Rev. Ludwik P. Muszynski

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Rev. Ludwik Paul Muszynski and his Activities

[Note: Rev. Muszynski is listed as having lived from Jan. 25, 1868 to July 27, 1950, ordained 1902, and taking on the Bogdanow parish in 1920. ]

Rev. Ludwik P. Muszynski was born in Poland in the Russian zone of occupation and was educated in the Russian and Austrian zones, then ordained in Poland coming to Utica from Riverhead NY where he was a pastor. His work as pastor in Utica started on Dec. 1, 1909, in a time when the confusion created during the pastorship of Rev. Szymon Pniak was finally calming.

Rev. Muszynski was well qualified for the difficult job of pastor at the parish of Holy Trinity. But because he had a great deal of prudence, a common sense approach, a great zeal for bringing glory to God and a pride in his Polish heritage; as well as being possessed of a strong metallic voice and fervent feelings, he was able to cope with the challenges he encountered and was able to make peace with even those who were unwilling, drawing them into the common work of bringing glory to God, for the good of the parish and improving the lot of the Poles' reputation.

Rev. Muszynski was a zealous priest, stable and providential in his parish, organizational, and social work. By organizing various Polish-religious celebrations he beautified and enlivened the parish and the city of Utica.

Rev. Ludwik Muszynski, on leaving for Poland did not think about giving up the parish in Utica. But on the advice of Bishop Zdzitowiecki and with his strong insistence he sent to Bishop Grimes a letter of resignation from the Holy Trinity parish. He sent a letter to his parishioners explaining the reasons which caused him to leave the parish.

The parishioners listened to this news with sadness and grief.

Rev. Muszynski twice visited his parish in Utica, where he was received with heartfelt ovations.

His successor as pastor, who now writes the history of the parish on its 50th anniversary, visited Poland twice and Rev. Muszynski's new parish, in his own name and that of his parishioners.

Rev. Muszynski was given the pastorship of Bogdanow near Piotrkow Trybunalski and the title of Honorary Cannon.

Some days ago I met O. Marian Jakowski, a missionary. He told me that he had a handful of news from Poland. The news was that Rev. Muszynski survived WWII and is still living in Poland.

Praise, love and fame to Rev. Canon Muszynski for the great work he had done at Holy Trinity parish and for Poles at large.

From: Holy Trinity Parish, Utica, NY, 50th Anniversary Book
Translation by: Peter J. Obst

[Muszynski Picture]

Photograph from St. Isidore's Parish Anniversary Book.

Ludwik Pawel Muszynski

A reminiscence

Ludwik Pawel Muszynski, son of Walenty Muszynski and Elzbieta nee Rachwalska, born in 1863 in Blaszki, died at the beginning of the 1950s in Bogdanow.

Even before his birth, as firstborn, he was designated by his parents to enter God's service. As a child he knew of the vow made by his parents as to his future, but did not give it much thought. As he grew, he developed into a happy young man who enjoyed life. Then one day he met a girl who touched his heart and, what is worse, the feeling was reciprocated. His parents' firm stance, that a different future for his life had already been decided, shook him. He could not be reconciled to it and tried to oppose their will. She, however, realized that to go against the parents' will would place their entire future under a dark shadow, and the happiness they expected might not materialize. In the end they humbly submitted to their destiny: he entered the seminary on Jasna Gora; she went into the Gray Sisters' convent in Warsaw. Supposedly, as stated his brother Jan, he visited her several times while in Warsaw. Until his death, a picture of the Gray Nun hung over his bed. After finishing the seminary he went to Krakow to the Pauline Monastery at Skalka, where on December 14, 1901, he received his initial vows to the subdeaconate, then on March 30, 1902 he said his first mass.

Thus Ludwik Pawel became a priest not through a calling from God but by a cruel destiny chosen by the will of his parents. Once he learned of his fate, he submitted but the photograph of the Gray nun above his bed testifies to his great love. How much he suffered can be seen in the poem which he wrote into the diary belonging to Stanislawa Muszynska, his brother's wife.

In my soul

Spring! You make nature green,
In this raiment the fields smile pleasantly,
Grateful flowers and young woods,
A new world brightens ... But for me all is dark.
In my soul there's winter - pain visits,
Snow covers all the hopes for spring,
Frozen are my old memories, joys
while a hurricane rages all about.
But why uncover the core of my heart?
Friends cannot ease my suffering ...
So tears may flow, but in secret.
My smile will say that I feel no pain.
Yes, I will put on the springtime smile
Put flowers and ferns on my chest
No one will know that my laugh is the sound
of my heart echoing in my grave.

