Apr 12, 2018
Saint Joseph Church in Herndon hosted a Polka Mass April 7. Here's an excerpt from the article by our social media coordinator Mary Stachyra Lopez, the guest on this week's show:
The popularity of Polka Masses grew within a few years, thanks to the influence of Father Frank Perkovich, a Minnesota pastor whose Polka Mass recordings have sold more than 100,000 copies. Though some critics said that secular music, even paired with religious lyrics, did not belong in church, Polka Masses were a hit at ethnic festivals and many parishes. The height of the Polka Mass’ fame may have been in 1983, when Father Perkovich, accompanied by 80 pilgrims from the Midwest, celebrated a Polka Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. “We’ll polka our way to heaven,” he said at the time, according to an Associated Press report. Days later, he performed for Pope John Paul II at a general audience. Father Perkovich was later inducted into the Polka Hall of Fame.