“Music of the Eastern European Church,” a free concert by the Ekumin Chorale, an 8-part a capella choir, under the direction of Patrick M. Marcinka, was presented at Holy Mother of Sorrows Polish National Catholic Church in Dupont Thursday night.
The concert was offered in conjunction with the 22nd Music Workshop of the National Choirs held at Holy Mother of Sorrows.
A second free concert was presented on Friday night by the participants of the workshop as a culmination of what was taught. The Friday concert showcased hymns from the new Polish/English Hymnal as well as other spiritually uplifting music.
Rev. Zbigniew Dawid is pastor of Holy Mother of Sorrows church.
Today marks the 67th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. The on-line Polonia community has commemorated the day in many ways. I begin with John Guzlowski’s poetry from The Warsaw Uprising, August 1, 1944
On August 1, 1944, the Polish resistance and the people of Warsaw rose up to throw off the Nazi oppressors. The Poles fought with guns, bricks, stolen grenades, sticks, and their hands and teeth. The Nazis retaliated with tanks, bombers, and fire.
63 days later the last Poles surrendered to the Germans.
250,000 men, women, and children were killed in the fighting, and the city of Warsaw was leveled by the Germans.
As a boy growing up, I would often hear my father talk about the fight the Poles made in the face of German military superiority. He would talk and sometimes he would weep for the dead.
My father wasn’t there, of course. He had been taken by the Germans to Buchenwald Concentration Camp several years before. But when he talked about the Warsaw Uprising, he spoke like a man who had been touched by something that he would never forget.
I tried to capture this in a poem called “Cross of Polish Wood…”
A historical timeline for the Warsaw Uprising can be found at the Warsaw Uprising 1944 website. And, remember to support Wisia’s Story, and projects like it, so to preserve first hand accounts of these events.
The History Channel aired Betrayal: The Battle for Warsaw in 2009. The film’s description is a fitting synopsis of the events that began this day:
The Warsaw Uprising was the largest and perhaps most heroic underground campaign of World War II. It was also one of the most desperate and little known battles of the war. Yet even as the Poles rose up against the Germans in the heart of Warsaw, they were callously betrayed. Not by their enemies but by their allies.
They were promised help that never came, so they took matters into their own hands. In the summer of 1944, more than 20,000 Polish Freedom Fighters and 220,000 Polish civilians died at the hands of the German Army during 63 days of hellacious battle in Poland’s capital city of Warsaw.
On September 1, 1939, Hitler’s Nazi forces invaded Poland from the West, and two weeks later, Russia invaded from the east. There they formed a resistance movement with the hope of eventually overthrowing German occupation in their homeland and re-gaining freedom. Polish soldiers, who had escaped, joined Allied forces around the world to battle the Axis, while in German-occupied Warsaw, the Polish underground published newspapers; plastered the city with fliers urging resistance; bombed supply trains; assassinated German officials in public; and gathered a force of 400,000 known as The Home Army.
The Germans responded with the brutality that was their trademark, setting up gallows around the city for public executions, rounding up suspected sympathizers and herding them onto trains bound for work camps and gas chambers.
By 1944, the Russians had switched sides and were allied to Britain and America. And as the Russians pushed the Germans out of Russian territory and back through Poland, the Polish underground prepared to rise up against the Germans in Warsaw. The plan was to liberate their capital just before the Russians reached Warsaw and liberate the city.
But to prevail the Poles would have to join forces with Joseph Stalin, the same man whose forces had massacred 22,000 Polish soldiers and buried them in mass graves only a few years earlier. On August 1, 1944 at 5 p.m., with the Russian army just miles away, The Home Army launched a surprise attack against the Germans … the Warsaw Uprising was underway. Yet, just when the Poles expected the Russians to join the battle, the Russians stopped as the Germans in Warsaw decimated the Polish insurgents. There was a reason: Stalin had no use for the insurgents; his plan was to install a communist puppet government in Poland after the war. Yet perhaps the most appalling aspect of the story is that Churchill and Roosevelt let Stalin get away with it.
