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For my fellow amateur genealogists

From Ancestry Magazine: Russian, German, and Austrian Ancestors in Poland by Raymond S. Wright IIIRaymond S. Wright III is a professor at Brigham Young University, where he teaches genealogical research methods, European family history, and German and Latin paleography. He writes regularly for a variety of genealogy publications and gives conference lectures. Professor Wright is the author of The Genealogist’s Handbook (Chicago: American Library Association, 1995).. The footnotes are mine.

Why do many Austrian, Russian, and German emigrants to America identify home towns that are in Poland? The answer is that Poland has been both an autonomous state and a collection of provinces under German, Austrian, and Russian rule. Norman Davies, author of God’s Playground: A History of Poland (2 vols., New York: Columbia University Press, 1982) suggests that today’s Republic of Poland is not the successor to previous versions of a Polish state. Each incarnation of Poland was unique in its boundaries and in the makeup of its society.

The nation of Poland traces its origins to the Slavic tribes living between the Oder and Vistula rivers on the northern European plain that stretches from the Atlantic in the west to the Ural Mountains in the eastThe country was officially “formed” with the baptism of Mieszko I in 966.. In 1563, through the union of the kingdoms of Poland and Lithuania, the authority of the Polish crown extended to an area that included all of modern Poland, Lithuania, White Russia, and Ukraine. And yet, by 1795, Poland had ceased to exist as a nation.

Divide and Conquer

In the last half of the eighteenth century, Polish nobles, seeking to fortify their power, vetoed any attempt by a king to establish a strong central authority. Poland’s neighbors, seeing her weakness and fearing that one or the other of them might gain an advantage by taking over Poland, decided to divide it among themThis is a very limited description of the situation. A prime impetus for invasion and division was the establishment of the Constitution of May 3rd in 1791. The monarchs of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia saw this as a direct threat to their rule, something that had to be stopped.. The partitions of 1772, 1793, and 1795 left northern and western Poland to the Prussians (West Prussia, Posen, and Mazovia), southern Poland to the Austrians (Galicia and Lodomeria), and eastern Poland to Russia (including Lithuania, White Russia, and Eastern Ukraine). Twelve years later, in 1807, Napoleon nullified the partitions by establishing the Grand Duchy of Poland. After Napoleon’s defeat, the Treaty of Vienna (1815) restored Posen to Prussia and Galicia to Austria. Most of the Russian partition was returned to Russia. At the Congress of Vienna the central region of Poland, with Warsaw, was created as a kingdom, popularly known as the Congress Kingdom of Poland. The Emperor of Russia was made the king of this new kingdom. Continual uprisings by the Polish against the Russians led to complete incorporation of Congress Poland into the Russian Empire by 1874.

The city of Cracow and its environs, in northeastern Galicia, was not returned to Austria by the Treaty of Vienna. Instead, the treaty gave the area autonomy as the Republic of Cracow. It remained the only independent part of Poland until 1846. A peasant uprising against landowners in 1846 invited Austrian intervention, and the Republic of Cracow was annexed to Austrian Galicia that year.

United at Last

Until the end of the First World War, Poland remained an idea rather than a nation. Then, from 1918 to 1921, wars and plebiscites produced a new Polish republic in control of virtually all of the regions that were lost to Russia and Austria in the partitions. This republic also included the former German-ruled areas of Posen, northern Silesia, and a corridor to the Baltic Sea that cut a swath through what had been the western borderland of West PrussiaPrussia being a term co-opted by Germany for the purpose of land grabs. Germans are not Prussians in any sense. Prussians as a distinct ethnic group had ceased to exist. What was formally Prussia, the territory of ethnic Prussians, was always part of Poland either directly, as a dukedom, or a fief..

The Republic of Poland’s life was a short one. On 27 December 1939, Poland capitulated to German invaders; the Germans divided their spoils with their Soviet allies, who had invaded Poland from the east. By 1945, the tables had turned, and the Germans surrendered Poland to the Soviets, who were now in league with the United States, Britain, and France. The stage was set for the birth of a new Poland. Ukraine, White Russia, all of Lithuania, and the northern half of East Prussia were excluded from the new Peoples’ Republic of PolandThis became the Kaliningrad Oblast- never part of Russia, but part of Poland with its main city being Królewiec.. Its northern border extended to the Baltic and its southern border to the Carpathian Mountains. The western border followed the Neisse River north to its confluence with the Oder River, continuing north along the Oder and then north-northeast to Swinoujście on the Baltic coast. Poland’s southeastern border intersected the boundary with Slovakia where the San River originates in the Carpathian Mountains. The border then followed a line north to the Bug River and paralleled the river on its northward course. Then, at Brest, the borderline ran in a northern direction another 160 miles before turning west to end in the Baltic Sea near the Polish city of Braniewo. These boundaries have endured to the present day, although the Peoples’ Republic of Poland has not. As the Soviet Empire collapsed, the Soviet-supported government in Warsaw also dissolved. The Republic of Poland was born in 1989. Today Poland is led by a popularly-elected government and is eager to assume its place in the community of independent nations.

