PGSM/WSDPAHS Meeting

The Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan in conjunction with the West Side Detroit Polish American Historical Society will be meeting this next weekend at the Caroline Kennedy Public Library in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. The topic of the meeting is: the history of the Polish National Catholic Church.

The meeting will take place from 12:30 p.m. till 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 17, 2008. The event is open to the public and all are welcome. Admission is free but they're having a dessert table and are asking those who come to bring a dessert to share. Yum!

Details Here

Book Review: Jadwiga's Crossing

I recently finished reading, Jadwiga's Crossing: a story of the Great Migration by Aloysius and Richard Lutz. This was one of the more interesting historical novels I've read in a while. The author focuses the story on one young Polish couple's voyage to America back in the late 1800s when ships relied on wind and sail to get them across the Atlantic, a journey that might take 4-12 weeks.

The first 9 chapters of the book introduce and develop the 2 main characters back in Poland. The next 7 chapters introduce the group who traveled in steerage together aboard ship and the train trip from Gdansk to Bremerhaven where they boarded the ship. The next 31 chapters cover the voyage itself and the last 6 chapters tell of their arrival in America and life afterwards.

While the main characters of the story are Polish, their experience aboard ship and settling in a new country would have been common for the many who immigrated to the U.S. during that time period. It's hard to imagine spending weeks in the bowels of a ship being tossed about on the north Atlantic. But as is evident from the story, the people traveling in steerage were not holiday adventure seekers. They were motivated to make a better life for themselves and their families and they were used to hardships in life. Unlike people in the U.S. these days who commonly have hours of leisure time each day, these folks worked from sun up to sun down each day just to eek out a living.

This story happens to take place about the same time my great grandparents immigrated to the U. S. from Bobrowa, Poland. So for me the story was illustrative of the kinds of things they must have endured along the way... fear of the unknown, a language barrier, ethnic discrimination, not enough to eat, rudimentary health care, and a lack of education and job skills.

The reminder of what my great grandparents went through to make a new life for themselves here was a good one. By the end of the story I was counting my blessings and had come to have a greater appreciation for what they must have endured.

Jadwiga's Crossing is not an altogether sad story though it does have its sad moments. Mostly the story leaves you with a sense of triumph of the human spirit. It's a good read and I recommend it to you.

Polish Pride

Yesterday morning I attended Easter Mass at Sweetest Heart of Mary Church in Detroit. It was a beautiful Mass in a beautiful church. I never cease to be amazed at how this inner city parish thrives at a time when historic Polish churches around the country are closing their doors. This church is located in a very ugly, dilapidated, and largely abandoned section of the city that is struggling to remake itself. It is not a safe neighborhood where people want to hang out. The parishioners who attend this church do not live in the neighborhood. They all live in the suburbs and drive in to this unsafe and dirty section of the city to attend Mass at this beautiful church.

The core of the parishioners of Sweetest Heart of Mary are elderly. Most of them have long family ties to the parish and attended this church and school in their youth. But in recent years the parish has seen new growth from young people. Couples in their twenties and thirties, all white, mostly of Polish descent, are marrying in the church, having their children baptized in the church without any previous affiliation to the parish. Only a few of these younger people attend Mass in this parish on a regular basis. Others may attend weekly Mass in suburban churches coming downtown only on special occasions like Easter, or perhaps they are " cafeteria Catholics" who attended Mass infrequently, usually on holidays.

In any event, I was struck by how many young couples with very small children (infant to five years old) attended Mass yesterday. Mind you, this was not the children's mass that I attended, that was held earlier in the morning. Yet everywhere I looked there were couples with little children. In four rows of pews off to my left I counted a dozen children under the age of five, another dozen in the four pews off to my right. It was just delightful to see these young families make the very deliberate act of choosing to attend Easter Mass at a church that was not convenient or comfortable to get to.

I wanted to ask them, "Why do you do it?" But I would never be so bold. I suspect that many of them were looking for the ethnic connection. The suburbs of Detroit are filled with catholic churches, many beautiful ones in fact. I don't doubt that these folks could have found a closer church to attend if it was just the act of attending Mass that motivated them. What makes this church unique is its Polish ethnic affiliation. So I have to assume that many were willing to "go the extra mile" just to connect with their Polish roots. Polish pride tends to be a quiet thing for many, something only witnessed at the holidays and forgotten about the rest of the year.