Consisting entirely of archival footage and interviews with survivors, BETRAYAL: THE BATTLE FOR WARSAW is an inspiring and heartbreaking retrospective of one of the greatest fights you’ve probably never heard about. Highlights of BETRAYAL: THE BATTLE FOR WARSAW include:
The little-known Polish perspective on the latter years of World War II, when the under equipped Home Army struggled against superior German forces and waited for help from Allied forces that never seemed to come.
The historic summit in Tehran, in which Churchill and Roosevelt each separately promised Stalin that Poland would be his once Germany fell, paving the way for a half-century of Communist rule there after the War.
Tales of the heroic efforts of the Polish insurgents, including carrying the wounded to safety through the city sewers, the special efforts of the women of Poland both on the battlefield and as nurses in makeshift hospitals, and the efforts to find food and water in the war-torn streets of Warsaw.
Survivors share memories of German brutality, including pouring gasoline on living people and lighting them on fire. “These were not soldiers,” one survivor recalls, “They were rapists and murderers.”
The horribly botched efforts at support by the Russian and American Armed forces, which included supplying the Polish with thirty-year-old rifles that didn’t work and dropping relief supplies directly into the hands of the Germans.
The eventual surrender of The Home Army to German forces, after which Hitler placed the entire remaining population in concentration camps and leveled the city, building by building.
From YouTube and The Wall Speaks: Krystyna Rutczyńska, a courier for the AK (Home Army) speaks about her experience during the first day of the Warsaw Uprising. / Krystyna Rutczyńska, łączniczka AK w Powstaniu Warzawskim opowiada o przeżyciach pierwszego dnia Powstania Warszawskiego.
Ceremonies marking the 67th anniversary of the Warsaw Rising of Polish Home Army partisans against occupying Nazi German forces have begun in the Żolibórz district of the capital, where the Uprising began in the early afternoon hours on 1 August 1944.
Memorial events are also planned for tomorrow and Sunday, when President Bronislaw Komorowski will host a meeting with former insurgents who are arriving to Warsaw for the occasion from various parts of the world.
On Monday, the anniversary itself, in line with a long-standing tradition, sirens will wail across the city, buses and private cars will draw to a halt and pedestrians will stand still for a minute’s silence on the stroke of 5 pm, the exact time chosen by the Home Army to launch the uprising. The main ceremony, attended by top-ranking politicians, will be held hour at the Powązki Military Cemetery.
Special concerts, theatre performances, city games and sing-a-longs are also planned.
Fought in a bid to secure Poland’s post-war independence, the Warsaw Uprising was led by the Home Army – commanded by Poland’s government-in-exile in London – which secretly deployed around 50,000 fighters. Around 18,000 of them died in the sixty-three day-long battle.
Some 180,000 civilians were massacred, or killed by crossfire or bombing, as the Germans took Warsaw back street by street.
President Komorowski with veteran Helena Wołłowicz; photo - PAP Bartłomiej Zborowski
President Komorowski was with his aunt and veteran of the 1944 Warsaw Rising Helena Wołłowicz today, to mark the 67th anniversary of the insurgency against Nazi occupation, which began on 1 August 1944.
Bronislaw Komorowski was at the Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw as part of a day of ceremonies and events to mark the uprising, which was eventually crushed by the Nazis.
Later, President Komorowski led a ceremony at the Warsaw Rising monument outside the parliament building in honour of those fallen 67 years ago.
President Komorowski told the dignitaries and veterans that Poland’s wartime underground state could be an example for his countrymen today.
Komorowski declared that theclandestine state, which included underground courts, universities, theatres and publishing houses, “was a phenomenon then, and today it can also be a source of pride and an important point of reference for contemporary Poles in thinking about their country.”
Komorowski alluded to the parallels between the wartime generation and his own, in their desire for “the reconstruction of the Polish state”.
“So today, here in this place, where the monument to the Polish underground state stands… the Polish president bows his head low, not only before those who created this state, but also before those who fought for this country, and to those who are able to respect the Polish state,” the head of state said.
