On May 18th the 69th anniversary of the conclusion of the Battle of Monte Cassino will be celebrated. The Monte Cassino Foundation in Poland has created an on-line presentation in the form of a virtual walk. The presentation includes a walk through the Polish War Cemetery at Monte Cassino and the monuments to Polish forces (3rd Carpathian Rifle Division, 5th Kresowa Infantry Division, 2nd Armored Brigade with the 4 Armoured Regiment — “SCORPION” and 6 Armoured Regiment — the “Children of Lwów,” as well as support forces including the Polish sappers who finally took the stronghold after various other allied strategies had tried for four months.
From Wikipedia: On May 15, the British 78th Division came into the XIII Corps line from reserve passing through the bridgehead divisions to execute the turning move to isolate Cassino from the Liri valley. On May 17, the Polish Corps launched their second attack on Monte Cassino. Under constant artillery and mortar fire from the strongly fortified German positions and with little natural cover for protection, the fighting was fierce and at times hand-to-hand. With their line of supply threatened by the Allied advance in the Liri valley, the Germans decided to withdraw from the Cassino heights to the new defensive positions on the Hitler Line. In the early hours of May 18 the 78th Division and the Polish Corps linked up in the Liri valley 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Cassino town. On the Cassino high ground the survivors of the second Polish offensive were so battered that “it took some time to find men with enough strength to climb the few hundred yards to the summit.” A patrol of Polish 12th Podolian Uhlans Regiment finally made it to the heights and raised a Polish flag over the ruins. The only remnants of the defenders were a group of thirty[63] German wounded who had been unable to move. “The Poles, on their second try, had taken Monte Cassino, and the road to Rome was open. At the end of the war the Poles “… with bitter pride erect[ed] a memorial on the [slope of the] mountain.”
The Monte Cassino Foundation cares of the memory of the Polish soldiers who fought and are buried at Monte Cassino.
On February 11, comedian Stephen Colbert asked historian Garry Wills if he was in favor of the next pope being not John Paul III or Benedict XVII but “Nobody the First.” Wills smiled and said, “Ah, very good idea.”
For some Catholics, this idea is more than a joke. For them, the question is not who should be the next pope. It’s whether there is or should be a pope at all.
With the retirement of Benedict XVI, the seat of Peter is empty—sede vacante. But for Catholics past and present, the papacy is only one possible center of faith. A wider look at Catholic history—wider than media obsessions during the conclave—shows that the pope’s centrality has long been a highly contested topic.
Official papal theology about itself has long put the pope at the center.
As the 16th-century Protestant Reformation and the 18th-century French Revolution unfolded, popes theorized that the strongest church was the most centralized church. Protestant denominations proliferated, and ancient monarchies toppled. But if one pope stood above all nation-states, Roman Catholicism would thrive.
The 1870-71 council of Vatican I made papal infallibility a doctrine, but voting was a hotly contested matter:
A straw poll showed that approximately 10 percent of the bishops opposed papal infallibility.
Before the final vote, about 60 prelates left Rome rather than defy the Vatican.
Not all local priests and parishes were ready to give in. In Germany and Austria, a new body arose called the Old Catholic Church. It patterned itself on another Catholicism—eastern Orthodoxy—and established leadership by a council of bishops. Almost immediately it celebrated mass in the vernacular. Within several decades, its priests could marry.
Eminent Catholic theologian Hans Küng—who recently hoped in the pages of the New York Times for a “Vatican Spring”—writes that Old Catholicism “continues to be Catholic but is Rome-free.” Doctrinally ancient but also modern, Küng says, “this little bold and ecumenically open Old Catholic Church from the beginning anticipated reforms of the Second Vatican Council.”
Today, Old Catholicism has churches in ten countries from the Netherlands to Croatia. It ordains women and is in communion with Anglicanism.
