FIRST CATHOLIC SLOVAK LADIES ASSOCIATION

Fraternally YoursTM

4

ŽenskÁ Jednota

MARCH 2014VOL. 100, NO. 6

2 ŽENSKÁJEDNOTA

ŽENSKÁ JEDNOTA

Fraternally Yours™

4 22 1 ISSN 0897-2958

Fraternally Yours,ZENSKA JEDNOTA,

is a monthly magazine published by the First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association.

National Headquarters at 24950 Chagrin Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio 44122EDITOR: Carolyn Bazik

P.O. Box 1617, Reading, PA 19603E-mail: zjbazik@comcast.net

Phone (610) 373-2743 • Fax (610) 375-8333Periodical Postage Paid at

Cleveland, OH 44101 and additional entriesSubscription Rate, Non-Members: $6.00 — 1 Yr.

Printed at Triangle Press6720 Allentown Blvd., Harrisburg, PA 17112

Postmaster: Send address changes to Zenska Jednota,

First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association 24950 Chagrin Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44122

Deadline for all articles is the 15th of the month, 1½ months prior to the issue date.

OFFICE HOURS — HOME OFFICEMonday through Friday — 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.Phone: (216) 464-8015 • Toll Free: 800-464-4642Fax: (216) 464-9260 • Website: www.fcsla.com

BOARD OF DIRECTORSCHAPLAIN:

Very Reverend Monsignor Peter M. Polando, The Cathedral of Saint Columba, 154 West Wood St., Youngstown, OH 44503. Residence: (330) 744-5233. Email ppolando@youngstowndiocese.orgPRESIDENT:

Cynthia M. Maleski, Esq., 24950 Chagrin Bou-levard, Beachwood, OH 44122. (800) 464-4642. Ext. 1011. Email: Cynthia@fcsla.com.VICE-PRESIDENTS:

Irene J. Drotleff, 17807 Nottingham Road, Cleveland, OH 44122. (216) 486-6950. Email: rene@apk.net.

Larry M. Golofski, 1114 Surrey Lane, Vandergrift, PA 15690. Residence: (724) 845-8078. Email: Lar-ryGolofski@windstream.net.

Barbara Novotny Waller, 24950 Chagrin Bou-levard, Beachwood, OH 44122. Residence: (610) 207-0747. Email: bnw1@entermail.net.SECRETARY:

Sue Ann M. Seich, 24950 Chagrin Boulevard, Beachwood, OH 44122. (800) 464-4642. Ext. 1012. Email: sueann@fcsla.com.TREASURER:

Stephen C. Hudak, 24950 Chagrin Boulevard, Beachwood, OH 44122. (800) 464-4642. Ext. 1016. Email: steve@fcsla.com. TRUSTEES:

John M. Janovec, 24950 Chagrin Boulevard, Beachwood, OH 44122. (800) 464-4642.

Virginia A. Holmes, 1625 Vermont Avenue, White Oak, PA 15131. Residence: (412) 672-1565.AUDITORS:

Katie A. Esterle, 24950 Chagrin Boulevard, Beachwood, OH 44122. Residence: (262) 720-7190. Email: katie.esterle@gmail.com.

Barbara A. Sekerak, 6312 Elmdale Road, Brook Park, OH 44142. (216) 676-9332.

Dorothy L. Urbanowicz, 27 Crescent Drive, Mones-sen, PA 15062. Residence: (724) 684-8243. Email: doty8613@gmail.com.EDITOR:

Carolyn M. Bazik, P.O. Box 1617, Reading, PA 19603 (610) 373-2743.

COURT OF APPEALS:Mary Angeloff Jeanette PalancaBarb Shedlock Ralph SzubskiJoseph L. Szumski Carol YurechkoRon Sestak Joyce KellyRonald Paseka Ann SedlockBernard Drahozal Dawn LaBuda

Some Thoughts to Ponder . . .(adapted from a Michael Josephson commentary)

1. SELF-IMPROVEMENT AND PERPETUAL GROWTH.Nomattermyage,I(alongwitheveryoneelse)amaworkinprogress.Buttheprocesscanbeeithergrowthordecay.Isimplytrytochoosegrowth.IalsoknowtherewillalwaysbeagapbetweenwhoIamandwhoIwanttobe(andwhoIcanbe).Itisnevertoolatetoclosethatgap.

2. INTEGRITY.Understandingandkeepingone’sintegrityisoneofthemostcriticalchal-lengesweallface.Lifeisfulloftemptationsanddistractionsthatcandriveawedgebetweenourbeliefs,wordsandacts.I’velearnedit’saloteasiertotalkaboutintegritythantoliveit.ThetruetestismywillingnesstodotherightthingevenwhenitcostsmorethanIwanttopay.Amongtheseductionsisthetendencyto“doontoothersastheyhavedoneontoyou.”NomatterhowIbehave,somepeoplewillbemean-spirited,dishonest,irresponsibleandunkind,butifIfightfirewithfire,nomatterhowgooditmaymakemefeelintheshortterm,inthelongrunallI’lleverendupwithistheashesofmyownintegrity.

3. CHARACTER AND REPUTATION.Bothcharacter (who I reallyam)and reputation(whatothers thinkofme)arevery important.But, character ismore important thanreputation(it’sevenmoreimportantthancompetence).AsLincolnsaid:characteristhetree,reputationistheshadow.Thatdoesn’tmeanreputationisnotimportant.Reputationaffectswhetherpeoplebelieveus(credibility)andtheopportunitiesthatarepresentedtous.Trustworthinessistheessenceofcharacterandbeingtrustedistheessenceofreputation.Ittakesyearstobuilduptrustandonlysecondstodestroyit.

4. ATTITUDE SHAPES EVERY EXPERIENCE. I know Ican’talwayscontrolwhatwillhappentome,butIhavealottosayaboutwhathappensinme.Astheysay,painisinevitable,butsufferingisoptional.ThereisabsolutelynodoubtthatifIcanmonitorandmanagethewayIthinkaboutmylifeIcanmakethemostoutofmylife.IfIvieweveryfailureasanopportunityandlearnfromitIwillalwaysfailforwardandthatissuccess.Myattitudesnotonlychangemylife,however,theyalsocanchangethelivesofpeopleIinteractwith.Icanliftpeopleup,console,comfortandencouragethem.IcanbeagoodexampleorIcanbenegativeanddrainthemofenergyandhope.Attitudes,bothgoodandbad,arecontagious.

5. SUCCESS AND SIGNIFICANCE.I’velearnedthatthemostcriticalstepinbeingsuccess-fulishowwedefinesuccess.IfIdefinesuccessinsmallandshallowtermslikewinningaparticulareventormakingmoneyorearningsomemodicumoffameIwillbelimitedbymysmallambitions.Winningistrulymorethancominginfirst.First,ofall,thereisnorealvictorywithouthonor.SecondthereisnorealvictoryunlesswhatI’veachievedisearnedandsignificantinleavingthisworldabetterplace.TheultimatemeasureofsuccessiswhetherIhavelivedmylifewell.TodothatIneedtoremindmyselfwhatIhopepeoplewillsayaboutmeafterIdieandlivebackwardstoearnthateulogy.

6. BEING GOOD AND WISE DOESN’T COME NATURALLY.Ibelievethatthequalityofmylife,andthelivesofthoseItouch,willbedeterminedbymyabilitytoconsistentlyadoptandliveaccordingtofourkeyprinciples:1)positivity(includingoptimism,enthu-siasm,hopefulnessandcheerfulness),2)kindness,3)gratitudeand4) forgiveness.PerhapssomearebornwiththeseoutlooksordispositionsbutyoumaybesurprisedtofindthatIwasnot.Thus,forme,ittakesacontinuousandconscientiousefforttobegentle,positive,kind,gratefulandforgiving,butwhenIdosoIfinditALWAYSpaysoffformeandmoreimportantlythosearoundme.

7. HAPPINESS.I’velearnedthathappinessisaworthypersonalgoalaslongasitisn’tachievedthroughselfishnessorself-indulgence.Happinessisbothdeeperandmoreenduringthaneitherpleasureorfun.I’velearnedthatwhatisfunorpleasurableisnotalwaysgoodformeandwhatisgoodformeisnotalwaysfunorpleasurableFinally(andthisgoesbacktopositivityandthepowerofattitude),I’veadoptedAbrahamLincoln’sinsight:IwillbeashappyasI’mwillingtobe.

Dear Friends, This month and throughout the remainder of 2014 and especially during the ongo-

ing Lenten season I encourage you to resolve to think, act, and speak more positively about yourself, your family, your coworkers, and everyone else in your life. See what a difference it makes in your world.

Until next Month. Warmly, Carolyn

MARCH2014 3

A FIFTY YEAR HISTORY: VATICAN IIDeclaration on Christian Education (Gravissimum Educationis)

Very Reverend Monsignor Peter M. Polando, D. Min., J.C.L., National Chaplain

One of my most enjoyable years of priestly ministry commenced after my second year of priesthood when my bishop asked me to teach religion full time at one of our diocesan Catholic high schools. When I accepted, little did I know that the next seven years of edu-cational experiences would strengthen the foundation of my ministry for future years.

There were more than 800 students at Cardinal Mooney High School when I began my teaching career in 1982. I was appointed to teach religion to freshmen and sophomores. I thought that it was an appropriate assignment because I, too, was a freshman in this new experience and maybe, too, I was a “wise/fool” for taking on such an assignment. My priest/classmate, Father Richard Murphy, also began his teaching career that same year with me. Unlike me, Father Murphy is still involved with high school education at his alma mater, Ursuline High School. Both schools are located in Youngstown.

The educational experience in the classroom was challenging to me because of the various spectrums that I encoun-tered. There were students that studied hard and wanted to learn more while some studied just to get by. First period classes and classes right after lunch were not motivated while those in between had more activity and interaction. But there was more to this than just academic, classroom work. I got more interested in the students outside the classroom. I began to know them more personally by coaching cross country and track; I was available to them for counseling and the Sacrament of Reconciliation; and, I was there if they just needed to talk, among a score of other outside of the classroom time learning experiences for me. It also made me more aware of my need to continue to educate myself not only as a classroom teacher but as a Christian. The adage seems to fulfill itself — “You learn something new everyday”. As Catholics, we all have the duty and right for good

Christian education no matter at what stage of life.

The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council promoted this duty and right in their document entitled the Declaration on Christian Education promulgated on 25 October 1965. Of Christian education, the Fathers wrote, “Since every Christian has become a new creature by rebirth from water and the Holy Spirit, so that he may be called what he truly is, a child of God, he is entitled to a Christian educa-tion. Such an education does not merely strive to foster in the human person the maturity already described. Rather its principal aims are these: that as the bap-tized person is gradually introduced into a knowledge of the mystery of salvation, he may daily grow more conscious of the gift of faith which he has received; that he may learn to adore God the Father in spirit and in truth, especially through liturgical worship; that he may be trained to conduct his personal life in righteous-ness and in the sanctity of truth accord-ing to his new standard of personhood” (Article 2).