From YouTube: The Nazis – A Warning From History, The Wild East (Episode 4, Parts 1-4) discussing the Nazi German policies toward Poland during World War II.
The International Old Catholic Bishops’ Conference (IBC) of the Union of Utrecht announced that it is ending its mission with Old Catholic parishes in Italy effective July 1, 2011. Several parishes affiliated with with the IBC or The Episcopal Church (TEC) in Europe, especially in Italy, have recognized a consistency in faith and Tradition with the PNCC, and have sought recognition and oversight from the PNCC.
A Synod and convocation of the Nordic Catholic Church will be held from Friday, August 5th through Sunday, August 7th.
The Synod will take place at St. John the Baptist Church, Oslo, on Friday, August 5th beginning at 10am. Holy Mass will be held in St. John’s Church beginning at 4:30pm with its principal celebrant the Rt. Rev. Thaddeus Peplowski of the Buffalo-Pittsburgh Diocese of the PNCC. A cultural evening will follow at Lovisenberg Guesthouse beginning at 7pm.
On Saturday, August 6th the day will begin with Lauds in St. John’s Church at 9am. From 10am to 12pm there will be a presentations in the chapel of the Catinka Guldberg Centre. Bishop Peplowski will speak on: “My vision for Norway, then and now.” Bishop Flemestad will present: “Faith and Hope – The Road Ahead.” A children’s program will also be held simultaneous to the presentations. Lunch at Catinka Guldberg Centre will begin at 12pm. At 4:30pm Bishop Roald Nikolai Flemestad will be officially installed as Bishop of the Nordic Catholic Church by Bishop Thaddeus Peplowski during Holy Mass at St. John the Baptist Church. Bishop Flemestad will be the principal celebrant. There will be a reception immediately following at the Lovisenberg Guesthouse.
On Sunday, August 7th Holy Mass will be held at St. John the Baptist Church at 11am. A reception will follow at the Cathinka Guldberg Centre.
Bishop Jerzy Szotmiller of the Polish Catholic Church reposed in the Lord this afternoon, July 31, 2011, in Częstochowa, Poland. May Your servant and bishop Jerzy rest in peace O Lord!
Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and may the perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace. Amen.
Wieczne odpoczynek racz mu dać Panie, a światłość wiekuista niechaj mu świeci.
Niech odpoczywa w pokoju, Amen.
Ś.P. Bishop Jerzy was born in Warsaw, Poland on February 20, 1933. He was ordained to the Holy Priesthood in the Polish Catholic Church by Bishop Maksymilian Rode on February 24, 1961. From October 1975 to November 1976 he served the Polish National Catholic Church in Brazil. On July 29, 1979 he was consecrated Bishop of the Polish Catholic Church in Holy Ghost Cathedral, Warsaw, Poland by the Prime Bishop of the Polish Catholic Church, Most Rev. Dr. Tadeusz Ryszard Majewski with co-consecrators Most Rev. Francis Rowiński (PNCC), Rt. Rev. Joseph Niemiński (PNCC), and Most Rev. Emeritus Maksymilian Rode.
From 1979 to 1986 he served as Suffragan Bishop for the Warsaw Diocese while also serving the Cathedral Parish of Our Lady Queen of Apostles in Częstochowa. He was appointed Bishop Ordinary of the Kraków-Częstochowa Diocese as of June 9, 1986, and held that position until his death. He was predeceased by his wife Regina.
Ś.P. Bishop Jerzy was actively involved in the ecumenical movement, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and ecumenical meetings in the Silesian region of Poland.
A Requiem Holy Mass will be celebrated on August 5, 2011 at 12 noon in the Cathedral Parish of Our Lady Queen of Apostles in Częstochowa.
Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, ca. 504
When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a lonely place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass; and taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. — Matthew 14:15-21
It was 1928 when the local paper published news that Polish immigrants would build a new church in Kewanee. The church was completed during that year and the first Mass was celebrated as the Christmas Eve Shepherds Mass in 1928.