Records Recovered

During the first years after the Second World War, non-Polish minorities fled Poland, leaving it a nation whose citizens were almost all Polish—“unlike any of the Polands of the pastVery true – Poland was multi-ethnic and much more like the “melting pot” often used to describe the United States.. As the inhabitants of post-war Poland cleared away the rubble of their destroyed cities, they discovered that many of the records created by past rulers of Poland had survived the war. A national system of state archives was established to preserve and organize these records. Archives were established in capital cities and in other cities in each województwo (province). These state archives were (and still are) administered by the National Directorate of State Archives in Warsaw. Each provincial archives’ office gathered and preserved the historical records created within the area now encompassed by the provincial boundaries. All records older than one hundred years were to be turned over to these archives. Most civil agencies complied, but churches were reluctant to participate, preferring to keep their records or turn them over to central church archives.

While identifying records, archivists discovered gaps in record series. At first it was supposed that these records had been destroyed or lost. As communication with archivists in neighboring nations improved, however, it was discovered that many records had been taken out of Poland during the post-war exodus of non-Poles to neighboring countries. Consequently, family historians must sometimes seek ancestral records in several locations. During the Second World War Poland fell first under German control and then, at the end of the war, under Soviet authority. Records relating to the war years, as well as alienated records from earlier periods of history, may be found in German, Russian, White Russian, and Ukrainian archives today. The archives in these countries are managed by central archives administrations, the addresses of which can be found in these publications: The World of Learning (London: Europa Publications, 1948—”) and Ernest Thode’s The German Genealogist’s Address Book (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1997) See also Polish Roots by Rosemary A. Chorzempa..

Provincial Archives

Each province in Poland is named after its capital cityThis is blatantly incorrect. See this map.. Each of these capitals houses a state archives which preserve records from the area covered by the province. Some of the records are housed in branch archives at several locations in the province. The map at left shows these provincial capitals. Researchers will find records for ancestral home towns, or at least directions about where they are, by communicating with archives staff in provincial capitals near their forebears’ towns of origin. Rather than guess which archives to contact, family historians can also write to the National Directorate of State Archives in Warsaw. For many years, this office has coordinated all inquiries from genealogical researchers. The archives’ staff in Warsaw will direct researchers’ letters to the appropriate archives. The address for the headquarters of the Polish state archives is Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwów Państwowych, skr. poczt. 1005, ul. Długa 6, 00—”950 Warsaw, Poland.

Until recently, family historians wanting to use archival resources in Poland were required to obtain written permission from the office of the National Director of State Archives in Warsaw. Today, the directors in provincial state archives have authority to grant access to the sources in their archives. Family historians should write to request permission to visit the archives well in advance of visiting Poland.

Church Records

Today, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, UniateActually Greek Catholic – Churches under Rome, and Protestant churches in Poland generally preserve records at the parish level, although some are in central church archives. To learn where parish records are, a letter to the archdiocese or diocese for the area is necessary. Addresses can be sought in the publications noted above, or through a researcher’s nearest Polish consulate or embassy…

Before family researchers write to archives, it’s best to learn whether the Family History Library in Salt Lake City has microfilmed church or other records from the town in question. The library has a large collection of church records from Poland. These records can be found using the locality search option in the Family History Library Catalog. The records are described in the catalog under the applicable Polish, German, and Russian names for each locality.

…

Understanding why German, Austrian, and Russian ancestors came to America from towns now in Poland will help researchers discover where ancestors’ records may be found today. Genealogists should visit their local libraries, especially college libraries, to search for atlases of the German, Austrian, and Russian empires published before 1918. The maps contained in these books will aid efforts to locate exactly where ancestors’ home towns were. German, Austrian, and Russian gazetteers from this same time period will describe smaller communities and help simplify the search for towns in atlases…

Perspective, PNCC, Poland - Polish - Polonia, , ,

Around the R.C. Church

From Jacksonville.com: Catholic Church sees influx of foreign-born priests: Priests from other nations are needed to meet shortages

Fully agree with the movement toward tradition. The problem of course is inculturation. There are sets of preconceived expectations on the part of the priests and the people and it takes time to adjust. Sometimes it can be a train wreck rather than a God-send.

The Rev. Andy Blaszkowski’s English is clear, but his Polish accent unmistakable as he reads from the Gospel and preaches during Masses at the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Augustine.

