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Miłosz events

California Experiences to be Discussed at Yale
By Raymond Rolak

New York — A celebration and conference will be at the Czeslaw Milosz archive at the Bienecke Library on the Yale campus November 4-5, in New Haven, CT. An exhibition will be on display thru December 17, 2011, titled Exile as Destiny: Czesław Miłosz and America. The manuscripts, documents, and photographs on display are lesser-known aspects of Milosz’s relationship with America. What will be especially analyzed will be the multifaceted relationships with his adopted home in California and fellow émigré authors. How he embraced and distained his translations with the English language will also be discussed.

An academic poetry conference at Claremont McKenna College in Los Angeles regarding the celebrated author just concluded.

Centennial and Poetry of Milosz Featured in N.Y.

An evening of remembrance and poetry will be held at Columbia University on Saturday, October 27, 2011 at 5:30 pm., in the Butler Library. It will be a celebration of the memorabilia and poems of Czeslaw Milosz.

He died in 2004 at the age of 93 and had previously been a professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of California-Berkley from 1961 to 1998.

Milosz gained recognition for his poetry when he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1980. There will also be an exhibition of artifacts and letters opening at the Butler Library.

Controversy always followed him. He refused to categorically identify himself as either a Pole or a Lithuanian. He defected to France in 1951 and immigrated to the United States in 1960.

A collection of his essays published as “To Begin Where I Am” and “The Captive Mind” in 1953 brought him great notoriety. The author will be honored with comments by Professor Helen Vendler of Harvard University. The event will coincide with other multilingual readings of his poetry by members of the Colombia University community. Also featured will be Colombia’s Alan Timberlake and Dr. Anna Frajlich, who will both do readings.

Readings Also in San Francisco

In California, another celebration will be hosted by the Polish Arts and Culture Foundation of San Francisco when they present A Celebration of Milosz on Saturday October 29, at 2:00 PM. at the Main Library’s Koret Auditorium. A panel of literary notables, friends and family will read some of his works representing his European experiences and influences.

Miłosz at Central Connecticut State University

A Miłosz event at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU): “Czesław Miłosz: A Poet of Both Nations.” Yale professor Tomas Venclova will present on Wednesday, November 9th at 7pm in Founders Hall, Davidson Bldg, CCSU, New Britain CT. Professor Venclova is one of the outstanding scholars of Slavic Studies in the world. He was a friend of Polish poet Czesław Miłosz. Professor Venclova is an author of collections of poems, poetry-translations, essays, articles. His poetry has appeared in many languages. He is a recipient of numerous international poetry prizes including Valencia (Slovenia, 1990) and Qinghai (China, 2011), as well as of the Lithuanian National Prize (2000). The event is free and open to the public. Parking is available in campus garages. For more information, please contact the CCSU Polish Studies Department at 860-832-3010, or via E-mail.

The S. A. Blejwas Endowed Chair of Polish and Polish American Studies at CCSU will also be presenting “The Magic Mountain: an American portrait of Czesław Miłosz” on Sunday, November 13th at 4pm in the CCSU Vance Academic Center, Room 105. Celebrating 100th anniversary of Czesław Milosz’s birth, Polish Studies Program presents a documentary about American years in the life of Polish poet and 1980 Nobel Prize winner. Milosz’s own reminiscences and remarks by his friends and students, some of them the most prominent 20th century American intellectuals, complete the portrait of nearly 40 years the poet spent in Berkley, California. This event is also free and the public is cordially invited. For more information, please contact the CCSU Polish Studies Department at 860-832-3010, or via E-mail.

Events, Poetry, Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , , , ,

Miłosz centenary

Poetry of Milosz Featured at Colombia
By Raymond Rolak

New York — An evening of poetry and remembrance will be held at Columbia Universityon Saturday, October 27, 2011 at 5:30 pm., in the Butler Library. It will be a celebration of the memorabilia and poems of Czeslaw Milosz.

He died in 2004 at the age of 93 and had previously been a professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of California-Berkley from 1961 to 1998.

Milosz, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1980, has an exhibition of artifacts opening at the Butler Library. Controversy always followed him. He refused to categorically identify himself as either a Pole or a Lithuanian. He defected to France in 1951 and immigrated to the United States in 1960.

The commemorated author will be honored with comments by Professor Helen Vendler of Harvard University. The event will coincide with other multilingual readings of his poetry by members of the Colombia University community. Also featured will be Colombia’s Alan Timberlake and Dr. Anna Frajlich, who will both do readings.

Another celebration of the centennial of his birth will be the academic poetry conference at Claremont McKenna College in Los Angeles, October 19-21. Readings by Polish and American Poets including Piotr Florczyk, Jacek Gutorow and Joanna Treciak will be featured on Thursday, October 20th at 3:00 PM.

Christian Witness, Events, PNCC, , ,

The Consecration of the Very Rev. Paul Sobiechowski

By determination of the Prime Bishop, with the concurrence of the Supreme Council, the Consecration of the Very Rev. Paul Sobiechowski to the Office of Bishop in the Holy Polish National Catholic Church will take place on the Feast of St. Luke the Apostle and Evangelist, Tuesday, October 18th.

Fr. Senior Paul was elected to the Office amidst the work of the Church’s 26th General Synod last fall.

Very Rev. Paul Sobiechowski was born in Detroit, Michigan’s East Side. His father was an autoworker and his mother was a homemaker. Fr. Senior Paul spent his formative years at All Saints Polish National Catholic Church. He graduated from Wayne State University with a degree in history and Polish Language, completed his studies at Savonarola Theological Seminary, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1979. Father Paul served All Saints Cathedral Parish in Chicago for 4 1/2 years as assistant to Bishop Joseph Zawistowski.

From December 1983 through March 2011 Father Paul served as Administrator of the Bishop Kardas Memorial Home and continues to serve as Pastor of St. Joseph’s Polish National Catholic Church, Davie, Florida. The administrative senior of PNC parishes in Florida, he has served the general church as a member (past chair) of the Commission on Mission and Evangelism and as a member of the Supreme Council. For many years he has been a member of the Liturgical Commission and the PNC/RC Dialogue. He is chair of the PNC/Anglican Dialogue. Additionally, Father Paul has been the chaplain for the Polish Legion of American Veterans (state of Florida) and has coordinated an ecumenical chaplaincy program at a local hospital in South Florida for more than 20 years. Father Paul has embraced the challenges and joys of serving a culturally diverse congregation, preparing and celebrating liturgies in Polish, English, Spanish, and most recently Haitian Creole.

