Dear Friends:

On Saturday, June 2, 2007 at 5 p.m., the WNY Polish American Congress will host a banquet honoring surviving Polish War Veterans and their deceased comrades. This event is part of the weekend’s memorial events which will culminate with a dedication of the Polish Veterans plot at St. Stanislaus cemetery on Sunday afternoon. The banquet will take place at St. Stanislaus Social Center, 389 Peckham St., Buffalo, NY.

Principal speaker at the banquet will be Brig. Gen. Kazimierz Sikorski, Ph.D., Defense Military, Naval and Air Attache, from the Washington DC Polish Embassy’s Defense Attache Office. The General will also participate at the dedication of a new monument erected at the soldiers’ plot on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m., June 3, 2007. Buffalo’s Polish Army Veterans Association (SWAP), Post # 1, and Polish Combatants Association (SPK), Post # 33 are proudly co-hosting the weekend events.

These are men and women who have been the “glue” of our Polonia. A souvenir booklet will be published to commemorate and preserve this historic event. We ask your active participation with your presence at the events as well as the submission of your sentiments to be inserted in the booklet. The dedication ceremony will include the burial of a “time capsule” containing among other things, this booklet. We ask you to pay tribute to these men and women who have chosen America as their home and fought under the Polish military’s centuries old motto: For Your Freedom and Ours.

Deadline for ad submission is May 20, 2007. Should you have any questions, please call Rick Mazella or PAC President Richard Solecki.

Drodzy Przyjaciele:

W sobote, 2 czerwca, 2007 o 17:00, Kongres Polonii Amerykanskiej bedzie goscic Polskich Weteranow II Wojny Swiatowej jak rowniez odda czesc tym ktorych juz nie ma wsrod nas. W tym czasie odbedzie sie tez uroczysta dedykacja gruntu Polskim Weteranow na cmentarzy Sw. Stanislawa w niedziele popoludniu. Bankiet odbedzie sie w Social Center przy kosciele Sw. Stanislawa, 389 Peckham St, Buffalo, NY.

Glownym mowca bedzie General Kazimierz Sikorski, Ph.D., Obrony Wojskowej, Morskiej i Powietrznej, pracujacy jako attaché przy Ambasadzie Polskiej w Waszyngtonie, DC. General Sikorski zaszczyci nas swoja obecnoscia w czasie ofiarowania nowego pomnika Polskim Zolnierzom na cmentarzy Sw. Stanislawa w niedziele popoludniu 6/3/2007 o godzinie 15’stej. Stowarzyszenie Weteranow Armii Polskiej (SWAP) w Buffalo, Post # 1 i Stowarzyszenie Polskich Kombatantow (SPK), Post # 33 sa zaszczyceni ze moga wspolnie byc gospodarzami tego wydarzenia. Ci mezczyzni i kobiety, sa tymi ktorzy jednocza cala Polonie. Bedzie wydana pamiatkowa broszura upamietajaca to wydarzenie.

Prosumy o wziecie udzialu w tych uroczystosciach. Jezeli ktos chce sie podzielic swoimi przezyciami mozemy je zamiescic w broszurce. W czasie ceremonii odbedzie sie pogrzebanie kapsuly zamierajacej miedzy innymi, ta broszurke. Prosimy uczcic tych mezczyzn i kobiety, ktorzy wybrali Ameryke, na ich nowy dom, ich mottem bylo: Dla Waszej i Naszej Wolnosci.

Prosimy o nadsylanie zgloszen do 20’go Maja, 2007. Pytania prosze kierowac do Rick Mazella.   

September 2, 2005

Dear Friends of Polonia,

The Solidarity Movement in Poland created by Lech Walesa to promote human right, democracy, and the end of Soviet oppression celebrates its 25^th anniversary in 2005.

The Polish American Congress, WNY Division, will commemorate this great achievement with a banquet on Saturday, October 22, 2005, at St. Stanislaus R.C. Church – Upper Hall, at 389 Peckham Street, Buffalo, New York. The evening festivities will commence at 6:00 PM and dinner at 7:00 PM, followed by a short program. We will be honoring local individuals who have assisted the cause of Poland and Polonia throughout the years.

Local media television reporters being honored are: Don Postles and Rich Newberg from WIVB-TV - Channel 4, and Rich Kellman from WGRZ-TV – Channel 2. These men have covered Solidarity from its inception and made many trips to Poland to brings awareness to the public.

Several area doctors have also contributed their time, travel, and expertise in donating much needed surgeries to the Polish people. The medical doctors being honored at this gala are: Doctors Amar Atwal, Larry Jerge, Taj Jiva, Jack Kotlarz, Jeffrey Meilman, Krysztof Merkel, Arthur W. Mruczek, Thomas O’Connor and Paul Patterson.