During a recent service for some 300 parish school children, he told them the Eucharist is a “geeft” from God and that they should rely on their faith for direction in how to “leaf” their “lifes.”

But that was OK with 24-year-old parishioner Jason Craig, who traded Presbyterianism for Catholicism three years ago.

“I’m a convert, so it’s new and unique for me” to hear accents from the pulpit, Craig said. “In other denominations, there are no foreign priests, so it really shows the universality of the Catholic Church.”

It also shows the future for the American church and the Jacksonville-based Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine. Studies and church officials are reporting that seminaries and parish priest openings are increasingly being filled by men from other nations. And given the shortage of priests in the United States, few Catholics complain about the trend.

Study: more foreign-born priests

According to The Associated Press, a new report reveals that the latest and next generations of priests, brothers, sisters and nuns who belong to Roman Catholic religious orders in the U.S. are more ethnically diverse and tradition-bound than their predecessors.

The report confirmed what many have speculated: The few orders that are attracting and retaining younger members are more traditional. That generally means fidelity to the church and other members of the order, living in a community, taking part in daily devotions and wearing a habit.

The familiar white and black habits of nuns teaching elementary school or the robes worn by some fathers and brothers were shed by many orders as remnants of clericalism in the last 40 or 50 years, but a younger generation sees them as tangible displays of their faith and symbols of fidelity to church and community.

“This younger generation is seeking an identity, a religious identity as well as a Catholic identity,” Brother Paul Bednarczyk, executive director of the Chicago-based National Religious Vocation Conference, a professional organization of Catholic religious vocation directors, told The Associated Press. “Symbolism, images and ritual is all very important to this generation, and they want to give witness to their faith.”…

From Pew: Poll: Six in 10 U.S. Catholics ambivalent about Latin Mass

Of course the problem is that it is about Latin over right faith and right belief. A continuum is important and vital to renewal in the R.C. Church, but shouldn’t be sacrificed on the pyre of Latin-or-bust.

Two years after Pope Benedict XVI eased restrictions on celebrating the Latin Mass, more than six in 10 American Catholics have no opinion on the return of the traditional liturgy, according to a new survey.

In 2007, Benedict told priests to work with local parishioners when there is a “stable group” interested in the Latin Mass, which is celebrated in Latin by a priest facing away from the congregation. The Mass dates to the 16th century but fell out of use after the reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s.

Benedict said the move was intended to promote “reconciliation” with Catholics disaffected by the contemporary version of the liturgy and to encourage greater “reverence” during worship.

According to Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, one in four U.S. Catholics favors having the Latin Mass as a liturgical option, 12 percent oppose it, and 63 percent have “no opinion.”

Only three in 10 U.S. Catholics who do not oppose bringing back the Latin Mass — equivalent to about 5.7 Catholics — say they would attend the service if it was convenient, according to CARA. Apathy was most prevalent among Catholics born after 1982 — 78 percent said they have no opinion Benedict bringing back the Latin Mass…

From the Baltimore Sun: Episcopal nuns’ exit widens rift: As sect ordains women and gays, Catonsville sisters become Catholic

They are right. The Catholic faith is untenable in the face of such innovations.

In a move that religious scholars say is unprecedented, 10 of the 12 nuns at an Episcopal convent in Catonsville left their church Thursday to become Roman Catholics, the latest defectors from a denomination divided over the ordination of gay men and women.

The members of the All Saints Sisters of the Poor were welcomed into the Catholic Church by Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien, who confirmed the women during a Mass in their chapel. Each vowed to continue the tradition of consecrated life, now as a religious institute within the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

“We know our beliefs and where we are,” said Mother Christina Christie, superior of the order that came to Baltimore in 1872. “We were drifting farther apart from the more liberal road the Episcopal Church is traveling. We are now more at home in the Roman Catholic Church.”

Also joining the church was the Rev. Warren Tanghe, the sisters’ chaplain. In a statement, Episcopal Bishop Eugene Taylor Sutton wished them God’s blessings.

“Despite the sadness we feel in having to say farewell, our mutual joy is that we remain as one spiritual family of faith, one body in Christ,” he said…

From Voice from the Dessert on the former Bishop of Scranton: Why did the bishop of Scranton, Pa., resign? Though Bishop Martino is gone, the diocese’s future may be set

A lot to this article — a few excerpts below and of course mention of the PNCC.

Like Cardinal Egan in New York, Bishop Martino’s personality and work habits were exactly what was ordered for the hatchet job he was to perform. Really, I’m astonished at all the wonderment this resignation has raised. The Roman Church sends the man that they feel is needed for the job. It has nothing to do with being liked, that’s reserved for the man they send to be pastoral. Of course the big problem is that’s the way corporations are run, not the way the Church should be run. The need for change and being pastoral can be reconciled, they are not mutually exclusive. This was simply a choice for expediency sake. I pray for Bishop Martino… to do one’s duty and to be distanced from love is a terrible cross.

