NEGenWeb Project
Church/Catholic
Franciscans

worski. The Columbus Daily Telegram describes the Group as follows:

"The Crucifixion group consists of the figure of the Crucified Savior on a large cross, raised on a base of glazed brick, on which are also the figures of the Blessed Virgin Mother and St. John, both of which are standing at the foot of the cross, and Mary Magdalene, who is kneeling. Figures of angels with heralding trumpets are raised on pedestals at each side of of Norfolk did the work assisted by some men from Humphrey. In March, 1929, the village of Tarnov including the church buildings was connected with the high power line of the Northwestern Service Company at Columbus.

REV. NARCISSUS TARKOWSKI, O. F. M.,
JULY, 1929

In July, 1929, Fr. Denis was made once more pastor of St. Anthony's at Columbus, while his

Crucifixion Group in St. Michael's Cemetery, Tarnoy. Donated by Jan Jaworski Family.

the main group. The urns of terra cotta add a dainty touch at each end of the group. The monument complete includes a wide entrance walk to the cemetery, leading from the adjoining church, school and church yard".

In summer 1928 Fr. Denis had the bricks of the north side of the church coated with oil and the interior walls and ceilings repainted and redecorated. This was needed owing to the moisture and rain penetrating through the walls in winter and in seasons of storms. Mr. Hans place at Tarnov was filled by the Rev. Narcissus Tarkowski, O. F. M., who came hither from St. Stanislaus church in Cleveland, Ohio. The new pastor removed one of the old horsebarns to the west and sold the other barn. He also enlarged the cemetery to the east as far as the road. He also put in the church vestibule, aisles, sanctuary and sacristy rubber tiling, which cost about $4,000. Of this expenditure the John Jaworski estate paid $2,000; John Gorka, $500; Blase Ciochon, $550; the rest was

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paid by the parish. The play grounds were equipped with a chute, a slide, a merry-go-round and a teeter-totter at a cost of $700. The Sisters' residence received a new water pump, a kitchen range, a new gasoline range. In church, the pastor installed a new scamnum or bench for celebrant and servers, a white kneeler for bridal couples, a donation of the young ladies. The church will soon be rewired to avoid short circuits. A bazaar held in 1930 netted $2,500. In April, 1931, several hundred Japanese elm trees were planted about the church property. The Golden Jubilee of St. Michael's was solemnly commemorated June 14th and 15th, 1931.

LIST OF PASTORS AT TARNOV
DECEMBER, 1880-1931

Rev. Cyril Augustinsky, O. F. M., December, 1880-October, 1882.
Rev. Anastase Czech, O. F. M., December 17, 1882-July 14, 1887.
(Assistant Pastors: Rev. Ladislaus Czech, and Rev. Marceline Kollmeyer, O. F. M.).
Rev. Ladislaus Czech, O. F. M., August, 1889-August 15, 1894.
Rev. Rembert Stanowski, O. F. M., August, 1894-November 22, 1896.
Rev. Ladislaus Czech, O. F. M., December 20, 1896-November 3, 1903.
Rev. Dennis Czech, O. F. M., December, 1903-July, 1913.
Rev. Knute Lobinski, O. F. M., July, 1913-July, 1924.
Rev. Denis Czech, O. F. M., 1924-July, 1929.
Rev. Narcissus Tarkowski, O. F. M., July, 1929, to the present time.

PRIESTS FROM ST. MICHAEL'S PARISH

Rev. John Cantius Rozmus, O. F. M.
Rev. Stanislaus Jaworski, O. F. M.
Ven. Brother Massaeus Korus, O. F. M., is the only Brother from Tarnov.

Several boys are preparing for the priesthood in the Franciscan Order.

LIST OF SISTERS FROM ST. MICHAEL'S

Sr. M. Siegberta Bogus, Sr. M. Clotilda Jaworski, Sr. M. Solana Starzec, Sr. M. DonatilIa Maslo, Sr. M. Epiphana Torczon, Sr. M. Felicissima Plebanek, Sr. M. Lambertilla Torczon, Sr. M. Kunegundis Jaworski, Sr. M. Felicitas Paprocki, Sr. M. Nothburga Gdowski, Sr. M. Deodigna Paprocki, Sr. M. Dativa Korus, Sr. M. Cunera Mostek, Sr. M. Heonorita Torczon, Sr. M. Narcissa Matya, St. M. Clarinda Korus.

REV. KNUTE (ROBERT) LOBINSKI, O. F. M.