Christmas Eve 1899

Truly, his face was always peaceful, he did not avoid people; just the reverse. He liked company because, for a while, it allowed him to forget the sad thoughts and the sorrow he felt. At that time the prior of the Pauline Order in Skalka was Rev. Ignacy Ambrozy Fedorowicz. There were frequent sharp exchanges of words between Ludwik Pawel and the rector. Even though he was a priest not because of a calling, but rather because he was fated for it, still he was bothered by the behavior of certain monks who greatly violated the obligatory rules, infractions that were tolerated by the prior. Eventually, the prior saw him as an annoyance and took advantage of an opportunity presented by the request of a group of monks in Esztergor [?] in Hungary for the founding of a Pauline Chapter. In 1902 or 1903 Prior Fedorowicz sent Ludwik Pawel there in the company of two or three Paulines, designating him as prior to found the new monastery. Soon news came back, probably from one of the assisting priests, that the new monastery was being run with a strict rigor, and he was recalled in 1904. The monastery was never established. Interestingly enough, two Hungarian monks returned with him to Krakow, Rev. Marian Toth and Brother Benedict. Here I will add that because of the rampant laxity practiced among the Paulines, Pope Pius X put the order under a supervisory curatorship administered, in Krakow, by the Redemptorists. This arrangement lasted until recently and was only lifted by Pope John Paul II.

Ludwik Pawel left the order in 1904 and with the consent and knowledge of the curia went to the United States in February 1905, to do God's service among American Polonia. He took over St. Isadore's parish in Riverhead, New York. From the start he was extremely active, founding various religious and lay organizations with strong patriotic orientation. He was one of a few priests who would not take fees for religious services to the poor, whom he tried to aid. He give free baptisms, marriages, and funeral services at cemeteries. His sermons often brought listeners to tears, while he wept with them for the Homeland [Poland] and from sorrow over its fate. During his 4-year stay in Riverhead he was admired, respected, appreciated and loved by the parishioners. This manifested itself in a powerful way when in 1909, at a play in the Riverhead Polish Home, he announced that he would leave Riverhead for Utica, New York, to take over Holy Trinity parish.

"Dziennik Brooklynski" [Brooklyn Journal] from November 30, 1909 states: "Rev. Muszynski is leaving St. Isadore's in Riverhead on November 30. -- The Reverend Ludwik P. Muszynski, of St. Isadore's Church is taking on the pastorate of Holy Trinity parish in Utica, New York. He has announced this fact and gave the reasons for his departure from Riverhead at a performance of a play which was given last night at the Polish Home. It can be said with certainty that nothing in the play, which commemorated the unsuccessful insurrection against Russia by Poles in 1831, was as dramatic as the scenes that occurred after this announcement. It was a painful blow to the people who love him very much; as well as to other inhabitants of Riverhead, who regardless of religious affiliation, respect and admire him."

In November 1909, as mentioned earlier, he left Riverhead for the city of Utica, where he took over the pastorship of Holy Trinity Church. It is not known why exactly he decided to move to Utica, since he had emotional ties to Riverhead and the parishioners there nearly worshiped him. It could be supposed that since Utica was a larger city he saw there greater possibilities for enlarging his activities on behalf of Poland, and Poles suffering under partition rule. He was totally devoted to this work. In 1912, after a notable gathering of American Polonia organizations in Pittsburgh, the National Defence Committee was created. After the outbreak of war on September 13, 1914, a local committee was founded in Utica under the name - Committee to Aid the Homeland. Collection of funds from house to house was taken on by several citizens, among them three priests: Rev. L. P. Muszynski; Rev. J. Laski and Rev. J. Czarkowski. The first moneys gathered were sent to central organizations in the United States, later donations were sent directly to the General Rescue Committee in Switzerland, which was headed by Henryk Sienkiewicz. An important part was played by virtuoso Paderewski who stopped giving concerts to "earn" money for Poland, instead touring as the "Great Supplicant" across the United States and not only asked for but gave donations for the oppressed nation. So, the initially small donations began to rise and started coming not only from Polish sources.

Rev. Ludwik Pawel stayed in Utica for 11 years, to return to his beloved and now free Homeland in June 1920. After returning he was given the pastorship of the Church in Bogdanow near Piotrkow Trybunalski. There he found a large, unfinished church and a small, poor parish. He had to return to the United States for a year, this time to fund-raise for his church.

At the end of his life Ludwik Pawel became nearly blind. He died -- as can be deduced from family correspondence, at the beginning of the 1950s.

Source: "Gazeta Wyborcza" w Krakowie [Krakow edition]
Date: February 6,1998
Number: 31/2374

Translation by: Peter J. Obst