When Bishop Joseph F. Martino resigned Aug. 31 after six tumultuous years as bishop of Scranton, Pa., he left behind a diocese badly divided and demoralized, but, ironically, better prepared for the future than it was in 2003.

Sources contacted by NCR said the problem was Martino’s remote, uncommunicative and often authoritarian leadership style, not his decisions to close nearly half the Catholic schools and 40 percent of the parishes in the northeastern Pennsylvania diocese.

One longtime pastor said the parish and school closings and mergers —were absolutely needed.— He predicted that the basic program of restructuring the parishes, scheduled to be completed by 2012, will continue —pretty much as planned, with perhaps some fine tuning,— regardless of who the next bishop is. The basic program of school closings is already completed.

For months preceding his resignation —” at the age of 63, 12 years before the usual retirement age for bishops —” rumors flew around the diocese that the increasingly unpopular bishop had been called to Rome in June and had been asked, urged or maybe even ordered to submit his resignation.

No one contacted could offer positive evidence to confirm or rebut the speculation.
—It is very unusual for a bishop to resign at 63 years of age— and the Vatican would accept such a resignation only for exceptional reasons, said Jesuit Fr. Thomas J. Reese, a senior fellow at Woodstock Theological Center in Washington.

At the same time, —it is extremely rare for the Vatican to pressure a bishop to resign,— said Reese, author of three in-depth studies on how U.S. bishops and the Vatican exercise authority, pastoral leadership and administrative duties.

At the press conference announcing his resignation, Martino said he did so for health reasons, including —bouts of insomnia and, at times, crippling physical fatigue.— But he also acknowledged that his recent physical ailments stemmed from the stress and sorrow he felt over the lack of a —clear consensus among the clergy and the people of the diocese of Scranton regarding my pastoral initiatives or my method of governance.—

He said the diocese needs a —physically vigorous— bishop to lead it into the future and —I am not that bishop.—

—I think the bishop seems to have recognized that there really was a need for new leadership,— said Reese.

—I congratulate him for his courage and willingness— to face that and resign, he added. —I only wish a few other bishops would do the same.—

…

Mary Ann Paulukonis, who recently retired as Scranton diocesan family life director, said that when Martino first arrived in October 2003, —he came with a vision that excited most of us. … Initially he was friendly and open and easy to dialogue with.—

But that started to change as the problems of the diocese emerged, she said. —I don’t think he expected— the serious financial problems that were facing the diocese and its schools and parishes.

—There were parishes in debt— with no way to pay it off —and some of the schools were bleeding,— she said.

Reorganization

Just one month after his arrival, Martino announced to the staff that one of his first priorities was going to be restructuring to tackle the debt problem, Paulukonis said, and that winter he announced his intention to reorganize the schools.

In the meantime he also began reorganizing diocesan offices to cut administrative costs and installed four regional episcopal vicars to serve as his chief deputies on all church matters in those parts of the diocese.

…

—When troubles started occurring, he wasn’t available. A leader who is invisible is the enemy. People started misinterpreting [things Martino said or did]. … He was a villain— in people’s perception of him, she said.

She, Milz and the pastor who asked not to be named all said the bishop’s unilateral decertification of the Catholic teachers’ union in January 2008, right after the schools had all been consolidated and regrouped administratively under four regional diocesan structures, marked a new turning point in the bishop’s souring relations with the faithful —” most of them descendants of Irish, Polish, Italian and other immigrants who owed their entry into the American middle class to church-supported unions.

Union factor

Scranton’s union history is a major factor here. In the mid-19th century, the city grew rapidly because of iron ore veins in hills a little to the south, substantial anthracite coal deposits to the south and north, and the steel industry in town that melded the two natural resources.

Northeast Pennsylvania was the birthplace of the United Mine Workers, and founder John Mitchell converted to Catholicism largely because of local church support for coal mine workers’ efforts to unionize and obtain better living standards. Mitchell is buried in the Scranton cathedral’s cemetery and there is a monument to him next to the Lackawanna County Court House in Scranton, scene of a key decision ending the historic 1902 strike of anthracite coal miners in the area.

…

A longtime theology professor at one of the local Catholic universities who is involved in many Catholic activities and organizations locally and nationally —” who also asked to remain unidentified, not for personal concerns but for fear of diocesan repercussions for the university where he teaches —” said the longtime union culture in the diocese was one of the key factors in the division between Martino and his priests and people in the past couple of years.