Following his consecration, Bishop Paul becomes the Diocesan Ordinary of the Eastern Diocese of the PNCC. Please continue to pray for him, his family, and his ministry.

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Folklore events in Eastern New York

Legends and Tales

The New York State Folklore Society is hosting Legends and Tales on November 12th at Binghamton University. The tentative schedule includes:

The Fabled and the Fabulous: Dawn Saliba of Binghamton University on “Shakespeare, Three Sisters and a Scottish King: The Witchlore of Macbeth as Influenced by King James’s Demonology;” Daniel Irving, of Binghamton University on “You Can’t Lose What You Ain’t Never Had: Southern Mythology and the Precariousness of Performance;” and, Trisha Cowen of Binghamton University on “A New Perspective on Happily Ever After: Children Dying to Close the Portal Between Worlds.”

Legendary Transformations: Chris MacKowski of Binghamton University on “The Legend of Stonewall Jackson’s Arm;” Nick Hilbourn of Binghamton University on “The Stranger Upstairs: Disability Representation in Urban Horror Legends;” and Bambi Lodell of the State University of New York at Oneonta on “Mythic Elements in the Life and Legend of Lucy Ann/Joseph Israel Lobdell.”

The Keynote Address, “Haunted Halls, Mansions, and Riverbanks: Legends of the Southern Tier” will be delivered by Dr. Elizabeth Tucker.

Other sessions include a reading by Novelist Jaimee Wriston Colbert from her work “Shark Girls,” “Folklore in Practice: Collecting Narratives after Disaster Strikes” with an esteemed panel of folklore professionals, and a closing session focusing on storytelling in performance with Milbre Burch, “Changing Skins: Folktales about Gender, Identity and Humanity.”

Milbre Burch is a grammy-nominated and internationally known storyteller. She is currently a graduate student in theater and folklore at the University of Missouri. Her performance, “Changing Skins” is informed by research on the wealth and persistence of gender-bending folktales and cultural expressions around the world. The tales — adapted from print collections by folklorists, anthropologists, linguists and literary scholars – are interwoven with personal observations of the social construction of gender, and notes on historical and contemporary thinking about the diversity of gender expressions.

For additional information and to register visit Legends and Tales.

Folk Arts in Education Development

The Society will also be presenting “Folk Arts in Education Development, a Workshop for Artists and Teachers” on Friday, October 21st from 8AM till 3:30PM at Celtic Hall, 430 New Karner Road, Albany, NY

The presentation will be led by Arts in Education Specialist Dr. Amanda Dargan of City Lore, Inc. along with featured artist Andes Manta.

Amanda Dargan holds a Ph.D. in Folklore and Folklife from the University of Pennsylvania. She is the Arts in Education Director for City Lore, Inc., a folk arts organization in Manhattan. In a joint effort with the Bank Street College of Education, Amanda Dargan pioneered a program of staff development sessions and seminars for teachers, administrators, and artists on how to integrate cultural studies and the arts into the core curriculum. Through a national initiative, Amanda Dargan and Paddy Bowman of the National Task Force on Folk Arts in Education have offered these trainings on how to effectively and creatively use students’ and communities’ resources in classrooms throughout the United States.

The session provides a forum where teachers may meet traditional artists from a variety of backgrounds, discover resources available for arts in education, make curriculum connections to traditional arts, and enhance local learning possibilities.

The event is free, but registration is required. For further information, contact Lisa at the New York Folklore Society at 518-346-7008.

2011 Summer Community Documentation Program

In the summer of 2011, the New York Folklore Society teamed up with the Schoharie River Center, the Schenectady Job Training Agency and the Schenectady High School to offer a six
week Community Documentation Program. NYFS staff Lisa Overholser and Ellen McHale joined SRC staff John McKeeby, Scott Haddam, and Ben McKeeby in working with nineteen Schenectady teens to document Schenectady’s green spaces and the activities which occur in and around Schenectady’s parks and waterways. The successful program was given special notice by the Schenectady Job Training Agency for its innovation.

Events, Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , ,

Deportees, crimes, and historical recollection

From Polskie Radio: Deportee Day [September 17th] recalls forgotten WW II exodus

Saturday sees the 7th World Day of the Siberian, saluting the hundreds of thousands of Polish citizens who were deported to far-flung corners of the Soviet Union during World War II.

Following tradition, the event is held on 17 September, marking the anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939.

Survivors from across the world are expected in Poland. Ceremonies will take place in the northern city of Gdansk, as well as in the nearby village of Szymbark, site of the extensive Siberian House Museum.

Deportees, including the elderly and children, were dispatched from Poland’s Eastern territories following the division of Poland between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in September 1939.

The four transports began in February 1940, primarily to Siberia and Kazakhstan. Many perished during the cramped train journeys, as more did while working in forced labour camps or on collective farms.

The deportations dealt a heavy blow to Poland’s professional elite, but the transports included citizens of all classes and ethnic backgrounds.

Historians are still divided as to the numbers of those deported. Contemporary Moscow figures cited 330,000, yet Poland’s wartime government-in-exile claimed over a million.

The matter became a source of embarrassment to the Soviet Union, after Hitler reneged on his non-aggression pact with Stalin and invaded Moscow-held territory in 1941, thus prompting Stalin to turn to Great Britain – and by default its Polish ally – for support.

An amnesty was declared, and General Wladyslaw Anders, one of the thousands of Polish internees in the Soviet Union, was allowed to raise an army from among the prisoners.
The so-called Polish Second Corps journeyed to Iran, where it regrouped and joined the fight against the Nazis, as part of the British 8th Army.

However, thousands did not make it out of Soviet territory. Historian Andrzej Paczkowski puts the mortality rate at 8-10 percent.

Noted deportees included the writer Gustaw Herling-Grudzinski, whose post-war book A World Apart was cited by historian Anne Applebaum as one of the finest accounts of life in the Soviet Gulag.

Likewise, Poland’s most celebrated pre-war film star, Eugeniusz Bodo, was among those who perished in the Soviet Union.

Oscar-nominated Polish-Jewish film-maker Jerzy Hoffman survived the ordeal as a child. He is currently preparing to release Poland’s first 3D film, The Battle for Warsaw, this month.

As it was, the vast majority of Anders’ Army did not return to the Soviet-dominated Poland that emerged after the war.

Ryszard Kaczorowski (1919-2010), the last president of the government-in-exile in London, was himself a survivor of both Siberia and the Italian campaign.

Although the wartime deportations were devastating in Poland, they were by no means unique. In May 1944, Moscow launched the deportation of the entire Tatar population of the Crimea. Activists are calling for the action, known as Surgun, to be classified as genocide.