Fr. Knute is a native of Barlomin, diocese of CuIm, West Prussia, Germany, where he was born as the son of Robert and Ottilia (Brunke) Lobinski, on February 12, 1879. The father was a wagon-maker. In 1891 the family came to Chicago. After attending St. Augustine's parochial school, Robert made his classical course at St. Joseph's College, Teutopolis, Illinois, where he also joined the Franciscan Order on July 14, 1900, and took his simple vows on July 16, 1901. After one year's humanistic studies at St. Augustine's monastery, he studied philosophy for two years at Indianapolis Monastery, after which he entered the Franciscan Theological Seminary at St. Anthony's Monastery, St. Louis, to complete his studies June 28, 1907, he was ordained to the priesthood. His first pastoral labors were at Radom, where he attended two stations (Sheller and Dubois). After one year at Washington, Missouri, as pastor of the St. Anne's at Clover Bottom, he acted for eighteen months as assistant at St. Stanislaus, a very large parish of Cleveland, Ohio. He was next sent to Oak Forest, Cook county, Illinois, as assistant chaplain at the Cook county (Chicago) Infirmary. After a stay of six months, obedience summoned him to Tarnov, Nebraska, there to assume the pastorate of St. Michael's parish. This parish, in 1915, numbered 145 families and the school was attended by 165 pupils. Fr. Knute was stationed at Columbus in charge of St. Anthony's. At present he is located at Ashland, Wisconsin.

REV. DENNIS CZECH, O. F. M.

Vincent Czech comes from a religious family. He is a brother to the late Fr. Ladislaus and the late Brother Flavius Czech, a cousin to the well-known Anastase Czech, and an uncle to the three Franciscan Frs. Josaphat Wolfgang and Flavius Kraus. Vincent Czech was born at Kieferstaedtel, Silesia, Prussia, January 21, 1872, the son of Alex and Frances Czech.

After making his elementary studies at home, Vincent Czech, in company with his nephew, Vincent Kraus (now Fr. Josephat) followed his brother and cousin to America, where Vincent Czech completed his classical studies at St. Joseph's College, an institution famous in the United States and abroad for its splendid classical course. He entered the Franciscan Order on July 30, 1892, made his philosophical course at Quincy, Illinois, and his theological studies at St. Louis, and was ordained priest July 2, 1898. He celebrated his First Holy Mass at Humphrey, where his brother, Ladislaus, was then stationed.

After one more year of study at St. Louis, he attended the Clover Bottom parish. In December, 1903, Fr. Dennis was made pastor of St. Michael's parish at Tarnov, where he remained

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Rev. Dennis Czech, O. F. M.

for ten years, when he was assigned to Radom, Illinois, as superior and pastor. Seeing the crying need of a new church for Radom, he set about raising a building fund, not an easy task in that parish. In September, 1914, only one year after Fr. Dennis' arrival, the Franciscan Superiors voluntarily gave back St. Michael's parish of Radom to the Diocese. The secular priest who succeeded him, (Fr. Stanislaus Czerniewski), had this to say about the Franciscan: "To the writer Fr. Dennis proved to be a real type of a pious and hard laboring religious. There is no doubt that, given a few years' chance, Fr. Dennis would have made a noteworthy contribution to Radom".

Fr. Dennis was now sent to Columbus, Nebraska, where during the troubles of the World War he built the present church, and priest's rectory at St. Anthony's. In 1924, Fr. Dennis was again placed in charge of Tarnov, where

Rev. Narcissus Tarkcwski, O. F. N.

he had built the large new school and parsonage, as well as the beautiful Lourdes Grotto. In July, 1929, he was sent back to Columbus to fill the vacancy caused at St. Anthony's by the departure of Rev. Sigmund for Cleveland. In August, 1930, he was transferred to Petoskey, Michigan, but soon called to Ashland, Wisconsin.

REV. JOHN CANTIUS (FRANK) ROZMUS, O. F. M.

Fr. John, a child of St. Michael's parish, Tarnov, Nebraska, passed away at St. Joseph's Hospital, San Francisco, California, on January 20, 1919. Possessed of a sunny disposition and filled with zeal for the honor of God and the salvation of souls, he endeared himself to all who came in contact with him. But it was during the influenza epidemic as assistant at St. Francis parish at Sacramento, that his self-sacrific-

Some School Children of Tarnov.

