26 May - Iwona Purzycka, Director, Museum of Bielsko-Biała

The last scheduled meeting was with the Iwona Purzycka, Director of the Museum of Bielsko-Biała and related scholars. The three hour meeting began with Marcin Chumiecki reviewing the Polish Mission presentation and showcasing the holdings of the Galeria and Museums. Ceil shared the need for Americans in general, and Polish descendants in particular, to learn the past and current history of Poland and understand the Polish influence in the U.S.
We met the director who is skilled at reading the Gothic church records. He enjoys genealogical research when he is not working on his professional assignments.

26 May - Bielsko-Biała

We visited the Bielsko-Biała town square and browsed several antique galleries discussing the current interest in artifacts and archival documents including manuscripts and rare books. We talked about the frequency such items appear in the Polish market. Pictured here Marcin Chumiecki, Director of the Polish Mission, and the shop owner.

26 May - Evangelical Parish of the Church of the Savior

Our next appointment was with the archbishop of the diocese of the Evangelical-Augsburg Church. His office is located at Martin Luther Square, comprising the Evangelical Parish of the Church of the Savior, presbytery, “Augustana” publishing house and two schools. A bronze statue of Martin Luther stands in the center of the square and is the only statue of this theologian and reformer in Poland. During our interview the Archbishop mentioned the records are hard to read and they too rely on the local scholar to transcribe the records. He had a map that showed the past and present boundaries for the Evangelical parishes thought out Poland.

26 May - Parafia Św. Mikołaja, Bielsko-Biała

We visited Parafia Św. Mikołaja, St. Nicolaus Cathedral in Św. Mikołaja Plac [St. Nicolaus Square] – a 15th century Gothic church, last rebuilt at the beginning of the 20th century. Once an Evangelical church it holds six centuries of birth, marriage, and death records in bound volumes. The records from the 1500s are narrow books protected by archival covers. There are bound indices to help find entries in the records. There is a notation that the death records from 1890-1945 are held at the USC. The records room was supervised by a Sister of the teaching order of Notre Dame. She told us members of her convent teach in New Baltimore, Michigan! Sister gave us the name of the local expert who can read the Gothic script in both the Catholic and Evangelical records prior to 1900. He is sought out by professors in the region due to his skill and finesse in reading and transcribing the old hand writing and language.

May 26 Mother’s Day in Poland

Fr. Josef is a history buff and has found old tombstones and ironwork that once marked graves in the old cemetery that surrounded the church. He has positioned the pillars, sculptures and stones on the church grounds. Marcin is pictured here taking photos of the grave art.

May 26 Mother’s Day in Poland

May 26th was also Mother’s Day in Poland.

It is celebrated by school children who have special events for their mothers at school with planned programs, theater presentations with kids as actors,and handmade cards. The day would not be complete without special foods including cakes and singing Sto Lat for the Moms.
We visited with Fr. Josef at the parish of Holy Trinity Church on Sobieskiego St. – erected at the beginning of the 17th century in late Gothic style as the first new Protestant place of worship. The street's name derives from the fact that Jan Sobieski passed this way before the battle of Vienna. It was taken over by the Catholics during the Counter Reformation.
The parish school specialized in Polish-English instruction. We were surrounded by children during their recess and they tried out their Hello, My name is,and What is your name? phrases. One wonders if the “devil signs” held over the other student's head (in the photo) is an English import or a home grown prank.

25 May - Jewish Cemetery

The team also visited the historic Jewish cemetery founded in 1849 which is still extant. The latest burials were in 2003 and 2008. The Jewish cemetery in Biała was closed in the 1960s. The Bielsko cemetery is on Cieszyńska ul. The graves are marked with stone and iron, while one is adorned with a Communist hammer and sickle.

25 May - Cemetery of Świętego Mikołaja

We visited with the sexton of the cemetery of Świętego Mikołaja, the oldest Catholic cemetery in Bielsko-Biała. He shared books, site plans, and maps and looked up documents for our case study. The sexton is writing the history of the cemetery which opened in the 1880s. As families periodically come in to make payments for the term graves, he solicits materials, family stories, and pictures for inclusion in the forthcoming book. He currently has two thick binders of documentation showing the history and families associated with the cemetery. Families have shared original prints of wakes, family portraits, and documents. Michigan Polonia will collaborate with him by putting out a nationwide call for additional contributions.

25 May: Bielsko-Biała - Urząd Stanu Cywilnego

The team traveled to Bielsko-Biała which is the base for the stay in Poland.

Our first visit with the Civil Records Office (in Polish, "Urząd Stanu Cywilnego", abbreviated "USC") obtaining an agreement with the Director to expedite requests of individual records and /or complete family records. She also developed a Finding Aid for us to identify the USC for regional villages.