From the Libra Institute: Report from the Capitol Hill Conference, “Katyń: Unfinished Inquiry”

On the eve of the 72nd anniversary of the Soviet aggression on Poland, an important conference took place on the Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The conference entitled “Katyń – Unfinished Inquiry” was co-sponsored by fifteen civic and academic organizations from all over the United States, including organizations representing Katyń families and Siberian deportees such as the Katyń Forest Massacre Memorial Committee of New Jersey, Kresy-Siberia Foundation USA, National Katyń Memorial Foundation of Maryland, Polish Legacy Project of Buffalo, New York, Siberian Society USA, Siberian Society of Florida, the Poles of Santa Rosa in Chicago, the Polish Army Veterans Association in America and the Polish American Congress. The conference was co-organized by Libra Institute and the Institute of World Politics with the support of Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur.

While commemorating the Polish victims of the Soviet aggression of September 17, 1939, the participants deliberated how to achieve healing of the wounds and genuine reconciliation between the people of Russia and Poland in the twenty first century. The participants acknowledged that the path to reconciliation leads through revealing the full truth.

Professor David Crane who served as Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone presented Expert Report from the Katyń Symposium that took place at Case Western Reserve School of Law in February 2011. Referring to the Expert Report, he pointed out that genuine reconciliation must be built on truthful accountability through full disclosure, atonement, contrition and compensation. He also stated that although various experts offer different classifications of the Katyń crime, according to him Katyń qualified as genocide. Prof. Crane also stated that the United States should consider forwarding the evidence, findings and recommendations of the Madden Committee to the General Assembly of the United Nations with the recommendations that the United Nations take appropriate steps to have the case forwarded to the International Court of Justice and/or seek the establishment of an international commission that will investigate this case. The other ways in which the United States could assist in seeking justice for the Katyń crime would be the full disclosure of documents related to Katyń that are in the possession of the US Government and adopting legislation that would recognize the wrong that has been done by the United States as a result of the suppression of evidence. The United States should also consider issuing an apology to the Katyń victims and the Polish people, providing compensation to the Katyń families who are US citizens either directly or through the establishment of the Katyń Truth and Reconciliation Institute, and should sponsor an educational outreach program on the Katyń crime and the cover-up.

Dr. John Lenczowski, President of the Institute of World Politics, in his opening remarks pointed out that the Katyń crime aimed at eliminating the leadership class of Poland. He criticized the Russian anti-Katyń strategy by pointing out that the Soviet soldiers taken as prisoners of war by Poland as a result of the 1920 Polish-Russian War represented the invading army and died of communicable diseases. He also elaborated on the role of the US Government in covering up the Katyń crime and suppressing all Katyń related information, including the destruction of the key eyewitness reports by the top US Military Intelligence Officer, in order not to upset Moscow. He pointed out that the key Katyń-related documents have never been released by the US Government. Apparently, there is never a good time to do so, especially when the USA aims at resetting relations with Russia.

Frank Spula, President of the Polish-American Congress, spoke about the significance of the Katyń crime for the Polish-American community. He stated that he was honored to be in this congressional office building and participate in such a historical event, especially considering that this building was named after Sam Rayburn who initiated the original investigation into the Katyń crime sixty years ago. Back then Roman Pucinski, the Chief Investigator of the Madden Committee led the struggle for truth and justice. Today his daughter, Aurelia Pucinski, came to this congressional building to continue her father’s struggle for justice. Katyń has a special significance to the Americans of Polish heritage.

…

The closing remarks belonged to Wesley Adamczyk, Son of the Polish Officer imprisoned in Starobelsk, murdered in Kharkov and buried in the Piatichatki forest. Having searched for his father’s burial site for six decades, finally in June of 1998, while accompanied by his American-born son, Mr. Adamczyk had an opportunity to pay last respects to his father at the Piatichatki cemetery. Upon leaving, he appealed to his son never to forget that even the grinding of the bones and planting of the trees over the graves does not stop the truth from coming to the surface. Mr. Adamczyk stressed that today, nearly seventy years later, there still exist a “universal cover-up” of the Katyń crime in its entirety. He also explained that the origin of the cover-up of the Katyń crime, referred to as “conspiracy of silence”, began by the Big Four during the London meeting in the summer of 1945. The purpose of that meeting was to establish procedures for prosecution of major war criminals during the upcoming trials by the International Military Tribunal to be held in Nuremberg. It was there that the Big Four agreed that the Soviets would handle the indictment and prosecution of the Katyń crime, even though the Western Allies knew that all arrows pointed to the Soviet guilt. The Western Allies won the war against Nazi Germany but justice for the victims of the Katyń crime was never sought. In closing, Mr. Adamczyk appealed to the Government of the United States to undertake pro-active steps towards full disclosure and dissemination of all documents related to the Katyń atrocity in the possession of the US Government because without revealing full truth justice cannot be served.

More from the Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law: Katyń Conference Papers.

Kresy-Siberia Group and Foundation Resources:

Research, Remembrance and Recognition of Polish citizens’ struggles in the Eastern Borderlands and in Exile during World War 2. Kresy-Siberia is the premiere “one-stop” location on the internet providing information sources on the Kresy, the persecutions and deportations of Poles, and Polonian life in exile during and after World War II.

Their resources include:

[AMAZONPRODUCT=0226004430]

Maps and Shadows

A two part interview on Zita Christian’s show “Full Bloom” with Krysia Jopek. Ms. Jopek discusses her book “Maps and Shadows” and the story of two of the four survivors of the Polish deportation to Siberia in 1940, her father and aunt.

[AMAZONPRODUCT=1607720078]

Events, Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , ,

Reopening of the Adam Mickiewicz Library

The Grand Re-Opening of the Adam Mickiewicz Library took place at the Adam Mickiewicz Library & Dramatic Circle on Saturday, September 17th. I was once a member of the Adam Mickiewicz Library and Dramatic Circle and had visited its tremendous library several times. There are true treasures there and great resources for historical research.

The library had been officially closed and generally inaccessible for the last 17 years. During the reopening tours were provided by librarian Mary Lanham.

Here is a video of the re-opening ceremony:

The library is located in the Adam Mickiewicz Library & Dramatic Circle building at 612 Fillmore Ave., Buffalo, NY.

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Sirenland 2012

One Story is accepting applications for Sirenland 2012 from September 15th to October 31st.

Join writers Dani Shapiro, Jim Shepard, and Susan Orlean, along with One Story magazine March 25-31, 2012 for the Sirenland Writers Conference. Experience advanced fiction and memoir workshops in an intimate, supportive environment at one of the most beautiful five star luxury hotels in the world – Le Sirenuse – in Positano, Italy.