A Christian education for a child begins not on the first day of Catholic school or weekly catechetical formation in the local parish. Catholic education begins primarily in the home with the mother and the father being the teachers of faith. At the end of the ceremony in the Rite of Baptism for Children, there is a blessing over the parents of the child just baptized. The prayer over the father summarizes a duty that he and the moth-er have undertaken for the newly baptized child. The celebrant declares, “God is the giver of all life human and divine. May he bless the father of this child. He and his wife will be the first teachers of their child in the ways of faith. May they be also the best of teachers, bearing witness to the faith by what they say and do, in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Paragraph 103). How important it is that children are not only formed in prayer and spirituality at their levels by their parents but also

parents must be aware of their children’s formations by Christian parental words and actions on the whole.

There are challenges to maintain Catholic education. In some locales of our country, Catholic schools at all levels have become costly endeavors. Catholic grade and high schools have been closed because of a variety of reasons, e.g., population shifts. It is so very important that the Catholic community strive to make Catholic schools a priority for this has been consistent in the history of the Church. They must be maintained. The Fathers of Vatican II declared, “There-fore, since it can contribute so substan-tially to fulfilling he mission of God’s people, and can further the dialogue between the Church and the family of man, to their mutual benefit, the Catholic school retains its immense importance in the circumstances of our times too. Consequently this sacred Synod pro-claims anew a right already made clear in numerous documents of the Church’s teaching authority, namely, the Church’s right freely to establish and to run schools of every kind and at every level. At the same time, the Council recalls that the exercise of this right makes a supreme contribution to freedom of conscience, the protection of parental rights, and the progress of culture itself ” (Article 8).

From the very beginning of the Church, there has been the mandate to educate people in the Good News. “The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him they worshipped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, ‘All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:16-20). May all of us support Catholic education at all levels for all people!

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Message from our National President Cynthia M. Maleski

Pictured are FCLSA National Officers who attended the Pennsylvania Fraternal Alliance meeting in Hershey, PA in October 2013. Interesting seminars were conducted by various speakers and representatives of the Penn-sylvania Insurance Commission.

FCSLA Officers Attend PA Fraternal Alliance Meeting

Dear fellowmembersof theFirstCatholicSlovakLadiesAssociation,

Whenyoureceivethismaga-zine,wealreadywillbewellonourwaytospring!Formanyofus,thiswinterhasbeenonefortherecordbooks.Asweallsay, itmakesusstronger.AsweapproachspringonMarch20,wehavemanybeautifulsaints’daystocelebrate,aswellasAshWednesdayonMarch5.

Tome,thegreatestFeastDaythismonth is theAnnunciationof

theLordonMarch25.Manyofusarealso familiarwiththegoodworksofSt.KatharineDrexel(March3),bornofawealthPhiladelphiafamily,whofoundedareligiousorderofnunsandfoundmanywaystoministertonativeAmeri-cans.WecelebrateSt.Patrick’sDay(March17)withourIrish-Americanfriends,St.Joseph’sDay(March19)withourItalian-AmericanfriendsandthegreatPolishkingSt.Casimir(March4)withourPolish-Americanfriendsandrelatives.WearesofortunateintheChurchtohavesomanyrolemodelswhohavebeenexamplesforus!

Atthehomeoffice,weareintheprocessoflaunchingseveralnewproductstoaddtoouralreadyrichportfolioofofferingstoourmembersandpotentialmembers!MakesuretolookforfuturearticlesandourwebsiteforournewannuityproductsandourFuneralTrust.Pleasecallusifyouwouldlikemoreinformationaboutthesenewofferings.

OurboardofdirectorsisbusytoolinganewStrategicPlanand theBylaws’RevisionCommittee,asauthorizedbythe40thQuadrennialConvention,hasseveralmeetingsscheduledtoarriveatitsfinalrecommendations.Wehavesentallseniorbranchesnoticethateachoneshouldappointa delegate to theSpecialConvention to beheld here inBeachwood,OHfromOctober5throughOctober8,2014.

Our salesdepartment has recently launcheda2014SalesCampaign,whichwewillsharewithyoufromtimetotime.LookforwardagaintoFounders’Month,tobeheldinAugust,themonthofourfirstconventionin1892.ThroughFounders’Month,wehonortheworkbegunbyAnnaHurbanandher“sisters”ofeightSlovak-AmericanimmigrantwomenwhohadthecourageandvisiontofoundoursocietyhereinCleveland,OH.

OurmemberEdwardU.DePersis,ofBruceandDePer-sis,willbehonoredthisyearasFraternalistoftheYearbytheFraternalSocietiesofGreaterPittsburghonSaturday,March22,2014attheSheraton,StationSquareinPittsburgh,PA.Yourstrulyhadthehonorofreceivingthisawardlastyear,fromanumbrellaorganizationofover22fraternalbenefitsocietiesrepresentingover1millionmembers.Congratula-tions,Ed,forallyouhavedoneformanyyearstofurtherthefraternalcause!

AsIclose,letusnotforgetthatWEAREtheSALTOFTHEEARTH,alamptonotputunderabushelbasket,butonalampstand,togivelighttothehouse.Ourlightshouldshineforth,thatothersmayseeourgood,charitabledeedsandworksforourmembersandthecommunitieswhichweserve!

LetustogetherfollowtheLentenpathtotheResurrec-tionCrossandthejoyoftheEasterseason.

Fraternally Yours, Cynthia M. MaleskiP.S.As this article goes to print, we have heard of the death of child actress Shirley Temple Black, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia at the time of the Velvet Revolution. My work in the United States for pro democracy efforts in eastern Europe dovetailed with her service as U.S. Ambassador during those years, as we were able to broad-cast the unveiling of the Pittsburgh Agreement monument in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania via Radio Free Europe through her efforts, and many others, during that time. CMM

YSC SCheduleS 2014 TourYoungstown Sister Cities has set July 6-20, 2014,

for its 17th Heritage Tour. For further information con-tact Jim and Kay Bench, tour guides, at (724) 858-5843 or Adventure International Travel, Paul Hudak, (800) 542-2487. Group will be flying from Washington Dulles Airport to Vienna, Austria.

MARCH2014 5

The definition of REVITALIZATION is: the act of making (someone or something) active, healthy, or energetic again; to give new life or vigor to.

What a GREAT word – Revitalization!

FCSLA has been around for 122years. Thatmeans that some of ourbrancheshavebeenaroundforalongtime.Andlikeanythinginlife,sometimes

youneedtotakeastepbackandlookattheoverallpictureandevaluate.

Weneedtogivenewlifetosomeofourbranchesbe-causeofvariousreasons.FCSLAisfortunatetohavealonghistoryofverydedicatedmembers,branchofficers,homeofficeemployeesandNationalOfficers.ItisbecauseofthemthatFCSLAhasbeensuchasuccessfulorganization.Wewanttokeepourhistorygoinganother122+years,andforustodothat,somerevitalizationneedstotakeplace.

Howdowedothatyoumayask?Bygettingintouchwithyourbranchofficers.Seeingwhattheyhaveontheagendafortheyear?Askingthemhowyoucanhelp.Getouryouthmembersinvolved.Mentiontothemyouwouldbeinterestedinbecomingabranchofficer.Askingiftheycouldmentoryouandteachyouhowtobecomeasuccessfulbranchofficersothatonedayyoumaycontinuetheirlegacybytakingoverasabranchofficer.

Gettinginvolvedwithbranchactivitiesisagreatwaytogetthewholefamilyinvolved.It’snevertooearlytoteachouryouthaboutfraternalism.Maybethebranchofficerscouldhaveayouthadvisoryboardfortheirbranches.Theyhavewonderfulideas!Theycouldhelpplanthebranchactivities,MatchingFundsandJoinHandsDayprojects.

Ifyouarelookingforideasforbranchactivities,MatchingFundsandJoinHandsDayprojects–checkoutourwebsitewww.fcsla.orgundertheFraternalsection–Ihavepostedlistsofideas,oryoucanemailmekelly@fcsla.orgorcall800-464-4642EXT1051.

Let the REVITALIZATION begin!!

Have you checked out the FCSLA website lately?

www.fcsla.org

Areyoureadyfor“spring”?Wehavehadoneincrediblewinter.Ifyousurvivedthiswinteryoucansurviveanything.Ourhomeofficedidnotcloseandourstafffoundeachdayachallengewithsomedayshavingmanyobstacles.IthinkweareallreadyforMarchwherewebegintoseeeverythingcomingaliveandturn-inggreen.

Speaking of green, the color ofmoney,haveyouputanyofyourmoneyintoinvestinginoneofournewannuities?InvestinginanannuitywithFCSLAcanbeawisedecision.PleasereadourfeaturedarticlebyPatrickF.Braun,ourNationalSalesManager.

Yourmanagingofficershavescheduledmeetingswithoursalesmanagerandregionalsalesmanagerstodiscussnewproducts thatwill benefit our currentmembers andpotentialmembers.OurExecutiveFinanceCommitteeandBoardofDirectorsdesignateaportionofeverymeetingtodiscussnewproducts.Oneoftheboard’sstrategicplanningcommitteesisaProductDevelopmentCommittee.Weareconstantlyresearchingnewwaystoassistyouinplanningforthefuturewiththeproductswesell.

Oursalesmanagers,agentsandlicensedrecommend-ersareavailabletodiscusswaysourproductscanbenefityouonanindividuallevelorhelpplanaseminarforyourbranch. IfyoucallMichelleat216-468-1029oremailhermichelle@fcsla.orgatourhomeoffice,shewillbeabletoassistyouinfindinganagentorlicensedrecommenderinyourarea.

Untilnextissue,mayGodkeepyouhappy,healthyandloved.

Sue Ann

REMINDER CLEVELAND DISTRICTBRANCH MEMBERS

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014Tip off at 3:00 PM

YoUR CLEVELAND CAVSVS. INDIANA PACERS AT THE Q

Seats are in the 200 sections $15.00 ticket includes $5.00

food/beverage voucherMembers contact your branch officer to see if your branch is participating.

Sponsored by: J006, J057, J143, J374, J380, J381, J385, J386, J453, J457, J458,

J475, J529, S141, S292, S301, S408, S475, S490, S522, S524, S555, S581

6 ŽENSKÁJEDNOTA

The First Catholic Slovak LadiesAssociationispleasedtoannounceournewEliteSeries of fixeddeferred an-nuities.Thisnewproductlineincludes:TheSilverEliteAnnuity,TheGoldEliteAnnuity,andThePlatinumEliteAnnuity.Followingisabriefdescriptionofeach.THE SILVER ELITE ANNUITY

The Silver EliteAnnuity is a no-loadflexiblepremiumdeferredannuity

(FPDA).Ithasa5yearearlywithdrawalpenaltyperiod(6%,5%,4%,3%,2%).FCSLAallowsaone-timepercontractyear,10%freewithdrawal,eveninyearone.Earlywithdraw-alpenaltiesarewaivedforconfinementinanursinghomeorupondeclarationofa federaldisasterarea.The initialminimumdepositontheSilverElite is$250.Subsequentdepositsmaybemadeatanytimewitha$100minimum.Themaximumissueageis85.

