Lumen 2018

Dunajec now flows in a deeper bed; the lowering of the river bed is caused by continued removal of the gravel from the gravel pit that exists here. The river is about 60 meters wide and, after rainfall, its level raises immediately by one meter. Its depth is usually about 1.5 meters. The residents of Podegrodzie today are good stewards. The com- munity has its own water-supply system which provides water for al- most all of its farms. It has a cultural center with a library, and the aforementioned regional museum. A song and dance ensemble called “Podegrodzie” is active at the center and is known nationwide and abroad. Podegrodzie has its own elementary school, gathering almost 400 students from Podegrodzie and the area. There is also a voca- tional school and a technical school of agriculture offering a 3-year course of studies. Podegrodzie has also shopping centers, a bakery, a restaurant, a community administration office, a post office, a bank, a health-care center, an agricultural cooperative, and a state center of agricultural machines. 28 The residents of Podegrodzie — the heirs to a rich cultural her- itage — are religious people and good Catholics. The results of so- ciological research show that more than 85 percent of the parishioners participate in Holy Mass every Sunday and on other re- ligious holidays, and an additional 11 percent participate on almost every Sunday (altogether almost 97 percent). These numbers demonstrate that the sense of duty to participate in Holy Mass on days of obligation is deeply rooted in the souls of Fr. Papczynski’s compatriots. It is also worth mentioning that the young generation shows particular religious zeal as more than 97 percent of the young people declare their participation in the Sunday Eucharist. The ex- amples of the so-called “seasonal and holiday Catholics” could not really be found among the young people. Only slightly more than one percent of the older generation stated that they participate in Holy Mass only on certain holy days. It should also be said that about 80 percent of the faithful, especially the young ones, do more than the Church requires within the sphere of their service to God. How- 51 Stanislaus Papczynski’s Childhood and Youth