From PolishSite, a history of Poles in Alaska from 1741 to the present day in: Polish Tracks in Alaska by Martin S. Nowak
Foreign crewmen have been common on the ships of most nations down through the centuries. Russia was no exception. Men of varied backgrounds manned her ships, including Poles.
Poles were among the crews of Vitus Bering, himself a Dane, and Alexei Chirikov, that discovered Alaska for the Russians in 1741. Research has identified the names of Poles in the ships’ logs. Translated from the Latinized Russian are surnames such as Wielkopolski (Velikopolski), Buczowski (Butzovski), and Kozmian (Kozmin). And Jan Kozyrewski was a consultant to the Bering expeditions. Before Bering, ships under the command of Dmitry Pawlecki, a Polish Russian, in 1732 sailed the strait between Siberia and America and supposedly saw the shores of Alaska…
The [Very] Rev. Walter Madej has carved out quite a legacy in Lancaster.
It began with a statue of Saul, struck blind on his way to Damascus, and includes the Stations of the Cross, an ornate main altar, a lectern, a 26-foot-long balustered railing and an ambry for holy oils, among other furnishings.
Now, after 15 years of sculpting a stunning array of ecclesiastical art inside Holy Mother of the Rosary Cathedral on Broadway in Lancaster, Madej has completed his final and most complex installment —” a shrine depicting the 20 mysteries of the rosary.
—The cathedral is complete now,— said Madej, a priest commissioned by Holy Mother of the Rosary parish to fill the cathedral with original art.
The collection of Madej’s work is unlike anything else in Western New York.
While many of the area’s glorious older churches boast plenty of beautiful ecclesiastical art, newly built sanctuaries rarely contain commissioned pieces.
Bishop Thaddeus Peplowski of the Polish National Catholic Church admires the latest sculpture by the Rev. Walter Madej, the last piece of a 15-year project at Holy Mother of the Rosary Cathedral in Lancaster.
In that respect, Holy Mother of the Rosary, constructed in 1996, is an anomaly. The congregation and the Polish National Catholic Church have focused heavily on adorning the space in a manner befitting a cathedral.
—I know you don’t find many new churches with this kind of elaborate artwork,— said Bishop Thaddeus Peplowski, leader of the parish and of the Buffalo-Pittsburgh Diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church. —We said, ‘Let’s do something unique.’—
The congregation also chose to decorate primarily in wood, as a reflection of its Polish heritage.
Churches throughout Poland typically are built with beautiful woodwork, as opposed to stone or marble, said Peplowski, and the faces depicted in Madej’s work have Slavic features.
The parish soon will begin promoting the cathedral as a pilgrimage site, and it is producing a book explaining all of the artwork.
The congregation is grateful that Madej, who lives in New York Mills, near Utica, was able to devote so much time to their church.
Parishioner Christina Giczkowski, of South Buffalo, said Madej’s art was something the church would be able to show to future generations.
—Anybody can go out and buy statues that are manufactured, and those are beautiful, too,— she said.
But with a sculpture by Madej, she added, —we know it’s an original, and it’s ours.—
Madej, a native of Poland who has been carving for more than 40 years, was equally thankful for the opportunity to be a Michelangelo of sorts for the cathedral.
—They were blessed years. I’m really grateful I was able to accomplish that. I was grateful to the Lord that he chose me to do it,— said Madej, 67.
Madej crafted the carvings out of various species of wood: oak, cherry, basswood, white sugar pine, maple and walnut to name a few.
He uses hundreds of chisels and a variety of power tools, including chain saws, in a studio in Sauquoit, outside Utica.
The carvings were done during his free time. Madej also is full-time pastor of two Polish National Catholic parishes, one in New York Mills and another in Syracuse.
Madej spent four years on the final installment, a moving portrayal of the 20 mysteries of the rosary that includes biblical scenes such as the Nativity and Jesus dying on the cross.
It is a fitting last piece, considering the cathedral’s name.