THE GOLD ELITE ANNUITYTheGoldEliteAnnuity isano loadflexiblepremium

deferredannuity(FPDA).Ithasa7yearearlywithdrawalpenaltyperiod (8%,7%,6%,5%,4%,3%,2%). FCSLAallowsaone-timepercontractyear,10%freewithdrawal,even in year one.Earlywithdrawal penalties arewaivedforconfinementinanursinghomeorupondeclarationofafederaldisasterarea.TheinitialminimumdepositontheGoldEliteis$250.Subsequentdepositsmaybemadeatanytimewitha$100minimum.Themaximumissueageis85.

THE PLATINUM ELITE ANNUITYThePlatinumEliteAnnuityisano-loadflexiblepremium

deferredannuity(FPDA).Ithasa10yearearlywithdrawalperiod(9%,9%,8%,7%,6%,5%,4%,3%,2%,1%).FCSLAallowsaone-timepercontractyear,10%freewithdrawal,even in year one.Earlywithdrawal penalties arewaivedforconfinementinanursinghomeorupondeclarationofafederaldisasterarea.TheinitialdepositonthePlatinumEliteis$25.Subsequentdepositscanbemadeatanytimewitha$25minimum.Themaximumissueageis79.

INTEREST RATESFCSLA’s competitive interest rates are set quarterly

bytheBoardofDirectors.Thegoal isalwaystogiveourmembersthehighestratepossiblewiththehighestlevelofsafety. Interest ratescannevergobelow theguaranteedminimumrateestablishedbytheannuitycontract.Herearetheguaranteesandthecurrentratesofthenewannuities:

•SilverElite1%guarantee,3%currentrate(APY)•GoldElite1.5%guarantee,3.25%currentrate(APY)•PlatinumElite3%guarantee,3.5%currentrate(APY)TheBoard has guaranteed these currentAPY rates

through2014.

NO ROLLING PENALTIESIt isacommonpractice in thecommercial insurance

business tosetanewpenaltyoneverynewdeposit intoan annuity. This is commonly called a “rolling charge”.FCSLAdoesnothavethis“rollingcharge”.WhentheearlywithdrawalpenaltyperiodisoveronanFCSLAFPDA,it’sover---forever!NewdepositsintotheFCSLAannuitiesafterthepenaltyperiodhavenofuturewithdrawalpenalty!Q. What about my current FCSLA annuity? Is it affected in any way by the product changes?A.No.ContractswrittenbeforeFebruary1,2014,remainastheywereissued.Nochanges!Q. What happens to my annuity if I die?A.Ifanannuitantdiespriortosettlement,fundsondepositarepayabledirectlytothenamedbeneficiary.Q. What is “settlement”? A.Thesettlementdateontheannuityisthedateatwhichthecontractendsandpayoutbegins.Thisiswhythesettle-mentdateshouldbesetfarintothefuture.Thisdoesnotchange,inanyway,theabilitytoaccessfundsintheannuity.ItsimplymeansthatFCSLAcan’tchoosetoendacontractifanearlierdatewasset.

Ihope that thisarticle ishelpful toourmembersandproducers.FCSLAannuitiescontinuetobeverycompetitiveandtheyarebackedbytheoutstandingfinancialstrengthoftheAssociation.Withover$85milliondollarsofunassignedsurplus,a113%solvencyratio,andanA-ratingfromtheA.M.BestCompany,FCSLAisoneofthefinanciallystron-gestfraternalsocieties!PleasecontactanagentorlicensedrecommendertopurchaseanFCSLAannuity!

FCSLA Announces New AnnuitiesPatrick F. Braun, FICF, CLU, LUTCF

National Sales Manager

FCSLAAnnuity Rates

RatesforourEliteAnnuitiesIssuedAfter1/31/2014:

SILVER ELITE (5 YEAR)

3.00% APY*GOLD ELITE (7 YEAR)

3.25% APY*PLATINuM ELITE (10 YEAR)

3.50% APY*5YearAnnuitiesissuedpriorto2/1/2014 willearntheirguaranteedminimumrate.*Thisrateisineffective2/1/2014thru12/31/2014.

MARCH2014 7

TheMostRev.JosephE.Kurtz(S55),anativeofMa-hanoyCity,PAandspiritualleaderoftheRomanCatholicArchdioceseof Louisville,KY, beenelectedaspresidentof theU.S.Conference ofCatholic Bishops. KurtzwaselectedduringtheUSCCB’sannualfallgeneralassemblyinBaltimore,MD.Hewillserveathree-yeartermbeginningNovember14,thedatetheassemblyends.HesucceedsCardinalTimothyN.DolanofNewYork.KurtzhasservedforthelastthreeyearsastheUSCCBvicepresident.Car-dinalDanielN.DiNardoofGalveston-HoustonwaselectedUSCCBvicepresidenttoreplaceKurtz.

ThesonofthelateGeorgeE.andStellaZmijewskiKurtz,heattendedAssumptionBVMandSt.CanicuselementaryschoolsinMahanoyCityandImmaculateHeartHighSchool,Fountain Springs. He studied for the priesthood at St.CharlesBorromeoSeminary,Philadelphia,andwasordained

Most Rev. Joseph E. Kurtz

Branch 269 Presents Donation to St. Vincent de Paul Society

FCSLABranch269,Brownsville,PA recentlydonated a check in theamountof$250totheSt.VincentdePaulSociety,Brownsville PA. Needyfamilieswillbenefit fromthedonation.TheSt.Vin-centdePaulSocietyop-eratesaFoodPantrythethirdWednesdayofeverymonthandprovidesgro-ceries for approximately80 local families each

month.PicturedlefttorightisElizabethYeardie,Secretary,FCSLABranch269,PollySimmons,Presidentof theSt.VincentdePaulSociety,Brownsville,PAandBernadetteBehary,Treasurer,FCSLABranch269.

Thirty-sevenmembers, family, and friends ofBranchW133,Timken,KS,metrecentlyattheTim-kenHillforadeliciouslunch.Lunchwasfollowedbythe annualmeetingwhich included officer reports,re-election of current officers and trustees, prayerfordeceasedmembers,charitabledonations,andadiscussionofvolunteerserviceprovidedbymembers.Themeetingwasfollowedbydoorprizesandsocialtime.Thegrouphadagreattime!Ournextmeetingistheannual“picnic,”againattheTimkenHillat12:30p.m.onSunday,July27.

Elected President of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

apriestonMarch18,1972,bytheMostRev.JosephMcShea, thenbishopoftheAllentownDiocese,in theCathedralofSt.CatharineofSiena,Allentown,PA.

Before becoming Bishop ofKnoxville, Kurtz served for 27yearsintheDioceseofAllentowninchargeofsocialservices,dioce-sanadministrationandparishmin-istry.HewaspastorofNotreDameofBethlehemParishinBethlehemfrom1996to1999,andSt.MaryParishinCatasauquafrom1988to1996.HewasassociatedirectorandlaterexecutivedirectoroftheCatholicSocialAgencyandFamilyLifeBureaufrom1976to1994,anddiocesancoordinator forhealthaffairsfrom1991 to 1998.He taught at bothMary ImmaculateSeminaryandSt.PiusXSeminary.Kurtzreceivedthetitleofmonsignorin1986.

He has served on numerous boards, including thePennsylvaniaCatholicConferencefrom1977to1998,aspresidentof theboardofdirectorsof theCatholicSocialAgencyfrom1988to1999,andinKnoxville,asamemberoftheAssociationofChristianDenominationalLeadersfrom2000to2007.BeforegoingtoLouisville,KurtzservedasbishopofKnoxvillefrom1999to2007.PopeBenedictXVIappointedhimasthefourtharchbishopandninthbishopoftheArchdioceseofLouisvilleonJune12,2007.

Branch W133 Holds Annual Meeting and

Re-election of Officers

8 ŽENSKÁJEDNOTA

TheAmericanSlovakCulturalAsso-ciationoftheMahoningValleyheldour41stannualChristmasVilijaDinneronDecember8,2013attheFatherSnockHallofOurLadyofSorrowsParishinYoungstown,OH. Itwasawonderfuleventenjoyedby250peoplelookingtomaintainthisbelovedSlovakcustom.WewerehonoredbythepresenceofBishopGeorgeV.Murry,S.J.,headoftheDioceseofYoungstownandMon-signorRobertSiffrin,VicarGeneraloftheDiocese.AlsoinattendancewereMonsignorPeterPolando,Rector ofSt.ColumbaCathedralandFr.MartinCeluch,pastorofOurLadyofSorrowsParish. FatherMartin also brought aspecial guestwho had been visitingfromKošice,Slovakia, FatherMartinUhal who gave a Slovak blessingbeforeourmealandalsohelpedusinsinging theSlovak national anthem,NADTatrouSABlýska!Wehopehetook backmany goodmemories ofhowAmericanSlovaksareworkingtomaintainourSlovakheritage.

ThewonderfuldinnerwascateredbyCarolynYurakwhoalwaysdrawsravesforhertraditionalVilijaspecialtiesfromthedeliciousSlovakmushroomsoupand bobalky (opekance), to the fish

Holds AnnuAl CHristmAs VilijA dinnerandpirohy.Fromthebeginningoplatkyandhoneytothefinishwithkolacandapples, we all enjoyed themeal somanyofusenjoyedwhenourparentsandgrandparentspreparedit!

This dinner is theASCA’sway ofhelpingtomaintainthisbelovedSlovaktradition.EveryyearweareespeciallygratefulthatanumberoftheSlovakfra-ternalsandorganizationsmakethisanannualeventtosharewithus.Besidesthegreatmealwealsohadentertain-

ment providedby the JohnLapinskyOrchestrawhichwastherethroughoutthe evening playing everything fromSlovakChristmascarolstopolkas,toSlovakfolksongs.

AtthedinnerwealsohadaChineseauctionandaLotteryWreathwhichareourmainfundraisersforourscholarshipfund.ThisyearwewerealsothrilledtohavetheFCSLASr.Branch161helpwithourChineseAuctionasamatch-ingfundsactivity.ThescholarshipthisyearwasawardedtoChristineYocumwhoisstudyingforherMaster’sdegreein Nursing Education at Kent StateUniversity.SheexpressedhersincereappreciationforthisawardandherloveofherSlovakroots.

Wewereespeciallypleasedtoseethatwehadyoungpeoplehelpingatoureventandevenyoungerattendees!WehopethattheseyoungpeoplewillgrowupknowingthattheirSlovakheritageisanimportantpartoftheirlives.Iwouldliketothankeveryonewhohelpedatour dinner and especially everyonewhoattended.Fromthedeliciousdin-ner, to theChinese auction and thegreatmusic,thenighthadsomethingforeveryone.