Old Catholicism has also generated several hundred small independent Catholic churches in the U.S., including the historic Polish National Catholic Church and the African Orthodox Church. Some, such as the Ecumenical Catholic Communion, the Church of Antioch and Ascension Alliance, open the sacraments to all comers, including marriage and ordination. The list also includes formerly Roman parishes, such as St. Stanislaus Kostka in St. Louis and Spiritus Christi in Rochester, New York.
But even among those who stayed with Rome, there exist hugely differing views on the papacy. These Catholics take sides not on Vatican I but on Vatican II, the 1960s council that gave the church a modern makeover.
On the strong right of the U.S. church are opponents of Vatican II, who say the council’s documents are so out of step with tradition that its leadership must have been hijacked. John XXIII, the convener of Vatican II, was no true pope. Starting with him, the Roman popes have been impostors.
On the strong left are progressive Roman Catholics like Wills, whose pursuit of “the spirit of Vatican II” goes so far as to question the need for priests and popes at all.
The disagreements expose a wide and diverse Catholicism, in which overall affirmation of Vatican authority has declined. According to one recent survey fewer than three out of ten U.S. Roman Catholics says that the “teaching authority claimed by the Vatican” is “very important” to them.
U.S. Roman Catholicism is now fully one-third Latino, and this is another group that does not simply accede to papal centrality.
The vitality of devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe, the mother of Jesus manifested at Guadalupe, often far surpasses concerns for the pope. Especially among Mexican-Americans, who make up more than 60 percent of U.S. Hispanics, she is the living center of faith. Only half jokingly, some Latino Catholics say they are not Romans, but Guadalupeans. Among Guadalupeans, this beloved Mary with brown skin and a golden aura wins any popularity contest with the pope.
The election of the next pope is a fascinating spectacle on Vatican Hill. But if we look closely, the roil of Catholic opinion on the ground is the real show.
The author, Julie Byrne, is the Hartman Chair of Catholic Studies at Hofstra University. She is the author of O God of Players (Columbia University Press, 2003) and The Other Catholics (forthcoming from Columbia).
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A generally good article that touches very lightly on the issues of Catholic Churches that are not Roman Catholic. Of course there is great divergence from what is considered “Catholic” and in line with the traditions of the entire Church from the first millennium. On one side are the Roman Church, Orthodoxy, the PNCC, and certain smaller “Old Catholic” Churches not recognized by Utrecht (but who maintain solid adherence to principals and doctrine). On the other Old Catholicism, certain portions of the Anglican Church, and some of the other smaller Churches that label themselves “Old Catholic” but are not recognized by Utrecht. They have veered in various degrees.
Good points on Rome’s self view of the Bishop of Rome (thankfully Francis uses this term) and its use of “infallibility” as a defense against the breakdown of other authority structures — to which at least a portion of the representatives at Vatican I did not agree. Also on the general view among (the majority I believe) of Roman Catholics who either think Rome has fallen to pieces (note the bubbling revolt among traditionalists against Francis), or pay little heed to anything coming out of Rome. Those who pay little heed like their local parish and ignore what doesn’t matter to them, whether it comes from their pastor, bishop or from Rome.
I encourage everyone, and especially PNCC members, to take the Piast Institute’s2013 Polish American Survey. The survey thankfully includes a question on the religious affiliation of Polish-American and includes the Polish National Catholic Church as a choice among many others. Our inclusion as PNCC members in the Polish-American demographic is important.
This survey follows up on two earlier national studies in 2009 and 2010 that the Institute did of 900 and 1,400 Polish Americans respectively. The new study probes some of the key social, political and economic questions asked on the earlier studies and adds a few additional issues that have aroused public concern since. It also probes the attitudes of Polish Americans on matters of concern to the community and their ideas about its future.