Genealogy Seminars

Szczyrk will be the genealogy conference center for instruction and relaxation, the first phase of the seminar, followed with research in the Archives in Krakow and pre-arranged visits to individual parishes. The drive from Szczyrk to Krakow will take several days with stops at important sites such as the Auschwitz Museum (Oświęcim), the hometown of Pope John Paul II in Wadowice, the pilgrimage site of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, and additional visits to historic roadside parishes such as Św. Erazma founded in 1327. Researchers will have an opportunity to photograph unique small roadside shrines devoted to Mary.

24 May 2009 - Matki Boskiej w Sanktuarium

The hotels in Szczyrk are near the shrine Matki Boskiej w Sanktuarium created to commemorate the 24 July 1894 appearance of Mary before three local women. The stone shrine on the edge of the hill has a striking similarity to the grotto on the campus of Orchard Lake.

A new crown for the statue was sent to the Vatican and blessed by Pope Benedict XVI, was blessed by Pope Benedict for the statue of Mary. Fr. Marek Dąbek, the custodian of the Shrine, explained that through the act of blessing the crown, the church authority validates what happened here in 1894.

23 May 2009 - Bielsko-Biała, visit to Szczyrk

The team traveled to Bielsko-Biała which became the base for our stay in Poland.

We visited several resorts in the nearby ski town of Szczyrk to discuss the possibility of the Polonica Americana Research Institute and Michigan Polonia holding genealogy seminars and conferences featuring local experts from Bielsko-Biała and Krakow.
We were guests of the owner of Orle Gniazdo (Eagle's Nest) in picturesque Szczyrk and attended an outdoor party,complete with grilled kiszka, kabobs,a blazing bonfire,and a talented Highlander band.

22 May 2009 - Grób Nieznanego Żołnierza

The current economic crisis extends to Poland and makes it extremely hard to ask anyone for financial help. But by the end of our meeting the advisors asked us to present a concrete business plan for the next three years for Orchard Lake Schools. They want to know how they can be involved and offer support and services. A second meeting is scheduled for June 9th where Chumiecki will present the strategy.

After the meeting Martin Chumiecki and Cecile Wendt Jensen visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Grób Nieznanego Żołnierza), a monument dedicated to the unknown soldiers who gave their lives for Poland. It is one of many such national tombs of unknowns erected after World War I.
A candle was lit in memory of all veterans.

22 May 2009 - Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego

On Friday May 22 we met with a group of advisers to the Ministry of Culture and Director of National Heritage (Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego). Also present was the Deputy Director of the Biblioteka Narodowa Dr. Joanna Psztalaniec-Jarzynska.
The three hour meeting began with The Polish Mission Director Marcin Chumiecki presenting the history of Orchard Lake and the responsibilities of The Polish Mission. He covered the archives, galeria, and museums. He mentioned that he was thankful for the opportunity to represent Orchard Lake and that all official letters and agreements will be exchanged between Chancellor Whalen and the Ministers.
Cecile Wendt Jensen, director of the Polonica Americana Research Institute, presented a copy of her book "Detroit's Polonia" and spoke of the grant she obtained for The Polish Mission from the Michigan Humanities Council of Michigan ( the state funding agent for the National Endowment for the Humanities).
The grant will provide funding for two campus events: Commemorating 1 September 1939 and Celebration SS Cyril and Methodius Seminary 1909-2009. Jensen also provided a copy of her book "Sto Lat: A Modern Guide to Polish Genealogy” published by Michigan Polonia LLC which outlines the process American researchers follow in documenting their Polish heritage. There was also a discussion regarding indexing civil records.

21 May 2009 The Polish Mission Visits Poland

21 May began the first official visit of The Polish Mission of Orchard Lake and Michigan Polonia LLC, representing United States Polonia to the top government, universities, and museums, archives officials of Poland.
At 5:45pm we arrived for a private meeting with Poland’s First Lady Maria Kaczyński in Łazienki Królewskie Museum and gave her The Polish Mission presentation and extended an invitation to visit Orchard Lake in 2010 for the 125 Anniversary of SS Cyril and Methodius Seminary.
She said she was leaving for Tel Aviv the next morning, but would like to schedule a follow up meeting in early June. After the meeting we attend a gala.
Throughout our busy schedule in Warsaw, Krakow, and Bielsko-Biala the official letters from Chancellor Timothy Whalen were presented to the Ministry of Culture, Foreign Affairs, and the Head of the National Archives. We met with the president of the Holocaust Survivors Foundation when we present the photo album from Auschwitz and discussed future cooperation and start discussions between our communities. The names and emails of the visits are available upon request.