Falcon watercolor Elle Fagan'01 Falcon ~ Poland's Icon Official Bird Enjoy the notes, but don't miss the Polish Links, especially "Lulajze" and "Krustiki" at the foot of the page, and you may also enjoy the visit to Winter Holidays ! Image available for purchase . |
Sto Lat! Polish American Notes
And more links throughout this page
'Santo Subito ! ' Note on the Death of Pope John Paul I- May 18, 1920 ~ April 5,2005
His first and Last words to us: That first time he strode onto the Vatican Balcony, 1978, he began with "Fear not!", and showing he could support his words, encouraged us to celebration the fullness of Life, and empowered a people so often oppressed, to join in the walk of Faith and Light.
This last prayer written by him, reported here, as follows:
At a morning memorial Mass, Archbishop Leonard Elisabetta Sandri, who served as the pope's public voice in the last stages of his illness, announced to tens of thousands of worshippers that he would be reading a message prepared by the pope himself for this Sunday, a week after Easter.
"It is love which converts hearts and gives peace," he said. "Lord, who with your death and Resurrection revealed the love of the Father, we believe in you and with faith we repeat to you today: 'Jesus I trust in you, have pity on us and on the entire world.' "
Pope John Paul II is among the Triumphant in Heaven, re-iterated by a world who loved him like no other in centuries. May we join the campaign for his sainthood, each in our best way.
May we pray with the conclave for wisdom in the choice of his successor. May we finish with our sorrow and rise to the delight he and God have created and propagated, so that all our earthly moments work better and in fine health and spirit. May we be good lights to his successor, Pope Benedict XVI.
My Father's people came to America from Sheffield and Coventry in England at the turn of the last century, but for centuries before, Counties Cavan and Cork, in Ireland.
My Mother's people came to America from Cracow in Poland. We, her children, enjoyed celebrations, devotions, arts and culture from both influences. Our parents were lively and aware, and the world real, and ideas not always perfection. So when the topic of ethnicity, and ethnic mixing entered our daily conversation, it sometimes caused some consternation. Seating us before him, our Father finally declared:
" There was an intelligence behind our Polish / Irish marriage", he declared. This was the plan: to be part of the Great American Melting Pot, encouraged to be good Americans; think and act with good goals...together, for the best American life, in friendship.
For example: Irish are awesome, but sometimes too wiry, Polish are perfect, but sometimes too sanguine, " he explained to his three little ones, "But, if you bring them to America, and "smoosh" an Irish with a Polish, you get the most perfect American home, with neither of the problems, and the best children....it's very scientific," he added, wise and wonderful, to our wide-eyed respect and delight, all of us feeling very smart. He completed, with much love and supportive soul from Mother, "But that means that whether we are celebrating one or the other, you children should suffer very little conflict, since you follow the Melting Pot plan. You benefit, as All-American!"
I think I still do!
Invoking her name, he and his army helped the Austrians defeat the Turks, though outnumbered, and on the defensive. They terrified the infidels and won. Later, age and treachery found him defeated and Poland techically had no king, and some accounts say Poland ceased to exist...instead,ruled by German appointees, barbarous and unpopular. But while Sobieski had strength, Poland Prevailed, and rose again a few kings later. This feast day prompted and interesting search online. I wish you might enjoy "web-surfing" the exciting story links, and these may give you a good startingplace, and quotable data.
~ Polish King John Sobieski
~ Sobieski's trumpcard, Most Holy Name of Mary
~ Polish Kings from Infoplease
~ Fun coincidences: Another Sobieski, as Warrior Saint, Actress LeeLee Sobieski, famed for her role as Saint Joan of Arc, who did similarly, for France two centuries earlier. Her brother does, too, and this link takes you to my favorite page of images, from the film, at her own website. I had fun, at 17, understudying the role in an important production of the story.
Czeslaw Miloscz passed away today. Born in a part of Poland that was disputed and now Lithuanian, he showed courage and skill in defending Freedom, which eventually brought him to America. He won the Nobel Prize in 1980, and has been called the greatest poet of all time. He was Catholic and hated Communism. He was married and loved Janina. They bore two sons. He taught at University of California at Berkeley till retirement. These links about him are worth a visit for all, and especially those with interest in Poland:
~This first one has a really good biography with some of the poems in-between. ~The second is a page devoted to him, and the things there are offered in the Polish language, as well as English. ~The third is the Nobel Prize website...one we should all have and one that is fun to visit and read from time to time... all about the prize and the work and people who won for their work.
I don't always like Nobel prize winners....they can be too egghead-y and truly eccentric and not admirable, for the power they weild...but apparently Milosc was ok.
Richard Panek is also in the New York Times headlines, today, with his latest bookThe Invisible Century. The review is written by a member of the Board of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), whose arts are a second suit to his famous work in Computer Engineering at Yale, David Gelertner. You may remember Dr.Gelertner best as one of Unibomber's victims; injured when the criminal sent a boobytrapped package to him in the mail. He has been fine for a long time, but I liked him for his articulate description of the post-traumatic shock he experienced when the bomb went off in his hand. I'd had a similar experience, and it helped my feelings. He liked Richard Panek's book...though it seems to be one the guys might enjoy more than the ladies.
And finally, today is the feast of Saint Maximillian Kolbe, Polish Catholic priest, world-record-setting missionary and monastic leader in several countries. But later, at outset of WWII, back in Poland, his compassion and protection of Polish Jews found him sent to the concentration camps, where he continued ministry secretly and luminously, and finally offerred himself in place of another for the death sentence, was tortured and executed at Auschwitz by lethal injection and cremated in the ovens.His story is certainly worth the little reading. One of Connecticut USA high schools bears his name with pride and reverence.
It presents an easy-to-digest overview of the Polish Culture and People. It enlightened me and motivated serious research on several specific points. When I read it, I thought: "This is what I felt from Polish loved-ones and training...it must be shared...the love, the lights, the courage, the burdens, and triumphs."
World War II and Poland's triumphs and losses, including my favorite heroes of The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and "Katyn" a very different story, complexity, not resolved till 1990, concerning the Katyn Forest Massacre in Poland during WWII.
As instructed, lovingly and otherwise, in days when rules and their reps were very aggressive...we have grown to "Be Good Americans", but it will always be important to carry on the traditions from our heritage that challenged and excited us and taught us and graced us to be well-motivated people of the Third Millennium.
I loved my early training in Polish arts, many of them lost, but re-emerging, Polish Glass Painting, and others. Like all good work and good love among us, our ethnicity is an indelible part of our souls and, while mindful of its proper place in our lives, it must never be abandoned.
I just found another really lovely site for all-around study of things Polish: Polskionline is an elegant start....more, below
~~~~~~~ Polish-American Links ~~~~~~~
The paintings are special...so many of us do not know much about these important artists and their beautiful work!
Another fine start for research and further study.
