujem aj Američania.

Desiatky Slovákov sa stali obeťami otrockej práce vo Veľkej Británii. Po spolupráci sloven-skej a britskej polície zadržali podozrivých aj vyslobodili ich obete prevažne zo sociálne slabších skupín. Na základe informácií sloven-skej polície zadržali začiatkom tohto týždňa 49-ročného Slová-ka podozrivého z obchodova-nia s ľuďmi. Po spoločnej akcii následne chytili aj ďalších 24 podozrivých Slovákov a iden-tifi kovali viac ako 50 obetí,

ktorým už poskytli pomoc. Podozriví sú prevažne zo zá-padného Slovenska zo Serede, Galanty, Nitry, Zlatých Mora-viec a okolia. Ich obete zostali bez dokla-dov, pracovali v zlých podmien-kach a bez zárobku, fyzicky ich týrali, dokonca na nich poberali aj rôzne výhody od štátu. Predpokladá sa, že obetí otrockej práce je viac. Polícia preto opäť upozorňuje, aby boli záujemcovia o prácu v zahraničí obozretní.

Chytili Slovákov podozrivých z obchodovania s ľuďmi

O slovenský AeroMobil má záujem celý svet

multifunkčnosti. Je rovnako plnohodnotným automobilom, ako aj súkrom-ným lietadlom. “Nemám rád kompromisy,” nechal sa počuť konštruktér a dizajnér Štefan Klein z Nitry, ktorý stojí spolu so svojim tímom za celým pro-jektom. Ako dodáva: “Je to naj-úžasnejší pocit slobody - môcť šoférovať po meste a ani nie o päť minúť byť už vo vzduchu, letieť preč.” Klein má pritom le-tectvo vo svojich bunkách už od narodenia - obaja jeho otec, aj starý otec, boli nadšenými letca-mi. Jeden z jeho bratrancov bol dokonca britským kráľovským letcom. O tom, že niektorí spočiatku v ich úspech neverili a možno im stále príde vízia lietajúceho auta nepredstaviteľná, hovorí pre Th e Financial Times aj Vaculík. “Pre niektorých ľudí môže byť ťažké predstaviť si, že sa lietajúce autá stanú každodennou realitou. Pozrite sa však na mobilné tele-fóny,” hovorí a vzápätí dodáva: “Teraz je ten správny čas.” Dobrou správou pre Slo-vensko však zostáva nielen reprezentácia krajiny, ale aj možné rozšírenie výroby. Ako totiž konštruktéri uvádzajú, bolo by kontraproduktívne, aby plánovali pásovú výrobu svojho vynálezu za hranicami, alebo vyvíjali ďalšie prototypy napríklad v americkom Silicon

Valley. Podľa Vaculíka je Sloven-sko ideálne ako základňa ich spoločnosti. Ako informuje aj Th e Financial Times, Slov-ensko je najväčším svetovým producentom áut v množstve vyrobených áut na jedného obyvateľa. Slovensko má tak reálne našliapnuté na to, aby masívne zvýšilo nielen svoju ekonomiku či zamestnanosť, ale aj svetovú prestíž. Cieľom konštruktérov je sériová výroba AeroMobilu v priebehu nasledujúcich dvoch rokov. Tím zároveň plánuje vybudovať približne 250 vozi-diel pre vybraných zákazníkov - predovšetkým pre automobilové spoločnosti ako Ferrari alebo Mclaren. A cena? Niekoľko stoviek tisíc eur, uvádza Vaculík. Čo sa však môže zdať ako “veľa” v porov-naní s bežným automobilom, je však iba desatina z ceny súk-romného vrtuľníku. V súčasnosti rozšírili svoj tím o bývalého výkonného riaditeľa spoločnosti McLaren a spolu-pracujú aj s Európskou komi-siou, aby sa uistili, že bude Aero-Mobil spĺňať všetky legislatívne úpravy a cestné, ale aj vzdušné právne regulácie. “Podstupujeme presne rov-naké kroky, aké kedysi robili spoločnosti Ford alebo Boeing,” uzatvára Vaculík a dodáva: “Vyt-várame úplne nové odvetvie.”