Participation in this conference is limited to ensure individual attention and create a close, friendly community. Each day features an intensive, small group workshop with acclaimed writers Dani Shapiro, Jim Shepard, and Susan Orlean, as well as private time for writing, and excursions to nearby Pompeii and the Isle of Capri. Evenings will include talks about publishing and living the writer’s life, with Dani Shapiro, Jim Shepard, Karen Shepard, Susan Orlean, screenwriter Michael Maren, and Hannah Tinti (co-founder and editor-in-chief of One Story), distinguished visiting authors, student and instructor readings, and fantastic meals overlooking the Islands of Li Galli, formerly called the “Island of the Sirens.”

To apply writers must submit a brief statement of purpose (about 250 words) and a writing sample (no more than 7,000 words). All applications will be taken online. Because this workshop will be limited, One-Story encourages writers to apply right away.

Events, Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , , ,

Miscellany for Learning

The lecture notes of University of Kansas Professor Anna M. Cienciala: Nationalism and Communism in East Central Europe. The notes cover the history of East Central Europe from the partitions of Poland beginning in 1772 through to the post-Communiest period.

The Online Encyclopedia of Mass Violence’s Chronology of Mass Violence in Poland 1918-1948

Telling the Irena Sendler story: Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project

Protestant kids from rural Kansas, discovered a Polish Catholic woman who saved Jewish children. Irena Sendler and these students have chosen to repair the world. This web site shares the legacy and life of Irena Sendler, plus her ‘discovery’ for the world.

Editions Bibliotekos announced that Dr. John Guzlowski will participate in a series sponsored by the English Department of St. Francis College on October 11th from 4–6 pm. John’s reading and discussion, entitled War Remembered – Lightning and Ashes: Two Lives Shaped by World War II, will be the third such event initiated by Editions Bibliotekos and hosted by St. Francis. The event will be held in Founders Hall, 180 Remsen St., Brooklyn Heights, NY, and is free and open to the public.

CNN’s Eye On takes you to Poland starting Monday, September 12th.

Through interviews and in-depth coverage, get an up-close look at the country in an international context on TV and online.

In 1989, Poland became the first member of the Soviet bloc to establish a non-Communist government.

Since then it has run headlong into the western world with one of the fastest-growing economies in Europe. The CIA World Factbook calls Poland a regional success story…

Poland’s multiethnic past is remembered in A Commonwealth of Diverse Cultures. Highlights include the contributions of Poles whose heritage is Jewish or is from the Ruthenian/Byzantine East, Lithuania, Italy, France, Germany, Armenia, the Islamic southeast. This history of Scotts in Poland is not covered, but is also interesting.

James Conroyd Martin recently finished his manuscript focusing on the Polish Insurrection of 1830. He has posted lines from the manuscript on Facebook. Also, check out Morgen Bailey’s interview with James Martin at Morgen Bailey’s Writing Blog

Kanonia Square below was aglow with torches borne by people streaming towards Długa Street. Events had moved fast, much faster than Viktor had imagined. The people had joined the cadets’ insurgency with unexpected enthusiasm and resolve. Russians had always underrated the Poles, just as the Turks had at the Battle of Vienna. Here was more modern proof.

From The Text Message: Little Poland en la hacienda

From 1943 to 1946, Colonia Santa Rosa in Guanajuato, Mexico was the site of a US-government sponsored home for Polish refugees. About 240 miles northwest of Mexico City and “10 minutes’ ride by mule-drawn tram from the Leon railway station,” the hacienda included a 39-room ranch house, a flour mill, ten wheat storage warehouses, a chapel and other buildings, as well as several acres for growing crops. By October 1943, almost 1,500 Poles were sheltered at Colonia Santa Rosa.

Their path to Mexico was an unlikely one. Having been removed from their communities by the Soviet military in 1939, they first were put to work in Russia and Siberia. They were resettled in Iran by the Russians, and fell into the care of the British government. The British relocated them to camps in Karachi, then still a part of India, and sought US assistance for their support. An agreement was reached between the British, US and Mexican governments with the provisional Polish government in London to relocate these refugees to Mexico…

Martin Stepek seeks to understand and pass on what he has learned about his family’s life in Poland, and their odyssey to find refuge in Polish Legacy. His grandmother and grandfather died in Poland during World War Two, and his father and two aunts narrowly avoided the same fate.

BBC announces a new drama: The Spies Of Warsaw for BBC Four

Two 90-minute film adaptations of Alan Furst’s acclaimed novels will bring to BBC Four a combination of historically located, intelligent narratives, interlaced with flawed, romantic and utterly compelling characters. Furst, widely recognised as the current master of the historical spy novel, evokes a Europe stumbling into a Second World War, his taut and richly atmospheric thrillers grace the bestseller lists right around the globe. They have been described as “Casablanca meets John le Carre”.

Richard Klein, Controller, BBC Four, says: “Alan Furst is one of the world’s finest writers on war and the costs of war on human relationships. It is with great pleasure that I can confirm that BBC Four will be dramatising for television one of his best known novels, Spies Of Warsaw. Furst and Four are a very good fit and I hope our audiences will enjoy the result of this collaboration.”

The characters of Alan Furst’s best-selling spy novels roam the foggy nights and steal across the rainy, cobbled streets of Prague, Berlin, Warsaw, Rome, and Paris. Furst’s protagonists join the ranks of the Resistance in one way or another. They include faded nobility, b-movie filmmakers, newspapermen, ship’s captains and compromised businessmen as well as waiters, shopkeepers, jaded intellectuals, tarnished grand dames, and boozy British secret agents. Together they march in the underground army that seeks to fight back against the Nazi occupiers.

Spanning the decade from 1933 to 1943, as the Germans slowly consolidate their political stranglehold on Europe, Furst’s stories are portraits of subjugated peoples who try to resist the suffocating inevitability of Hitler’s regime. They show the potency and the importance of espionage and pure intelligence in the run up to the war…

Alan Alda had his new play about Marie Skłodowska Curie, RADIANCE: The Passion of Marie Curie, read during opening night of the World Science Festival in New York on June 1st. From the NY Times: Meryl Streep to Participate in Alan Alda’s Marie Curie Play

Mr. Alda, who has written five screenplays and a carton-full of television scripts, said on Monday that “Radiance: The Passion of Marie Curie,” is his first attempt at playwriting. The idea struck him about three years ago when he was planning to organize a reading of excerpts from Curie’s letters for the World Science Festival. “Then I found out her letters were all still radioactive and I switched to Albert Einstein,” said Mr. Alda, who has a passion for science. “But I love Marie Curie and I think her story is so important and dramatic, I wanted to explore it and write a play about it.”

Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in 1902 – for the theory of radioactivity that she developed with her husband, Pierre – and the first person to receive the award twice. She was awarded her second Nobel in chemistry in 1911 for her discovery of two elements, radium and polonium. There have been several renditions of Curie’s life on stage, television and film, including the 1943 drama starring Greer Garson. Without giving too much of the plot away, Mr. Alda said his play focuses on the period between her first Nobel Prize and her second nine years later. The Nobel committee did not originally want to include Curie in the award and only backed down after pressure from her husband. “But they wouldn’t let her get up and accept the award,” Mr. Alda said. “She had to sit in the audience.” In the intervening years, Pierre Curie died and Marie had to run a gauntlet of setbacks and obstacles, but by 1911, Mr. Alda said, “her work is finally recognized, and she takes full credit for it, even though by now she’s weakened by radiation poisoning.”

“I think she had a kind of cognitive dissonance about it,” Mr. Alda said of the damaging fallout from her experiments. “She didn’t want to believe it was sickening her,” he added. “It’s part of the heroism of science itself. We as a species are just so interested in understanding things that might be dangerous to mess with, but nothing stops us.”

Mr. Alda, a voracious reader of nonfiction, said he did his own research. “All I read is science,” he said, though confessed that the math and chemistry involved still elude him…

From Polskie Radio: Poland – a land that time forgot?

A grim-looking farmer with a pitchfork and communist-era industrial cityscapes – such are the images of Poland often presented in modern-day history books in Western Europe, finds a new report.

The backward image of Poland so often presented in history books has been tackled in a report issued on behalf of the Foreign Affairs Ministry by historian Professor Adam Suchoński from Opole University, who looked into the history textbooks used in high schools throughout Europe.

…

“These textbooks are still very much in use. Reprinted every couple of years, reinforcing negative stereotype of Poles and their country,” says Professor Suchoński, adding that “[Poles] are depicted as fighters, victims of war, persecution and failed national uprisings.”

…

The historian suggests that Poland should prepare an extensive overview of its history, which it should forward to the Georg Eckert Institute, an acclaimed reference center for textbook research in Germany and a Mecca for authors of history books.

Modjeska — Woman Triumphant: The first full-length documentary made about Helena Modjeska

Helena Modjeska was born in Krakow, Poland, on October 12, 1840. She received her only formal education while attending the convent run by the Order of the Presentation Sisters. She was seduced at a young age by one of the family guardians, Gustave Sinnmayer. He later fathered her two children, Rudolph and her daughter Marylka, who died in infancy. As the couple traveled with their acting troupe around the provincial towns of Galicia, Gustave used the stage name “Modrzejewski” while Helena adopted the feminine version “Modrzejewska”. Later, when performing abroad, she anglicized her name to “Modjeska”.

Realizing that her impresario could no longer advance her career, Helena left Sinnmayer, taking their son Rudolf, and returned to Krakow. While engaged in the Krakow theatre, she met the Polish nobleman, Karol Bozenta Chlapowski. They married in 1868 and left for Warsaw where she became the most celebrated actress of the Polish national theatre. Her brothers Jozef and Feliks Benda were also respected actors in Poland. The Chlapowski home became the center of the artistic and literary world. Yet, due to the political situation in Poland and its influence on her work, Helena’s life became unbearable.

In 1876, for personal and political reasons, Modjeska and her family emigrated to the United States with a small group of friends. They purchased a ranch in Anaheim, California, forming a Polish colony of intellectuals. The colonists knew very little about farming and the utopian experiment eventually failed.

Modjeska returned to the stage, debuting in San Francisco with an English version of Adrienne Lecouvreur and reprising the Shakespearean roles that she had performed in Poland. Despite her accent and imperfect command of English, Modjeska achieved great success in her thirty-year career in the United States and abroad.

In 1893 Modjeska was invited to speak in a women’s conference at the Chicago World’s Fair. She described the hardships of Polish women in the Russian and Prussian-ruled parts of Poland. The Russian tsar banned her from traveling or performing in Russian territory.

Modjeska became known for her support of charitable causes. She had ignited and influenced the careers of many international artists, such as Sienkiewicz and Paderewski. She advanced and uplifted the profession of acting for women…

Deconstructing myth: Cavalry did not charge the tanks – some interesting facts about the start of World War II. Based on John Radzilowski’s work and featured in the NocturN510 Blog.

The battle in the Polish Corridor was especially intense. It was here that the myth of the Polish cavalry charging German tanks was born. As Gen. Heinz Guderian’s panzer and motorized forces pressed the weaker Polish forces back, a unit of Pomorska Cavalry Brigade slipped through German lines late in the day on Sept. 1 in an effort to counterattack and slow the German advance. The unit happened on a German infantry battalion making camp. The Polish cavalry mounted a saber charge, sending the Germans fleeing at that moment, a group of German armored cars arrived on the scene and opened fire on the cavalry, killing several troopers and forcing the rest to retreat. Nazi propagandists made this into “cavalry charging tanks” and even made a movie to embellish their claims. While historians remembered the propaganda, they forgot that on September 1, Gen. Guderian had to personally intervene to stop the German 20th motorized division from retreating under what it described as “intense cavalry pressure.” This pressure was being applied by the Polish 18th Lancer Regiment, a unit one tenth its size.

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Festival of Arts in Bloomfield, Michigan — entries now being accepted

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP– The annual “Festival of Arts” in Bloomfield Township, Michigan at the Nativity Episcopal Church, will take place September 16-18, 2011. The last call for artists has been extended to August 14th.

“We will have a gala opening reception on Friday, September 16, at 7:00 pm to mingle with the presenters and special guests,” said Henryka Olbrot. Olbrot is President of the Lakeland Society of Artists which supports the show. The transplant from Warsaw, Poland is an active art ambassador in Oakland County.

All manner of disciplines will be accepted, including paintings, sculpture, photography, glass and pottery. Also included will be acrylics, jewelry, watercolors, fibers, graphics and surface art.

One of the special prizes will be an artist’s proof vase, sculpted by local artist Patricia Auerbach of Berkley, Michigan.

The long running show will be juried and exhibition items will be for sale. The entire church building will be decorated as an art gallery. For more information Diane Wittlinger at 248-242-2347.

