Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in Canada, Ottawa Branch
P.O. Box 8711, Station "T", Ottawa, Ontario K1G 3J1
ACTIVITIES OF THE OTTAWA BRANCH OF THE POLISH INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES IN CANADA
in the academic year 2000-2001
prepared by
Eva Karpinski, Aleksander M. Jablonski
The Ottawa Branch of Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in Canada (PIASC) had actively cooperated with most of the Polish-Canadian organizations in Ottawa, such as the Polish Combatants' Association in Canada (SPK), Branch No. 8 in Ottawa, and with the Polish-Canadian Congress (KPK) - Ottawa District. The Ottawa Branch has 53 members.
Dr. Roman Znamirowski, M.D., our member for many years and researcher at Health Canada died in last year.
The Executive Committee of the Ottawa Branch of PIASC in 2000-2001 was as follows:
- Dr. Aleksander Maciej Jablonski - president, vice-president of the National Executive Committee of PIASC
- Professor Marek Zaremba - vice-president
- Ms. Eva Karpinski - secretary
- Dr. Joanna Welfeld - treasurer
- Professor Jerzy Sasiadek - delegate to the Canadian-Polish Congress
- Professor Pawel Wyczynski - publications, member of the National Executive Committee of PIASC
- Dr. Regina Czapiewska - member
- Dr. Andrzej Garlicki - member
- Professor Irena Mazurkiewicz-Kwilecka - member
The Ottawa Branch of PIASC organized 11 lectures, meetings or special events during the academic year 2000-2001. The program in many opinions was a very interesting one. The public attendance varied from about 30 to more than 250 people.
The most important event of the year was the 90th Anniversary of Professor Andrzej Ruszkowski and his wife Madam Irena Ruszkowski and took place on November 28, 2000. It was held in the amphitheater at the Saint Paul University with attendance of many friends and family. A key element of celebration was so-called "panel of of friends". Three professors: Pawel Wyczynski, Juliusz Lukasiewicz and Jerzy Wojciechowski presented laudatory speeches. Professor Ruszkowski received a diploma of Honorary Member of the National Executive Committee of PIASC from Professor Jozef Litynski, President of PIASC. The Golden Honorary Awards of the Polish-Canadian Congress were presented to Andrzej and Irena Ruszkowski by Dr. Andrzej Garlicki, Vice-President of the Polish-Canadian Congress. After official Ceremnony the Branch held a party with a birthday cake. Dr. A.M. Jablonski was a master-of-ceremony for this event. More than 200 people was in attendance.
A big success for the Institute was an evening of romantic poetry and music organized to commemorate 150th anniversary of death of a great Polish poet Juliusz Slowacki. The soirée titled "Rainbow of Rupture" was held in the auditorium of the National Library and National Archives on February 2, 2001. The evening prepared and directed by Ms. Eva Karpinski was very well attended (more than 250 people). She presented, in two official languages, background for the evening with elements of Juliusz Slowacki biography. Magda Goledzinowska, Anna Kielczewska, and Maciej Karpinski, students of arts from Ottawa and Toronto read English translations of Slowacki's poems. Two pieces were also read in Polsh and French. Caroline Freeze, a young pianist from Toronto, performed musical works of Frédéric Chopin, Robert Schumann, Franz Schubert and Johann Brahms with virtuosity. The branch held a wine party after the performance to honor young artists.
One of the most interesting lectures of this academic year was a lecture presented by Dr. Maria Los, Professor of Criminology, University of Ottawa on February 27, 2001 at the Saint Paul Unievrsity. A lecture titled "Co sie stalo z panstwem policyjnym" ("What has happened to the police state") was presented based on the new book titled "privitizing the Polish-State. The Case of Poland" co-authored by Dr. Los and Dr. A. Zybertowicz from the University of Torun. Professor Los presented an analysis of the role, which has been played by former secret services of the communist era in the new transformation of Poland's political and economical life and the threat they posed to the internal security and sovereignty of the Polish state.