Loretta Ekoniak with two young mem-bers in attendance at the dinner.

Trustee Rick Holzschuh presenting our 2013 scholarship to Christine Yocum.

Bishop George Murry and Msgr. Robert Siffrin in front of the John Lapinsky Orchestra.

Christmas Party/Branch Meeting for Sr. Branch 114ThemembersofS114,Charleroi,PAbravedasnowstormandicyconditions,

December8,2013toattendtheirannualBranchmeetingandChristmasPartywhichwasheldatRiverHouseCafé.

ThememberswerewelcomedbySecretary-TreasurerGracePopson.Bless-ingofthefoodwassaidbyallinattendance.Themembersweretreatedtoafullcoursedinner.

GracePopsongavetheannualreportofalldonationsgivenin2014tochari-tablecauses like religiousorders, rosarymakers,coats forkidsand theWestTexasDisasterFund.ThememberswererememberedwithamonetarygiftandagiftfromtheHomeOffice.Doorprizeswerealsoawarded.TheafternoonendedwithwishesforaBlessedChristmasandaHappyNewYear.

MARCH2014 9

Keep the traditions alive and pass these treasured covers from generation to generation.

MakecheckspayabletoRev.MicahE.Kozoil ororderbyphoneat724-562-0782or724-277-4236.

ORDER FORM____ NumberofCoversOrdered

_____ “Kristusvstalzmrtvych”$30each_____ “Christosvoskrese”$30each_____ “Alleluia,Christisrisen!”$30each

Name ___________________________________

Address _________________________________

_________________________________________

Phonenumber ____________________________

Kindly make checks payable to: Fr. Micah E. KozoilSend this order form and check to:

Fr.MicahE.KozoilSt.AloysiusChurch

459RanchRoad,Dunbar,PA15431or call 724-277-4236 to order

FOR SALEEmbroidered Paska Basket CoversThreetypesofpaskabasketcoversavailable tobringyourEasterFoodstotheChurch

forblessingonHolySaturday. Eachembroideredcoveris$30.00.

1. Slovakwords“Kristusvstalzmrtvych” Christisrisen!Approx.30”x17”

2. ByzantineSlovak“Christosvoskrese” Christisrisen!Approx.30”x17

3. AlleluiacoverwiththeEnglishwords “Christisrisen!”Approx.36”x14.5”

#1 #2

#3

By Patrick Braun

FCSLA Introduces a Funeral TrustOneofthegreatconcernsofpeople

whenplanningforfinalexpenses,ismak-ingsurethatthereareenoughfundstoprovideforthetypeoffuneralwhichtheywant to have.Funerals are expensiveandtheneedtohavefundssetaside,inaplacewheretheycan’tbetouchedbycreditors,thegovernment,orevenrela-tives,isrecognizedbyplanners.

FCSLA has made available tomembersandprospectivemembersthe

FCSLAFuneralTrustwhichisacombinationofanIrrevoca-ble Trust AgreementandaFCSLA Single Premium Whole Life Certificate (policy). As with most legal transactions, the applicant should contact their attorney for advice! StatelawsdeterminethefaceamountoflifeinsurancewhichmaybeplacedintheTrust.ThefaceamountoftheFCSLAcertificatewillbethelesserof$10,000orthelegalstatelimit.

TheFCSLAFuneralTrusthasanumberofbenefits.Itisportabletoanyfuneralhomeinthecountry.Ithasanincometaxfreedeathbenefit.Ithelpsprotectassetsfromprobateandcreditors. Itmayhelp toqualify forMedicaid. ItmayhelptoqualifyforSupplementalSecurityIncomeeligibility.

TheTrusteeof theTrust is theFirstCatholicSlovakLadiesAssociation.Atdeath,FCSLAwillpayallfuneralre-latedexpenses,uptothefaceamountofthecertificate.(AnyexcessfundsmayberecoveredbytheState.)ThefuneraldirectorwillsendFCSLAacompletelistoftheseexpensesandwillbereimbursedbyFCSLA.

Becauseof the complexitiesof theTrust, it canonlybewrittenbyfullylicensedFCSLAproducers.This Is Not Guaranteed-Issue Life Insurance! Applicationswillbeun-derwrittenintheFCSLANewBusinessDepartment.Ratedcertificatesmaybeissuedandsomeapplicationsmaybedeclined.(FCSLAislookingintoguaranteed-issuelifeinsur-anceforusewiththeFuneralTrustinthefuture.)

FormoreinformationonthenewFCSLAFuneralTrust,pleasecontacttheHomeOfficeSalesDepartmentorafullylicensedproducerinyourarea.

FCSLA Connects . . .

Accounting controller Position At Home office

Individualwillberesponsibleformonthlyfinancialstatements,quarterlyandannualNAICfilings,stateinsurancefilings,overallsupervisionoftheaccountingdepartmentandotherresponsibilitiesassociatedwiththeposition.Idealcandidateshouldhaveanaccount-ingdegreewithatleast5yearsaccountingexperience.Insurance/NAICexperienceandCPApreferred.

QualifiedcandidatesshouldemailtheirresumetoSteveHudak,NationalTreasureratsteve@fcsla.com.

Have You Signed up a new MeMber recentlY?

10 ŽENSKÁJEDNOTA

Lorainites celebrated their mostbelovedSlovaktraditionsbyattendingthe Stedry Vecer held on Saturday,December7thattheAmericanSlovakClubinLorain,OH,hostedbyUnitedSlovakSocieties.

Guestsobserved thecustomsandtraditions of theirSlovakancestry by

Lorainites Celebrate Slovak Traditions at Stedry Vecer Held in Ohio

breakingoplatkyandenjoyingafeastofsauerkrautsoup,fish,peas,bobalki,pierohi,poppyseedandnutrolls.Thefabulousperch thatwaspreparedbythe LadiesAuxiliary of theAmericanSlovakClubwasmost recently ratedthe “country’s best” byAndrewZim-mern of the Travel Channel seriesBizarreFoodswithAndrewZimmern.

JohnnyPasterik, theSlovakPolkaKing,andhisbandmatesentertainedthroughout theeveningwithbeautiful

Christmassongs.Theculturalpresen-tationwas a performance of SlovakhymnssungbySlovenskeMamickyofClevelandandSlovakandPolishsongssungbychoirmembersoftheNativityoftheBlessedVirginMaryChurchofLorain.Afterwards,guestswerepaidaspecialvisitfromSantaClausandhishelper,RazzleDazzletheElf.

A great timewas had by all andeveryoneisawaitingnextyear’sgath-ering.

Onbehalfof thepresidentandof-ficersof theUnitedSlovakSocieties,wewishallablessedholidayseason!

Branch53,Joliet,ILhostedaban-quetonNovember17,2013atBaroloRistoranteinJoliet,IL.Amidstthetor-nadosirens, torrential rainsandhighwinds, 72 loyalmembers attended.Afteradeliciousmealandashortpro-gram,announcementsofdonationstotheneedyandupcomingactivitiesofthebranchanddistrictweremade.

Banquet Held for Branch 53 Members

HelenLakota,whoisthebrancheslongeststandingmemberwashonoredandpresentedwithastatueofSt.Anneand theBlessedVirgin.Raffleprizeswereawardedto24luckywinners.Allattendeeswerepresentedwithapart-inggiftfromBranch53andtheHomeOffice.

MARCH2014 11

A Christmas party and annualmeetingwasheldforthemembersofFCSLAWhiting,IN,Sr.Branch81onDecember11,2013.ThefestivitiestookplaceintheMuralRoomofSt.JohntheBaptistSchool.Thehallwasbeautifullydecorated for the joyousChristmasSeason.Glitteringholidaytreecenter-pieceswereplacedonthetablesalongwithgiftsfromthehomeoffice.

PresidentFlorenceHovanecbeganthe day bywelcomingeveryoneandintroducing our Pastor, Father JohnKalickywhosaid theblessing for theoccasion.A delicious luncheonwasservedalongwithlivelyconversation.Afterwards,TreasurerMargaretAbilduagave an overviewof the year to themembers.Shereportedouryearlydo-nationstocharitytoshowwhereallofourmoneyisallocated.Christmasgifts

Sr. Branch 81 Christmas Celebration and Annual Meeting

Held in Whiting, Indiana

weregiventothepriestswhoattended.Florence Hovanec and MargaretAbilduaofBranch81,BeckyColemanandMarjorieStrbjakofJr.Branch58presentedcheckstoFatherKalickyforthe church.Hewasoverwhelmedbyourgenerosity.

Memberswereencouragedtobringbagsoffoodtohelpthelessfortunateandtherewasadonationjarforcashgifts.AlltheitemsandcashcollectedwasgiventotheWhitingFoodPantrytobedistributedtolocalfamiliesinneed.Carol Vargo,member and banquetfacilitatordonatedashelfmade fromtheoldkneelersfromthechurch.BettyChidalekwontheshelfanddonateditbacktobeauctionedofftothehighestbidder, thatmoneywas given to thefoodpantry.Asharethepotrafflewasalsoheld.Doorprizesprovidedbythebranchofficersandtablecenterpieceswerealsodistributedtoluckywinners.

We extend our sincere thanks toeveryonewhoworkedsohardtomakeour Christmas party a memorablecelebration.ThejoyofChristmaswasaboundingasmemberswereable torenew friendships with people theyhadn’tseensinceourlastcelebration.AllwhoattendedleftfilledwiththetruemeaningoftheChristmasSeason.

New Jr. Branch 41 Member

Abigwelcomegoes toAcie LeahStrouse,infantdaughterofJennyandChrisStrouseofMilwaukee,WI.AciewasbornonOctober28,2013.Sheisanewmemberof Jr.Branch41andisa fourthgenerationmemberof the FCSLA for theMiksanek family.Thefourgenerationsaregreat-grandmotherRosemaryMiksanek, NorthAurora,IL; grandfather Dr. TonyMiksanek,andmotherJenny(Miksanek)Strousemembers of S181 and nowAcie amemberofJ41.

60th Wedding Anniversary CelebratedErvinandIreneHanus(W130)

celebrated their 60th weddinganniversary on ThanksgivingDay.Theyweremarried Janu-ary 5, 1954 at Sacred HeartCatholicChurchinWaterloo,IA.Their family includes5children,13 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

12 ŽENSKÁJEDNOTA

Send us your Wedding Anniversary and Birthday Announcements!

zjbazik@comcast.net

Sr. Branch 88A Night at the Races Benefit

Sr.Branch88ofMonessen,PAsponsored“ANightattheRaces”asaMatchingFundsprojectforthebenefitoftheMonessenPublicLibrary.Onehundredhorses racedthateveningintenraces.Unfortunatelythebranchhorses“FraternallyYours”and“SpeedyJednota”didnotdosowellfortheirsupporters.Twenty-eightdedicatedpeoplespon-soredvariousracesandwearegratefulfortheirsupport.

