We reported at the beginning of July that twenty residents of Bolesławiec would travel to save Polish cemeteries in the Eastern Borderlands as part of the unique “Save Your Great-Grandfather’s Grave from Oblivion” campaign. The group included members of the Towarzystwo Miłośników Lwowa i Kresów Południowo-Wschodnich and students from Bolesławiec schools: Zespół Szkół Ogólnokształcących i Zawodowych im. mjra Henryka Sucharskiego, Gimnazjum Samorządowe nr 2, GS nr 4 and Publiczne Gimnazjum Zakonu Pijarów (students from the latter are supporters of Zagłębie Lubin; local supporters of the “Copper” team have strongly supported the activities of Barbara Smoleńska, the initiative’s coordinator on behalf of ZSOiZ, for some time), as well as two history teachers.
Below, we present a report by two participants in the trip: Marcelina Augustyniak and Paulina Mikutel, students at Gimnazjum Samorządowe nr 2 in Bolesławiec.
On July 2, a group of volunteers from Bolesławiec schools set out for Ukraine. On the way, we stopped in Wrocław. The weather was not on our side that day, but no one minded. There we met young people from all over Lower Silesia who, like us, were heading toward the border. We were seen off by Minister of Education Anna Zalewska, school superintendent Beata Pawłowicz and many other dignitaries. At 8:00 p.m., we continued our journey.
The next day, we were already in Ukraine. We went to Lviv, where we visited the Armenian and Roman Catholic cathedrals, a Greek Catholic church, the opera house and the Market Square. The rain made sightseeing somewhat difficult, but we did not give up and, soaked, went to Lychakiv Cemetery and the Cemetery of the Lviv Eaglets. We visited the graves of many famous Poles known to us, including Maria Konopnicka, Gabriela Zapolska, Seweryn Goszczyński, Artur Grottger and others. Tired but smiling, we reached Zbarazh and the families with whom we were staying. We had the pleasure of staying with Maria and Michał Zamorok. The boys stayed with Halina Drozdowska. After greeting our temporary families, we went to sleep to gather strength for the following day.
On Monday, after breakfast, we went to Sieniawa, where a cemetery was waiting for us. United and ready, we began work. At 4:00 p.m., we had lunch at a bar. Then we went to Kołodno for Mass commemorating the anniversary of the massacre in that village. Our friend had the pleasure of singing a psalm.
Tuesday morning looked the same as the previous day. Our afternoon was somewhat different. We were invited to see the mayor of Zbarazh. We were welcomed very warmly. After leaving the mayor’s office, we went to Mrs. Drozdowska’s, where we had dinner together. After the meal, our hostess’s nephew came with an accordion. Together, we sang Polish and Ukrainian songs that he had taught us earlier. It grew late, and we walked home with Mrs. Basia, who told us about the city and various interesting things along the way.
The next day, we finished our work at the cemetery in Sieniawa. In the evening, the planned barbecue took place. There we met a group from Wrocław that was cleaning the cemetery in Zbarazh; motorcyclists from the Katyn International Motorcycle Rally association were also there. We had met them in Kołodno.
On Thursday, after breakfast, we went to the cemetery in Zbarazh and toured the castle with a guide. When we learned that the guide would speak Ukrainian, we thought we would need an interpreter, but it soon turned out that we understood one another quite well. After the tour, we set off for Yazlovets, to the convent of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On the way, we visited the Marian sanctuary of the Greek Catholic Church in Zarvanytsia. In Buchach, we visited the Roman Catholic church built by Mikołaj Potocki. The priest welcomed us very warmly, told us the history of the church and answered our questions. We reached the convent late in the evening.
On Friday, we worked on cleaning the cemetery in Yazlovets. We worked until 4:00 p.m. After lunch, Sister Szymona showed us around the convent grounds. We visited the catacombs and the museum of its founder, Blessed Marcelina Darowska, and learned about the history of the convent and Yazlovets.
It rained on Saturday, so we worked at the cemetery only briefly. We used our free time to go shopping, and during a break in the rain we visited the rock monastery in the village of Rukomysz near Buchach.
We began Sunday with Mass, and after breakfast we visited Skala Podilska, Kamianets-Podilskyi, Khotyn and Okopy Świętej Trójcy. On the way, we met two groups taking part in the “Save Your Great-Grandfather’s Grave from Oblivion” campaign.
Monday was our last day at the cemetery in Yazlovets. We decided to have lunch earlier and work until evening. Before lunch came a surprise: at the convent, we met the Metropolitan Archbishop of Lviv, Mieczysław Mokrzycki. A group photo, a picture and a farewell.
On Tuesday morning, we set off toward Poland, but we could not say goodbye to the sisters for a long time. We had very good conditions at the convent. We stayed in two-, three- and four-person rooms. Some had bathrooms. The sisters prepared very tasty meals for us. We felt so comfortable that some people did not want to go home. Although we had accomplished a lot and worked very hard, the fatigue soon passed, while the satisfaction of what we had achieved remained.
The trip to the Eastern Borderlands was supported, among others, by the Municipality of Bolesławiec, represented by the Mayor of Bolesławiec Piotr Roman (a grant of PLN 2,000), and Fundacja Bliżej Serca (which financed the stay of three students). The municipal companies PWiK and MZGK and Hurtownia “Widok” donated tools for the work.
The campaign participants also raised money for this purpose themselves. “Residents helped us enormously,” emphasizes Barbara Smoleńska. In one day, PLN 2,179 was collected at the Church of Christ the King, and PLN 1,100 at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Students collected smaller amounts at their schools and parishes. All the money raised by the young people was paid into the account of the campaign’s main organizer, Fundacja Studio Wschód, represented by TVP Wrocław editor Grażyna Orłowska-Sondej. The Foundation covered the costs of transport and the stay in Ukraine from the funds collected. “Despite the substantial support from Bolesławiec residents, we would not have been able to finance our group’s stay in the Eastern Borderlands ourselves. Thanks to the help of residents throughout Lower Silesia, volunteers, including those from Bolesławiec, can travel there and care for their ancestors’ graves,” emphasizes Barbara Smoleńska.
More about this year’s edition of the “Save Your Great-Grandfather’s Grave from Oblivion” campaign can be found on the Facebook profile of Towarzystwo Miłośników Lwowa i Kresów Południowo-Wschodnich w Bolesławcu.
Towarzystwo Miłośników Lwowa i Kresów Południowo-Wschodnich, Marcelina Augustyniak and Paulina Mikutel/ii