- Zdroj: Aktuálne.sk, skrátené

Pätnásť Slovákov, ktorí sa nachádzali v zemetrasením pos-tihnutom Nepále, sa vo 30. apríla popoludní vrátilo domov. Podľa informácií, ktoré posky-tol rezort diplomacie, Slováci leteli lietadlom, ktoré do Nepálu poslala česká vláda. Na letisku Slovákov okrem zástupcov rezor-tu diplomacie privítala aj česká veľvyslankyňa Lívia Klausová. Jednu Slovenku so zlomenou nohou a muža s ľahším zranením hlavy previezli po prílete do ne-mocnice. „Bolo to náročné, ale oceňu-jeme, že po nás prišlo vládne lietadlo,“ povedal 37-ročný Peter po prílete do Bratislavy. Najhoršie sú však na tom domáci – Káth-mandu ostáva po otrasoch bez elektriny a vody, kanalizácia bola zničená a ľudia spia na ulici. „V horách ľudia umierali, padali no chodníkoch…“ opisu-je situáciu Peter. Slováci nie sú zranení, mali šťastie a ďakujú mi-estnym ľuďom, že nemysleli len na seba, ale pomohli aj im. „Keď sa začala triasť zem, boli sme práve na ulici,“ spomína Pe-ter na tragické udalosti. „Akurát sme vyšli z reštaurácie, ktorá sa o dve minúty zrútila,“ dopĺňa. Mi-estni im radili, aby ostali stáť a nič nerobili, ale napriek tomu všade vypukla panika. Starší ľudia neskôr spomínali, že také silné zemetrasenie si ne-pamätajú, naposledy sa zem tak-to silno triasla pred päťdesiatimi rokmi. Záchvevy pokračovali aj ďalej, preto turisti spali väčšinou vonku, pod holým nebol. V noci však často pršalo, a tak bola si-tuácia ešte komplikovanejšia. Bratislavčan Peter sa do Nepálu vybral na mesiac, svojich turis-tických plánov sa však musel po štyroch dňoch vzdať.

Médiá vraj preháňajú Košičan Peter tvrdí, že násled-ky prírodnej katastrofy neboli až také hrozné, ako ju opisovali médiá. „Sú však oblasti, kde je

Slováci vrátili z Nepálu, ktorý postihlo silné zemetrasenienás veľmi dobre, mali sme dosta-tok jedla aj pitia,“ hovorí. „Sme vďační, že to prebehlo tak dobre,“ potvrdzuje Alžbeta. Od potvrdenia odletu na Slov-ensko prešlo asi 36 hodín, lietad-lo však v Káthmandu nedostalo povolenie pristáť, preto turisti Slováci a Česi odleteli z Nepálu až na ďalší deň. V Nepále na letisku teda strávili dva dni. Zemetrasenie, ku ktorému došlo 25. apríla, si podľa OSN vyžiadalo vyše 5-tisíc mŕtvych a 10-tisíc zranených, tento počet sa však pravdepodobne ešte zvýši. Mnohé, najviac zasiahnuté obce sú v ťažko prístupných horských regiónoch, kam sa záchranári ešte nedostali. Celkovo zemetrasenie posti-hlo asi osem miliónov ľudí. Zničených bolo vyše 70-tisíc domov, ďalších asi 530-tisíc bolo poškodených. Až 2,8 milióna ľudí opustilo svoje domovy, väčšina z nich však pre obavy z ďalších otrasov.

situácia strašná a doslova celé mestá sa museli presťahovať do stanov. Je problém dostať sa k pitnej vode a zabezpečiť i stravu,“ hovorí. Problémom však nie sú len samotné otrasy, ktoré pochovali ľudí a zničili budovy. Nedostatok čistej vody a hygienického vy-bavenia môže spôsobiť následné epidémie. „Najviac poškodené sú práve najchudobnejšie časti Nepálu,“ dodáva Alžbeta. Počas prvých otrasov bol 27-ročný Peter práve v reštaurácii a objednal si jedlo a čaj. „Pozrel som sa na svoj čaj, ktorý sa začal triasť a vylial sa na stôl,“ spomí-na. Začali rinčať aj okná a padali predmety z poličiek. Celé mesto v priebehu niekoľkých minút vy-behlo na ulicu a zavládla panika.

Cesta z Nepálu Návrat prebiehal podľa Koši-čana Petra plynulo a bez kom-plikácií. „Konzuli spravili svoju prácu perfektne,“ oceňuje bez-problémový priebeh. „Starali sa o

ÚRADNÝ ČASOPIS SLOVENSKÉHO KATOLÍCKEHO SOKOLA - 28 000 ČLENOV - HLAVNÁ ÚRADOVŇA: 205 MADISON STREET, PASSAIC, NJ 07055 – www.slovakcatholicsokol.org

VOLUME CIV PASSAIC, N.J., 6. MÁJA 2015 ČÍSLO 5042

SLOVAK CATHOLIC FALCON

Za Boha a národ For God and Nation

(Pokračovanie na str. 19)