The theologian said the religious conservatism and the history of ethnic tensions of Catholics in the Scranton diocese —” including the century-old Polish National Catholic church [sic] schism from Roman Catholicism, which started with an Irish-American bishop’s insensitivity to a Polish national parish in Scranton —” are also major factors that have to be taken into account in any assessment of the complex negative response of local priests and laity to Martino’s style of governance.

In many cities in the diocese, national parishes for Poles, Italians, Irish or other Catholic immigrant groups that were established in the late 19th or early 20th century, sometimes within two or three blocks of one another, still existed when Martino arrived, even though membership numbers had dropped dramatically over recent decades because of deaths, suburban emigration and other factors, the theologian said…

From PolskieRadio: Sunday trading ban —“ legislation for lazybones?

Think Blue laws. Really they are right. If a society truly values family over commerce it would have just such a law. Government is not the arbiter of right and wrong but is can cooperate in creating an environment that supports what is right.

A Solidarity trade union initiative to ban shops opening after noon on Sunday has divided politicians, even those from the same party.

A draft of the bill forbidding trade on Sunday afternoons is to be ready this year and is supported by numerous politicians from the opposition Law and Justice party and even some in the ruling Polish Peasant’s Party/Civic Platform coalition.

One MP who is very much against is Janusz Palikot from Civic Platform. —MPs who want to forbid trading [on a Sunday] are just lazybones. They don’t feel like working and they want to prevent others from working to excuse themselves.’ says the politician, quoted by Gazeta Wyborcza.

Senator Jan Rulewski, also from Civic Platform, is of the opposite view.

—Those who want to keep shops open on Sundays think in the same way the communist did. They wanted us to work weekends, arguing that the development of the socialist motherland was more important than the family,— he says. —We strongly oppose this point of view and want to restrict trade on Sundays and ban it completely in future.—

…

The bill has the support of church authorities and trade unionists, however, claiming that working on Sunday is harmful to family life.

Current Events, , , , ,

A generation defined

From the Buffalo News (an older story): France honors WWII hero: Veteran took part in Normandy battle which is an ode to the sons and daughters of immigrants. Men like Mr. Pawlik were part of a great generation, not in the marketing sense of the term, but in the way that service, honor, and sacrifice were part of their very being. It came from family, neighborhood, and Church.

Blood shed during World War II never is far from Joseph E. Pawlik’s mind.

In addition to scrapbook photos, medals and recordings of the war stories he once told, a piece of shrapnel still lodged near his spine serves as a reminder.

Pawlik, now 89, was struck by artillery fire in 1944, during the invasion of Normandy at the Battle of Merderet River.

—He carries with him an all-too-difficult memory of his service that day,— said Assemblyman Robin Schimminger, D-Kenmore.

Monday afternoon, with small American flags on the laps of many in a room at Buffalo’s Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Pawlik was named chevalier —” the equivalent of —knight— in English —” of the Legion of Honor by the French government for his contribution to France’s liberation during World War II.

The honor, dating back to 1802 under Napoleon, was conferred April 16 in a decree by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

—Today, you are our hero,— said Pascal Soares, honorary consul of France in Buffalo, as he presented Pawlik the honor.

As a young man in Buffalo’s Black Rock neighborhood, Pawlik was eager to assist his country at war. He enlisted as a paratrooper and served as a technical sergeant.

Pawlik’s selfless nature would carry him through the war.

Three months after receiving a Purple Heart as a result of fighting at Merderet River, Pawlik was back in the front lines.

He didn’t want to leave the troops,— his daughter Terry Hans explained. —They needed him.—

In 1945, on a bitter winter day at Dead Man’s Ridge in Belgium, no one needed Pawlik more than his sergeant, who was wounded. As others took safety in their foxhole, Pawlik left his comfort zone to help his comrade to safety.

…

James Benz, a Vietnam veteran, was on hand as his friend was honored. —I’m very proud,— Benz, 61, said of Pawlik. —He’s like another father to me.—

Sto Lat! Mr. Pawlik, Sto Lat!

Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , ,

A tour of Polish Greenpoint and pre-war Warsaw

Two articles from Sunday’s New York Times:

An hour by hour tour of Greenpoint in A Taste of Poland in Arty Brooklyn

For all the inroads made by hipsters in Greenpoint, Brooklyn’s northernmost neighborhood, it has retained much of its Old World Polish character and working-class grit (probably because its subway is the much-loathed G train). It’s a great place to fill up on tasty, shockingly cheap Polish food —” kielbasa, pirogi and bigos, the cabbage and meat stew widely considered Poland’s national dish —” and to poke about the arty boutiques and bars that have sprouted on the side streets off Manhattan Avenue, the main commercial vein. To eat and explore, take the G train to Nassau Avenue or Greenpoint Avenue, and if you are really keen, print out a Polish primer from the local blog, greenpunkt.com…

A review of and historical retrospective from Alan Furst’s book —The Spies of Warsaw: A Novel— in Love. Death. Intrigue. Warsaw. I am currently reading the book – it is excellent.