—I wanted to express the profoundness of the mystery of the rosary,— Madej said. —I would say it’s like a finale for that church. If we want to understand Jesus and his message and his Gospel, the best understanding is to go through his mother, Mary.—
The shrine is 20 feet across and 10 feet tall and is set off from other pieces by its colorfulness.
Normally, Madej prefers to let the color of the wood speak for itself, but in this instance, —It’s almost like I heard a voice saying I need to express in color.—
The hues are used to highlight the range of emotions associated with the four kinds of mysteries: joyful, luminous, sorrowful and glorious.
Madej, who has created sculptures for other churches in New York and Poland, said he would get up in the middle of the night at times to jot down ideas and drawings for the cathedral sculptings.
And always, the work was accompanied by prayer.
I saw this work on my last visit to the cathedral in Lancaster, and it truly is beautiful. It brought tears to my eyes. For more examples of Fr. Senior Madej’s work see the Holy Cross Parish is Syracuse’s site.
Four former members of the City Side Band, Jim Raczkowski, Ron Urbanczyk, Bob Krupka and Gene Rzezenik have joined together with Bruce Nowak (sax and clarinet) to form the New Direction Band.
The Band will make its debut performance on December 5th for the fifth annual Euro-American Holiday Dance at Club Loreli in Hanburg, NY with the Auslanders.
Following on their openning gig, the Band will be featured at Kolędy Night at the Potts Banquet Hall on Saturday, December 19th. This event will benefit the Response to Love Center and will feature the St. John Kanty Choir under the direction of Larry Maguda.. Sister’s Johnice, Catherine and Rose will also be featured leading the Polish and American Christmas Carol Sing-A-Long.
On New Years Eve the New Direction Band will be setting the mood at the Matthew Glab Post Party in Lackawanna, NY.
In addition to our new name, new music and new musicians, the Band will be presenting the Stas and Stella’s Mostly Traditional Polish Wedding at dinner theatres throughout 2010 with some new skits and music. The next show is scheduled at the Lancaster Opera House on April 8th and on April 9th at Ripa’s Restaurant on Walden Avenue in Lancaster.
I almost puked in a club in a Stalinist suburb in Poland, and not for any of the reasons I had ever almost puked before, in a club or anywhere else. The cause was straightforward enough, but it only really makes sense in context.
I went to Krakow, Poland, at the end of October for Unsound, an ambitious music festival whose bill included a week’s worth of performances by a disparate lot: Stars Of The Lid, Omar-S, Sunn O))), Kode 9, Grouper, Johann Johannsson, Pole, Monolake, Nico Muhly, Biosphere, 2562, Ben Frost, and a group of Hasidic Jews from France who played gleaming blue keytar in front of smiling Stars of David, to name just a few. The mix was all over the place, and the mood followed suit.
The mood of Krakow, as much as could be gleaned during a fleeting week there, was rich. The city itself is beautiful and more than a little eerie. Some of the buildings, including an enormous castle right in the city center, date back to the 11th century. Certain statues and gargoyles could probably get active status in an actors’ guild, so expressive are their writhing gestures and anguished looks. Images of dragons proliferate. At least one of the countless churches open to leering boasts desiccated skulls as decoration. The whole city, especially at night, looks fantastic in a fog.
The Unsound Festival, started in 2003, is one of a group of municipally minded music festivals that belong to a burgeoning collective known as I.C.A.S., or International Cities Of Advanced Sound. Others include Mutek in Montreal, Club Transmediale in Berlin, Dis-patch in Belgrade, Sperm Festival in Prague, and Communikey in Boulder, Colorado. Each shares an affinity for electronic and experimental music, as well as the artier ends of indie-rock and classical composition. Each also answers for a stated ethos that —favors quality, critical reflection, innovation and exchange over profit.— (Disclosure: I went to Krakow as a guest of Unsound, both to cover the festival and to help plan an Unsound offshoot to happen in New York in February 2010.)
