Centential Message from Chancellor
With the blessing of Pope Leo XIII and the permission of Bishop Casper Borgess, the archbishop of Detroit, the cornerstone of what was to become known as "The Polish Seminary" was laid on July 22, 1885, in the building that was being constructed on the corner of Forest St. and St Aubin Avenue. On that occasion, the founder of the Orchard Lake Schools, Fr. Joseph Dabrowski, shared the vision that was in his heart with all those who had gathered for that historic moment. He said, "I have in view the education of the Polish candidates for the priesthood and the education of others, so that they may be on par with other young men in this country... We Poles have the right to enjoy complete liberty in this country, but liberty cannot be enjoyed fully by uneducated people. The better a people is educated, the better they enjoy liberty and the better citizens they become of America...read more
Polish Mission Volunteers -Three Cheers!
Since December, we have been working on creating searchable databases and organizing the resources on campus.
I hope researchers will make an appointment to visit or attend the open PGSM meeting on Saturday, March 20th from 2-4pm.
Societies are welcome to schedule a lecture or a tour. We have food service on campus.
Let me introduce a few volunteers:
Hal Learman
As many of you know, Dr. Hal Learman has not only donated the funding to properly conserve the Komski artwork, but has purchased new furniture and computer carrels for the room. Each Friday he devotes his time and talent to organizing the room and records. He is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and do the “sweat equity” need to create an environment conducive to research and collaboration. He had over 20 years of volunteer service at the Family History Center of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and has traveled overseas to conduct research in parishes and archives.
Tim Westfall
Tim is currently working on his own Polish genealogy and brings a wealth of knowledge of the practices of the Catholic Church and the Archdiocese of Detroit. Westfall served as an assistant in the Archives of the Detroit Archdiocese for 6.5 years and trained at Wayne State University. He also studied at Sacred Heart Major Seminary for several years. His resume includes his experience as director of Mt. Kelly Cemetery in Dearborn,Michigan. He was the photo manager of the publication “Make Straight the Path” on Detroit parishes several years ago. He is working with the prints and negatives in the Polish Mission collection.
Military Team
JJ Przewozniak was trained by the Henry Ford to be a re-enactor and historical interpreter. He brings both this skill and his interest Poland’s Home Army to the Polish Mission. He, along with colleague Steve they are working on digitalizing the military collections of the Polish Mission. He will collaborate with Ceil to submit grants to appropriate foundations to fund the process.
Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan (PGSM)
Bernadette Drobat, Betty Guziak, Brenda Kociemba, and Valarie Koselka
PGSM members are undertaking indexing and creating digital extractions for campus records. The records include the 1922 and 1948 Greetings from Poland (signed by school children), Displaced Persons coming the metro Detroit, early OLS student enrollment cards, and funeral memorial cards. These will be searchable databases and allow family historians to order copies for a set fee. Valerie Koselka introduced us to a young Polish teacher, Kamila, who will provide translation, letter writng, and langauge classes in Polish and Russian.
Ceil Wendt Jensen
I continue to develop programs that will tie genealogy into the educational community. We have submitted a grant to fund state of the art computers. With an up to date lab, we can invite not only genealogists, but schools and Scouts to work on their cultural history research and cultural and genealogical badges.
The volunteers are working diligently, and we welcome researchers to make an appointment for a consultation.
And, bring your laptop- we have wireless!
Ceil
PARI
The Polish Mission
Last Updated ( Saturday, 06 March 2010 13:52 )
Polish Mission getting recognized by our country leaders.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 18 February 2010 10:49 )
The Roman Triptych Project by Placido Domingo
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| Karol Wojtyla, Orchard Lake Schools 1976 | From left: Mike Smith, Tiffany Wright, Stefano Tomaselli, Placido Domingo Jr. and Marcin Chumiecki |
Pope John Paul II is arguably the most beloved man in the world and certainly one of the most influential leaders of our time. He had a beautiful and remarkable vision of humanitarianism and moral virtue that spoke to people from all walks of life and religions around the world. One way in which he expressed his extraordinary depth was through his poetry.
The “Roman Triptych - Meditations” is a set of Poems widely regarded as Pope John Paul II last testament and were written and published during his Pontificate. These Poems show the soul of the Pope in an artistic way offering a deep mediation on the meaning of life.
Last Updated ( Monday, 22 February 2010 00:55 ) Read more...38-my coroczny Bal Polonez w Miami
The 38th Annual International Polonaise Ball
"Polska to muzyka, muzyka to miłość, miłość to Bóg” tymi słowami Pani Blanka Rosenstile uroczyście rozpoczęła 38-my coroczny Polonez Bal w Miami zadedykowany 200-nej rocznicy urodzin najwybitniejszego polskiego pianisty Fryderyka Chopina.
Volunteers and Visitors
We hosted dynamic volunteers and visitors today at the Polish Mission's PARI. Brenda is working on a grant with the Henry Ford, Bozena found her great grandmother's signature in the Greetings from Poland Collection (1922), and Valerie sorted through all 211 greetings to find the Jewish signatures. Leah and Ruth visited from the Jewish Genealogical Society of Michigan. Great Genealogy Fun!
Why not join us next Friday?
Last Updated ( Saturday, 06 March 2010 12:45 )
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Polonica Americana Research Institute
Polonica Americana Research Institute (PARI) is a new department of The Polish Mission. This institute is a research facility using the rich resources of the Central Archives of Orchard Lake, and will soon be offer workshops, lectures, and seminars. The programs will be of interest to families interested in Polish heritage and genealogy. PARI will feature databases and host webinars for researchers who cannot visit the campus.