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Around the PNCC, Lent to Summer 2011

From the Abington Journal: St. Stanislaus Polish National Catholic Cathedral Block Party, from 5 to 10 p.m. continuing through the 27th. Corner of Pittston Avenue and East Elm Street, Scranton. Features a variety of foods, drinks, games and music. Info: 570.961.9231

From the Republican Herald: Around the Region

Shenandoah: Of all the houses of worship ever in the borough – there were 18, including those now defunct – only two are on the east side. They are St. Stephen Roman Catholic Church, East Oak Street, and the First United Methodist Church, Oak and White streets. The church/synagogue count includes Catholic (Roman [, Polish National,] and Ukrainian), Orthodox, Protestant and Jewish. Defunct houses of worship include Kehillat Israel Synagogue, the Russian Orthodox Church, Our Lady of Mercy Syrian Catholic and Holy Family German Catholic. Although the St. George Roman Catholic Church building no longer exists, the parish family remains functional. Still existing are Annunciation BVM, St. Stanislaus, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, St. Stephen and St. Casimir Roman Catholic, St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic, Holy Ghost Polish National, St. John’s Lutheran, Trinity United Church of Christ, First Baptist, Restoration Fellowship, Primitive Methodist and First United Methodist. In years past, the Greater Shenandoah Area Historical Society sponsored tours of the various churches.

From The Dispatch: Holy Mother of Sorrows to host music convention

The National United Choir (NUC) 22nd Music Workshop/30th General Convention hosted by the Scranton Chapter Circle Choir will be held at Holy Mother of Sorrows Church on Wednesday, July 27, through Friday, July 29. This workshop brings together the many talents of organists, choir members and musicians dedicated to the music ministry of the Polish National Catholic Church.

The convention will open on Wednesday with a Mass at Holy Mother of Sorrows beginning at 5:00 p.m. concelebrated by the Prime Bishop Anthony Mikovsky of the Polish National Catholic Church, United States and Canada; Bishop John Mack of the Diocese of Central Scranton, New York and New Jersey; Bishop Thomas Gnat, Bishop of the New England Diocese, Bishop Anthony Popka, Bishop of the Diocese of Chicago and Father Zbigniew Dawid, Pastor of Holy Mother of Sorrows.

Five instructors will give their expertise in music over the two day workshop: Dr. Jim Ploshanka of Cleveland, Ohio; Dr. Neil Stahurski of Pittsburgh, Patrick Marsinko, II; Scranton; Lisa McConlogue, Scranton, Director of Vocal Music at Scranton High School and Wendy Blotzer, McKeesport, Math Teacher, Clairiton City, who has served the National United Choirs as a Music Commission member, Music Scholarship Reviewer and Composer.

The Convention/ Workshop participants will review the new organist handbook, expand the music scholarship program which has awarded more than $330,000 since its inception in 1966 to parishioners committed to the music ministry, prepare music selections for the two free concerts and introduce their newly published church hymnal. This one of a kind hymnal includes all of the traditional Polish hymns from all the holidays plus customary church songs with the Polish verses on one side and the English translation on the other side. Volunteers from all parishes throughout the continental United States spent 20 years crafting this hymnal.

On Thursday, July 28, and Friday, July 29, after the days convention the National United Choir will hold two concerts free of charge and will be open to the public. Both concerts will be held in Holy Mother of Sorrows Church starting at 7:00 p.m.

On Thursday the Ekumen Chorale the Premier Eastern European Choral Ensemble of Northeastern Pa. conducted by Patrick Marsinko, II will perform sacred choral works compiled by composers of Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Belarus.

Marsinko, founder and conductor of the Ekumne since its creation in 1985 is a native and resident of Northeastern Pa. and holds Bachelor’s Degree in Language and Music from the University of Miami. He studied for his Master’s Degree in Rome and at the Eastern European Institute at Fordham University. He has worked with the Miami Symphony, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic. He has taught at Marywood University and Keystone Junior College, was Director of the Keystone Choir and has also taught in the Scranton and Archbald Public School Systems for the past 28 years.

Friday’s concert will include all the visiting Bishops with the workshop participants singing a selection of songs from the new hymnal featuring Dr. Neil Stahurski as organist.

Following this concert refreshment will be served in the parish hall. All are welcome.

The National United Choir has commissioned the hymnals for sale to the public. If you are interested contact Raymond Makowski, Librarian of the NUS at 1233 Rundel St, Scranton, Pa. 18504, or call 570-346-6756. The cost is $25.00 and $3.00 for shipping. He will also have the hymnals available after the concerts on Thursday and Friday.

From the Northwest Indiana Times: East Chicago church blesses new Cedar Lake home

The Rev. Anthony Mikovsky, seventh prime bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church, and the Rev. Anthony Kopka, diocesan bishop of the Western Diocese, are presented bread and salt by James Szalony and Katherine Long during Sunday’s dedication of St. Michael the Archangel National Catholic Church in Cedar Lake. Kopka mixed blessed salt, wine, ashes and water to make Gregorian water, which traditionally is used to consecrate churches and altars.

The church dedicated the first phase of its new complex in Cedar Lake on Sunday afternoon. In addition to parishioners and clergy of other faiths, special guests included Town Council President Robert Carnahan and two officials from Pangere Corp., which built the new building at 6629 W. 133th Ave.

“This day we bless our parish,” said St. Michael’s pastor, the Rev. John P. Kowalczyk.

As part of the ceremony, Pangere’s Robert Grow and Steve Pangere presented Kowalczyk, Dale Wynant, parish committee chairman, and Bill Burket, relocation committee chairman, with keys to the building. “May the building stand 100 years,” Grow said.

St. Michael’s sold its original church, in East Chicago, in 2007. Until the opening of the new church building, parishioners celebrated Mass at Great Oaks Banquets in Cedar Lake.

Carnahan presented the building’s certificate of occupancy on behalf of the Town Council.

“It is a privilege and an honor to do so,” he said.

The dedication ceremony was conducted by Kowalczyk, the Rev. Anthony Mikovsky, seventh prime bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church, and the Rev. Anthony Kopka, diocesan bishop of the Western Diocese. Other Polish National Catholic clergy attended, as well as ecumenical guests from United Methodist, Zion United Church of Christ and local Catholic churches.

After the keys and certificate of occupancy were presented, the processional cross led the way. The bishops first blessed the church entrance and the area of the building to be used as a hall. In the hall, Kopka mixed blessed salt, wine, ashes and water to make Gregorian water, which traditionally is used to consecrate churches and altars. The church’s sanctuary space was then blessed and its altar consecrated.
The bishop blessed items from the parish’s old church, including an offertory table, tabernacle, pulpit and woodcut panels depicting the stations of the cross.

St. Michael the Archangel National Catholic Church was first established in East Chicago in 1903. Its earliest parishioners were Polish. It reached 200 members by the 1940s.

