Agata Wojno read a poem by Polish writer Jan Twardowski, last night on 90.3's Polish Hour. It was in honor of the plane crash near Russia's Katyn forest. Ironically, Katyn was also the site of an infamous massacre of Polish leaders 70 years ago. Wojno says the poet's word were fitting for both tragedies.
AGATA WOJNO: I use his poetry to describe the kinds of feelings people have, especially sadness --- any kind of loss.
It summed up the mood for many in Northeast Ohio's Polish community --- estimated at a quarter of a million people. Special services were held in Polish churches across the region, yesterday. Eugene Bak, who heads Cleveland's Polish American Cultural Center, says his organization quickly put together a memorial program, Saturday night. Originally, they were planning to celebrate a very different event --- the 200th anniversary of the birth of polish composer Frederick Chopin.
EUGENE BAK: And then when we heard the news, we immediately re-grouped and said What can we do to change this into a memorial. I think people came and they felt that they could share their grief, and that was what was very important.
Yesterday's Polish radio program ended with an historic recording of the funeral march --- of one of Chopin's most famous compositions. A special mass commemorating those who died in Saturday's plane crash is planned for this coming Sunday at St. Stanislaus church at 6:00, in Cleveland's Slavic Village.
