Written by JJ Przewozniak | 30 April 2012

Marcin checks in from the 12th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates!

Photos here!

Newsflash from Chicago!  Poles across the globe share pride in the historic accomplishments of one of the most recognized and fanmous Poles of the 20th Century, President Lech Walesa.  PM director Marcin Chumiecki only a few days ago was hand-picked by President Lech Walesa to be included in his formal delegation at Chicago's 12th annual World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates!  for twelve years, the most storied peacemakes from all over the world have gathered to assess the most immediate threats to a peaceful world, and to build progressive networks and dialogues to ensure that peaceful freedom will be maintained.

Featured Panelists include President Lech Walesa, President Mikhail Gorbachev, and President Jimmy Carter!

Keep checking in for new updates and more pictures--you'll find the full story here when Marcin returns!!

Written by JJ Przewozniak | 24 April 2012

...Dr. Barbara Berska!

Check out the photos!

It’s with great pride that the Polish Mission once again reports to the Orchard Lake community with more great news! Coming fast on the heels of the visit by Mr. Jacek Miler, Dr. Barbara Berska arrived on campus on April 18. Dr. Berska is the creator of the Dispersed Poland Exhibit, now on display in the Adam Cardinal Maida Alumni Library, and her coming to Orchard Lake just after Mr. Miler heralds a new and exciting future of mutual cooperation between the nation of Poland and our own special community here on the shores of Orchard Lake.

Dr. Berska was specially assigned by the National Archives to evaluate the conditions of the collections and the scope of our collections management here. The Polish Ministry of Culture and related governmental departments have known about the significance of our collections we safeguard ever since the first official visits in the recent past, but Dr. Berska came with a magnifying glass to find out just what we need to bring our operation to the next level. With a critical eye given to our abilities to preserve, protect and present our holdings to the public, Dr. Berska absorbed three rich days as a special guest of the Polish Mission, which included meeting with all Polish Mission departments and staff, going behind-the-scenes, and being the guest of honor at a private luncheon at the Adam Cardinal Maida Alumni Library, thanks to Director Caryn Noel.

Dr. Berska’s quest to learn more about Orchard Lake didn’t stop there, though. Without a moment to lose, she was on her way to meet PARI Director Ceil Jensen in Salt Lake City! Ceil is responsible for organizing the national United Polish Genealogical Conference, and it was arranged for Dr. Berska to be a special envoy from the National Archives. There, she’s giving special insight to the community of researchers on how to access the vast resources located inside the Polish National Archives.

Dr. Berska thoroughly experienced our passion for our heritage, both here and in Salt Lake City! I’m confident that the results of her visit here will go far to ensure that our collections are correctly maintained so that future generations will have the same pride for our treasured history that we all do today. Together, the entire Orchard Lake team deserves recognition for making Dr. Berska’s experience a success. Special thanks to Caryn Noel, Josh James, Kelley Stramaglia, and the AVI team for all the hard work!

Written by JJ Przewozniak | 16 April 2012

Polish Mission Hosts Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Culture, Mr. Jacek Miler!

Greetings again everybody! I hope everyone had a truly blessed Easter! For us at the Polish Mission, we left for the Easter break on the heels of another great visit! Mr. Jacek Miler is a man very much on the go. He's the senior advisor to the Ministry of Culture, and part of his duty to Poland is regularly traveling all over the globe to survey the top institutions that promote Polish cultural heritage. For the first time in Orchard Lake Schools history, he visited our campus for a busy three days, going over all aspects of Polish Mission operations. He arrived Monday evening, April 2 with a special guest from The Polish Museum of America in Chicago, and had a special twilight tour of the campus before turning in at the castle.

Ms. Monika Nowak accompanied Mr. Miler, making the event even more special! In addition to bringing Mr. Miler to Orchard Lake, Ms. Nowak made the visit to view our collection of Polish posters. 20th century posters from Poland are one of the most unique forms of modern art, and the Polish Museum of America safeguards a rich collection for all to appreciate, and is now exhibiting a special series called Art of Association back in Chicago. A tour given by Galeria Director Evelyn-Bachorski Bowman introduced both Mr. Miler and Ms. Nowak to our own special collection of posters, and Ms. Nowak was on the road shortly thereafter back to the windy city. A comprehensive tour of the Polish Mission with Mr. Miler continued. One of the first stops...

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Written by PolishMission | 14 March 2012

Check out Fr. Tom's address to the community during his Installation as Chancellor, February 19, 2012!