A very interesting lecture titled "Situation of Churches in Russia in Light of the 1997 Law" was delivered by Anne Leahy, a distinguished Canadian diplomat and a former Ambassador of Canada to Russian Federation (1996-1999) and to Poland (1993-1996) on March 27, 2001. This lecture was a part of the prestigious series called Henry Herbert Glasmacher Conferences of Saint Paul University and was organized jointly by the Saint Paul University, The Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies and our Branch of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in Canada. The meeting was presided by O.D. Hurtubise, OMI. Dr. A.M. Jablonski introduced a speaker and Father A. Chirovsky from The Sheptytsky Institute presented a conclusion and thanks after an interesting discussion. More than 200 people from academic and diplomatic circles of Ottawa was in attendance.
This is a complete list of lectures, meetings and events in the academic year 2000-2001:
June 6, 2000 - Dr. A. Maciej Jablonski, Ottawa,
- Liutenant-Colonel Jerzy Dambrowski "Lupaszka" - legend and truth (in Polish)
- Dom Polski SPK - Lecture organized together with Polish Combatants' Association in Canada (SPK), Branch No. 8 in Ottawa
September 26, 2000 - Professor Anna Reczynska, Jagiellonian University, Cracow
- Relations between Polish People's Republic (PRL) and Polish Immigrants in Canada (in Polish)
- Saint Paul University
October 3, 2000 - Dr. A. Maciej Jablonski, Ottawa
- 60th Anniversary of Katyn Massacre
- lecture in Polish and illustrated by a new Polish documentary "Katyn Massacre" (1999)
- Dom Polski SPK - lecture organized together with the Polish Combatants' Association in Canada (SPK), Branch No. 8 in Ottawa
October 31, 2000 - Professor Izabela Suchanek, University of Kielce
- Systems of Elections in Poland (in Polish)
- Saint Paul University
November 28, 2000 - Celebration of the 90th Anniversary of Professor Andrzej Ruszkowski and Madam Irena Ruszkowska
- Saint Paul University, panel of friends: Professor P. Wyczynski, Professor J. Lukasiewicz and Professor J. Wojciechowski. Short speeches were also presented by Prof. J. Litynski, Dr. A. Garlicki and Dr. A.M. Jablonski. Professor A. Ruszkowski thanked organizers and participants for this special event
January 9, 2001 - Dr. Jerzy Iwaszkiewicz, Ottawa
- Reliability of Historical Message in the Light of Some Important but Ignored Historical Facts (in Polish)
- Dom Polski SPK - organized together with the Polish Combatants' Association in Canada (SPK), Branch No. 8 in Ottawa
February 2, 2001 - Rainbow of Rupture - a soirée of romantic poetry and music (in English with Introduction in English and French by Eva Karpinski)
- Poems of Juliusz Slowacki read by M. Goledzinowska, A. Kileczewska, and M. Karpinski. Works by F. Chopin, R. Schumann, E. Schubert and j. Brahms performed by Caroline Freeze
- prepared and directed by Eva Karpinski
- the auditorium, the National Library and National Archives of Canada
February 27, 2001 - Professor Maria Los, University of Ottawa
- What has happened to the police state (an example of contemporary Poland) (in Polish)
- Saint Paul University
March 27, 2001 - Anne Leahy, Diplomat-in-Residence, York University, Federal Coordinator for the World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto, and former Ambassador of Canada to Russian Federation (1996-1999) and Poland (1993-1996)
- Situation of Churches in Russia in light of 1997 Law (in English)
- organized together with Saint Paul University and The Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute o Eastern Christian Studies (as a part of the series of Henry Herbert Glasmacher Conferences of Saint Paul University)
- Saint Paul University
May 8, 2001 - Professor Maciej Giertych, President, National Democratic Party, Warsaw
- Present Polish-German Relations (in Polish)
- organized with Catholic Action of the Saint Hyacinth's Parish, Ottawa
The president of the Ottawa Branch together with members of the Executive Committee have participated in discussions of the latest version of the document "Towards the Future". Dr. Jablonski and Prof. Wyczynski took part also in the Executive Committee deliberations in Montreal.
Eva Karpinski, Alexander M. Jablonski
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