When, on a chill autumn afternoon in 1937, the German armaments engineer, cheating husband and spy Edvard Uhl arrives in Warsaw to engage in a Champagne- and espionage-fueled tryst with a ravishing Polish countess, the glittering but doomed capital is enjoying its own final fling with peace.

—Above the city, the sky was at war,— the novelist Alan Furst writes in the opening passage of —The Spies of Warsaw— (Random House), the latest of his 10 taut and richly atmospheric World War II-era espionage thrillers.

For the moment, it is just a gathering storm: two ominous weather systems, one sweeping in from Germany, the other extending all the way east to Russia, are about to clash over Poland’s capital. But the charged atmosphere, which will soon bring Armageddon to Warsaw, only serves to heighten the thrill for the wayward Uhl and the countess, herself a spy and, like Uhl, a pivotal and colorfully portrayed minor character who helps kick off the action.

The two first become acquainted in a small German restaurant, and after adroit maneuvers by the countess find themselves in Warsaw in the elegant Hotel Europejski dining room two weeks later, where they drink Champagne and down langoustines. And then, —after the cream cake,— Mr. Furst writes, —up they went.—

The author leaves what follows to the reader’s deftly teased imagination. But the setting for his spies’ intrigues —” the leafy boulevards, grand ballrooms, romantic cafes, lively salons and sinister back streets of a city on the cusp of catastrophe —” is vividly rendered. He also provides a dandy visual aid at the front of the book: a map of Warsaw before the deluge. Where fiction intertwines with history, the map superimposes one upon the other so that present-day visitors can track the movements of Mr. Furst’s star-crossed and SS-stalked characters through the streets of prewar Warsaw.

—There is something about the city and Poland itself that I find magnetic,— Mr. Furst said from his home in Sag Harbor, N.Y., on the eve of the paperback release of —The Spies of Warsaw— earlier this summer. —Even though Warsaw was completely destroyed in the Second World War, its past is still alive. It’s there —” you can feel it when you stand in the Old Town and look down at the Vistula and see the river winding through the city. It’s like looking at history.—

Many European cities suffered the conflagrations and miseries unleashed by Adolf Hitler 70 summers ago, but none more so than Warsaw —” the first city he bombed and the last that he destroyed. A beautiful city at the heart of a fruited plain, it had no mountain ranges or oceans to deter attacks. With only muddy roads as a —seasonal barrier against German expansion,— Mr. Furst writes, Warsaw made an easy first target for the unprovoked Nazi blitzkrieg that ignited World War II on Sept. 1, 1939.

Five years later, in a last epic act of hatred, a defeated Hitler ordered the systematic destruction of Warsaw. The city was burned, bombed and dynamited to rubble. It was Hitler’s final brutalization of a city already damned as a staging area for genocide. Six million Poles were murdered —” the Jewish and the non-Jewish died in roughly equal number —” and their ghosts are everywhere. —Thanks to Hitler,— said Juliusz Lichwa, a University of Warsaw student whose grandfather survived Dachau, —all our streets are graves.—

Determined to reclaim their capital from death’s dominion, Poles reconstructed the city brick by brick —” no easy task since much of Warsaw had been pulverized. Using everything from oil paintings to postcards, news photos and old family albums, architects and engineers painstakingly rebuilt the medieval Old Town Market Square and the adjacent 15th-century New Town, from scratch. Virtually everything a visitor sees there today is a re-creation, as are most of the city’s palaces, cathedrals and landmarks.

Even so, the Warsaw of old is gone forever. And it is that lost city, the grand, glittering and vibrant prewar capital, that Mr. Furst conjures in —The Spies of Warsaw.— In his city, the Warsaw of memory is in the present, and the future ticks ominously on every page…

Poland - Polish - Polonia, , ,

Attention Polonian Organizations

PolOrg is part of the Polish American Congress’ newest attempt at uniting the Polish American Community throughout the United States.

In a recent meeting among the officers and directors of the Polish American Congress, the PAC agreed to make PolOrg a part of the Polish American Congress. By partnering together, PolOrg will become a stronger, more focused, and more efficient resource for the Polish American Community and all of those involved in the growing and unparalleled resourcefulness of the World Wide Web.

PolOrg will undergo a redesign, providing key updates to the website to make it more focal in local searches as well as nationally oriented in scheduling events and collaborations.

