In Polish culture, “Wigilia,” i.e., Christmas Eve, is undoubtedly the most festive religious holiday. Although there may be some minor regional differences, “Wigilia” is celebrated uniformly throughout Poland. It begins with decorating the Christmas tree, followed by reading the Nativity from the New Testament, then wishing each other well by sharing the “opłatek,” and ending with a meatless 12-course dinner. Christmas Carols, then exchanging gifts, and culminating with Midnight Mass.
Celebrating and promoting the Polish language and culture are fundamental objectives of the St. John Paul II Liturgical Center at the Orchard Lake Schools. Polish culture and Catholicism are inextricably linked. Sponsoring “Wigilia” on Campus fulfills one dimension of this objective. The Campus celebration began with a Polish Mass in the Shrine Chapel, accompanied by the renowned Filarets Polish Choir, followed by a traditional “Wigilia” dinner, to include sharing the opłatek, in the Campus Dining Hall, and concluded with Polish and English Christmas carols.
This year’s attendance set a record of 121 attendees.
Many contributed to its huge success. Fr. Bernard Witek, Margaret Wozny, and Joe Majcher of the Liturgical Center organized the event. Marco Santia and the Dining Hall staff did a great job serving the food catered by the American Polish Cultural Center and the desserts from Irena’s Bistro. Five St. Mary’s Preparatory students waited on tables. Sister Genowefa Potaczała, of the Polish Institute, helped with food preparation. Robert Mazur and Lisa Gray of the Development Dept. decorated the tables. Doug Fackler and the Maintenance Dept. did a great job with the Dining Hall & Chapel set-up.
Centrum Liturgiczne Świętego Jana Pawła II stara się obchodzić najważniejsze Polskie narodowe i religijne święta oraz pielęgnować i promować język Polski i kulturę na terenie Szkół w Orchard Lake i poza. Obchody Wigilii na terenie Szkół pomagają w realizacji tego celu. Jak wiemy, katolicyzm i polska kultura są ze sobą nierozerwalnie związane.
Joseph Majcher
Photos credit: Alicja Karlic & Mietek Oniskiewicz
