People might be surprised to learn that a man surnamed Johnson is actually primarily Polish by descent (50% Polish from my mother's side; 25% Swede and Irish from my Father).

My mother's maiden name was Kuznia (which is Polish for "Blacksmith shop").

So my people are salt of the earth types: Neither noble nor well-connected; neither generally wealthy nor particularly well educated (with some exceptions).

Most of us were farmers, who came to this country in 1881 as descendents of Albert and Hedwig Kuznia.

In 1981, we all gathered together -over 1,000 American Kuznia's- in a field across from Assumption Church to commemorate our 100 year anniversary in America.

That gathering drew some attention, since it was the largest assemblage of population within a 35 mile radius (albeit a temporary one).

We thought we were pretty cool because we received a letter from Pope John Paul II ("The Polish Pope") acknowledging our anniversary, and had a bishop and 10 priests celebrate Mass in the field (with immodesty, communion in the hand, and the Novus Ordo, unfortunately).

But the location was symbolic: It was where my descendants settled when they came to this country.  And the church they built with depression-era funds (provided by the Polish National Alliance, of which many of my fore-bearers served as officers) stands to this day as an out of place magnificent monument to their devotion to Our Lady of the Assumption:





(See also: https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x52c6d16418cbc5f5%3A0x4d91645527e4fda4!2m22!2m2!1i80!2i80!3m1!2i20!16m16!1b1!2m2!1m1!1e1!2m2!1m1!1e3!2m2!1m1!1e5!2m2!1m1!1e4!2m2!1m1!1e6!3m1!7e115!4shttps%3A%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPKP4GSFrEO56yutqFasT2Tg_Ja5viFx8sO5X7s%3Dw266-h200-k-no!5sassumption%20church%20florian%20minnesota%20-%20Google%20Search&imagekey=!1e10!2sAF1QipPopORmmXprrSwA5kgr02865hbokxOLH9nMLqf3&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjMwue4uYjiAhUSRK0KHYtsDNsQoiowDnoECA4QBg)

A good many of my relatives are buried in the cemetery behind this church (actually, almost everyone there is a relative; about 500 of them).

Anyway, that gathering (37 years ago, when I was only 9 years-old) was memorable.

There was actually a committee of Kuznia's dedicated to producing a book to commemorate the occasion, which began two years prior to the event.

I have a hardcopy of that book, which features on its cover a family crest created to commemorate the occasion (not as a pretense to nobility, but as a reminder of what had held us together as a family on two continents).

One of my distant uncles created a website, where the entire book is downloaded, which can be found here: http://www.nickkuznia.com/kuznia-book  (My branch is to be found under the Vincent and Wanda Kuznia).

That website explains the symbolism of the Crest (and yes, this eventually gets into the matter of NFP):

"The Kuznia Reunion Coat of Arms
The coat of arms shown was adopted by the Kuznia Reunion Steering Committee to be used during the centenary of Albert and Hedwig Kuznia's arrival in America.
The lower right quarter of the shield bears the crowned White Eagles of Poland on a red background. These are the arms of a free Poland and the colors of the Polish flag, to commemorate the birthplace of Albert and Hedwig.
The lower left quarter displays tools that are found in a blacksmith's shop: the anvil, hammer, and forging pliers. "Blacksmith shop" is the translation of the name Kuznia.
The American bald eagle bearing the banner American flag represents their adopted country, the United States of America. The 1881 signifies the year of Albert's arrival in America.
The open cross on white represents their faith in God. The wheat and grapes signify both their belief in the Eucharist and the nature of their occupation in America, farming.
The coloring of the coat of arms bears double significance. The predominant red, white, and blue of the shield are the colors of the American flag. Red and white are also the colors of the Polish flag. The gold crest atop the shield represents their prosperity in their adopted country and the predominent color of the flag of their Catholic faith."

It really was no platitude.

My ancestors lived the faith, first and foremost.  Many died in the habit of various 3rd orders, and were buried in them (as some pics in the book show).

But at last I come to the point:

They endured incredible hardship, and found the strength to do it precisely because their religion was lived, and real.

My ancestors from outside Krakow, Poland were farmers, and poor and uneducated.

But they were smart enough to buy land, figure out how to make it productive, and (here we go) never had to resort to NFP despite incredible hardship.