Polonian Parishes and Organization wishing to be part of the PolOrg project now spearheaded by the Polish American Congress should contact PolOrg via their contact form and provide their contact e-mail address, permanent address, phone number, and the name of a contact person who can be reached regarding changes to your organization’s contact information and event planning. Responding organizations will be added to the current database of over 1,700 Polish and Polonian organizations throughout the United States.

Having an organization like the Polish American Congress ensure maintenance and effectiveness of the PolOrg website can be extremely beneficial to all organizations involved and create unity among the many different Polish organization in the United States.

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

St. Albertus Fest in Detroit

From Creative Gene: 5th Annual St. Albertus Fest

The Polish-American Historical Site Association Inc. (PAHSA) would like to announce the fifth annual St. Albertus Fest on the campus of the Registered National Historic Site, St Albertus Church, located at 4231 St. Aubin at E. Canfield, Detroit. This year’s fundraiser is taking place on Saturday, September 19, 2009, from 12:00 p.m. —“ 12:00 a.m. The outdoor music festival is $5 and features two covered stages filled with music throughout the day with a focus on Detroit’s finest local bands and musicians. Polish food, beer, wine and beverages will be for sale as well.

This year’s festival will feature a recital by the Oakland University Classical Guitar Ensemble. The recital will take place inside the Church auditorium as the opening of the festival at 1pm. Following the recital the music will begin on the two stages which will be setup outside the Church under tented areas.

The festival includes an amazing collection of bluegrass and folk influenced musicians throughout the day including Detroit based groups The Run-ins, 9 Volt Hammer and Catfish Mafia. This year we’re also excited to have local greats the The Planet D Nonet wsg Charles “Buddy” Smith for the first time. Our good friend Gretchen Wolff will be performing again this year, along with local rock bands Man Fransisco, Dr. Doctor, The Replicas, Pigeon, Eyer Department and Best Idea Ever. Also, Chicago based group Essex Channel are traveling to Detroit in support of St. Albertus

St. Albertus was the first Polish [Roman] Catholic Church in Detroit (est. 1872) and the Heart of the area once known as —POLETOWN—. After its closure by the Archdiocese in 1990, a group of former Parishioners, Historians, and Preservationists established a 501-C3 non-profit under the name PAHSA, and reopened St. Albertus as a museum of cultural history.

PAHSA holds the St. Albertus Fest to remind the Detroit community that St. Albertus not only still exists, but is as beautiful and impressive as ever. For the past four years we’ve had musicians from a variety of backgrounds dedicate their time and talent to the festival in support of our cause. Please join us for the fifth annual St. Albertus fest, if you love Art, History, Architecture, Music, Food or even Beer then you don’t want to miss the St. Albertus Fest.

Gates open at 12:00 p.m., rain or shine, and live performances will run straight through from 1pm until 11:00 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door, 100% of the proceeds will go towards the Preservation of the St Albertus historic site. This event is all ages; beverages will be available for purchase, alcohol for those 21 and over. Traditional Polish food will be sold on the premises. Tours of the historic St. Albertus Church will be given throughout the day.

For further information and showtimes please visit their myspace page.

Christian Witness, PNCC, Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , ,

The National Church model versus Ostpolitik

Bishop Hodur strongly advanced the idea of the National Church model (really no different than the Orthodox model – the local bishop with his clergy and people around the Holy Eucharist represents the fullness of the Church). Among the reasons for this advocacy was Bishop Hodur’s knowledge and experience of the Polish Church’s struggles. Real world experience showed that the good of the local Church was often secondary to the political machinations of the Bishop of Rome and the Vatican bureaucracy.

Hillary White (thanks to the Young Fogey for the links) has two articles that explore the Vatican’s betrayal of local Church leaders, particularly Cardinals Mindszenty and Beran. The Wikipedia article on the Vatican’s “Ostpolitik” refers to the phenonena as an invention of Paul VI. In fact it is a policy that has been entrenched in the Vatican for centuries. Poland was betrayed numerous timesNorman Davies, God’s Playground, a History of Poland: 1795 to the present, Chapter 7, pages 207-225 and Georg Brandes, Poland: a study of the land, people, and literature page 251 for examples. in the interest of “global” politics.

Read Church of Traitors and Church of Traitors, Part II. The telling lines from Part II:

Casaroli continues,

…

“We opted for negotiations, because we didn’t know how long those regimes would last, and in the meantime we had a moral obligation to insure that the Church had priests, that the faithful could receive the Eucharist and go to Confession. If we lost the hierarchical institution, we would lose the Church…”

Now, this is interesting, because I have known some priests who were underground in Soviet bloc countries and their stories are illustrative. Had the Vatican supported their efforts, would the Faith have died or flourished? Would the Church have been “lost” as Casaroli said? Hard to say at this distance in time.