Unsound 2009 got off to a disquieting start. Opening night featured a contemplative set by the Polish composer Jacaszek, who traffics in ambient sounds haunted by churchly voices and slathered with strings. He played a laptop, backed by cello and violin, in a serene Japanese art museum called Manggha. A crowd of several hundred sat rapt, especially during a piece that played alongside a black-and-white video of swallows swooping in ethereal formation. After the concert came a screening of Beats Of Freedom, a documentary about revolutionary music in Poland from the 1960s to the fall of Communism in the late ’80s. It was startling, as a visitor, to watch such a film in the presence of an audience for whom the notion of —revolutionary music— is both recent and very real. It was even more startling to hear such an audience throw up its hands and laugh away chilling tales of secret-police interrogations and spells of military aggression—”laughter as absurdist rejoinder…
Homemade Angel wings (Chrusciki)—¨ and baked goods for sale
Great homemade Polish food!!!!! Food served beginning at 10am—¨
Christmas crafts
Tin can raffle
Handmade quilt
—¨32″ LCD HD television
Grandfather clock
Hand-crafted gemstone jewelry
Warm & fuzzy – scarfs & baby blankets
Games
Sunday, November 15, 2009 – 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
—¨—¨Spaghetti dinner served 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Our Savior Parish is located on the east side of North Beech Daly Rd. at 610 N. Beech Daly Road, south of Ford Road and north of Cherry Hill Road, in Dearborn Heights, Michigan.
All are welcome!!! Stop out and have a great time!!!
The Polish Film Festival, organized by the Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies at the University of Rochester, kicks off with a screening of Too Soon to Die (a 2007 film by director Dorota Kedzierzawska) at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Little Theatre, 240 East Ave.Before Twilight (2008) will be shown at 7 p.m. Saturday. The schedule of Polish-language films includes six features, selected documentaries and a collection of shorts. The festival runs through Nov. 18. Tickets are $8 ($5 for seniors and students). Call (585) 275-9898 or go to .
Friday, Nov. 13th
Polish Film Festival Grand Opening: The program features a panel discussion —New Trends in Polish Cinema and the American Connection.— Guests include Malgorzata Szum, counselor, culture and public relations attaché, Embassy of the Republic of Poland; film director Jacek Blawut and his crew; movie star Malgorzata Kozuchowska; and Sheila Skaff, Polish Cultural Institute, New York City. There will be hors d’oeuvres and wine. 7 p.m. Nov. 13. Rochester Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Ave. (585) 275-9898.
Saturday, Nov. 14
Before Twilight: (2008, 100 min. Director: Jacek Bawut). A heartwarming tale follows the residents of the Retirement Home for Actors as they are awakened by the vitality and enthusiasm of actor and elderly gallant Jerzy (Jan Nowicki) and his ambitious plan to stage Goethe’s Faust. Also showing is The Actors, a 28-minute documentary about the legends of Polish film caught during the filming of Before Twilight. A question-and-answer session moderated by Sheila Skaff of the Polish Cultural Institute follows the screening. The Little. 7 p.m. Nov. 14.
Too Soon to Die: (2007, 110 min., Director: Dorota Kedzierzawska). A solitary old woman, full of life and spirit, lives with her dog in her large house. She passes her days conversing with the dog, Philadelphia, while observing the world through her windows. Unfortunately, her neighbors are interested in buying her property to build apartments, and her son is willing to take advantage of the opportunity. The Little. 3 p.m. Nov. 14.
Sunday, Nov. 15
Drowsiness: (2008, 105 min. Director: Magdalena Piekorz). Through a combination of coincidences, three people suffering from insomnia meet and life gives them a chance to escape their lethargy. Also showing,Mother (2009, 15 min. Documentary). An examination of visitors to one of Poland’s prisons. Husbands, fathers and sons are on one side, and on the other side are their children, wives and mothers. Drowsiness star Malorzata Kozuchowska will answer questions following the screening. Reception in the Little Café. The Little. 7 p.m. Nov. 15.