The AFL-CIO leadership across America and especially here in Western New York also took a major role and will be honoring the Union and its current leader Mark Jones. A special award will also be given to Jan Kaszuba, Past President of the Polish Canadian Congress, who some 20 years earlier helped with local telethons raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for Solidarity.

Sincerely,

Richard B Solecki, President

Helen Scott, Chairperson

Dina Szymanski, Co-chairperson

“Be not afraid”

SWIECONKA

April 17, 2005, 2:00 pm

St. Stanislaus Parish Center

Towsend St, Buffalo NY

WELCOME – ZAPRASZAMY

Thank you for taking part in our Polish Easter traditional dinner, the “Swiecone”.

The dinner represents Polish religion and cultural observance of Easter. It commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and His triumph over death. It follows a solemn forty days, which is the period of Lent. It recalls Christ’s forty days fasting and praying in the wilderness.

The Blessing of the Food Basket – “Swiecone” is one of the most eduring and beloved Polish traditions. The food is blessed in the church on Easter Saturday. The basket contains a sampling of Easter food. The basket is traditionally line with the white linen and decorated with sprigs of boxwood, the typical Easter evergreen. The Poles take special pride in preparing a decorative and tasteful basket containing all food that will be eaten during the year. Easter bread is round loaf topped with a cross symbolizing Jesus as “the Bread of Life”. Butter is often shaped symbolically into a lamb – “Baranek Wielkanocny”. Early Christians interpreted the sacrifice of the paschal lamb as Christ’s sacrifice on the cross – the Lamb of God. Eggs, the famous “Pisanki”, represent the new life that returns to nature about Easter time. Salt, an element in our physical life that Jesus used, its symbolism “you are the salt of the earth.”. Sausage, ham, “babka” (cake), “Makowiec” (poppy seed cake), symbolize great joy and abundance. I have to mention also the very well known Easter tradition – the “Smingus-Dyngus Day” – which follows on Easter Monday.

We would like to share the food that will be blessed with you. Our forefathers brought these traditions with them from Poland, and we look forward to sharing and celebrating this “Magnificus” tradition. We would like to preserve our Polish Catholic heriateg and the same time enrich American culture. This year especially because of the world’s tragic events, we will be asking God to bring mankind peace and consolation.

Maria Przystal - Swiecone chairperson

DYNGUS DAY

SMIGUS-DYNGUS

Easter Monday is a holiday in Poland. It is known as “Wet Easter Monday”. Dyngus Day was traditionally the day boys drenched girls with buckets of water. This tradition is still widely preserved and maintained in Poland especially in the villages. Presently Dyngus Day is usually celebrated by everyone drenching with water or sprinkling the girls with cologne.

In the book “Dyngus Day”, Rev. Krysa states that Dyngus Day is a commemoration of the birth of Christianity in Poland (966 AD) in which holy Baptism was administered to Prince Mieszko I on Easter Monday uniting all of Poland under the banner of Christianity. The second instant – the Dyngus custom is reminiscent of the mass baptism that took place in Lithuania after the marriage of Polish Queen Jadwiga and Lithuanian Duke Jagiello.

In some parts of Poland the custom of hitting the girls on the legs with pussy willows is maintained. This specific custom is celebrated by the American Polonia’s descendents of the 1890-1930 immigrants.

Presently, the custom of Dyngus Day is celebrated by everyone with either sprinkling of water or cologne.

In our region, the Buffalo Polonia’s Chopin Singing Society celebrates Dyngus Day with the polka dance.

THANK YOU

Thank you –

For all my nose can smell,

The fresh air,

A sweet apple pie,

A rose,

A turkey dinner.

Thank you –

For all my hands can hold,

For my loving family,

My soft little bear,

My cozy soft blanket,

And my cozy bed.

Thank you –

For all my tongue can taste,

The sweet taste of baby back ribs,

Coffee ice cream,

Fresh watermelon,

Fresh fruit.

Christopher Komin

Age: 7

PROGRAM

Welcome

Ms Maria Przystal, Banquet Chairperson

Invocation

His Excellency Bishop Edward Grosz

Polish/American Anthems

Ms. Julita Kotlarz

Remarks

Mr. Richard Solecki, President Polish American Congress, WNY Division

Blessing of the Food

Rev. Tadeusz Bocianowski

Polish Heritage Dancers

Ms. Michelle Kisluk, Program Director

Dinner

Smacznego!

Presentation of the annual Recognition Awards:

St Stanislaus Parish – Maria Przystal

Mr. Karol Tomaszewski – Maria Przystal

Prof. Kazimierz Braun – Mr. Richard Solecki

God Bless America

Ms. Julita Kotlarz

Benediction

His Excellency Bishop Thaddeus Peplowski

Banquet Chairperson:

Ms. Maria Przystal

Banquet Committee:

Judge Ken Graber

Ms. Adeline Wujcikowski

Ms. Dina Szymanski

Ms. Ziuta Solecka

Ms. Krystyna Pinekowska

Ms. Helena Golebiowska