A new church, with more than 50 stained glass windows donated by parish families, was built in East Chicago in the 1950s. English Masses were added in the 1960s and the church continued to grow. Its 100th anniversary was celebrated Sept. 28, 2003.

The last Mass in the old church was celebrated Nov. 18, 2007. The parish purchased 7.75 acres on 133rd Avenue in Cedar Lake in 2008. Groundbreaking for the new church complex was March 8, 2009.

From the Times Leader: Ashley Legion honors vets with monument: Tribute to fallen veterans and victims of 9/11 is dedicated at Club 79

WILKES-BARRE – With pomp and circumstance, the five uniformed members of the Ashley American Legion Post 673 paid tribute to America’s fallen veterans and the victims of 9/11 on Monday by dedicating a monument in front of Club 79 on Blackman Street.

The ceremony was arranged by Club 79 owner Charles Hoynowski, who also purchased the monument, which reads, “To all veterans and those 2,982 victims who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.”

The ceremony began with the Very Rev. Thaddeus Dymkowski of Holy Cross Polish National Catholic Church in Wilkes-Barre saying a prayer and then blessing the monument with holy water. Legion chaplain Arthur Prandy then made some remarks.

“We are gathered here today to dedicate this memorial in honor of the victims of the terrible 9/11 tragedy, where so many people lost their lives, and to honor all of our deceased veterans,” Prandy said.

Following Prandy’s comments, three members of the legion fired blanks from guns in memory of the honored, and legion bugler Charles Falcheck played “Taps” on his bugle. An American flag was hoisted up a pole behind the monument.

Ashley American Legion members are responsible for attending local military funerals and delivering military honors. They receive their assignments from Officer Warren Gallagher of Scranton, who gets his information from Fort Dix in New Jersey.

Post Commander Tom Paul of Ashley was pleased with the ceremony.

“I think it’s a great thing,” he said. “We should have more monuments out there for our veterans and for what happened during 9/11.”

Hoynowski, 68, was inspired to place the monument due in part to his own experiences in uniform; he served in the U.S. Navy from 1961-67 and was a state trooper from 1972 to 1992.

“We were supposed to place the monument five years ago, but the club was having financial problems,” he said. “Now that the club is doing better, we’re finally doing it.”

In addition to dedicating the monument, Club 79 will also donate a $100 check to the Flight 93 National Memorial Campaign Fund in Washington, D.C. This campaign raises funds for a proposed memorial located in Shanksville to honor the Flight 93 passengers who thwarted another terrorist attack on 9/11.

From New London Patch: Under The Gold Star Bridge, A Small Church With A Big Heart: It plans to keep meeting, but the St. Peter and Paul Polish National Catholic Church may soon be giving up their building to the Homeless Hospitality Center

When I was working to put together some of the directory for this website, the St. Peter and Paul Polish National Catholic Church at first eluded me. A business located farther down State Pier Road informed me that I’d overshot the building, and I found it amid a small cluster of buildings. The small wooden structure is slightly obscured by trees, located next to a housing project and the larger Faith Fellowship church, across from the Old Town Mill, and almost directly under one of the ramps leading to the Gold Star Bridge.

The denomination itself dates back to 1897 when it split from the Roman Catholic Church to incorporate Polish language and culture. The New London church was founded 90 years ago, in 1921, when the area had a Polish neighborhood to help sustain it. With attrition and the changing surroundings, the membership has dwindled to about 20, and only about 10 people were at the service I attended on Mother’s Day (the third Sunday of Easter). It’s a small but vibrant group dedicated to keeping the church active.

Stepping inside the church almost seemed like entering another world. The interior was well-maintained, with a bright altar holding several religious figures. Simple blue and gold windows let in the light, but none of the sound, from outside. Inside the sanctuary, the rumble of the interstate traffic overhead was nonexistent.

Rev. Stanley Kaszubski, the church’s pastor, says the Polish church is similar to the Roman Catholic Church, but does not fall under the Pope’s administration. Other differences include the right of priests to marry and a ceremony at the beginning of the service where confession is done silently and followed by general absolution. The program does not outline every step of the service, but the members seem to know where to find the necessary responses in a booklet entitled “The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.”

The service is remarkably quick, lasting about 45 minutes. A significant portion of that time includes the prayers and proclamations leading into the communion, presented by Kaszubski at the front of the church. Kaszubski also gave a brief address, smiling as he dedicated the mass to the mothers and encouraged everyone to enjoy the beautiful weather. His lesson gave another encouragement, saying Christians often look to personally experience Christ but don’t share it with others.

“We really need God every day in our lives,” he said.

Kaszubski, a native of Poland, has served in other churches in the denomination, including one in Manchester and one in Webster, Mass. He served 12 years as administrator of the New London church before he was appointed pastor last year. The services are open to all, not just those of Polish descent, and he said he is always available to assist anyone with their troubles.

“We are here, we will be here, and anyone is invited to worship,” he said.

Kathy Donlon, who has attended the church for five years, said Kaszubski’s upbeat and welcoming attitude was one of the main factors that made her decide to become a member. She said she particularly enjoys the homilies Kaszubski delivers, as they make a strong connection with the congregants.

“You feel like he’s almost family, because it’s such a small church,” said Donlon.

Colleen (Rzepniewski) Pinckney said she was christened in the church and has attended regularly since 2000. She feels a personal connection to the church, as her grandfather helped found the church and her father retrieved the chandelier hanging in the sanctuary as part of his work in house demolition.

“The feeling that I have when I’m here, the feeling of belonging…there’s definitely a connection for me, and I can’t explain it because it comes from my heart,” said Pinckney.

With increasing expenses and decreasing membership, the church is still going but poised to make a big change. It is working to sell the church to the New London Homeless Hospitality Center, at which point they would move both the daytime operations and night shelter into the building. The members would continue to meet next door, in the conference room in the rectory.

For Pinckney, the change will be bittersweet. She said she was initially upset with the idea of turning over the church to another group. However, she said she was happy it would be used as a “continuation of God’s work.”

From the National Council of Churches: National Council of Churches member communions say the death of Bin Laden must be a turning point

New York, May 3, 2011 – The death Sunday of Osama Bin Laden does not “eradicate the scourge of terrorism,” but it should stimulate the churches to commit themselves “to moving forward together as witnesses for God’s love and peace.”

The statement, released Tuesday on behalf of the National Council’s member communions, says:

The death of Osama Bin Laden is a significant moment in the turbulent history of the past decade. It does not eradicate the scourge of terrorism nor does it bring closure to the grieving and pain the world has endured since the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, for which he was the primary architect. The National Council of Churches deplores and condemns the extremism he personified, the twisted illusions that wrought years of violence and evil in the world.