But from what I have been told, the Church was flourishing. And one of my informants was a Slovak priest who was ordained secretly in Czechoslovakia, one of the countries that Casaroli described as a “hardline” state in which the Church would have “died out” without his “careful step-by-step diplomacy”.

The difference, perhaps between men like Casaroli in the Vatican and the men actually baptising and marrying and saying Mass in secret in these countries was that the latter knew and accepted the possibility of martyrdom. It seems that Casaroli and his popes rejected that possibility utterly and were more interested in creating comforts, a typical Novusordoist goal.

I wonder, who bore true witness to the faith, who stood on the side of God’s politics? In my book it was the local Church, those who knew the situation on ground, the evils of the communist system, the violence and selfishness of its leaders, and who nevertheless chose to face the consequences of witness to the faith. As Tertullian wrote: The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church.

Cardinal Mindszenty on trial

Poland - Polish - Polonia, Political, , , ,

The Polish American Community in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities Conference

The Polish American Congress has announced its National Conference program: “The Polish American Community in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities (Polonia Amerykańska w XXI w.: Wyzwania i Możliwości).”

The PAC National Conference to be held October 15 and 16, 2009, in Chicago, Illinois at Northeastern Illinois University. The theme of the conference is “The Polish American Community in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities, The conference offers leaders, activists, and all persons interested in a vigorous Polish American community an opportunity to exchange experiences, share aspirations, and discuss best practices with others from across the United States.

The two-day conference, beginning at 9:00 am Thursday, October 15 and concluding Friday evening, October 16, will feature both general and issue-specific sessions. Elected leaders and representatives of Chicago, Illinois, the United States, and the Government of Poland are expected to address the conference’s Opening Session. Representatives and guests from Poland have been invited to join in selected sessions.

General sessions will examine the profile of the current Polish American community (often referred to as “Polonia”); leadership development; relations between the United States, the Polish American community and Poland; and the future of Polonia and its organizational challenges and opportunities.

Issue-specific sessions will address a range of topics, including: educational partnerships, teaching and learning; the role, importance and need for ethnic organizations; increasing political involvement and influence in the American political process; preservation and promotion of Polish culture and heritage in the United States; opportunities for participating in business between the United States and Poland; and networking in the community through sports, charities, and professional and social networks.

A reception and recital of the music of Chopin and Paderewski will conclude Thursday’s sessions. A concluding reception on Friday will afford participants an opportunity to network and socialize. Displays of information about the Polish American community, organizations and contributions will be featured around the university’s conference center.

Information about the National Conference, registration, arrangements, and opportunities for supporting the event is available from the Congress’ conference site or by contacting the Congress at 1612 K Street NW, Suite 410, Washington, DC 20006, Tel.: (202) 296-6955, Fax: (202) 835-1565.

PNCC, Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , , ,

Dożynki Polish Harvest Festival at HMR Cathedral Parish in Buffalo

The 5th Annual Dożynki Polish Harvest Festival will be held at Holy Mother of the Rosary Cathedral Parish in Lancaster, New York on Sunday September 13, 2009 from 10am to 8pm. Admission is free.

Holy Mother of the Rosary Cathedral Parish is located at 6298 Broadway in Lancaster, NY (Between Schwartz & Ransom Roads).

The day’s events:

10am – High Holy Mass
11am – Dożynki Ceremony
12 Noon- till sold out – food service including their famous Polish Platter and delicacies like Czernina (Duck’s Blood Soup) and Rosół (Rich Polish-Style Chicken Soup)

1pm – Polish Heritage Dancers of WNY
3:30pm – Cathedral Concert – Bell Choir & Organ
4 to 8 PM – PhoCus (Buffalo’s newest Polka Band)

Homemade Polish Food (American food also available)
Polka Music …. Polish Folk Dancers … Children’s Activities … Polish Deserts … Cultural & Craft Demonstrations … Exhibits & Vendors … Theme Tray Auction … Farmers Market … And So Much More!!

For additional information please contact the Cathedral Parish office at 716-685-5766

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The latest issue of The Cosmopolitan Review

The latest edition of The Cosmopolitan Review has been published. The Cosmopolitan Review is published by the alumni of Poland in the Rockies, a biennial symposium in Polish studies held at Canmore, Alberta. This editions features include:

EDITORIAL: Between Past and Present, Poland and North America

This summer at CR, we took the time to slow down and to bring you an eclectic mix of warm delights to enjoy while sipping that glass of chilled white wine or licking the last of your strawberry sorbet. In this issue, travel back in time with architecture critic Witold Rybczynski when he visits Poland for the first time in 1967, discovering his parents’ homeland for himself…

…and more including events, politics, reviews, travel, and spotlight.

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