Preserve: (2007, 115 min. Director: Lukasz Palkowski). After a stormy breakup, freelance photographer Marcin must leave his girlfriend’s luxurious apartment in Warsaw. He moves to a dilapidated old building in Praga where his new landlord hires him to document the state of the structure. Also showing, Woman Wanted (2009, 15 min. Documentary, Director: Michal Marczak). Portrays people who search for love. Presented by the Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies at the University of Rochester. 3 p.m. Nov. 15.
Monday, Nov. 16
Tomorrow We Are Going to the Movies: (2007, 100 min. Director: Michal Kwiecinski). Three Warsaw high school graduates from the class of 1938 dream of their magnificent futures. They are intelligent, handsome and optimistic. We see a glimpse of their lives on the brink of maturity, until the war begins. Discussion with Polish World War II veterans about their memories of Sept. 1, 1939, follows the screening. The Little. 7 p.m. Nov. 16.
Tuesday, Nov. 17
Four Short Theme Films: The Loneliness of a Short-Order Cook (2008, 24 min. Director: Marcel Sawicki). Upon arrival in Los Angeles, a young Japanese man learns that the firm he was supposed to work for has been closed. My New Life (2009, 30 min. Director: Barbara Bialowas). A couple in their thirties are trying to fulfill their dreams and aspirations.What the Doctors Say (2009, 24 min. Director: Michal Wnuk). An accident victim is a perfect organ donor for a patient who has been waiting for a liver transplant. However, the doctor who is about to declare the victim brain dead has to confront her mother first. And Anna’s Little Lies (Director: Krzysztof Bizio). A woman rediscovers the meaning of her life after a night of drinking lands her in the detoxification center. The Little. 7 p.m. Nov. 17.
Wednesday, Nov. 18
Gods Little Village: (2009, 110 min. Director: Jacek Bromski). In this comedy about Kings Bridge, the village’s bucolic, leisurely lifestyle is threatened by the upcoming mayoral elections. Also showing, The Glass Trap (2008, 15 min. documentary, Director: Pawel Ferdek). A group of Warsaw’s tough guys organizes a new entertainment: aggressive aquarium fish-fights. A closing reception will follow in the Little Café. The Little. 7 p.m. Nov. 18.
Poles in and Turks greeted each other warmly as the priest at the small church in Polonezkí¶y, a village on Istanbul’s Asian outskirts settled by Polish emigrants in the 19th century, invited worshippers to exchange the peace during the All Saints’ Day mass on Nov. 1.
Muslim Turks participating in a Christian ritual was —normal for Polonezkí¶y,— an elderly inhabitant of the town said. The priest conducted the mass in both Polish and Turkish so that everyone could participate. After the mass, the congregants commemorated the deceased at a nearby cemetery with flowers while the priest blessed the gravestones with holy water, just as he would in Poland.
The cemetery reflects the story of Polonezkí¶y. The majority of the oldest graves belong to Polish soldiers, combatants in many national uprisings during the 19th century. The Ottoman state was the only one in Europe that did not recognize Russian, Prussian and Austrian’s late-18th century partitions of Poland.
In 1841, Duke Adam Czartoryski sent emissary Michał Czajkowski from Paris to Istanbul to negotiate the establishment of a Polish colony there. One year later, Sultan Abdí¼lmecid I granted Istanbul’s Polish mission the right to take land from the Lazarite Order and establish a semi-autonomous Polish settlement, Adampol, named after Czartoryski.
—Thank the Lord, who gave us this land where we can pray for Poland and talk about Poland in Polish —“ let’s pray and act righteously and God will return us to our Motherland,— Czajkowski, also known as Mehmet Sadık PaŁŸa after he converted to Islam and served in the Ottoman army, said in a letter during the initial settlement period.