In my youth I was not outspoken about my own Polish pride, but it was always there. I wonder if I would've made the effort to bring my children to this church had I known about it when they were mere toddlers. I'd like to think that I would have. I applaud those who make the effort to introduce their children not just to their catholic faith but to their Polish roots as well. I hope they will continue to make the effort even if it's only done on holidays. There's so little opportunity to immerse in one's ethnicity these days.

Ascension of Our Lord, Evanston, Illinois

The parish jubilee book (1912-1962) for Ascension of Our Lord parish in Evanston, Illinois has been put online. You can access it here.

Thanks to Retired Judge Don Binkowski for sharing this information with me. :-)

Katyn is Nominated for Academy Award

I'm excited to tell you that the movie, Katyn, which I've written about before on this blog, has been nominated for an Academy Award under the Foreign Language Films category. This film has not been released in the U.S. as far as I know but it is creating quite a buzz none the less. Anne Applebaum, of The New York Review of Books, has written a wonderfully thorough review of the movie which you can read here. The same web site also has a just-for-fun poll where you can vote for your favorite Oscar nominees. If you'd like to vote for Katyn (or any of the other nominated films) you can do so here. I sure hope this film wins and brings attention to this very sad chapter in Polish history.

There is a very moving sculpture created in honor of those who died at Katyn on the campus of Orchard Lake, MI. (Pictured above)


Previous posts on this topic:

Creative Gene: WWII, the Story of the Katyn Massacre Becomes a Movie
Creative Gene: I See Their Faces and Wonder

World's Largest Pierog

Pierog lovers unite! It's time to rally around a very special cause, one that I'm sure will be near and dear to your heart. What do you say we support the idea of getting the world's biggest pierog in the Guinness Book of World Records? Sounds like a good idea to me! Here's the first consideration. Check it out.

Created in Whiting, Indiana, this baby is 48 inches long, 35 inches across and weighs
100 pounds. Not bad, eh? I'm sure with a little support and encouragement we'll see even bigger pierogi in festivals to come.

And speaking of festivals, don't forget that Sweetest Heart of Mary Parish's annual Pierogi Festival is this coming weekend, August 11 & 12. I hope to see you there! Yes, this is yet another shameless plug to support this wonderful Polish parish. Ya 'comin?

Other blog posts on the topic of pierogi:
It's Pierogi Time!
PierogiHeads
Polish and German Church Festivals in Detroit, MI (2006) with pics from a previous Pierogi Festival

New Flickr Groups for Polonia!

Our Lady of Czestochowa Church, Worcester, Massachusetts, originally uploaded by Orchard Lake.

From the Friends of Poland Forum:

As Curator of the Polish and Rare Book Collection at the Orchard Lake Schools, I opened a flickr account not long ago in order for us to highlight and preserve through photos the campus library and our varied collections (books, photos, ephemera, etc.) The url for our images is http://www.flickr.com/photos/orchardlake/

Karen Majewski, Ph.D.
Mayor, City of Hamtramck
Curator, Polish and Rare Books Collection, Orchard Lake Schools

Karen also set up flickr accounts for American Polonia:
The url is: http://www.flickr.com/groups/Polonia/

And for Hamtramck, MI: The url is: http://www.flickr.com/groups/Hamtramck/

Oh yipee!!! Oh joy! This is like finding a gold mine! I feel like a kid at Christmas! Photos, ephemera, and more, oh my! (This photo's for you, Steve)

Polish and PolAm Experience During WWII

Two Home Fronts and Many Battlefields

Thaddeus C. Radzilowski, Ph.D. and president of the PIAST institute (a national institute for Polish and Polish American affairs), describes the Polish and Polish-American experience from 1939-1948, including their contributions to the war and home fronts.

March 11, 2007 at 1:30 p.m.

Macomb Cultural Center
44575 Garfield Rd.
Clinton Township, MI 48038-1139

For additional information please call (586) 445-7348 or visit www.macombculturalcenter.com.

Wycinanki Program for Children in Livonia, MI

The Livonia Sandburg Library offers craft programs for third through sixth graders once a month. For March, the craft is Wycinanki, the Polish art of paper cutouts. The program is on Tuesday March 13th at 4:30pm and registration begins on Saturday March 10th in person or by phone. For more information or to register, contact the Livonia Sandburg Library at (248) 893-4010.

PierogiHeads

Here's one that will surely give you grins and giggles... What is that on those people's heads? Well, it's a pierogi of course! My friend "V" sent me the link to this very unusual chapeau apparel. At PierogiHead.com you can order one of these chic and unique dandies for yourself. "Now why would I want to do that?", you ask. Well, maybe because then you'd fit right in with the other food-heads. That's right, the Poles don't have a monopoly on corny hats you know...