Now the member communions of the National Council of Churches pray for God’s help as we commit ourselves to moving forward together as witnesses for God’s love and peace. In November 2001, as the world reeled from the terror attacks, the General Assembly of the National Council of Churches and Church World Service challenged their communions to take the lead:

It is time [we said then] for us as an ecumenical community to make a renewed commitment to a ministry of peace with justice, and to make real in these days the call of Jesus, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44) In his Beatitudes, Jesus calls us, his followers, to be merciful if we are to receive mercy; he reminds us that the peacemakers are blessed and will be called children of God. And, he proclaims us “the light of the world”; our good works should be a beacon to others so they may give glory to God. (Matthew 5:14-16)…

The NCC includes the PNCC and the statement was signed by the Rev. Robert M. Nemkovich, Jr., Ecumenical Officer of the Polish National Catholic Church in America.

From the Albany Times Union: Seeking divine sustenance: The Capital Region’s faithful celebrate Easter with a truly diverse range of traditional fare

Throughout the generations, Christian immigrants brought along not only the rituals of their religion but also favorite foods for the celebration of Easter.

After sundown on Holy Saturday, a cauldrum of fire to light the paschal candle — signifying Christ, the light of the world — burns outside a Loudonville church of a longstanding Polish National Catholic congregation.

In Albany on Sunday, Nigerians and Ghanaians in African garb celebrate Christ’s resurrection with drumming and singing in their native dialects at the International Christian Fellowship Ministry.

After the Easter service at the First United Methodist Church Hispanic Emmanuel Faith Community in Rensselaer, Caribbean sweet drinks quench the thirst of the congregation led by Pastor Mariana Rodriquez. Some three dozen members gather in the parish hall for a chicken dinner and a Cuban drink made from sweet potatoes, and one from red beans with roots in the Domincan Republic.

Sweet is also favored by Germans in delicacies like marzipan, an almond paste, in the shape of a lamb. “Jesus was the lamb of God, and that means good luck,” says Glen Eggelhoefer, owner of Rolf’s Pork Store in Albany’s West Hill. Ham and lamb are the most common main courses.

“After 40 days of Great Lent, after fasting, it is now time to celebrate and taste food — a gift from God,” said the Rev. Mark Gnidzinski, pastor of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Czestochowa. Founded by Polish immigrants in Albany in 1920, the parish celebrated its first Mass at its suburban home on Easter Sunday in 1999.

In Polish and Eastern European tradition, swieconka is the blessing in church of decorated Easter baskets filled with kielbasa, horseradish, bread, butter lambs and colored eggs that signify new life. The food graces the Easter dinner table…

From the Times-Tribune: Residents still dependent on community to help make ends meet

At first, Sally Kurtz felt strange walking into a neighborhood food pantry and accepting a box of items that would help her make it through the week. But as it became harder and harder for the Scranton woman, who retired from her maintenance job two years ago, to make ends meet, she found herself depending more and more on the soup kitchens and other community services.

“Buying heating oil is expensive; all my utilities are expensive,” she said. “I don’t know what I’d do without the food pantries and the soup kitchens around here.”

On Saturday, Mrs. Kurtz joined dozens of others at St. Stanislaus Polish National Catholic Cathedral’s Youth Center, 530 E. Elm St. in Scranton, for a monthly free hot meal. It is one of several places around the area where people can gather for some food and friendship, and organizers said they have seen an increase in the number of people who come to eat since they began the program three years ago.

“We’re seeing more people every month,” said Carol Nasser, who helps out at the monthly meal. “The recession isn’t over, not for a lot of people.”

Also at the youth center for a free meal was Ann Thorne of Scranton. She has been out of work since August and has had little success in finding even temporary jobs. And though it was the first time she had ever been to St. Stanislaus, she said she was glad she had heard about it.

“I’m worried about paying bills,” she said. “I’m trying to make it on my own, but it’s hard.”

Both women say they worry about state budget cuts proposed earlier this month by Gov. Tom Corbett, some of which may make it harder for agencies that help people struggling with unemployment and soaring bills. Funding for food pantries, homeless shelters and other social services is in jeopardy, and both women said they are not sure where else they would go for help if local programs were to disappear.

“It will make it harder for me,” Ms. Thorne said.

Father Charles Csirip, one of the volunteers at the monthly meal, said the church and other community groups have come forward in the last few years to help those struggling and would continue to do so.

“People are doing better, but they’re uncertain that they’re going to stay better,” he said.

From the Baltimore Sun: No Polish Festival this year for shrinking Fells Point community: Festival was at Rash Field, Patterson Park

Warm, melodic polka music still fills the Polish Home Club in Fells Point every Saturday night, where rounds of the house drink — golden, honey-flavored Krupnik — are passed around the bar and quickly drained.

But the decidedly older crowd — one member recalled the first time he walked into the club, still recovering from injuries he sustained fighting in World War II — has thinned as residents from the Polish community die off, with many of their children already having left the neighborhood.

And now, a major symbol of the community’s vibrant past is fleeting: There will be no Baltimore Polish Festival this year for the first time in nearly four decades. When the celebration returns next year, it’s likely to be held at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.

“We’ve been in the city all of this time. It’s a sad thing we have to move now,” said Steve Lesniewski, president of the Polish Community Association of Maryland, which organizes the festival. Lesniewski is also the vice president of the Polish Home Club. “You hate to see things fall by the wayside but it happens. … Polish organizations are drying up.”

Each June, the festival has attracted throngs from all over the city over a three-day weekend to celebrate Baltimore’s Polish community — largely congregated in Southeast Baltimore’s Upper Fells Point neighborhood, where immigrants established a number of churches, small businesses and social clubs.

The festival featured pierogies, golabki (a stuffed cabbage dish) and kielbasa. Guests drank beers such as Zywiec and Okocim, and danced to music at three stages. The celebration kicked off the city’s ethnic festival season each summer. This would have been its 38th year in Baltimore; after a long run at Rash Field, the celebration moved to Patterson Park in 1990…

Baltimore’s PNCC Parish, Holy Cross, always had a food sales booth at the festival.

From the Times-Tribune Namedropper:

The Most Rev. John F. Swantek, prime bishop emeritus of the Polish National Catholic Church, was a guest speaker at the weekly Lenten Soup and Sermon series at Elm Park United Methodist Church, Scranton. The series is based on the theme, “Words to the Cross.” Ed E. Rogers, a trustee at Elm Park Church, introduced Father [sic] Swantek. The Rev. C. Gerald Blake Jr., is pastoral associate at the host church.

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