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ing spirit made itself known. Although of a frail constitution and weakened by an illness of long standing, he forgot himself entirely in his charity for the victims of the plague, and he died a martyr to duty at the early age of thirty-five years. The solemn obsequies were held at St. Anthony's church at San Francisco, where he formerly had been stationed, when in charge of the Polish Catholics of the city. Very Rev. Provincial Hugolinus Storff, O. F. M., sang the Requiem, while his Grace, Archbishop Hanna, of San Francisco, delivered a touching eulogy. The spacious church was filled with sorrowing friends of the young priest, especially with Tertiaries, who had known him and loved him as their spiritual director.

Fr. John (Frank) Rozmus was a native of Borowa, diocese of Galicia, Austria, where he was given to his parents as a pledge of their mutual love and of the favor of heaven, on October 12, 1884. They came to the United States within the year, and settled at Tarnov, Nebraska. His father died while Frank was still a boy and his mother married again. He soon felt the call to a higher life and entered St. Joseph's College, Teutopolis, Illlinois (sic), where he prepared for his entrance into the Seraphic Order which occurred on June 22, 1905. On June 22, 1907, he took his simple vows. After duly completing the requisite studies, he was ordained. He spent his priestly life in the milder climate of California at the Golden Gate and in the capital of that state till he fell as a martyr of duty at his post.

ST. MICHAEL'S PAROCHIAL SCHOOL

We have already mentioned that Rev. Anastase, a wide-awake, saintly and zealous priest, saw the necessity of a parochial school, in order to solidly instruct the children, the men and women of the future, in the truths of the faith. He therefore, engaged a Mr. Wrona as the first teacher, (September, 1887-March, 1888). His successor was Mr. Paul Nitko. Of the trouble caused at his time by some hotheads we have already spoken. To obviate the difficulty of constantly looking for capable teachers, who were versed both in Polish and English, Fr. Anastase invited the Franciscan Sisters of Lafayette, who were already in charge of several schools of the Franciscan Fathers in Platte county to take over the school at Tarnov. They accepted the invitation. And what a change the Sisters have helped to work in Tarnov. Here, as elsewhere, they imparted to the children a Christian education teaching them by word and example. This was the more necessary as many of the parents had received little education in Galicia and were too poor to give much attention to education, but were bent upon making the children help to make the family economically independent.

Besides teaching, the Sisters have made themselves useful in many other ways, such as playing the organ, training the choir, doing the sacristy work, laundering the church linens, and formerly much of the janitor's work. They, moreover, board the priest and during the winter season, take in the children, who live too far away to attend school in bad weather. And all this they did at first for a mere pittance and were content to share the poverty and privations of clergy and people. It was, therefore, not more than proper that when the parish grew and prospered, the Sisters were given a more comfortable home and allowed a higher salary. May the pastors and people ever be mindful that not only pastor and people by dint of hard work and many sacrifices have built up the Platte county parishes now so flourishing, but that much credit for their success is due to the Venerable Sisters.

For the benefit of our readers we here subjoin the list of Sisters who labored at Tarnov:

SUPERIORS:

Sr. M. Bartholomaea, 1891-1904.
Sr. M. Ewalda, 1904-Dec., 1906.
Sr. M. Cassiana, 1907-1919.
Sr. M. Rosalinda, 1919-1922.
Sr. M. Cassiana, 1922-1925.
Sr. M. Tarcisia, 1925-August, 1929.
Sr. M. Seraphia, August, 1929.

TEACHERS

Sr. M. Barthoiomaea, Sr. M. Adolphina, Sr. M. Leonilda, Sr. M. Germana, Sr. M. Florentina, Sr. M. Thaddaea, Sr. M. Stella, Sr. M. Aquina, Sr. M. Cassiana, Sr. M. Victoriana, Sr. M. Domicilla, Sr. M. Tarcisia, Sr. M. Felicissima, Sr. M. Concordia, Sr. M. Bronisla, Sr. M. Balbina, Sr. M. Seraphia, Sr. M. Aquila, Sr. M. Remberta, Sr. M. Redempta, Sr. M. Stanisla, Sr. M. Methodia, Sr. M. Paladia, Bonavita (deceased).

HOUSE SISTERS

Sr. M. Catherina, Sr. M. Phillipa, Sr. M. Gudulina, Sr. M. Rosalina, Sr. M. Ansgaria, Sr. M. Wenceslaus, Sr. M. Theophila, Sr. M. Accursia. Sr. M. Berarda.

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Rev. John Cantius Rozmus, O. F. M.

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© 2004 for the NEGenWeb Project by Sherri Brakenhoff, Ted & Carole Miller