The study is being conducted as a “rolling survey” over a span of three months. Polish Americans and Poles living in America are encouraged to participate. Dominik Stecula, a Ph.D. student at the University of British Columbia who coauthored the original study urged as wide a participation as possible to give the study a broad statistical sample for analysis. “I hope all Polish Americans who have a concern about our community take the time to respond to the survey,” he said. Mr. Stecula noted that “The original study demonstrated to us that Polonia is a unique community which shows distinctive opinions and attitudes on public and community issues. We need broad national participation to allow us to confirm our earlier findings and to deepen our analysis. These will be invaluable as we seek to create Polonia anew in the 21st century.” The survey, he pointed out, which can be completed in 25 to 60 minutes, can be accessed here (NOTE: the survey did not really take that long).
The 2010 study published as Polish Americans Today by the Piast Institute has gone through three printings. Its findings have been a key item of discussion at several national conferences. The chancery of the President of Poland ordered copies for its staff as have several Polish Ministries as well as the offices of the Marshalls of the Sejm and Senate. “The Piast Institute undertook the original study because we found a dearth of information about the Polish American Community as major Research Centers such as NORC at the University of Chicago and the national election exit polls have stopped asking about European American ethnic groups.” Says Dr. Radzilowski. “Poles and other European groups were lumped into a new default category called “White” which makes no historical, cultural or demographic sense. It is a new version of the melting pot.”
The new study will be published by E. Mellen Press, a major Social Science and Humanities publisher.
Thank you for your participation. You can access the survey HERE.
The New York Folklore Society’s Annual Conference will be held at ArtsWestchester, 31 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY on Saturday, March 2nd. The day will begin at 11 a.m. with a preview of the Society’s newly designed website followed by the Society’s annual meeting. An optional lunch will be available (advanced reservations and a small fee required). Speakers and panel discussions begin at 1 p.m. on the theme Occupational Folklore: A conference to accompany the exhibit From Shore to Shore: Boat Builders and Boat Yards of Westchester and Long Island.
Admission is $15, $10 for NYFS Members, Students are Free. Attendees may register and RSVP online. More information on the event is available by calling (518) 346-7008.
The PAHA 2014 Annual Meeting will be held in Washington D.C. from January 2-4, 2014 as part of the American Historical Association’s Annual Conference. Abstracts for papers and panel proposals are now being accepted and should be submitted to the Chair of the Program Committee:
Grazyna Kozaczka, Ph.D.
Professor of English
Cazenovia College
22 Sullivan St.
Cazenovia, NY 13035
Electronic proposals in email and word format are strongly preferred. E-mail proposals directly to Dr. Kozaczka. The deadline for submissions is April 15, 2013.
Individuals and panel organizers should include the following information when submitting a proposal:
Paper/Session title(s) (of no more than 20 words)
Paper/Session abstract(s) (up to 300/500 words, respectively)
Biographical paragraph or c.v. summary (up to 250 words) for each participant
Correct mailing and e-mail address for each participant
Chair (required) and commentator (optional) for the session
Audiovisual needs, if any.
Please be advised that it is unlikely that PAHA will be able to use PowerPoint in its sessions, due to the high cost of rental, or that presenters will be permitted by the hosting conference hotel to bring their own. You may wish to consider distribution of paper handouts as an alternative.
The Polish American Historical Association holds its Annual Conference in conjunction with the American Historical Association (AHA). The full information about the AHA conference can be found at at their website. PAHA members who plan to attend PAHA conference only do not need to register for the AHA conference, but are required to register for the PAHA conference by November 1, 2013. Registration may be done on-line or by sending the $20.00 registration fee to:
PAHA Headquarters
c/o Magda Jacques
Central Connecticut State University
1615 Stanley Street
New Britain, CT 06050
Our Holy Church does not believe that the Bishop of Rome holds any special office or power, and we categorically deny the various “dogmas” these men have proclaimed over the past several centuries (Infallibility as well as the Immaculate Conception and Assumption of the B.V.M.). The word “pope” is not part of our vocabulary. Of course in charity we wish Bishop Ratzinger, a brother in Christ, well in his retirement. We also take this opportunity to pray that the Roman Church’s leadership takes this chance to recant of its dogmatic errors and in doing so work toward a unity among Churches based on model of the Church as it existed in the first millennium, a Church that is unified and Conciliar
Our denomination began on the second Sunday of March, 1897 – nearly 126 years ago. We celebrate the gift of our Holy Church every year on the Solemnity of the Institution of the PNCC, which the Third General Synod of 1914 declared to fall on the second Sunday of March. On this Sunday the parishes of our Church remove the Lenten purple from their sanctuaries and replace them with flowers. The Gloria is again recited and the vestments are white or gold. On this special feast day we celebrate our religious freedom and our Catholic democracy.