Speaking Polish in Poland was forbidden under Prussian and Russian rule, but Adampol was a safe haven for Polish patriots. Poles not only found refuge in the Sultan’s land, but also fought on the side of the Ottomans in the Crimean War (1853-56) against the Russians.
By the end of the 19th century approximately 150 Poles lived in the village. Even in 1918 after Poland finally re-gained its independence, the Poles in Adampol remained in Turkey. Today, there are about 750 inhabitants in Polonezkí¶y, 90 of whom are of Polish origin.
—We are Turks with Polish origin,— said Antoni Dohoda, one of the elderly inhabitants. —I was a Turkish officer,— he said proudly. The Polish-Turkish friendship seen in Polonezkí¶y is indeed amazing: The villagers said it was natural to see Polish and Turkish flags flying side-by-side or flowers from the gendarmerie at Czartoryski’s monument.
On one side of Adam Mickiewicz St., named for a famous Polish writer who died in Istanbul in 1855, there is both a Catholic church and a mosque just a few meters away from each other. —We go to weddings together, funerals and we carry coffins for each other when needed,— said Dohoda, somewhat surprised at the question about religious issues.
Dohoda said he was not worried about the loss of Polish culture and language. Though there is now much intermarriage in the community, he said this was a worldwide trend. Whatever the case, religious and cultural life in the community remains strong —“ mass is held every Saturday evening, after which Sister Arleta leads a number of children in religious study. Also, the children prepare a nativity play for the birth of Jesus every Christmas.
Recently, land from the graves of Adam Czartoryski and Michał Czajkowski were brought to Polonezkí¶y and placed in symbolic graves in a ceremony attended by Polish President Lech Kaczyński. Indeed, the town often receives visits from Polish heads of state during their trips to Turkey, having hosted former presidents Lech Wałęsa and Aleksander Kwaśniewski in the past.
Polonezkí¶y keeps ties not only with Poland, where children go every year for holidays, but also with similar Polish migrant communities in Romania. In October, Polonezkí¶y welcomed 12 children and two teachers from Nowy Soloniec in Romania.
—We also want to establish connections with Polish towns in Georgia. The origins of these villages are the same —“ they were built by Polish patriots,— said Polonezkí¶y Mayor Daniel Ohotski. These meetings with other Polish children motivate interest in Polish culture and help to maintain the language, he said.
Polonezkí¶y is not just a heritage park for Polish culture, but also a beautiful destination for residents of Istanbul seeking a quiet place for a weekend getaway. Hotels and restaurants offering traditional Polish and Turkish food attract Istanbul clientele.
The fact that there is no public transportation connecting Polonezkí¶y to Istanbul helps to maintain the peacefulness of the village. Moreover, Ohotski is not very enthusiastic about the idea of having a public bus —“ —That would bring too many people. It is good the way it is now,— he said.
“An Evening of Slavic Poetry” co-sponsored by the Polish Cultural Foundation, the NY Library Association and Buffalo State College was held at Buffalo State College on Oct. 16. It featured the work of Vasyl Machno (Ukraine), Goran Simic (Bosnia-Herzegovina) and Andrey Gritsman (Russia). During the event, it was announced that “An Afternoon of Polish Poetry” will be presented at the Buffalo State College Butler Library at 2 p.m. on Sat., Dec. 5, and the winner of the U.S. Chopin Piano Competition will perform in the Rockwell Hall Performing Arts Center on the Buffalo State College campus at 4 p.m. on Sun., Sept. 12, 2010.
An interesting headline which sums up my thought on the announcement from the Vatican in regard to establishing Personal Ordinariates via an Apostolic Constitution for Anglicans/Episcopalians who wish to go over to Rome en mass.
First, I want to say that I am happy that Rome took this action. It is a welcome and bold move designed to give assurance and protection to folks whose entire Church ethos is Anglican and Catholic. It allows them to keep what they know and to live within a Church that stands by Scripture and TraditionOf course excepting the hot button issue of the role and scope of the Pope and various dogmas that exceed Tradition.. For those seeking stability amongs the rocky shores of the via media and Protestanism it is best for them.