Originatingin1936,theMonessenPublicLibraryandCulturalCenterhavebeenacornerstoneoftheMonessencommunityforover75years.Manyfondlyremembertimespentatthelibrary,whetherresearchingschoolprojectsorjustbrowsingthestacksfornewadventurestoread.Sincethe library renovation in2011-12, the focus is tobecomemoreofaculturalandcommunitycenterinadditiontothetraditionalpubliclibraryservices.Thelibrarysupportsthreecoremissions:promotereading,offeraccesstoinformationandanchorthecommunity.ThesethreemissionscontributetomaketheMonessenPublicLibraryanintegralpartoftherevitalizationofthecommunity.

Theofficerswould like to thankallwhoworkedandparticipatedtomakethisaverysuccessfulevent.

Matching Funds activities

Sr. Branch 350Presents Check

Sr.Branch350recentlypresentedachecktoRev.GaryScharreraftercompletionofaMatchingFundsActivity.Pic-turedholdingtheFCSLAsignareJeanDeckerandSusanKelly.PresentingthecheckareRitaKcenich,PresidentofBranch350andAnnHajala,Branch350Auditor.PicturedinthesecondrowareFlorenceMcCabe,Branch350Sec-retary/Treasurer,Rev.GaryScharrerandMariaMuseal.

Monessen Library BenefitOfficers ofSr.Branch 88 inMonessen recently pre-

sentedmembersoftheMonessenLibraryBoardofDirectorswithaMatchingFundscheckintheamountof$600.

L to R: Tim Billick, Madelyn Dudas, of the library Board and Dorothy urbanowicz and Rosemary Betza, Branch 88 officers.

Jr. Branch 157Calendar Party

RecentlyofficersofJ157,Monessen,PasponsoredacalendarpartyatSt.AloysiusParish inDunbar,PA.Rev.MicahKozoil, Branch157Chaplain is the parish pastor.Thesaleoftabletickets,ChineseAuctionchancesand1/2takeresultedinaverysuccessfuleventandthenetprofitfortheeveningwas$3,065plusthechurchwillreceiveacheckfromHomeOfficeforanadditional$600.

v v v

MARCH2014 13

AMMONIAANTIBACTERIALBROOMBuCKETDEBRIS

DUSTINGFIXFRESHFURNITUREGREASE

MOPPINGORGANIZATIONPAPERPOLISHRAGS

REARRANGESCRUBBINGSHINESPONGESPRING

SWEEPING TOWELSTRASHWAXWINDOW

Name: ____________________________________________________________________________ Age:______

Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________

City: ___________________________________________________ State: __________ Zip:_________________

Branch: ________________________________________ Phone #____________________________________

PLEASE MAIL ALL 3 PuZZLES IN AT THE SAME TIME.They must be in the Home Office by Friday, June 13, 2013!

Mail to:FCSLAFraternalDepartment 24950ChagrinBlvd. Beachwood,OH44122

AGES 23-64 ONLY!WORD SEARCH #1 OF 3

Wordsmaybefoundupanddown,sidetoside,diagonallyorwordsmayshareletters.

Spring Cleaning

14 ŽENSKÁJEDNOTA

This past fall, theSlovakCommunityintheChicagoareahostedavisit with BishopJozefHalko,AuxiliaryBishopofBratislava,Slovakia.Bishop Halko broughtwith him the relics ofSaintsCyrilandMetho-dius,whichwereonloanfrom the Slovak PapalInstituteofSaintsCyrilandMethodius, Rome,to commemorate the1,150th evangelizationof theSlovakpeoplebythesesaints.

OnSaturday,August31st,BishopHalkocele-bratedmassfollowedbydevotionof theserelicsattheBenedictineSistersofOurLadyofSorrowsPrioryinOakForest,IL.

OnSunday,Septem-ber 1st, Bishop HalkocelebratedmassatSt.SimonSlovakChurchinChicago with concele-brantsFr.KristiánLibant,CM,(St.Simon,ChicagoandnativeofNitra,Slo-vakia)andFr.DušanHladik (CzechCatholicMission,Brookfield,IL)againwithdevotionstotherelicsofSaintsCyrilandMethodiusimmediatelyfollowingthemass.After

mass,theSlovakCom-munityheldareceptionfortheBishop,withrep-resentatives and sup-portersfromthevariousChicagoSlovakcommu-nitiesandorganizationsinattendance.ChicagoDistrictPresident,MaryTherese Tylus repre-sentedtheFirstCatholicSlovakLadiesAssocia-tionalongwithahand-ful ofChicagoDistrictmembers inwelcomingtheBishoptoChicago.

Monday,September2ndfoundBishopHalkowiththeSt.SimonSlo-vak community alongwith Chicago DistrictPresident,MaryThereseTylusandS258Secre-tary/Treasurer, Rose-maryMlinarich, inSt.John, IN, celebratingmass at St.John theEvangelist Parish fol-lowedbyavisit to theShrineofChrist’sPas-sion.Thegroupwalkedthe individualStations

oftheCrossattheShrinefollowedbyprayersinSlovak.EachofthesestationshasaprerecordednarrationbyBillKurtis.(Toseeadditionalphotosfromthiseventgoto:http://www.fcsla.org/district/chicago/gallery.php)

Bishop Jozef Halko Visits the Chicago Area

MARCH2014 15

TheWomen’sGuildofCalumetCollegeofSt.JosephhaditsAnnualScholarshipBrunchonSunday,October20thattheBriarRidgeCountryClub,welcomingsupportfromfourbranchesoftheFCSLA.MembersfromS452,S409,S289andS81enjoyedtheafternoonwiththeSchol-arshipwinnersof2013.

AfterPresidentMargaretAbilduawelcomedtheguestssheaskedSisterMicheleDvorak,Ph.D.,aguildmember,togivetheinvocation.WithbeautifulpianoselectionsbyAlyceJakubielski in thebackground,guestsenjoyedabountifulbrunchanddelectabledesserttable.

Dr.DanielLowery,PresidentofCalumetCollegeofSt.Joseph,eloquentlypresentedanupdateofthesuccessandfutureplansofthecollege.Thiswasfollowedwiththeintroductionofthefourstudentswhoreceivedthe2013Scholarships.

TheWoman’sGuildisasmallgroupoflocalwomen,manyFCSLAmembers,whoarededicated tohelpingtheonlyCatholicCollegeinthearea.Slovakheritageis

Members representing Branch S452.

Annual Scholarship Brunch Held

Members representing Branches S409 and S289.

Members representing Branches S81 and J58.

beingpreservedatCalumetCollegeinaspecialwayintheBishopGrutkaArchiveswhichhasmemorabiliaoftheSlovakBishopandotherSlovaksettlersoftheregion.

FCSLAmemberswhoarecurrentofficersoftheGuildare:MargaretAbildua,President;MargaretGorby,Vice-President;andDoloresMcCampbell,Secretary.

Christopher Sambor (S557),sonofPaulandKathySamborofSevenHills,OHwasawardedtheEagleScoutRank onNovember18,2013.ChrisisasophomoreatNormandyHighSchool inParma,OH.HesuccessfullycompletedaprojectforGreenValleyElementarySchoolinParma,OH.Chrisledateamofvolunteersinconstructingand installing 28 custom gardenboxes used in the schools LandLab.AnEagleScoutCourtofHonorconvenedonJanuary26,2014.The

officersandmembersofBranch557congratulateChrisonhisachievement.

PaulC.Sambor(S557),sonofPaulandKathySamborofSevenHills,OHwasawarded theEagleScout Rank on June 10, 2013.Paul is a freshmanatCuyahogaCommunity College in Parma,OHmajoring inAccounting.Paulsuccessfully completed a projectforCampCheerful,Westlake,OH.Heobtained support fromMooseLodge#1744andVFWPost7609.Paul ledagroupbuildingand in-stallingpicnictablesfortheCamp.An Eagle Scout Court of Honor

convenedonJanuary26,2014.TheofficersandmembersofBranch557congratulatePaulonhisachievement.

BRotheRS AWARded eAgLe SCout RAnking

16 ŽENSKÁJEDNOTA

Victor A. SVitAkBranch W080

VictorA. Svi-tak, 96, of Clark-son diedOctober30, 2013, at theClarkson GoldenLiving Center. Hewas bornAugust26, 1917, inStan-ton County north

ofHowellstoAdolphandAnna(Vrba)Svitak.

OnAugust22,1941,VictorenteredtheUnitedStatesArmyduringWorldWarII.OnNovember20,1956,VictorwasunitedinmarriagetoLaVaeKavanatSt.CharlesCatholicChurchinNorthBend.VictorfarmednorthofClarksonuntil1983whenheandLaVaemovedintoClarkson.HewasamemberofSs.CyrilandMethodiusCatholicChurch,ClarksonAmericanLegion,KnightsofColumbusand theClarksonCatholicCemeteryBoard.

VictorissurvivedbynephewFrank(Sharon)Bohaboj ofDodge, nephewJoseph (Judy)Bohaboj ofClarkson,nieceHelenCastoral ofRogers,AR,nephewVictorNovakofYankton,SD,nieceMarthaSchmidtofLincoln.

Victor was preceded in death byparentsAdolphandAnnaSvitak;wifeLaVaeSvitak; brother JamesSvitak;sistersStazieBohaboj,MarySvitakandAnnaNovak;great-great-nephewBrevinBlum.

AgneS B. YoungSr. Branch 313

AgnesB.(Besa-ha)YoungdiedNo-vember 19, 2013.She was amem-ber of the FCSLAsinceatleast1944.Bornandraised inBrackenridge, PAon February 27,1921, she lived in

thePittsburghareaallofherlive.MostofthelifewasinherhomeinFinleyville,

wheresheraisedthreechildren.Her husband Donald Francis, a

WWIIvet,died in1967.She lostheroldestson,GaryRichardYoungin1976inatragiccaraccident.

She is survived by daughtersSu-zanneYoung (KenKiel) andMaryeZoeYoung(AntoineJordan),andtwograndchildren,JadeandMasonYoung.

She was a devotedmother andgrandmotherwithmanyhobbies,suchasgardening,ceramics,cooking,andbaking.ShewasadevoteCatholicandwasanactivememberofSt.FrancisofAssisichurchinFinleyville.ShespentthelastyearofherlifeatArdenCourts,assisted living forMemory care.Shelovedtheholidaysandwillbemissedgreatlybyherfamilyandfriends.

LindA S. PoYdenceSr. Branch 262

Linda S. Poy-dence of ApollowenttobewiththeLord on Septem-ber 12, 2013, atUPMC East Hos-pital,Monroeville,leavingbehindherfamily and friendswhowillmiss her

deeply.Born,July17,1955,inNatronaHeights,shewasadaughterofthelateFrankandJulia(Jakubek)Poydence.