It is important to consider some history in light of recent events. As the Bishop of Rome nears retirement, the Roman Church will meet to elect a successor. Such a resignation has not occurred for six centuries. That previous resignation was to bring an end to a period of men competing for the office who were ensconced in and supported by the powers of those days: France and Rome. What we do not see discussed in the media are the politics, bribery, and military force that played a deciding factor in this extended period of intrigue. The intrigue rose to such an extent that the office of the Bishop of Rome was deemed compromised.
A nascent democratic movement, referred to as the Conciliar Movement, arose in opposition to this corruption. The supporters of the Conciliar Movement insisted that ecumenical councils be held regularly and independently, and that they function as the highest Church body. The Council of Pisa in 1409 attempted to limit the authority of the Bishop of Rome’s office, and also elected a third contender for the office in an unsuccessful attempt to reconcile the factions in France and Rome. The principle of the supremacy of the Council over the Bishop of Rome was affirmed by the Council of Constance in 1414-1418, which actually voided the authority of the sitting Bishop of Rome and elected a single replacement. The Conciliar Movement continued through the Council of Basel less than 20 years later. Unfortunately, the Bishop of Rome once again seized absolute power and tried to destroy the Conciliar movement in a competing and more successful Council in Florence.
Bishop Hodur knew this history. He immortalized Jan Hus (who was condemned at the Council of Constance and was killed despite a pledge of indemnity) in a stained glass window of our Cathedral in Scranton. It was Hus who argued against the assumed power of the Bishop of Rome and called for a return to “gospel poverty.” He spoke of the true Church as opposed to the hierarchical one, championing ecclesiastical democracy, all of which led to his being burned at the stake for heresy.
In celebrating the founding of our democratic Catholic church, we celebrate the continuation of the Conciliar Movement. The PNCC Constitution of 1922 stated:
“The task of the Synod is to: 1. Interpret authoritatively the bases of faith and morals; … In matters concerning religion and morals, the Synod decides unanimously; in national and social matters, as well as administrative ones [it decides] by a simple majority of votes.”
According to the report of the 1935 Synod, Bishop Grochowski was not anxious about this democratic authority, but rather extolled it as truly Christian:
“Bishop Grochowski announced the order of the Synod and informed the Synod that the Synod is the most important authority in the church. It was so from the very beginning of Christianity, but with the passage of time the clergy took away from the faithful those rights which the National Church returns to those belonging to it.” (Minutes, p. 190)
With an eye to the Conciliar Movement, Bishop Hodur wrote in the 1931 catechism:
“These priests, especially of the higher rank, cultivate under the guise of the religion of Jesus Christ, Moses, Buddha, and Mohammed worldly politics, personal business, and very often stand in complete contradiction to divine principles of pure religion, democratic issues, general enlightenment, the welfare of the masses, freedom of conscience, brotherhood, and social justice.”
Reflecting on these words we see the prophecy contained therein. In recent days, Roman Catholic Bishop, Keith Cardinal O’Brien of Scotland, spoke out publicly to urge an end to required celibacy for clergy (the PNCC has allowed its clergy to marry since 1921). Within a day making such a declaration he was publicly accused by other clergy of inappropriate behavior. Odd how the struggle to maintain the status quo and to stifle voices for reform rears its head. The politics of such a process cannot be hidden away as it once was.