Krátke správy zo Slovenska

Zborník Krajanského múzea Matice slovenskej, pod tradičným názvom Slováci v zahraničí, sa tento rok rodil ťažšie i zložitejšie, ako po iné roky. Nebola by tiaž v nedostatku autorov, či v nedo-konalosti príspevkov, no problém nastal – ako to už zvykom býva – vo fi nanciách. A tak sa mnohé zvažovalo, čakalo sa i posúvalo. Namiesto tradičného januárového termínu vydania zborníka sa jeho vydanie posnulo na marec. V tom-to čase môžeme vziať do rúk už jeho 31. číslo... Na svojich dvoch stovkách stránok zborník ponúka takmer dve desiatky príspevkov od od-borníkov na život Slovákov žijúcich v zahraničí, ako aj príspevky z pera našich krajanov, vďaka ktorým zborník získava špecifi cké postave-nie medzi vedeckými ročenkami. Tento rok na jeho stránky prispeli autori zo Slovenska, Chorvátska, Maďarska, Rumunska a Francúz-ka. Prvá kapitola s názvom Štúdie obsahuje príspevky zaoberajúce sa krajanskými osobnosťami a ich životom a dielom (Jozef Murgaš, Michal Harpáň, Ignác Gessay) a taktiež obsahuje príspevok približujúci aktivity Výchovno-vzdelávacieho programu Výskum-ného ústavu Celoštátnej slovenskej samosprávy v Maďarsku. V kapitole s názvom Materiály a pramene nás autori príspevkov vtiahnu do dejín československej vysťahovaleckej politiky v rokoch 1918 – 1939, do histórie sloven-ských evanjelikov v Peštianskej stolici v 18. a 19. storočí, do tradícií Slovákov žijúcich v Bihorskej a Salajskej oblasti v Rumunsku i do dejín osídlenia obce Pôtor. Rôznorodosť príspevkov doplňuje príspevok zaoberajúci sa preklad-mi historických literárnych prác Milana Ferka do maďarčiny a ich stimulačnou funkciou pre ucho-vávanie národnej identity Slovákov žijúcich v Maďarsku. Posledný príspevok tejto kapitoly ponúka komentovanú analýzu fenoménu slovenského vysťahovalectva.

Výročia a jubileá predstavujú najútlejšiu kapitolu zborníka, ktorá mapuje 150. výročie slovenskej školy v chorvátskom Iloku. Poslednú kapitolu s názvom In-formácie a recenzie otvára recenzia autorského kolektívu na dielo: Po-slanci slovenských národnostných samospráv v Maďarsku v refl exii sociolingvistického výskumu: výsledky dvoch volebných období 2002 – 2010. Ďalšie príspevky sa orientujú na výber z publici-stického diela Štefana Glejduru a na objasnenie pozadia vzniku nového bilingválneho (slovensko-maďarského časopisu) Kor(r)idor. V zborníku nájdeme aj príspevok venovaný Slovenskej katolíckej mi-sii vo Francúzsku. Ročenku uza-tvára rekapitulácia činností Kra-janského múzea Matice slovenskej počas roku 2014 s výpočtom vlast-ných aktivít. Aj tento rok Vám zostavovatelia zborníka ponúkajú možnosť zaslať do redakcie vlastný príspevok, ktorého publikovanie vo vedeckej ročenke by mohlo byť pre krajanov i pre slovenskú verejnosť podnet-né i prínosné. Návod, ako sa stať prispievateľom do ročenky Slováci v zahraničí, nájdete na matičnej webovej stránke, v lište – Oznamy KM MS. A ak by Vám ročenka spravila radosť aj pri večernom oddycho-vom čítaní, môžete si ju z pohod-lia domova objednať na stránke: www.vydavtel.sk

Zuzana Pavelcová

Vedecká ročenka Krajanského múzea Matice slovenskej – Slováci v zahraničí

Viac ako 14 percent mladých Slovákov študuje v zahraničí. Je to tretí najvyšší podiel v Európskej únii po Cypre a Luxembursku. Najviac študentov zo Slovenska študuje v Českej republike.

V prvom a druhom kvartáli tohto roku by mala miera ne-zamestnanosti na Slovensku rásť o 0,4 až 0,5 percenta. Prognó-zuje to Inštitút fi nančnej politiky (IFDP) pri Ministerstve fi nancií SR. Takýto silný rast zamest-nanosti má podľa IFDP ťahať nielen domáca spotreba, ale aj rast hrubého domáceho produk-tu.