LindawasemployedasanIncomeMaintenance CaseWorker for theCommonwealthofPennsylvania,De-partmentofPublicWelfare,attheKit-tanningOfficefor38years.ShewasamemberofSt.JamesRomanCatholicChurch, the LadiesAuxiliary and theFirstCatholicSlovak LadiesSociety.She had been involvedwith theBigBrothers,BigSistersorganization formany years,mentoring three youngwomen,whobecamepartofherfam-ily.LindasetagoodexampleforwhatitmeanttoliveherCatholicfaith.Shevisited countless shut-ins andmademanytripstodoctor’sofficesorhospi-talstolendawordofcomfortorholdahand.Inadditiontoherparents,Linda

wasprecededindeathbytwobrothers,MichaelandThomasPoydence.Sheissurvivedbysevenbrothers,and foursisters,anauntandnumerousnieces,nephews,cousinsandfriends.

crAig WAnouSBranch W049

CraigJ.Wanous,54,ofHutchinson,MN passed awaySeptember 20, inStockholmTownship of ruralWrightCounty.CraigwasbornJune23,1959,in Hutchinson to David andMarvel(Carlson)Wanous.

CraiggraduatedfromDassel-CokatoHighSchoolin1977.OnNovember7,1981,Craig and JanetEisenmengerweremarried atSt. JosephCatholicChurch in Silver Lake.Craigwas asmart and diligent farmerwho alsohauledgrainformanyyears.Hewasahardworkerwholovedhiskidsandgrandchildren andwas dedicated tohelping others.Craig always did thebest he could and tried to have themost funhe couldwhile doing it.Healso loved to play softball, hunt andJohnDeere.

Craigissurvivedbyhisfather:Da-vidWanous;mother:MarvelCarlson;lovingwife:Janet;daughter:Stefanie(Dan)Ewert;sons:Travis(AmyAnder-son)andChristopher(AmandaBlock);3grandchildren;3sisters;father-in-law:Leroy Knoll; mother-in-law:MarianKnoll;asister-in-lawandbrother-in-law,andbymanynieces,nephews,otherrelatives,andfriends.Hewasprecededindeathbybothpaternalandmaternalgrandparents,andbyaninfantsister.

JeAnne M. cronieSr. Branch 161

JeannediedonOctober9,2012.ShewasbornJune9,1946,inYoungstown,OH,thedaughterofJohnF.andMary(Repko)Pokrivnak.Shewasagradu-ate ofCardinalMooneyHighSchoolandYoungstownStateUniversity.

JeannewasateacheratSt.Chris-tineandFifthStreetSchoolsandalsoworkedatGorantCandies inBoard-

MARCH2014 17

man.ShewasamemberofSt.LukeChurch.JeannewasanavidClevelandIndiansfanandenjoyedtraveling.Shewasadevotedmotherandgrandmoth-er.Herchildrenandgrandchildrenwereherprideandjoy.Herhusband,DanielJ.Cronie,whomshemarriedJune20,1970,passedawayJuly7,2003.Shewill always be remembered by hermom,MaryofBoardman;twodaugh-ters,AndreaC. (Anthony)SolazzoofMarylandand JillM. (Dave)HarmanofNewMiddletown;sixgrandchildren,and a brother, John “Butch” (Cathy)PokrivnakofBoardman.Besidesherhusband,shewasprecededindeathbyherfatherandsonDanielJ.Cronie,Jr.

irene toMuSkoSr. Branch 408

IreneTomusko,86,beloveddaugh-ter of Valant andMary (neeDrops),both deceased; cherished sister ofGeorgeTomusko,FrankTomusko,andonesister:MargaretBabuder(allde-ceased),fivenephews,oneniece,fourgreat-nephews and one great-nieceenteredintorestOctober10,2013.SheworkedfortheFederalGovernmentintheForeignService for over 30 yrs.,whichinvolvedtravelingtheworld.ShewasamemberofTransfigurationPar-ishinLakewood,OHandwasproudofherSlovakheritage.

MArceLLA S. connorBranch W008

Ma r c e l l a S .Connor, age 100,of Fremont, NE,passedawayOcto-ber22,2013atA.J.Merrick Manor inFremont.ShewasbornDecember 8,1912,inDodge,NEtoFrankandEmilie

(Pospichal)Suchan.She graduated fromDodgeHigh

Schoolin1931.ShewentontoattendtheUniversityofNebraskaatLincolnand graduated from there in 1935.

MarcellamarriedThomasA.ConnoronJune3,1946inOmaha.ShemovedtoOmahain1947.ShebeganhercareerasaHighSchoolteacherhavingtaughtatschoolsfor40yearsandthelast18yearsat theNebraskaSchool for theDeaf.Marcellawasamember ofSt.Patrick’sCatholicChurchinFremont,NE and the StateRetiredTeachersAssociation.

She is survived by nephews, Dr.Garyandwife,GraceMendlikofFre-mont,NE,Danandwife,CarolMendlikof Denver, CO, and JimConnor ofOmaha;niece-in-law,MaryMendlikofWashingtonState.Shewasprecededindeathbyherparents;husband;sis-ter,LillianMendlik;andnephew,LowellMendlik.

AgneS VogLSr. Branch 629

AgnesVogl,88,ofHenderson,wascalledhomeonNo-vember3,2013.

ShewasbornonOctober7,1925inthe New Lothrop,Michiganarea.Ag-nesmarriedAnton

“Tony”VoglonJanuary15,1949andhe predeceased her onOctober 8,1990.ShewasamemberofSt.JosephCatholicChurch inOwossoandwasanofficerfortheFirstCatholicSlovakLadiesAssociation(FCSLA)fornearly50years.

Whenshewas17yearsoldshewenttoworkatBendixinOwossobuildingparts for theWWII effort. She alsoworkedatBuickinFlintandRedmondsinOwosso.Godblessedherwithavery

warm,caringspirit.Surviving to cherish hermemory

areherdaughterEvelyn(David)KnaufofMasonandsonDennisVogl(PattyEntrekin)ofHenderson;twograndchil-dren,andfivegreat-grandchildren.

Agneswas preceded in death byallhersiblings,ninebrothersandonesister.Inlieuofflowers,memorialcon-tributionsaresuggestedtoSt.JosephChurchRoofing/ParkingFund.

HeLen t. BrAdYSr. Branch 107

HelenT. Brady,93, of BraddockHills, formerly ofPortVue,diedNo-vember 26, 2013,atSeniorCarePla-za. BornApril 25,1920, inPortVue,

shewasadaughterofthelateMichaelandElizabeth(Yencho)Hasso,andthewifeofthelateJamesL.Brady.

HelenwasaretiredcustodianfromPortVueBoroughandalsoworkedasacrossingguard.ShewasamemberofSt.MarkParish,ChristianMothersandLadiesofCharity.Sheissurvivedby daughters, Theresa Kirkland, ofBuenaPark,CA,Helene (Ken)Baur,ofBraddockHills,andCatherine(Bob)Marhefka,ofPortVue;sevengrandchil-dren; eight great-grandchildren, andbrother,theRev.BedeHasso,OSB,ofLatrobe.Inadditiontoherparentsandhusband,Helenwasprecededindeathbychildren,Bernadette,LawrenceandMaryAnn;brothers,Andrew,MichaelandWilliam;sisters,MaryWilson,AnnaHoffmanandElizabethMineyandlong-timecompanion,StanSopko.

18 ŽENSKÁJEDNOTA

Sr. Branch 169 members fromYoungstown,OHwereinvitedtoattendthe annual VilijaDinner held atOurLadyofSorrowsParish,December8,2013.PresidentDoloresSonogaandSecretary Carol Dumez invited themembers through church bulletins,emails and phone calls. Branch 169wantedtotreattheirmemberstohelpthemrelivethetraditionsoftheirSlovakancestorsatChristmastime.

Almost250peopleattendedthedin-nerincludingBishopMurray,DioceseofYoungstown,MonsignorSiffrinandMonsignor Peter Polando, National

Sr. Branch 169 Members Attend Vilija Dinner

ChaplainfortheFCSLAandmemberofBranch169.ThegroupfromBranch169 sat together at the dinner and

enjoyedadeliciousdinnerandfellow-ship, sharing stories of their Slovakancestors.

TheSistersofSaintsCyrilandMethodiusfromDanville,PAandhundredsofthousandsofothersralliedonJanuary22,2014infrigidtemperaturesandsnowatthe41stannualMarchforLifeinWashington,D.C.TheannualMarchforLifeisheldeveryJanuaryontheanniversaryoftheSupremeCourt’s1973decisionthatdeclaredaconstitutionalrighttoabortion.

Sisters Jeanne Ambre, Jana Polakova, Edita Navratilova, Barbara Sable.

Group from Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Parish, gathered in Washington, D.C. at the March for Life.

march for life in Washington, d.C.TheSisters traveledwithagroup fromQueenof the

MostHolyRosaryParish inElysburg,PA.Sister JeanneAmbre,SS.C.M.isPastoralVisitorattheElysburgParish.

Socialmediaplayedalargepartinadvertisingthisyear’sMarch.PopeFranciswasamongthosetweetinghissupportforthemarchers:“I jointheMarchforLifeinWashingtonwithmyprayers.MayGodhelpusrespectalllife,especiallythemostvulnerable.”

HouseMajority LeaderEricCantor (R-VA)was oneofmanypoliticalandreligiousleaderswhoaddressedthecrowd.Cantorsaid, “There isanunalienableright to life,andthatrightextendstotheunborn.”

MARCH2014 19

BranchW033,Spillville,IAheldtheirannualChristmasPartyandmeetingonSunday,December1,2013with70memberspresent.Asocialhourwasenjoyedfollowedbyadeliciouspot luckdinnerwithbeverages,meat,bunsandplacesettingsprovidedbythebranchinthedecoratedschoolgym.Dinnerwas followedby thebranchmeeting duringwhich thechildrenmadecraftswithChristmas themes inthelunchroom.Afterreports,donationsandmotions,branchscholarshipsweregiventothefollowingstudents:Elemen-tarywinnerswereJacobBohrandElizabethBohrfromCFSSchools$100each.Collegescholarships$250eachwent

Branch W033 Holds Holiday Party and Awards Scholarship Winners

►Rebekah Shindelar was unable to attend but received a $250 branch college schol-arship. She attends Bethel university.

◄L-R: President Dan Silharcek, Di-rector Rich Kuhn, Director Dan Neuzil, Vice-President Jerry Kuhn and members Brian Kuhn and Lin-coln Kuhn part of the party decorating team.

to JoshuaStika,Seminary LorasCollege,EmilyZoulek,nursingprogramatAllenCollegeandRebekahShindelarwhogoestoBethelUniversityinSt.Paul.Congratulationstothesefinestudents!

Electionswereheldandallofficersremainedthesameforthecomingyear.SantaClausarrivedandgaveoutbagsoftreatstoallpresent.TheafternoonendedwithbingowithwinnersselectinggiftsfromoffandundertheChristmasTree.

TheBranchsendsaspecialthankyoutoallwhohelpedtosetupandcleanuptheparty!