Our Church’s remedy to inordinate power and corruption is a democratic model of Church consistent with the ideals of the Conciliar Movement and more importantly earliest Christianity. It is time that Roman Catholics consider whether the voice of the Bishop of Rome is preeminent or whether they should find a home which is modeled on Church of the first millennium, one that is at once fully Catholic and free, democratic, and Conciliar.
My thanks to Fr. Randolph Calvo of Holy Name of Jesus in South Deerfield, Massachusetts for his words, which I have significantly borrowed, and which inspired this writing
Polish Hockey Connects to Sports & Entertainment Law Symposium
By Lars Hjelmroth
WESTLAND— Polish ice hockey is currently in the news. The U-20 National Team earned a spot in next year’s top division IIHF Championships with a 3-2 victory over Italy. Top prospect Kasper Guzik scored all three goals in the come from behind win. You could say it was a collaboration victory, as just like the senior National Team, the U-20’s are led by Russian coaches.
Another skater on the scouting radar is Filip Strarzynski, who had a strong tournament. He is also playing Jr. hockey for the Bismarck Bobcats of the North American Junior Hockey League.
Polish-American hockey was celebrated at the ‘Hockey Weekend Across America’ event in Westland, Michigan. Besides the rich hockey history that was showcased, there was a Sports and Entertainment Law component. The Hockey Day in Michigan section was sponsored by the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and the publication MiHockeyNow.
Tom Mustonen was well received as a presenter. He is a primary source. He has lived and become part of the fabric of the hockey history in the State of Michigan and beyond. It was 50 years ago when he and a mostly inexperienced U.S. National Team embarked on Sabena Airlines flight #548 from New York Idlewild Airport to Brussels. They were starting their International Ice Hockey Federation quest towards the World Championship. At the time, Boston hockey legend, Walter Brown, owner of the Boston Bruins and then Vice-President of the American Hockey Association of the United States said in the Christian Science Monitor, “I don’t see any team with the strength of the Russians or Czech Republic. Our boys may have a rough time of it.”
Tom Mustonen played on the first official Big Ten Ice Hockey Champions, the 1959 Michigan State Spartans. He discussed playing hockey in Poland in 1963 as a member of the U.S. National Team during the Hockey Weekend Across America celebration. Photo courtesy of Nick Vista
That was a correct prediction as the U.S. Nationals started their 14 country tour with a group of ex-collegians. USA coach Harry Cleverly of Boston University fame set his first line with Marshall Tschida of Providence College on the right. Cleverly had John Poole who was in the Army, in the center spot and the left-winger Tom Mustonen of Michigan State. The top defensive pair was Frank Silka also of MSU and John Warchol of East Orange, New Jersey.
Throughout the daylong event, the timeline of hockey in Poland was also showcased. Americans of Polish decent and immigrants who used hockey as an advancement platform were highlighted.
Raymond Rolak and Tom Mustonen were featured at the Hockey Day Across America Sports and Entertainment Law presentation which also celebrated the rich history of hockey in the State of Michigan. Here they showcase a jersey of the famed McGraw Avenue hockey teams sponsored by Stan’s “Whip-N-Whirl”. Stan Stankiewicz was a longtime ambassador and supporter for youth hockey in the Detroit area. Photo by Lars Hjelmroth
The multi-media presentation moderated by veteran sports broadcaster, Raymond Rolak, highlighted the robust rivalry of the Michigan State and the University of Michigan programs. The unique storyline of the now resurrected University of Detroit collegiate ice hockey team stood out. The U. of D. Titans played their home games at the Olympia in 1967-71 before sparse crowds. An interesting storyline was that attorney Jimmy Williams concluded his collegiate career as the acting player-coach. This was because the head coach, James Kirwen, walked away in disgust. The U. of D. college administration cancelled the major funding for the program with only two weeks to go before the finish of the season. Longtime 3rd Circuit Court Judge, James R. Chylinski was a teammate along with Jim Schlenski and James Bednarski. Pete Mateja was one of the up-and-coming goalies along with pro prospect Pete Donnelly.