Here are some direct quotes from the reunion book, to illustrate the conditions (Oh yeah: Great-Grandpa Albert was 26, and Great-Grandma Hedwig was 14 (!), when they were married, with the blessing of the Church and the rejoicing of both families!!):

"Albert "Wojciech" Kuznia was born in Poland in 1841 to Joseph Kuznia and his wife, whose name is not known. As a young man, he married Hedwig "Jadwiga" Krzyzosiak, the daughter of Mikolai and Mary Krzyzosiak. Hedwig was born in Poland in 1853. At the time of their marriage. Hedwig was only fourteen years old and her parents had arranged her marriage to Albert. At about the age of seventeen, in 1870, she gave birth to their first child, Frank. He was followed by two more sons: Stanley born May 8, 1872, and Anton born November 6, 1873. To the best of our knowledge, they were followed by the birth of a daughter, Mary, that would have been born in 1874. The exact date of her birth or death is unknown. A fourth son, Paul, was then born in 1875, and another son, Joseph, on October 8, 1875. Between these two sons, it is said that a son named John was born, the sixth child of Albert and Hedwig. Though it is certain that a son, John, was born, we do not know the date of his birth or death. The last child born to them in Poland was Elizabeth on November 4, 1881. This fact has led us to believe that Albert did not leave Poland any sooner than 1881.

"Many people recall talk that one of the children had died on the passage across the ocean, and the usual burial at sea was given. This theory can be neither proven or disproven, since records of family members that crossed cannot be obtained from the government archives because they arrived at the port of New York, and the records are not indexed for the year 1884.

"In the nine years that followed, six more children were born. During their third winter in Marshall County, a set of twins, Bert and Mike, were born. They were followed sixteen months later by another son, Benedict, and seventeen months later again by a daughter, Anna. Their fifteenth child, Vincent, was born two years later, to be followed by their last child, another son named John, nineteen months later on May 4, 1894.

"From these humble beginnings, the family prospered. Their faith in God carried them through the good times and the bad times. The grandchildren testify that prayer was an almost constant companion of both Albert and Hedwig. Obviously, they both had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin, and their rosary was a very dear part of them. It is said that Hedwig's rosary hung from the belt at her waist when not in use, and Albert often wore his around his wrist when he was not praying it. Hedwig often attended daily Mass in Florian.

"Hedwig was buried in the robes of a Third Order Franciscan, or tertiary, of which obviously she was a member. This was her wish. She brought these robes with her from Poland when she came in 1884, and by the time of her death in 1925, they had deteriorated so much that great care had to be taken when dressing her for burial, as the fabric was falling apart."
http://www.nickkuznia.com/kuznia-book/beginnings

So that's what's in my veins.

Eventually, my impoverished grandparents (Edmund and Annie Kuznia) built a farmhouse on Albert and Hedwig Kuznia's old farmstead.

Attached is a picture of the house they raised 9 children in (Couldn't figure out how to copy/paste it).  I soent all my Christmas's and school vacations there.  Happy days!

That house only had 4 bedrooms (for 11 people), and the furnace was in the (oft-flooded) basement, with a grate in the middle of the living room floor, in lieu of ductwork (you had to be careful at Christmas time walking around barefoot, or you might burn your feet walking over it).

But at last we come to NFP:

NEVER ONCE DID MY GRANDPARENTS (OR ANY OTHER PRE-CONCILIAR KUZNIA, SO FAR AS I AM AWARE, CONSIDER NFP AS A RESPONSE TO POVERTY, STRESS, OR ANY OTHER REASON.

Men and women were tougher then.

Men and women today are pansies, for the most part (even if they have big biceps, they have no heart).

Cowards.  Catholic cowards.

It is natural to waver, and OK, so long as you recover before the fall.

This family history which I have let you in on shows the mettle which once typified simple Catholics.

My family was just par for the course (but today, by comparison, they seem superhuman).

But they only did what normal, regular Catholic s did.

In my own case, I am in the process of forming and raising a large family.

I will take as many blessings as God shall give me, even though I am secretly shaking in my boots.

But like St. Augustine, I look at my forefathers, and the little women having 17 children, and say, "If them, why not me?"

Maybe I don't get to buy the nice car, take vacations, get the fancy rifle, etc.

But with God's help, he will give me the grace to be faithful.

Even more personal: At two distinct times in life, my wife and I have thought, "This is too much.  We can't go on like this.  Surely God does not intend for this."  We asked for permission to practice NFP, and on two separate occasions, we were granted permission.  But at the moment of truth, just before the fall, we recovered our courage.  We just couldn't do it.  We put our faith in God, and even if it meant we should live like our ancestors (my wife is Polish-Czech too), what's wrong with that, if we can (hopefully) raise souls to heaven for God's glory?

I thank God for the simplicity of my Polish family heritage.  To be unremarkable, unheralded, but faithful, strong, and resolute in the performance of duty.  Maybe that is what we can offer to God in our times.

When reasons suggests no reason for hope, to be dutiful.

Yet there are so many moments of joy amidst the stress, work, and expense.

No: We will have the children God gives us.

We will never practice NFP, God willing.

Why should we?