There are tons of questions of course which won’t be sorted out until the Apostolic Constitution is issued and the various Departments in Rome react to the problems and issues that arise. Some of the bigger questions in my mind are: What will they do with former Roman clergy who left for Anglicanism, got married, and now want to return (and to a lesser degree former Roman Catholics who went over and want to re-enter, but as clergy)? What about the issue of serial marriages among clergy (divorced and remarried clergy)? What of “gay” clergy who tend to have an affinity for high churchiness in Anglicanism, will Rome’s newish rules regarding the non-admission of homosexual men apply here?
I also noted that new clergy who are to be trainind to serve in the Personal Ordinariates will have to be trained in seminary in the same programs that form regular Roman seminarians (this as opposed to houses of study for the Eastern Churches which are seperate). How will that “from the ground up” training affect the Anglican ethos in these Ordinariates? It looks like Anglican formation will take a secondary, even tertiary role in the formation program, kind of like an add-on course one soon forgets.
A few observations and things to remember in today’s excitement:
Scale: If every Anglo-Catholic in the world were to jump at the new offer, their numbers wouldn’t add up to that of a major Archdiocese. When you diffuse those numbers around the globe, things will look pretty much the same other than to professional church watchers. This is a time for thanksgiving, not sweeping prognostication…
He goes on to recount the issues to be dealt with. I think he has it right. This is a bold move and a grand gesture, but in practicality — not much will happen. It is something to be happy about but don’t expect a tidal wave to activity. There will be a few high profile moves and then the band will die to a low hum.
Reading the reaction of the African Bishops puts it all into perspective. The CS Monitor’s headline caputes that perfectly: Will Vatican lure Africa’s Anglican anti-gay bishops to Catholic church?The article is really badly writen in relation to the whole issue of homosexuality and the Church’s stance – typical MSM blather about something they know nothing about.:
Despite fierce opposition to homosexuality, African bishops say the Vatican’s effort to bring more Anglicans to the Catholic church will falter, largely because of the autonomy that they enjoy…
That said, the African Biships are not Anglo-Catholics. They don’t want to be “THAT Catholic” other than dressing up in regalia from time-to-time. No, to be “THAT Catholic” you have to actually do as Huw says in Help, Help! I’m Being Oppressed!I am deeply impressed with this article and plan to comment more in future posts.:
Responsibility, self-limiting choices, delayed gratification, postponed joy… these are the stuff of maturity.
To flee them is simply immaturity raising its ugly head. To flee them in the name of ego, self and —spirituality not religion— is sheer stupidity for it will mean the dissipation of self, ego and spirit. Eventually, lack of responsibility and self-imposed limits will lead to death.
To be “THAT Catholic,” whether PNCC, RC, Oriental or Orthodox you have to actually say no to some aspects of autonomy, to thinking of yourself as on an island of self-rule. To be “THAT Catholic” means to live a sacrificial lifesyle – one where the Lord and His body, the Church (found on Scripture AND Tradition), lead you. It took Peter a long time to learn that, and he’s still learning too.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go.” — John 21:18
The 24th annual Dożynki Harvest Festival, the longest-running Polish festival in upstate New York begins at noon on Sunday, October 18th with the blessing of the harvest wreath and home-made Polish food at the Polish Community Center, 225 Washington Ave., Albany, NY
There’ll be a bake shop, imported Polish items, gift basket raffles, Polish folk, military, and church history exhibits, and performances by the Saint Adalbert’s Dancers. There will also be polka dancing from 4pm to 8pm featuring music by the Polka Country Musicians.
By the end of the 19th century approximately 150 Poles lived in the village. Even in 1918 after Poland finally re-gained its independence, the Poles in Adampol remained in Turkey. Today, there are about 750 inhabitants in Polonezkí¶y, 90 of whom are of Polish origin.