The 1932 Polish Olympic Hockey Team in Lake Placid, New York. Aleksander Kowalski was a member of that fourth place team and scored two goals for Poland in the tournament. He was murdered in 1940 during the Russian Katyn massacre. Photo courtesy of the Lake Placid Olympic Museum
Rolak, who has a long hockey pedigree, just completed work in Hawaii as the associate producer for the full length motion picture comedy, “Get A Job.” He told of how Detroit defense attorney Robert Plumpe along with Dave Bentley revamped youth hockey by instituting a skill level classification for the 1970 State Championships. Rolak said, “The action revolutionized hockey in America, brought forth a classification system and promoted the growth we have today.” He also presented timelines regarding women’s hockey development, noting the efforts of attorney Walter Bush and Minnesota editor Patti Riha. Bush was the longtime administrator of the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States, the governing body of hockey in this country.
Rolak dissected the 1971 Detroit Common Pleas case allowing the Detroit Catholic Central High School freshman team sponsored by the Detroit Safe-Rai Company to play and be eligible for the City of Detroit Recreation Department (Bantam age-group) Championship. As a 19 year old college freshman, playing baseball at Wayne State University, Rolak wrote an Amicus Brief outlining the merits of school location and the amount of time spent in Detroit as a factor for recreation residency eligibility. The brief turned the tide.
From that modest house league hockey squad, three of many outstanding teammates stood out. Mike Brown and Steve Banonis went on to play collegiate hockey in the C.C.H.A. and both had brief pro careers. Bryan Gruley, while playing high school hockey, went on to became an All-State defenseman. Gruley, now of Chicago, won a Pulitzer Prize while writing for the Wall Street Journal.
Current metro Detroit area lawyers Walter Piszczatowski and Charles Clos also worked as part time recreation hockey instructors and were appropriate to the action. Clos, now a specialist in youth sports defense litigation said, “We were all Detroit hockey ambassadors. The programs also developed coaches and coaching protocols still in use today.”
Mustonen went on in his segment talking about being global ambassadors, “We ate a lot of sausages from the street vendors in Germany and got to experience Fasching (German Mardi-Gras). We enjoyed the cultural sights also. Frank (Silka) and I both felt fortunate to be able to experience that enrichment. We went to Red Square and were treated very V.I.P. We got invited to the front of the line to see Lenin’s tomb. It was cold and we had our long wool USA parkas on and presented ourselves with grace and diplomacy. We looked sharp as a group.”
After touring with games in Europe, Team USA struggled at the World Championships losing all but two games, defeating West Germany 8-4 and tying East Germany 3-3. The heavy 17-2 loss to Sweden on March 12, prompted a telephone call to the team from President John Kennedy. He wanted to see what he could do to help improve the U.S. hockey program. Kennedy loved hockey, especially Harvard hockey. Mustonen added, “Jack Kirrane who was the USA captain for the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympic Gold medal winners was a Massachusetts friend of President Kennedy.”
Lufthansa, Aeroflot, LOT, KLM, CSA and Aer Lingus were new airline names to seek out in theses transcontinental airports and even stranger were some of the airplanes. “We became experienced international travelers very quickly,” added Mustonen, now a retired educator. “We were immersed in international law and regulations, along with the Cold War and Iron Curtain bureaucrats.”
In that era, players who tried out for the National and Olympic hockey teams paid their own way to training camp. The amateur rules were very strict and making the team required a four-month commitment. Some of the players were already in the military and were subsidized with a small stipend. Others got just $50 a month for expenses. “There was so much talent in Michigan back in the day, Jimmy Siebert, Paul Coppo, goalie Patrick Rupp and of course Jack Roberts, they and many more were capable of NHL careers. Denny Ribant and Al Moran, who both played Major League Baseball, would have had great hockey futures also,” he said.
