St Marys High School - Salute Yearbook (New Baltimore, MI)

Page 108 text:

Pvlvn km Panorama . . . . On Christmas , December 25, 1854, some eight or nine hundred Poles from Silesia crowded reverently around a mas- sive oak tree on top of a hill near the junction of San Antonio and Cibolo rivers in southern Texas. Under that oak Father Leopold Moczygemba of the Franciscan Friars Minor Conven- tual celebrated the first Mass for Polish peasant folk on Amer- ican soil. Under that oak the Polish immigrants organized their first church dedicating it to the Immaculate Conception ninety years ago. Since that time, like the oak, they have spread their branches wide over America and sunk their roots deep into American soil, becoming an organic part of American soul and srnew . . .

Page 107 text:

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Page 109 text:

ne moment Plame . . . The POLONIAN PANORAMA is a miscellany prepared by the graduates of St. Mary's College during their senior year 1945-1946. While it contains no new factual data beyond what is already available in Polish or in English, it has Qwe hopej some original pictures and comments. Above all, it tries to suggest a different approach to Polish- American life-a telescopic presentation of facts and photos, empha- sizing not so much the storied past either of the Polish heritage or of Polish heroes in America as the living present of Polish-American in- stitutional as well as personal achievement and promise. An undertaking of this kind implies selection of material dictated by personal preferences as well as by limitations of space. Of the two restrictive influences, the former perhaps has been more operative: it has been our set purpose to feature the Polish-American Community, THE POLONIA, with its characteristic institutions, its builders and its present-day maintainers. If we have stressed, at times exclusively, the achievements of American born or bred individuals, we have done so, not with any intent to slight or depreciate the tremendous contri- butions of immigrant Poles, but rather to bring our theme more clearly into focus and to suggest newer avenues of research and study. The materials that have gone into the making of this panorama are twofold: pictorial and documental. The essays and comments derive from sources indicated in the selected bibliography, which is also intended to point out further topics of interest. The illustrations, taken from photographs supplied almost entirely by students and friends, are all authentic-real pictures of real Polish-Americans, actual views of extant Polish-American institution and achievements. In the preparation of this close-up of Polish-American life, we have naturally incurred many debts which we most gratefully acknowledge. And we sincerely hope that this finished product, the result of numerous efforts and suggestions, will iustify the expectations of the many gra- cious friends who have favored us with their help, the Director of St. Mary's College Library whose facilities have been at our disposal, and the authors whose studies have provided us with invaluable informa- tion and ideas. BOG ZAPLAC! HIV. Joselod .gjwvmfed Faculty Director. Mrnarz! jb0l1'I.l'l'll'CA Student DiI'6Ct0I'.