On Thursday, October 24th, We Celebrated Polish Heritage Day at the Polish and Slavic Center

We Celebrated Polish Heritage Day.

Representatives of Polish organizations, supporters and members of the Polish and Slavic Center led by the Board of Directors, representatives of Polish authorities: Consul Justyna Gollob-Park and Monika Kucharczyk, and the American authorities represented by District 33 Councilman Lincoln Restler, Assembly Member Emily Gallagher and Shawna Morlock, Director of Community Relations in the office of State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, gathered on Thursday, October 24th in the PSC auditorium on Kent Street for the annual celebration of Polish Heritage Day in Brooklyn, which was held under the honorary patronage of the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York and Consul General Mateusz Sakowicz. For years, the celebration of Polish Heritage Day in Brooklyn has been organized at the headquarters of the Brooklyn Borough President, but for the past two years, with no less enthusiasm, they have been held in the renovated auditorium of the Polish and Slavic Center on Kent Street. The Center, which is the largest cultural and social organization of the Polish community in New York, has been proudly leading the organization of the celebration of this holiday for years. The purpose of this ceremony, which is part of the nationwide celebration of Polish Heritage Month in October, is to highlight the contribution of immigrants from Poland and Americans of Polish origin to the cultural, social and economic development of Brooklyn, New York City, and the New York region.

As every year, during the ceremony, distinguished members of our Brooklyn community were recognized, whose work has positively influenced the lives of the residents of this borough, but also has an impact beyond its borders. This year, proclamations from State Senator Kristen Gonzalez and District 33 Councilman Lincoln Restler were received by: – ​​Father Grzegorz Markulak, the extremely distinguished pastor of St. Stanislaus Kostka in Greenpoint – one of the most dynamically operating Polish parishes in New York. He watches over the life of the parish, which is not only a spiritual center for New Yorkers of Polish descent, but also a place where they gather on patriotic holidays and anniversaries, and where children from Polish families learn Polish at the Maria Konopnicka Polish Supplementary School operating at the parish. Father Markulak was ordained a priest in 1998 and began his priestly ministry at St. Anne’s parish in Wrocław, Poland. Then he served in the Basilica of St. Vincent DePaul in Bydgoszcz. After 9 years, he became the pastor of the parish of St. Nicholas in Skwierzyna, where he had under his care 12,000 parishioners, 7 churches, 4 priests and 5 catechists. He has served in the parish of St. Stanislaus Kostka in Greenpoint since 2015. As a vicar, he encouraged children and youth to get involved in the church as altar boys and in the choir, and took care of numerous organizations operating at the church. After the departure of Father Marek Sobczak, Father Grzegorz was appointed parish administrator, and a year later, on May 22, 2022 – pastor. He fulfills this function with great dedication to this day.

Kurier Plus, a Polish-language weekly that has accompanied Polonia since 1987, informing it about the most important events in politics, culture and social events and helping immigrants from Poland to assimilate in their new homeland. The newspaper is published under the direction of the editor-in-chief of Kurier Plus, Zofia Kłopotowska, a graduate of Polish studies at the University of Warsaw. Kurier Plus is distributed in five states, and is most visible in the New York region, where it is available in churches, medical offices, cultural centers and Polish stores. Since 1996, the newspaper has also been available on the Internet at www.kurierplus.com. In addition to publishing the newspaper, the weekly’s editorial team organizes cultural events, including exhibitions, film screenings, book promotions and meetings with influential people from the world of politics and art.

Krakowianki i Górale – a children’s folk group that has existed for over 85 years and is the oldest group operating at the St. Stanislaus Kostka parish in Greenpoint. The group’s mission is to preserve and promote Polish customs and traditions through song and dance. Over the course of nearly nine decades of activity, the group has performed at numerous events in the New York area. Notable performances include the 1964-65 World’s Fair in New York, the 1968 White House performance for President Lyndon B. Johnson, and the opening of the American Museum of Immigration at the Statue of Liberty, which President Richard Nixon attended in 1972. In 1979, the group had the honor of welcoming Pope John Paul II to the Pro-Cathedral of St. James and participating in the lighting of the Empire State Building in white and red in protest against martial law in Poland. Krakowianki i Górale also participates in many Polish events. The group was present at the unveiling of the commemorative plaques on the Kościuszko Bridge in 2017, the unveiling of the bust of General Tadeusz Kościuszko in Greenpoint in 2021, performed at the United Nations International School in 2022, and in 2023 had the privilege of welcoming the President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda and the First Lady at a meeting in Queens.

The performances of the Krakowianki i Górale group gain great recognition not only among the Polish community. Their energetic and rich cultural performances promote the spirit of Polishness and a passion for Polish heritage and tradition among various ethnic groups in New York.

The group is supervised by Elżbieta Hetnar – director, Maria Bielska – artistic director, Halina Kaliska – pianist and music director, Joanna Bis – director of dance, choreographer, and Father Grzegorz Markulak – chaplain.

In addition to the proclamation and certificates of appreciation from the City Council and State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, the Krakowianki i Górale ensemble received an award from Brooklyn Mayor Antonio Reynoso, which was presented to them on behalf of the borough mayor by Paweł Pachacz, President of the Polish-Slavic Center.

After the presentation of awards to distinguished Polish community activists, thanks to whom Polish heritage is still alive in Brooklyn and New York, a concert was held, featuring artists associated with the Polish-Slavic Center and Greenpoint.

The concert began with a performance by the winners – the children’s folk group Krakowianki & Górale. The large group, dressed in colorful folk costumes, performed, among others, highlander suites. Then, still in a folk atmosphere, the Polish-American Folk-Dance Company, which has been operating at the Polish National Home in Greenpoint since 1938, performed on stage and presented a lively polka and krakowiak.

One of the guests of the concert was Mateusz Mikołajczyk, one of the most promising Polish artists of the young generation, who is currently studying at the prestigious Julliard School of Music. He is known from prestigious music stages in Poland, Europe and the United States. During the celebrations of Polish Heritage Day, he performed two pieces by Fryderyk Chopin.

The first choir to perform during the ceremony was the Copernicus Children Choir, conducted by Bożena Konkiel, who is also a member of the board of directors of the Polish and Slavic Center. The choir, made up of children from Polish and American families, performed the songs “Polskie Kwiaty” and “Muzyka dla Kopernika.” The latter was recently released as a music video, which can be viewed on the Polish-Slavic Center website: www.https://polishslaviccenter.us/teledysk-do-utworu-muzyka-dla-kopernika/.

We also had the pleasure of hosting the Krakus Senior Club Choir on stage, which performed two songs “Pałacyk Michla” and “Kukułeczka”; the Jutrzenka Choir, which sang “Szara Piechota” and “Let There be Peace of Earth”; The Angelus Choir, which performed “Ojczyzno ma” and “Uwierz Polsko”; and, the Hejnał Choir, which performed “Ziemię Polska” by Feliks Nowowiejski and the folk song “Hej Nasi Jadą”.

Another guest of the concert was Mariusz Monczak, an outstanding violinist performing all over the world and a promoter of Polish culture. Accompanied by Nicholas Kaponyas, he performed Henryk Wieniawski’s Kujawiak.

Finally, in the Grand Finale, the artists performed “Czerwone Maki nad Monte Casino” to commemorate the 80th Battle of Monte Casino celebrated this year.

This year’s Polish Heritage Day was held thanks to the support of the Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union, the Piłsudski Institute of America, the Pulaski Association of Business and Professional Men, Paul Pachacz and the Polish & Slavic Center.


Photos: Marcin Zurawicz