The ‘63 Worlds were coming off with the awkwardness of the 1962 IIHF Championships held in Colorado Springs. The U.S. got bronze, but neither the Soviet Union nor Czechoslovakia was present in Colorado Springs/Denver in ’62. The two Eastern Bloc countries boycotted the event due to the United States’ refusal to give entry visas to communist-ally East Germany (in protest of the erection of the Berlin Wall just seven months earlier).
Mustonen went on, “Coach Cleverly was an anxious flyer and so on the long flight home from Dublin we sent our two complimentary scotch whiskeys to him. Needless to say, he was very glowing when it was time to deplane. There was a team parade before the tournament and we were presented a small but beautiful crystal drinking vessel with the three Swedish gold crowns on it. Sweden, the spectators and the supporters were gracious hosts.”
“When we played in Poland, it was at an outdoor stadium rink and we had a fierce snowstorm. There was a giant crowd and everyone stayed until the end. The match continued after short intermissions to shovel the ice. We became very popular, as we gave ball point pens to the Polish National Team members. It was a scarce item at the time in the Soviet bloc countries. Needless to say, we ran out of them. You could see that the people were not happy with the Russian interference intruding on their lives. It permeated everywhere, it was very noticeable,” Mustonen added.
Of great interest was the documentation of the 1959 Michigan State ice hockey team which was officially declared as the first Big Ten Conference Hockey Champions. This allowed them to go to the NCAA finals in Troy, New York, hosted by RPI. This history will be vital to the pedigree of the new Big Ten Hockey Conference which is to have six schools next year. The branding and scheduling will be a valuable property for the Big Ten Network (television).
This May, USA Hockey will send N.H.L. players to represent America in the top group of countries participating in the IIHF Worlds. USA will play its first game versus Austria on Saturday May 4. There will be 16 countries competing in the top division. Team Russia is the defending World Champions.
Rolak concluded with humorous reminiscing regarding Red Berenson and Mel Wakabayashi and the special relationships among the college coaches, John Mariucci, Al Renfrew, Len Ceglarski and Amo Bessone. He also highlighted the many National Championship teams from the metro Detroit area. Mustonen smiled and added, “Berenson was fast-tracked for the U. of M. Law School after his All-America season with the Wolverines. Pro hockey got in the way. He has been a compliment and the benchmark as the University of Michigan head coach.”
Afterward, description and clips were shown regarding the making of the 1987 award-winning docu-drama, “The Hobey Baker Story” which had been narrated by Rolak and produced in Minneapolis.
EDITORS NOTE: Hockey inductees into the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame include Len Ceglarski, Turk Broda, Tom Lysiak, Ed Olczyk and Pete Stemkowski.
Polish biographer Agata Tuszyńska will read from her new book, “Vera Gran – The Accused,” on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in 601 Herter Hall.
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Vera Gran was a sultry contralto headlining at the Café Sztuka in the Warsaw Ghetto. The café and her accompanist are remembered in Roman Polański’s film The Pianist, but she is not. Accused after the war of collaboration with the Germans, despite being acquitted of all charges, she was never able to get her career back into full swing, though she did make some recordings in Paris, had a Carnegie Hall recital, and sang with the likes of Charles Aznavour. Tuszyńska’s book, newly translated into English by Charles Ruas, tells her story.
Tuszyńska, one of Poland’s leading biographers and writers, sought out Gran in Paris and interviewed her over a period of three years, researching Gran’s claims and allegations in an attempt to render an account of her life from scraps of memory, refracted through amnesia, paranoia and delusion. Her controversial book, quickly translated into several languages, is also a subjective account of the author’s struggle to work through her own personal relationship to the Warsaw Ghetto. Tuszyńska, the daughter of Ghetto survivors, only learned of her Jewish heritage in her late teens. In her book she attempts to get inside the minds of Gran and of her accusers, raising more questions than she answers.
Tuszyńska’s visit is sponsored by the Amesbury Professorship in Polish Language, Literature and Culture in collaboration with the Polish Cultural Institute New York and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Warsaw. Copies of her book will be available for sale after her talk.