Pictured from left are Amy and Makenzie Kuhn and from right branch officers Rita Fjelstul, Alice Klemish and Becky Kuhn decorating for the Annual Christmas Party.

Children from Branch W033 showing the crafts they made at the Christmas Party.

Children play-ing cards at the Christmas party on the left: Olivia Opat, Sara Opat, and Kashton Ri-ley and on the right Reid Fjel-stul, Kayleann F j e l s t u l a n d Makenzie Kuhn.

Vice President Jerry Kuhn presents junior member Ja-cob Bohr with a $100 elemen-tary branch scholarship.

VP Jerry Kuhn presents mem-ber Joshua Stika with a $250 college branch scholarship.

VP Jerry Kuhn presents a $250 branch college schol-arship for Emily Zoulek to her grandparents Jacob and Joyce Zoulek.

VP Jerry Kuhn presents junior member Elizabeth Bohr with a $100 elementary branch scholarship.

20 ŽENSKÁJEDNOTA

11th Annual Consular Tour to Slovakia

August 10-24, 2014SlovakHonoraryConsulJosephSenkohasvis-

itedSlovakia25timessince1995,includingtentourswhichhehasarrangedandescorted.Hiswife,Albina,wasbornandraisedinSlovakia.Withtheirexperi-ence,theyhavecreatedacustomizedtourfor2014whichwill takeyouacrossSlovakiafromtheWest(Bratislava)totheEast(Kosice),stoppingeachdaytovisitthenumeroushistoricsitesofSlovakia.Eachnight,accommodationswillbeat fourstarhotels.Over270peoplefromtheUnitedStateshaveen-joyedthesetourswithJoeandAlbina.Foradetaileditinerary,andmoreinformationcontactJoeSenkoat412-956-6000or jtsenko@aol.com.Costforthetripis$3,699perpersonincludingairfareandtaxes.

Demechko Family Members Attend 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg

Grandstand seating provided an excellent view of the battle-field. Cannons preparing to fire and make a thunderous noise.

Deanna Demechko, standing, and sisters Regi and Sydney with “Abe”. Sydney and Regi earned Girl Scout badges for completing a special written project at Gettysburg, PA.

Logan, Laura, and Doran Ka-plan, Austin, TX take a “rest” with Abraham Lincoln.

A group of northern soldiers line up at the re-enactment of the Battle of Gettysburg’s 150th anniversary in July.

Elevenmembersofthefam-ilyofBernieandEdDemechkoattendedthe150thanniversaryoftheBattleofGettysburg,inPennsylvania,theweekofJuly1-5.Thoseattendingincludeddaughter LauraKaplan andsonsLoganandDoran,Austin,TX;sonMarkandRudiDem-echkoanddaughterDeanna,SydneyandRegi,Copley,OHandsonEdwardofMedina,OH.

AllaremembersofS161andJ192inYoungstown,Ohio.SinceBernieandEdhavebe-

longedtotheMahoningCountyCivilWarRoundtable for20years,theywantedtoexposethegrandchildrento“livinghis-tory.”Theywereintroducedtothebattleviaafilmandcyclo-rama(#3Dcirculardisplayofonedayof thebattle)at theVisitors’Center.Thetwohourbustrip throughtheNationalCemetery includedstrategicstopsforthegrouptoembarkandviewstrategicbattlesites.The final day was spent atanactual re-enactmentonaneighboringfarm(doingre-en-actmentonthebattlefieldwouldbedisrespectfultothehallowedground)where10,000re-en-

actors,100cannonsand700horses(cavalry)re-enactedthebattlebetweenthenorthernersandsoutherners.

Sydney and Regi, Gir lScouts,werepresentedaspe-cial150thanniversarybadgeaftercompletingabooklet in

whichtheycorrectlyansweredadozenquestionsregardingGettysburg. Informationwasobtainedfromthemovie,bustourandmuseum. Itwasaneducational “treasure hunt”andprovedtobeafunlearn-ingexperience.

50th Wedding Anniversary CelebratedMr.andMrs.Rob-

ert Bonchik ofWhit-ing,INcelebratedtheir50thWeddingAnniver-sary onNovember 9,2013.Theirmarriagewas blessed byRev.StanleyDominickataMassatSacredHeartChurch in Whiting.TheyweremarriedonNovember9,1963at

ImmaculateConceptionChurch,alsoinWhiting,byRev.M.FredBach.AdinnerforfamilyandafewclosefriendswasheldatTiebel’sRestaurant.

Mrs.Bonchik,theformerBettyJanek,isamemberofBranch452.BobandBettywereblessedwithfourchildren:BobJr.,Brian,ChristineandDavidandeightgrandchildren:Jonathan,Ashley,Amanda,Emily,Allison,Rachel,AlexisandNathanwhoareall,orsoonwillbe,membersofBranch348.

MARCH2014 21

Slovak Catholic Federation 36th Annual SS.C.M. AppealWhenourancestorscametotheseshoresmorethan

acenturyago, theybroughtwith them fewmonetaryas-sets.Theirmostpreciouspossession,however,wastheirfaith.TheseedswerenurturedbytheSlovakpriestswhocamewiththeimmigrantpeopleandhelpedbuildourSlo-vakCatholicfraternals,religiouscommunitiesofmenandwomen, andnearly 300Slovakparishes. In response tothis legacy, theSlovakCatholicFederation issponsoringthe36th Annual SS. Cyril & Methodius Appeal.

TheChurch inSlovakia has enjoyeda great renais-sancesincethefallofCommunismin1989.WeinAmericaandCanadatakeprideinthefactthattheSlovakCatholicfraternals,ourparishes,andindividualsofSlovakancestryhave responded generously to assist theChurch in ourancestralhomeland.The 2014 Annual Appeal begins dur-ing the month of February in churches of Slovak descent across the United States and Canada and will continue until the end of the year.

The 2013 Appeal collected $39,678.41Since its inception, this Appeal has raised $2,348,944.66!

FundsraisedfromtheAppealwillaidthepriest-graduatestudentsatthePontificalSlovakCollegeofSS.CyrilandMethodius.Thesefinepriestsarebeingcalledupontobethe future leaders of the diocesan churches inSlovakiabothasvicarsandbishops,inadditiontoprovidingqualifiedinstructors/professorsfortheseminariesthateducatefuturepriests.Aswell,fundsbenefitthosereligiouscommunitiesof bothmenandwomen that sharea counterpartwhichbelongstotheSlovakCatholicFederationandtheSlovakConferenceofReligious.

TheSlovakCatholicFederationwasfoundedin1911underthespiritualleadershipofRev.JosephMurgas,found-ingpastorofSacredHeartofJesusSlovakChurch,Wilkes-Barre,PA.ThepurposeoftheSCFistofederateindividualsofSlovak origin under onebanner for cultural, religious,andeducationalpurposes.ServingasNationalPresidentisRev.PhilipAltavilla, pastor ofSaintPeter’sCathedral,Scranton,PA.TheEpiscopalModerator is theMostRev.JosephV.Adamec,D.D.,retiredBishopoftheDioceseofAltoona-Johnstown,PA.TheNationalFirstVicePresident,Rev.AndrewS.Hvozdovic, ispastorofEpiphanyParish,Sayre,PA,andisthecoordinatorforthisAnnualAppeal.

InourChurchtoday,moreandmoreindividualsofSlo-vakdescent/backgrounddonotattendtraditionallyfoundedSlovakparishes,foranumberofreasons.Becauseofthisreality,themoniesraisedforthisAppealcomenotonlyfromthecollectionstakeninourremainingSlovakparishes,butalsofromindividualdonors.

Your tax deductible donation,madeout to theSlovakCatholicFederation(pleasenotethatit’sfortheAnnual Ap-peal)canbesentdirectlytotheNationalSecretary-TreasureroftheSCF:DoloresEvanko,173BernerAvenue,Hazleton,PA18201.

As always, thank you for your generous support.

District MeetingsDidyouknowthatthemeetingsareopentoall mem-bers?They are not only for your branch officers. Please thinkabout joiningus forourmeetings.Re-member,youareallpartofourFraternalOrganization.

District Meeting Dates for 2014vSaturday,March15thvSaturday,June21st-RegionalManagerAlHeiles

willconductaveryhelpfulandinformativeProduct&SalesSeminar

vSaturday,August16thvSaturday,September13th

~ 2014 Events ~Wearestillworkingoutdetailsoneacheventandarelooking for volunteers for theevents.Are youable/willingtochaironeoftheevents?vMay17th-JoinHandsDay@LightofHearts

Villa,BedfordvJuly25th-St.Anne’sDay@OurLadyofLourdes

Shrine,EuclidvAugust3rd-TheFest@BorromeoSeminary,

WillowickvAugust31st–SlovakFest@PaduaHighSchool

ParmavOctober18thOhioFraternalAllianceAnnual

Meeting,TBDvNovember2nd–St.AndrewAbbeyBenefit@

AssumptionChurch,BroadviewHts.vDecember6th–LOHVChristmasDecorating@

BedfordvDecember13th-LOHV/DistrictChristmasParty

@BedfordPleasechecktheClevelandDistrictWebpage www.fcsla.orgformoredetailsoneachevent.

ATTENTIoN CLEVELAND DISTRICT BRANCHES

Mark your calendars for our 2014 District Meetings and Events!

All our meetings are held atLight of Hearts Villa (LOHV)

283 Union St., BedfordAt 12:00 Noon

22 ŽENSKÁJEDNOTA

BALANCE SHEET AS OF OCTOBER 31, 2013ASSETS Cash&ShortTermInvestments $ 13,865,545 Bonds 710,811,189 PreferredStock 3,630,553 CommonStock 4,983,380 InvestmentIncomeDue&Accrued 11,267,812 PropertyPlant&Equipment,Net 6,119,743 CertificateLoans&AccruedInterest 2,569,495 OtherAssets 164,318 TOTALASSETS $ 753,412,035LIABILITIES LifeReserves $ 250,917,613 AnnuityReserves 394,291,640 DeathClaimsPayable 1,075,561 UnearnedPremiums 551,947 MaturedEndowments 335,630 ProvisionforDividendsPayable 1,355,935 AccumulatedDividends&Interest 4,011,126 AccruedConventionDonations 414,000 ProvisionforFutureConventions 372,000 AssetValuationReserve 7,839,877 InterestMaintenanceReserve 1,151,541 OtherLiabilities 1,543,475 TOTALLIABILITIES $ 663,860,345 Surplus $ 89,551,690 TOTALLIABILITIESANDSURPLUS $ 753,412,035

