GUARDIAN ANGEL IN DOMOSTAWA
Or what happened during the Polish Youth Camp Italy – Poland 2024.
I am standing with Andrzej Pityński’s family: his brother and cousins Grażyna Pityńska-Kumik and Halina Jaworowska at the foot of the monument, authored by Master Andrzej, awaiting its ceremonial unveiling. A monument dedicated to the crimes committed against Poles and other nationalities in Volhynia, Podolia and Małopolska. We exchange comments on the significance and grandeur of the event. Grażyna is preparing for an official appearance at the foot of the monument.
At one point, I see an elderly man pushing his way through the crowd towards me, carrying a beautiful wreath in white and red colors and with similar ribbons. This man, having made his way through a group of reenactors preparing for an honorary salute, heads straight for me. He holds out his hands with the wreath and hands it to me with the words: “Please lay it down in my name”. I was completely shocked by this gesture. So much so that I didn’t ask who he was, what his name was, who he represented and why I was receiving this wonderful gift along with the order to lay it down at the foot of the monument! Mrs. Grażyna and Halina were just as shocked as I was. Only after a while, when I woke up from the surprise, did the associations come to my consciousness, why me and who it could be. There was no doubt: a miracle or a Guardian Angel!
The morning of July 14th was very early for a 30-person group of young people, participants of the camp “In the Footsteps of the Glory of the Polish Arms – a Living History Lesson”. In order to get to Domostawa on time from Sidzina near Babia Góra in the Beskid Wysoki Mountains, the wake-up call was at 5 a.m. The young people reluctantly got out of bed and had to be strongly woken up in every possible way. Since the bus was already there, we had to get moving quickly. Gather food, water and everything we needed for the trip to the unveiling of the monument (the route was about 350 km). After all, we knew that we would be representing the youth of the Polish American community, which was quite a commitment. As part of the preparations, we ordered a beautiful wreath of white and red carnations with ribbons and the inscription “Children of Polonia and the Nowodworski Foundation”. The day before, the wreath was laid in a cold basement so that the flowers would not wither until the next day. We had already traveled quite a long way when suddenly, like a bolt from the blue, the question arose: where is the wreath? And here the consternation… it is gone! I guess it was left in the basement. The stress had no limits… what are we going to lay under the monument? The next moment I started calling potential flower shops along our route towards Rzeszów and further on to Domostawa. But unfortunately it was Sunday, early morning and all the flower shops were closed. There was nothing left for me to do but meditate and pray to God to somehow bring our wreath to the monument in Domostawy. After half an hour of meditation and prayers, and an hour of standing in a traffic jam, we arrived at the site.
Because there was a huge cloudburst the whole way, we already thought the ceremony would be canceled. But the moment we arrived at the site, the rain stopped and the weather cleared up. Our group with the American-Polish banner guard set off briskly towards the monument. We lined up on the main route at the back of the monument, displaying our banners so that they would be visible to our compatriots arriving for the ceremony. So that they could see that the Polish youth fully sympathize with them.
Soon I went to look for my colleagues from the SWAP delegation and on this occasion I met the Pityńskis on the hill at the base of the monument. And here I return to the moment from the beginning of this amazing story – suddenly, as if from heaven, an older gentleman approaches me and hands me a beautiful wreath… “Please lay it on my behalf”! God bless you! I thought.
I immediately contacted our group with the sensational news: “We have a wreath! Join us, we will lay it ceremoniously.” The shock and joy were great, as well as the pride in the successfully completed mission. We will remember this moment for the rest of our lives, not only as a worthy tribute to the victims of cruelty, but also as a realization that God watches over us in our time of need! The Polish Youth did not disappoint.
To complete the story—the original wreath, which remained in Sidzina, honored the monument of Anna Riedel, a liaison in the OP Chełm partisan unit, operating in Sidzina and the Babia Góra region. Anna Riedel, tortured and later murdered by the Germans, did not betray a single partisan. The Polish youth cleared the vicinity of the monument and after a moment of prayer and reflection on the fate of the heroine, ceremoniously laid a wreath.
