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
Jan Komski's Art at The Polish Mission
II Wojna Światowa
Zdjęcia z 
drugiej Wojny Światowej
Photos of the Second World War
Zniszczona Warszawa. Fot. Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe
Destroyed Warsaw. Phot. National Digital Archive
Last Updated ( Saturday, 15 August 2009 12:08 ) Read more...
“Chlopcy z Polski” and the Knights of Dąbrowski
We are updating the history of the young men who came to Orchard Lake Schools after World War II. They were Catholic children in exile and sent to the Soviet "gulag", some with their mothers and siblings, many becoming orphans by the end of the war. The boys were originally known as “Chlopcy z Polski” and composed of the boys who sailed aboard the General M.B. Stewart arriving at the port of New York 24 Nov 1945.
Many settled in metro Detroit, some in Chicago. We have invited the men and their families to the 1 September 1939 Commemoration to be held at OLS on the weekend of 4-6 September, 2009. Please help us spread the word and contact their families.
We will be recording their oral histories this summer.
(Photo from The Polish Mission archives)
Oral Histories: Polish Girls of Santa Rosa, Mexico and Detroit, Michigan
(Photo: Archives of the Felician Sisters, Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province, Livonia, Michigan)Currently, The Polish Mission is completing plans to honor the Catholic Poles who came to Michigan after WWII. We received a grant from the Michigan Humanities Council to document the campus museums. The grant also allows us to record the stories of Catholic Holocaust survivors, Displaced Persons, and Poles who settled in Michigan as the result of World War II. We're holding a weekend event in September and will publish a museum(s) catalog. We are also developing lesson plans for teachers. We are collaborating with the Director of Warsaw's Muzeum Wojska Polskiego who is developing a similar project.
In light of the forthcoming commemoration, we are researching the children in exile- those expelled by the Russians from their homes and sent to the Soviet "gulag". We have compiled a a list of the 25 young women who came to the Guardian Angels Home after World War II (listed below). We found a great deal of information on ancestry.com and have articles from Sister M. Elaine, Archivist, Felician Motherhouse in Livonia, Michigan.
The girls arrived in the US via the SS Hermitage sailing from Bombay, India to San Pedro, California on 24 Oct 1943. They were taken to the Polish refugee camp of Santa Rosa in Leon, Mexico. They left Santa Rosa by train and entered the United States at Laredo, Texas 10 May 1946.
Polish Girls of Colonia Santa Rosa, Mexico and Detroit, Michigan
| Beltkowski, Teresa Bera, Emilia Rozalia Birecka, Romualda Brochocka, Kazimiera Huk, Maria |
Kowalska, Wictoria |
Pluto, Wanda Rajchel, Janina Saraniecka, Stefania Sedziuk, Leokadia Kuc, Danuta |
| Jarzab, Apolonia Karpowicz, Waldyslawa Kolesnikowicz, Lidia Kolesnikowicz, Maria Kolesnikowicz, Nadzieja |
Michalska, Waclawa Mitura, Lucyna Mrorzik, Genowefa Pakiet, Lucja Pluto, Antonina |
Last Updated ( Thursday, 10 September 2009 17:01 )
The Polish Mission Visits Poland
Looking for The Polish Mission Visits Poland 2009 Journal?
Please see:
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.
