Winnipeg’s Polish community celebrates milestone

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This article was published 19/11/2018 (2808 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Polish communities all over the world, including Winnipeg, celebrated a significant milestone for their homeland.

On Nov. 10 and 11, the Polish community living in Winnipeg spent two days celebrating the 100th anniversary of the restoration of Poland’s independence after losing it for 123 years to the German, Austrian and Russian empires. It was in 1918 that Poland’s sovereignty was restored in the form of the Second Polish Republic.

“Poland disappeared from the map of Europe for 123 years,” Grazyna Galezowski, president of the Canadian-Polish Congress Manitoba District, said. “But never lost the culture, language, and traditions. Polish people had a strong spirit to fight for freedom.”

The Canadian-Polish Congress Manitoba District celebrated Poland’s independence every year. The two celebrations were held at the Seven Oaks Performing Arts Centre (711 Jefferson Ave.) on Saturday and at the Holy Ghost Parish Church (341 Selkirk Ave.) on Sunday.

At SOPAC, the Polish School of Dance SPK Iskry, Polish School of Dance Sokół , Polish Dance Ensemble SPK Iskry, Sokol Polish Folk Ensemble, and Folk Band Czerwona Rzeka performed onstage. 

“We were packed. We had people standing, sitting, and even watching in the hallways. I was happy to see everyone attending and celebrating together. That was a very important day for us,” Galezowski said.

The events were attended by politicians from all levels of government, Consul of the Republic of Poland Magdalena Borowska and Polish Honorary Consul in Winnipeg Włodzimierz Czarnecki. Colonel Eric Charron, Chief Warrant Officer Jerome Rossignol and Major Greg Niemczyk, of 17 Wing Winnipeg also attended the event.

To close the celebrations, the Canadian-Polish Congress Manitoba District held a thanksgiving mass at Holy Ghost Parish Church.

Galezowski said it’s important to remember those who sacrificed their lives to free Poland. The independence celebration takes place on Remembrance Day, and they take time to pay homage to the veterans that fought on behalf of their county. 

“As a community, we have the duty to remember both Canadian and Polish soldiers who have fallen on the battlefield. It’s because of their sacrifice that we have freedom here and in Poland. We have to do this. It is our duty,” she continued.

Featured at the centre’s hall, there was a display by the Ogniwo Polish Museum Society with many storyboards detailing the military service made by Winnipeg’s and Canada’s Polish community during the First World War. These displays described the journey made by Polish-Canadians from their communities to train at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. in preparation for the fight in Europe.

The Polish Army, called the Blue Army was formed and trained at Niagara-on-the-Lake and took part in the liberation of Poland. The soldiers consisted of Poles and American volunteers. There were also a few Poles from Winnipeg who joined the army, Galezowski told The Times.

“Not many people are aware of our history in Winnipeg,” she said, adding about 85,000 Poles are living in Manitoba and approximately a million throughout Canada. “It’s a fairly big community. This is the first time that we rented a theatre and were able to have all of them in one spot. People expressed the joy that we were all together. They appreciated the fact that all the groups had the opportunity to participate.”

Today, Poland is a modern country with a democratic government, and is part of the European Union. 

“We would not have that freedom to have a passport and travel. Now we as Canadians we can go and visit Poland with no restrictions.”