{"id":959,"date":"2023-05-11T10:29:13","date_gmt":"2023-05-11T16:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polishcanadianassociation.com\/en\/?page_id=959"},"modified":"2025-02-01T16:41:04","modified_gmt":"2025-02-01T23:41:04","slug":"polish-canadian-heritage-day-in-alberta-2023","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.polishcanadianassociation.com\/en\/polish-canadian-heritage-day-in-alberta-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Polish Canadian Heritage Day in Alberta \u2013 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Polish Canadian Heritage Day in Calgary<\/h2>\n

JUNE 10-11, 2023<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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On Saturday, June 10, 2023<\/span><\/strong>  we will  hold a Polish Flag Raising Ceremony at 10:30 a.m. at the  McDougall Centre, Government of Alberta building. <\/h3> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Click below to read:<\/h3> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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POLISH-CANADIAN HERITAGE DAY ACT<\/strong><\/a><\/h3> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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There will be a brief celebration, including singing of the Canadian and Polish national anthems, speeches by invited guests and representatives from the Polish Community of Calgary, and dances performed by Polish dance groups.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Whether you have a family connection to these immigrants or simply wish to learn more about the 170,000 Albertans who identify themselves as being Polish-Canadian, please join us on Sunday June 11.  Just bring a physical and intellectual appetite. Admission is free. All welcome.<\/p>\n

Add this event to your calendar!<\/h3>\n

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The Polish Canadian Association of Calgary and the Polish Combatants\u2019 Association in Canada, Calgary Branch No.18 invite everyone to a series of events on
June 11, 2023<\/span> (Sunday),  
to celebrate the rich history of Alberta\u2019s Polish community on the Polish-Canadian Heritage Day.  <\/h4> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Time: 11:00 am \u2013 7:00 pm<\/span><\/h2>\n

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Polish Canadian Cultural Centre (Dom Polski)
3015-15 Street North East, Calgary, Alberta<\/h3> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\n Marta Krowicka with her sons: Franek (in the middle) and Janek in Rhodesia <\/h3>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n
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A short true story of one Calgary family:<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Krowickis are one of the Polish families who survived the gehenna of the Soviet occupation. Mr. Krowicki  was a war reservist and, as a  military settler, was given land in Stawy on the Bug River, then part of Poland. He settled there with his wife and four children. In 1940, when the Soviets were already reigning over Polish lands, Mr. Krowicki ‘disappeared’ in never-explained circumstances. He most likely shared the dark fate of all the men murdered by the occupying soviet forces. <\/p>\n<\/div> <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>

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Mrs. Krowicki was left alone with her children: five-year-old Frank, twelve-year-old Janek and two older daughters. Their relative, Aunt Sulima from Warsaw, visited the family with the offer to help. Unfortunately, not long after, due to savage Soviet policy against the Poles, the Russians ‘evacuated’ all the Polish villagers by brute force. They were given little to no time to pack their belongings, were all put into ‘freight’ wagons and their meandering began. Aunt Sulima tried to explain that she had come to Stawy only for a few days, but the NKVD (the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs) had no interest in this. All five of the Krowicki family, as well as Sulima, were deported to Siberia.<\/p>\n<\/div> <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>

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Upon arrival, they shared the fate of thousands deported from their native homes to Siberia. As they recalled, they were able to survive only thanks to the help of local residents, albeit with difficulty. In order to keep her children alive, Mrs. Krowicki was forced to give them to an orphanage. Although their fate was not much better there either, they were at least provided with daily bread. This life lasted over two years. The two daughters did not survive the gulag.<\/p>\n

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Following the signed treaty by Prime Minister Sikorski and the Soviets, many families with children had the opportunity to leave Siberia. Mrs. Krowicki was one of the lucky ones who were able to take this opportunity. Going through Kazakhstan, Persia… the Krowicki family, now only four – Mom, Franek, Janek and Aunt Sulima – together with other Polish families lived Rhodesia, in Africa around till 1950.<\/p> <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>

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As some families wanted to return to Poland, one of the resident priests travelled there to inquire whether it was possible and worth it to go back.The results of this ‘spy’ mission are unknown, as the Krowicki family took another opportunity. At the time, Mrs. Krowicki’s brother was living in Saskatchewan, and our heroes decided to join him there.<\/p> <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>

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After finally arriving on Canadian soil, Mrs. Krowicki avoided talking about this nightmarish part of her life. Janek started a family and settled permanently in Saskatchewan, while Franek ventured outward, eventually settling in Calgary where he made a life for himself – his wife and children still live here to this day.<\/p> <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>

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The story of Mr. and Mrs. Krowicki is one shared by many families and is certainly one worth remembering, if only to ensure such tragedies never happen again.<\/p> <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Sunday at the Polish Canadian Cultural Centre<\/h1>\n

 JUNE 11, 2023<\/h2> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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This year we will honour and remember  The Generation of World War II<\/strong>. We will learn about the incredible events that led to this amazing generation of Polish immigrants being forced to leave Poland and find a haven in Canada (with many stops in between).<\/span><\/h3>\n

It is a big story, with many chapters. On Polish Canadian Heritage Day,  you can hear some of them.<\/h4> <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>
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Their story begins in Poland, the first country to fight back against Nazi Germany, the only country to be attacked in September 1939 not just by Germany but also by Soviet Russia; the first country not to surrender; the country with the biggest resistance and the only resistance ultimately recognized as an Allied army; the only country with a special POW camp in German-occupied Europe just for Polish women; the only country that fought with the Allies on every front, on land, on sea, and in the air from the first day of WWII until the very last.<\/h3> <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>
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And then, in an ironic twist, they were the only ones who were not able to go home, to enjoy a Victory Parade. Instead, their allies gave their country to the Soviet Union which established a puppet communist government. Stalin called the Polish resistance and the forces that fought in the West \u201cfascists,\u201d a label Putin uses against the Ukrainian government. At this time of their mighty resistance, we extend our support to our Ukrainian friends.<\/h3>\n

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Unable to go home to a free country, the Polish veterans and families sought another refuge. Many came to Alberta. Here, they rebuilt their shattered lives and made an important contribution to the building of our province. It is their lives and their stories we want to honour.<\/h3> <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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11:00 \u2013 19:00<\/span><\/strong><\/h3> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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