Father Michael Gitner of St. Joseph’s Polish National Catholic Church encouraged people to embrace freedom, justice and to promote love in their everyday lives during a service in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. on Sunday.
Gitner and other members of the Stratford Clergy Association conducted the service at the Stratford United Methodist Church not only to honor Dr. King, but to promote the spirit of peace and generosity.
Referencing a 1954 Dr. King sermon that was read by Rev. Dr. Bob Genevicz of the Stratford Baptist Church earlier in the service, Gitner mused on Dr. King’s sermon of Rediscovering Lost Values.
“Go back to the basic world values,” Gitner said. “Love our God above all things and love our fellow human beings as we are called upon to love ourselves.”
Sunday’s service included little in the way of extemporaneous speeches or sermons. Rather, a choir sang inspirational music in between readings of some of Dr. Kings many writings.
The Rev. Koonae Lee of the Stratford United Methodist Church offered a formal greeting and welcome to those in attendance and Father Bruce Roby of St. James Church offered an opening prayer.
The Rev. Lesley Hay of Christ Episcopal Church offered a reading of Dr. King’s The Most Durable Power sermon and the Rev. Ed Rawls of First Congregational Church read from Dr. King’s Riverside Church speech selections.
Following the reading of a portion of Dr. King’s Nobel Prize Speech offered by Rev. Meg Williams of the Stratford United Methodist Church, a litany was read before the choir and those gathered sang Let There Be Peace on Earth.
During the call for offering, Father Gitner made his remarks and explained the Stratford Clergy Association’s commitment to the spirit of Dr. King.
“For a number of years, the Stratford Clergy Association has been supporting Stratford and Bunnell high schools with scholarships in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” he said.
Gitner explained how the scholarships at first had been given only to African-American students.
“But then we realized, if we support only African-American students, then perhaps we are not living up to the ideals of Dr. King,” he said. “We have to go beyond that when we talk about equality and when we talk about love in concrete and tangible terms.”
Gitner said that over the years, the scholarships honoring Dr. King have grown to include not only one each for an African-American student per school, but one additional scholarship for ‘any student regardless of race’ per school.
“Hopefully, we the people of Stratford can rediscover lost values, especially the value of love,” he said.
Sunday’s collection will go toward funding the scholarships.
The service closed with the choir and congregation singing We Shall Overcome.
The movie night is sponsored by the Center’s Ladies’ Auxiliary. The Polish Community Center is located at 225 Washington Ave. Ext. Albany, NY 12205
Chopin: Desire for Love is in Polish with English subtitles
The drama chronicles the stormy affair between the great piano virtuoso Frederic Chopin and the flamboyant feminist writer Aurore Dupin, who called herself George Sand. Academy Award nominated Jerzy Antczak directs this sweeping portrayal of the famed composer and his intense but hurtful relationship with George Sand and her children. Chopin’s music, known and loved by millions worldwide, provides a powerful score that underlines the drama. The world recognized Yo-Yo Ma (cellist), Emmanuel Ax (pianist), Yukio Yokoyama (pianist), Janusz Olejniczak (pianist), Pamela Frank (violin), and Vadim Brodsky (violin) use their talents to brilliantly perform Chopin’s music.
Pizza and soda will be served. Donations of $2 for Ladies’ Auxiliary and PCC members, $5 for non-members. Children free!
A meeting of the Ladies’ Auxiliary will precede the event starting at 7 pm.
form of a virtual walk. The presentation includes a walk through the Polish War Cemetery at Monte Cassino and the monuments to Polish forces (3rd Carpathian Rifle Division, 5th Kresowa Infantry Division, 2nd Armored Brigade with the 4 Armoured Regiment — “SCORPION” and 6 Armoured Regiment — the “Children of Lwów,” as well as support forces including the Polish sappers who finally took the stronghold after various other allied strategies had tried for four months.
Chopin: Desire for Love is in Polish with English subtitles