You've no doubt seen the "cheese head" hats that Green Bay Packers fans have worn for years. If you're interested in wearing a little fromage on your head, they are available at CheeseHead.com. I don't know if the shape is very flattering for everyone though. And fashion critics everywhere would surely agree that the color, well, it's less than flattering for most. I would venture to say the pale, neutral of the pierogi hat and the nice wide brim would be much more flattering... don't you think?

But that's not all! From the same folks who bring you the "cheese head" hat, there's another contender in the food-head fashion competition... the "corn head"! No doubt this one gets the blue ribbon for "corniest hat"... oh I can hear your groans now ;-) But once again I must point out that the very bright yellow color here will not bring out the healthy glow of your complexion. No, in all likelihood, you'll look a bit pale in this baby. But if your facial structure favors a torpedo shaped hat, you should definitely consider this one.

So right about now you're thinking that carb lovers have the edge when it comes to food hats aren't you? I knew it. It's an understandable assumption. But alas! Meat lovers rejoice! You've not been left out of the fashion scene. Just look at these babies! From the HatsOfMeat.com web site we have a pork-pie hat, a ground beef and flank steak hat, a Canadian bacon hat, a cow-boy hat made from marbleized cuts of beef, and last but not least a "brisket yarmulke - made of 100% kosher brisket. This one-size-fits-all “beefy beanie” comes emblazoned with a horseradish Star of David." This fine collection of meat-heads is not for sale. It's actually intended to inspire you to create your own. For tips on meat-hat preservation and a list of upcoming meat-head fashion events, check out the web site.



Just for the record, I'd like to point out that while these hats are certainly more becoming to one's complexion than say the corn-hat, there is the odor issue to deal with... I still think the pierogi hat is your best bet for food-head fashion. But there's something to be said for the idea of dressing up each member of your family in a different food hat and going cruzin on a Sunday afternoon... gives new meaning to "Meals on Wheels" doesn't it?

If you buy or make one of these hats, or if you already own one, please send me your photo. I'd love to see it!

***I'm in a bit of weird mood today, can you tell? It happens every year. I load up on sugary, fattening things on Paczki Day and then I have to fast the next day, Ash Wednesday. I get a little strange when I don't get breakfast, especially after all that sugar ;-)

Polish American Encyclopedia Project

From the Polish American Forum: Polish American Encyclopedia Project

Every major European immigrant group—Italians, Jews, Germans, Irish and others—have published historical encyclopedias to inform researchers and the general public about the experiences and contributions of their groups within the mosaic of American society. African-Americans have their reference works, as do Native Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Catholics and others. Of all the major groups to populate North America, only the Poles remain without a serious historical encyclopedia to define their presence. It is time to remedy this enormous deficiency in the literature on the Polish experience in America.

At its meeting in January of 2007 the Board of Directors of the Polish American Historical Association approved initial plans and began soliciting information and contributors for the encyclopedia. Since that time, a publisher has been identified and a number of authors have committed to the project. I am writing to ask your help in supporting this project which will be important for passing along Polish American heritage to our children and their children, as well as the general public. Specifically, I ask your support in one or both of the following ways:

1. We are in the process of compiling a listing of potential entries – biographies of important Polish Americans and topical entries such as major organizations, events or cultural aspects (wigilia, oberek, etc.). You can help by sending your suggestions for potential entries to me at jpula@pnc.edu. Also, if you are interested in authoring entries, please let me know your field of expertise and the kind of entries you would be interested in.

2. As you can imagine, a project of this scope will be very expensive. To bring it to fruition, we need financial assistance. Please consider a tax deductible donation to PAHA to support this project. All donations are welcome, and will be acknowledged in the published encyclopedia. To contribute, make your check payable to “PAHA Encyclopedia” and send them to the Polish American Historical Association, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT, 60650. The Contributor level is $10 to $49; Sponsor, $50 to $99; Patron, $100 to $499; and Benefactor, $500 or more.

I hope you will consider supporting this important project to preserve and disseminate Polish American history and culture in any way that you can. Again, if you have questions or lists of suggested topics, I can be reached at jpula@pnc.edu.

James S. Pula, Ph.D.
Purdue University North Central
1401 South U.S. Highway 421
Westville, IN 46391-9542

Phone: (219) 785-5203
E-Mail: jpula@pnc.edu

Our own Karen Majewski (mayor of Hamtramck) is the Executive Director of PAHA.