Minister hospodárstva SR Pavol Pavlis v stredu 29. apríla ofi ciálne oznámil príchod kórej-ského investora na Slovensko. Dodávateľ pre automobilový priemysel Samhwa Tech plánuje investovať v oblasti Turca 8,3 milióna eur. V novom závode vytvorí 180 až 200 nových pra-covných miest.

V noci z 28. na 29. apríla vyčíňala na Slovensku víchri-ca, ktorá narobila veľké škody. Vyvracala stromy, reklamné panely a strhla strechy. Na ceste pri Hrinove v okrese Rožňava silný vietor prevrátil tri kamióny.

Slovensko kúpi pre armádu deväť amerických viacúčelových vrtuľníkov Black Hawk za 261 miliónov eur. Kontrakt zahŕňa aj súvisiaci výcvik pozemného personálu a servis samotných strojov, ktoré vyrába fi rma Sikor-sky Aircraft Corporation. Prvý vrtuľník Black Hawk by malo Slovensko dostať budúci rok.

Nákup amerických vrtuľníkov je ďalším krokom Slovenska v rámci odklonu od ruskej vojen-skej techniky. Vrtuľníky Black Hawk nahradia vo výzbroji ar-mády súčasné vrtuľníky Mi-17 ruskej výroby, ktorým končí životnosť. Slovensko plánuje spolu s americkým výrobcom vrtuľníkov zriadiť na Sloven-sku výcvikové centrum pilotov vrtuľníkov, kde by sa mali školiť aj zahraniční piloti.

Svetový slovenský výrobok AeroMobile 3.0 môže priniesť najväčšiu revolúciu v automo-bilovom priemysle od čias Hen-ryho Forda. Ide o výsledok de-saťročí práce dvoch Slovákov - Štefana Kleina a Juraja Vaculí-ka, ktorých neuveriteľný vynález strhol na seba pozornosť celého sveta. Prečítajte si, ako sa zrodila myšlienka lietajúceho auta, ktoré možnože už čoskoro pohltí cesty, aj oblohu. AeroMobil 3.0 môže znamenať najväčšiu revolúciu v automobilovom priemysle od čias Henryho Forda. Zaujímajú sa oň všetky zahraničné médiá - od americkej televíznej stanice CNN, cez prestížne magazíny Forbes a Wall Street Journal, až po britský Th e Guardian a agentúry Reuters a Bloomberg. O slovenský “výrobok” ma-jú ale predovšetkým záujem zahraničné automobilky, tech-nologické, vesmírne ale aj IT spoločnosti. Ako sa však zro-dil nápad, ktorý možno spraví zo Slovenska nielen krajinu montážnych hál - ale aj kra-jinu, v ktorej sa “nemožné” stalo skutočnosťou? Príbeh lietajúceho auta sa začal v 80-tych rokoch v socia-listickom Československu. Ešte ako študenti sedávali Vacu-lík a Klein na brehu Dunaja a netušiac o tom, aké zmeny pri-nesie nasledujúce desaťročie,

O slovenský AeroMobil má záujem celý svet

hľadievali na druhú stranu rieky. Do Rakúska, kde sa začínala slo-boda. “Počas našich študentských čias sme premýšľali, či budeme niekedy schopní cestovať za hranice. Mali sme mnoho ná-padov - a jeden z nich skr-sol Štefanovi (Klein, pozn. red.) v hlave,” hovorí teraz už štyridstaťosemročný Juraj Vacu-lík v rozhovore pre prestížny ma-gazín Financial Times. Z prvých plánov sa rokmi stala vízia, ktorá hnala chlapcov počas štúdií a stala sa ich dlhodobou túžbou. Vytvoriť lietajúce auto. Začiatky boli skromné - praco-vali v malom hangári pri Nitre hnaní predstavami o čomsi, čo iní považovali za bláznovstvo. Po prvých pokusoch a rokoch práce predstavili svoje dielo v roku 2013 na svetovej konferen-cii v Montreale. A od toho dňa svet čaká so zatajeným dychom na výsledky ich práce. Od tohto obdobia nahradili prototyp 2.5 novšou verziou s označením 3.0, ktorá, zdá sa, splní teraz už do-spelým mužom ich detské sny. AeroMobil má síce konkuren-ciu v projekte Terrafugia, ktorý je na rozdiel od slovenského dielom známej súkromnej spo-ločnosti, no ako hovoria strojco-via slovenského lietajúceho auta, AeroMobil je jedinečný vo svojej

Juraj Vaculík (na snímke vľavo) a Štefan Klein .- FOTO: Pioneers/JFDI GmbH