The mission of Friends of Polish Art (FPA) to promote Polish culture was clearly on display during the 2025 FPA Wigilia, on Saturday, December 13, at the APCC in Troy. In addition to a traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner, which started with the sharing of opłatki, the exchange of Christmas and New Year’s greetings and the singing of kolędy, there were beautiful szopki on display, an excellent performance by the Wawel Folk Ensemble, and the “favors”: origami bookmarks, made by Patty Malski and cute (and tasty!) little pierniki (gingerbread cookies) baked by Iwona Jedrzejczak.
For FPA the year 2025 has been filled with projects such as organizing literary, fine arts and szopka making contests, awarding grants and scholarships, as well as supporting activities of other Polish American organizations. The Wigiilia guests were able to see photos of what FPA has been doing in a continuous slide show.
To those unfamiliar with the Polish Christmas Eve dinner (Wigilia) Brian Malski, FPA President introduced the custom and talked about some Wigilia traditions, such as leaving an empty chair and a place setting at the Wigilia table for an unexpected guest. He also greeted representatives of local Polish American organizations attending the event. Among them, the American Polish Cultural Society, the Polish American Congress – MI Division, the Polish Institute of Culture & Research (PICROL), the Polish National Alliance, and the West Side Detroit Polish American Historical Society, whose President, Reverend Gary Michalik blessed the food and the opłatki. Father Gary shared that Wigilia is his most favorite feast of the year, and that he cannot imagine any other Wigilia than a meatless one, like the one served last Saturday. It was not, however, the only personal story shared at the event. Mr.Richard Walawender, Honorary Consul of Poland, who honored the event with his presence, conveyed good wishes from the Polish diplomatic corps, and on a personal note, revealed that 47 years ago, he took his date who is now his wife to an FPA Wigilia, where she ate for the first and only time śledzie (herring). While such Wigilia staples as śledzie and red barszcz are rather an acquired taste, the fried perch and coleslaw also served last Saturday most likely did not raise any objections, but only praise.
This year the Wawel Folk Ensemble, one of the recipients of the 2025 FPA Donald Samull Polish Folk Dance Group Grants celebrates its 60s anniversary. Those who missed their excellent anniversary concert a week ago, had a great opportunity to enjoy the group’s dancing at the FPA Wigilia. Big thanks to the group and their directors, Donna and Tom Skurski, for such a beautiful performance and for sharing some fascinating stories with us!
The Wawel Folk Ensemble not only danced four dances (the Krakowiak, the Sieradz dance and two polkas) but also sang Polish Christmas carols with everybody, while Curtis Posuniak played the piano.
Also present at the Wigilia was artist Nancy Kozlowski, whose painting “Rzepak” won the FPA Best in Show – Richard Kubinski Award, at the 2025 FPA Fine Arts Competition, organized by FPA together with PICROL.
Celebrating the art of szopka making was a prominent theme of the 2025 FPA Wigilia. At the APCC hall there were six beautiful szopki on display, each one interesting and intriguing in its own way. A spectacular “Solidarity” szopka, brought from Poland by Mrs. and Mr. Górecki in the early 1990s, and last year gifted by them to the Polish American Congress-MI Division, received a lot of attention from the Wigilia guests. Especially Carolyn Janosky, the winner of the 1st prize of this year’s FPA Szopka Competition, whose szopka was also on display and got lots of accolades, was in awe of the beauty, impressive craftsmanship and the detailed work of the “Solidarity” szopka. After seeing it, Carolyn, who was in the competition for the second time, declared that now she would have to start working on her next szopka not in July, but in January!
Carolyn was also one of the basket raffle winners, while her husband won the most coveted raffle price, the “lotto tree”. It was the very first time FPA had such a raffle, and at this point it remains unknown how much money was in the tickets hanging on the tree; the value of the tickets was $100. FPA is very grateful to everybody who supported the organization by buying the raffle tickets, to the basket donors, and to Deanna Welemirov, who very generously donated the lotto tree.
The children present at the event were thrilled with the large multicolored wooden szopka, recently restored by Chuck Pelshaw. They very much enjoyed playing with the movable figurines (luckily those were quite sturdy, and Chuck did not catch them doing it) but they also were fascinated by the szopka made by their peer, Ezekiel Van Steenkiste, for which he won the 1st prize in the 2025 FPA Szopka Competition. Chuck Pelshaw, the Competition Chair, presented all four winning szopki displayed during Wigilia. The annual FPA Szopka Competition is hosted by the Polish Art Center in Hamtramck.
FPA would like to thank everybody who attended the event and extends a very special, heartfelt “dziękuję” to all of the 2025 Wigilia benefactors, patrons and donors.
Thanks to all of you the 2025 FPA Wigilia was such a joyful, beautiful and meaningful event!
Watch the Wawel Folk Ensemble performing the Krakowiak: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1525547645387387