INCOME STATEMENT For the Ten Months Ending October 31, 2013

REVENUE InsurancePremiums $ 4,324,144 AnnuityPremiums 19,327,997 InvestmentIncome 32,189,328 AmortizationofInterestMaintenanceReserve 74,678 RentalIncome 340,250 OtherRevenue 12,919 TOTALREVENUE $ 56,269,316EXPENSE IncreaseinReserves—Life $ 4,089,613 IncreaseinReserves—Annuity 15,571,176 InsuranceBenefits 4,596,808 AnnuityBenefits 17,423,673 CommissionExpense 698,754 SurrenderBenefits 2,619,864 PostMortemBenefits 1,039,602 MiscellaneousMemberBenefits 66,067 MaturedEndowments 6,106 DonationExpenses 234,964 ConventionExpenses 190,000 BankServiceCharges 18,354 DataProcessingServiceFees 278,077 AccountingFees 76,423 ActuarialFees 162,607 LegalFees 36,985 ConsultingFees 89,989 BonustoBranches 750,030 FraternalActivities 124,753 OfficialPublications 394,207 ScholarshipAwards 200,000 MiscellaneousEmployeeBenefits 325,175 Fees—Directors 107,250 Salaries—Employees 1,162,727 Salaries—Officers 372,088 InterestExpense 204,352 TaxExpense 216,035 DepreciationExpense 245,030 UtilityExpense 84,888 PostageandPrinting 150,657 Advertising 83,696 TravelExpense 104,638 InsuranceDepartmentFees 95,073 SalesPromotion 120,578 RentalExpense 340,250 OtherExpense 387,510 TOTALEXPENSE $ 52,667,999

Income (Loss) from Operations $ 3,601,316 DividendstoMembers 1,111,941 Subtotal INCOME (LOSS) $ 2,489,375 CapitalGains(Loss) 1,688,239 NET INCOME (Loss) $ 4,177,614

SCF Seeks Contributors for 2014 The Good Shepherd Annual

Dobry Pastier (The Good Shepherd),editedbySisterBernadetteMarieOndus,SS.C.M., andpublishedannually by theSlovakCatholicFederation,iscompiledofarticlesfocusingontopicswhichareofinteresttoSlovak-AmericanCatholics.TheFederation is onceagainacceptingarticlesforinclusioninits2014edition.Potentialcontributorsshouldnotethatwhilethescopeofthepublicationisbroad,articlessolelypoliticalinnaturewillnotbeaccepted.

ThedeadlineforallarticlesisJune 1, 2014. Due to the publication schedule, articles received after the deadline will not be included in the annual.Theannualwillbeavailablefordistributioninthelatterpartof2014.

InordertofacilitatetheeditingandprintingofThe Good Shepherd,thefollowingguidelinesareestablishedforauthorswhowouldliketheirworktobeconsideredforinclusionintheannual:

GENERAL INFORMATION•All articlesmust be type-written, double-spaced, inMicrosoftWORD formatin12point,TimesNewRomanfont.Forthesakeoftheeditor,pleasedonotcapitalizeallwords(orentiresentences),unnecessarilyuseexclamationpoints,etc.Thearticlelayoutshouldbesimilartoarticlesprintedindailynewspapersandmagazines.

• ItisstronglypreferredthatEnglish articlesbee-mailedtoSisterBernadetteMarieOndus,SS.C.M,Editor,at: bondusscm@gmail.com.Inthisageofmoderntechnology,itisfasterandmorecosteffectivetoworkfromatextthatisprovideddigitallyinsteadofhavingtoretypetheentirearticle.

• Ifitisnotpossibleforanarticletobee-mailed,anoriginal“hardcopy”maybemailedtoSisterBernadetteatVillaSacredHeart,Danville,PA17821-1698.“Hardcopy”meansthatarticlesareeithertypedorhand-writtenbytheauthor.Please do not send photo copies of articles or photos.

•Tobeacceptedforpublication,articlesmustbebetweenthreeandtentypewrittenpages.Articlesfewerthanthreepagesorbeyondtenpageswillnotbeaccepted.

USE OF PHOTOS• Ifusingphotoswithinthearticle,photos must be included at the same

time the article is sent to the Editor.(Ifsendingphotosdigitally,saveasseparateJPGstoaccompanythearticle.)Pleaseindicatewherephotosaretobeplacedwithinthebodyofthearticle.Besuretoproperlyiden-tifythepersons,placesand/orsituationsdepictedinthephoto(s).If no indication is given as to where, within the article, the photos are to be inserted, the photos will not be used.

• Intheeventthatanarticleise-mailedandphotosarenotincludedasat-tachments,theactualphotographs,alongwithahardcopyofthearticle,mustbemailedtoSisterBernadetteMarieforinclusioninthearticle.(Ifmoreconvenient,photoscanalsobesavedtoaCDwhichtheprintercanthenlinkupwiththearticle.)Onceagain,pleasebesurethatthephotosareproperlyidentifiedandnotewhere,withinthearticle,thephotosaretobeinserted.Photosmustalwaysaccompanythearticleforwhichtheyareintended.

•Captionsmustbeincludedwiththephotos.Thisallowsreaderstobetterunderstandtherelationshipofthephototothecontentofthearticle.

ARTICLES IN SLOVAK•Slovakarticlescan bee-mailedtoSisterBernadetteMarie,butahardcopy(includingallaccents)mustalsobemailedtoher.(Pleaseindicatethatthearticlewasbothmailedandemailed.)Frequently,accentmarks,diacriticalcharacters,andotherspecialcharactersdonotcomethroughproperlywhenarticlesaree-mailed.Havingahardcopyofthearticle,appropriatelymarked,willsavevaluabletimeandminimizeerrors.

AsEditor,SisterBernadetteMarieretainstherighttocorrectgram-maticalerrors,deleterepetitions,rearrangeideastomakethemclearer,etc.SisterBernadetteMariealsoretainstherighttodeterminetheappro-priatenessofarticlesforthepublication.However,shewillnotsubstantiallychangetheauthor’sideaswithoutfirstconsultingtheauthor.

OursincerethankstoallthefaithfulcontributorstoThe Good Shep-herd!Yourcontributions,yearafteryear,ensurethattheSlovakCatholicFederationisabletoprovideaqualityannualwhichhelpscelebrateourCatholicfaith,preservesourSlovakheritage,andallowsourreaderstostayintouchwithwhat’shappeningintheCatholicChurch,inSlovakia,andintheSlovak-Americancommunity.

Wearelookingforwardtoyourcontributionsagainthisyear. Reverend Philip A. Altavilla NationalPresident,SlovakCatholicFederation

MARCH2014 23

Try Something Different!

BAKED SESAME SHRIMP APPETIZER

1 cup self-rising flour¼ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon ground red pepper¾ cup club soda1 pound medium shrimp (36 to 40 count),

peeled and deveined with tails left on2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, and pepper. Pour the club soda into the flour mixture and whisk until combined.

Holding the shrimp by the tails, dip them into the batter, coating completely. Place the shrimp about 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. The batter will puddle around each shrimp.

Sprinkle each shrimp with sesame seeds then coat lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, or until coating is golden. Serves 10 (3-4 each).

Optional dipping sauce: Mix 1/4 cup plum jelly with 2 tablespoons light soy sauce.

VEAL CHOPS WITH FONTINA

4 veal chops (sirloin with bone)3 ounces Fontina cheese1 stick butter1¼ cups coarse breadcrumbs¾ cup flour2 eggsSalt and pepper to taste

Cut a slit in the chops horizontally, leav-ing them connected along the bone side.

Cut the cheese into thin slices and place one in the pocket of each chop, then tap gently with a meat pounder.

Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste. Coat with flour, patting off any ex-cess. Beat eggs in a deep dish and prepare breadcrumbs on another surface.

Dip the chops one at a time in the beaten egg and then in breadcrumbs, coating evenly.

Melt butter in a pan over high heat and fry the chops on both sides until golden brown.

Remove from the pan and put on paper towels to drain.

Season with salt and serve hot.

PEAR AND PARMIGIANO REGGIANO SALAD

3½ ounces Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, slice in slivers

2 pears1 head lettuce10 black olives1 red pepper30 shelled walnutsJuice of 1 lemon6 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive OilSalt to tastefreshly ground black pepper to taste

Wash, peel and dice pears. Chop wal-nuts coarsely and pit olives.

Wash, core, seed pepper and julienne.Wash lettuce, discard tough outer

leaves, dry and chop coarselyIn a small bowl, combine lemon juice with

salt, oil and a dash of pepper with a whisk.Place vegetables, nuts, pears and sliv-

ers of Parmigiano in a salad bowl and toss with the sauce.

Serve immediately. Serves 4.

VEGETABLE SOUP WITH PESTO

1½ cups basil leaves1 tablespoon pine nuts½ cup Extra Virgin Olive OilSalt and pepper to taste¹⁄3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese grated¼ cup Pecorino cheese grated4 ¹⁄5 ounces ditalini pasta2-½ ounces each of potatoes, green peas,

pumpkin, cabbage, fava beans, zucchini, green beans, cannellini beans

1 tomato½ ounce each: of celery, carrots and onion1 clove garlic2 Extra Virgin Olive Oil½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese grated10 cups waterCoarse salt to taste

Soak beans in cold water for 12 hours, adding a pinch of baking powder to soften them. In a mortar, crush washed and com-pletely dried basil, peeled garlic and pine nuts with a pinch of salt. Add oil in a stream while crushing. This process may be done with a blender, using short pulses to prevent the pesto from overheating.

Spoon pesto in a bowl and combine with grated Parmigiano and Pecorino.

Clean and wash all vegetables. Peel and mince garlic. Dice all vegetables, trying to keep them the same size, while leaving peas, fava beans and beans whole. In a

pot, bring water to a boil, add all vegetables and garlic.

Cook over high heat for 5 minutes, then cover and simmer, turning down the heat.

Season with coarse salt. After 30 min-utes, use a spoon to coarsely mash pota-toes and beans.

This thickens the soup and prevents crushed vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

After another 20 minutes, when veg-etables have almost dissolved and the soup is thick and creamy, add pasta and cook according to package directions.

Remove from the heat, add pesto, oil and cheese, stirring with a wooden spoon.

Allow to rest for about 10 minutes before serving in soup bowls. Serves 4.

CINNAMON-SUGAR APPLE RINGS

2 tablespoons light butter1 tablespoon light brown sugar¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon3 large apples, cored, and cut into ½-inch

thick rings¼ cup chopped walnuts

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat; add the brown sugar and cinnamon, stirring until blended.

Add the apple rings; toss gently to coat. Cover, and cook over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle with chopped walnuts, and serve.

BANANA PEANUT BUTTER CAKE

¾ cup all-purpose flour½ teaspoon baking powder½ teaspoon baking soda¼ teaspoon salt¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened¹⁄3 cup sugar1 egg¼ cup reduced-fat peanut butter2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream1 large ripe banana, mashed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, bak-ing powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg, peanut butter, sour cream, and banana; mix well. Add the flour mixture; mix well, then spread into the cake pan.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan to cool completely before cutting into wedges.

3/14

PeriodicAL

The FCSLA Mission StatementWe provide financial security to our members

while embracing our Catholic values and Slavic traditions.

The FCSLA Vision is to:Be a Premier Fraternal Benefit Society

that offers quality financial products and benefits.