For over 83 years, the Holy Trinity Church steeple has contributed to Kewanee’s landscape. But like any old building, this one also needs constant maintenance and care. The wooden cross on the top of the steeple, once heavy and strong, had lost its good appearance. The roof and the walls started deteriorating.
A few years ago the heating and cooling system were upgraded. There is now air-conditioning in the church and downstairs in the church hall. With the updated heating system, there was no longer a need for the chimney on the east side of the church building.
The Parish Committee, pastor and all members of the congregation decided to give the church back its beautiful look. The renovation will be expensive and will last all summer, but the final result will be great.
Parish Committee Chairman David Draminski said, “Our plan is to make the church up-to-date and more inviting, but to keep it traditional.” Holy Trinity Parish members understand that it is worth every effort to keep the church in good condition.
Holy Trinity Polish National Catholic Church is a big part of Kewanee history and close to the hearts of many Kewaneeans. Not only members, but many of our friends like to come and taste our delicious Polish food — Polish sausage, pierogies, sauerkraut — at our St. Joseph’s Supper in March, Easter Brunch, The More on 34 Polish food sale, our Fourth of July food stand at Francis Park, and our Polish Sausage Supper in October and the Polish food sale in December.
The work will be completed by Summy Construction, 703 N Main St, Kewanee, IL. Telephone: 309-853-9966. The renovation is not expected to disrupt worship services held on Sundays at 9 a.m. Neighbors are asked to forgive any inconvenience related to the construction.
Poland has recovered a treasured painting, stolen by Germany during World War II. I had posted Gierymski’s similar painting as my Art-for-the-Day on March 22nd.
A valuable 19th century Polish painting missing since the second world war has been returned to Poland after being removed from auction in Germany.
Aleksander Gierymski’s Jewish Woman Selling Oranges was unveiled in Poland on Wednesday by culture minister Bogdan Zdrojewski, who said the return came after many months of negotiations with lawyers representing a German who had possessed it for more than 30 years.
“During those long months, my main thought was to have this picture returned to Poland,” Zdrojewski said.
The work – sometimes referred to as the Orange Vendor – dates from 1880-1881 and is one of several Gierymski works showing Jewish life in poor parts of Warsaw.
The oil on canvas shows an old woman in a cap and with a thick shawl over her shoulders knitting as she holds two baskets, one filled with oranges. She has shrunken cheeks that give her an impoverished look, and is set against a foggy Warsaw skyline.
It has been returned to its original home in the National Museum in Warsaw, where it will undergo many months of renovation.
Museum director Agnieszka Morawinska described it as a “priceless masterpiece” that pleased the painter, rarely content with his own work.
Its return is a “very special day and a true gift for the museum”, she said.
The picture went missing from the museum in 1944, five years into Nazi Germany’s occupation of Poland.
It was among a huge numbers of cultural artefacts stolen by German and Soviet forces during their joint wartime occupation of Poland. The country’s government is making efforts to find and bring the works of art back.
The painting resurfaced last November among items offered for sale at a small auction house near Hamburg.
Poland’s chief insurer, PZU SA, paid an undisclosed sum in compensation to the German who had acquired the painting.
Of note, Gierymski painted two similar works: “Żydówka z cytrynami” and “Żydówka z pomarańczami” literally “Jewess with Lemons” and “Jewess with Oranges.”
Gazetta Wyborcza notes in Pomarańczarka w areszcie from November 2010, that Gierymski’s “Jewish woman with oranges” was looted from the National Museum in Warsaw during the war. His other, similar work, “Jewess with Lemons” is on display at the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom. Both paintings have different details, but express the same emotions and situations: toil, the bitterness of existence, persistence in spite of lost illusions, a lonely, tragic, damaged figure pushed down but not broken, and ultimately beautiful.
An example of oranges and lemons together in today’s painting: “Pomarańcze i cytryny,” “Oranges and Lemons” by Edward Okuń.
Bishop Jerzy Szotmiller of the Polish Catholic Church reposed in the Lord this afternoon, July 31, 2011, in Częstochowa, Poland. May Your servant and bishop Jerzy rest in peace O Lord!
