Polish-Americans Mark Rise of Solidarity, Pray for Homeland

Outside the church in Yorba Linda, the flags of the United States, Poland and the Polish Solidarity movement flew from wooden crosses mounted on a tiny hill of stones.

Inside, about 250 Polish-Americans from Southern California on Sunday heard a Mass celebrated in Polish, sang anthems and listened to survivors of the Communist crackdown on the union movement in Poland.

The event was a commemoration of the fifth anniversary of Solidarity’s rise in Poland. In the packed church of the John Paul II Polish Center at 3999 Rose Drive, Polish adults and children sang a hymn with the refrain: “Our homeland, please give it back to us, Lord.”

The group also sent a telegram to Polish Solidarity leader Lech Walesa. “Our thoughts, hearts and actions are with you in these difficult struggles,” it read.

After the meeting, some said that Poland, their homeland, is a slave country.

“The (Communist) Polish authorities are nothing more than agents of the Soviet Union,” said Richard Grudzinksi, 57, of Anaheim, who immigrated to the United States in 1951. “They are taking away individual freedom. They are taking away the Polish soul.”

Recorded Talk

The crowd also heard a recording of a talk last year by Father Jerzy Popieluszko, a Solidarity supporter, shortly before he was killed by Polish Communist secret police.

“If the Communists think that only Solidarity is evil, why is it that they have imposed a state of war against all the people of Poland?” Popieluszko asked.

One purpose of the gathering was to call attention to the move in Congress to repudiate the 1945 Yalta Conference agreements that tacitly gave Poland to Russian domination, said Adam Kiernik, 35, of Huntington Beach.

“We (Polish-Americans) are trying to get news printed about the move in Congress, but it’s as if the State Department has ordered the American press not to write anything about it,” he said. “The Senate passed an amendment to repudiate the Yalta agreements, but last month the House didn’t agree, and it was killed in a conference committee. The press has been silent on the issue, but it’s of great importance to the people of Poland.

“In Poland, the Polish (anti-Communist) underground wonders if they are caught between two superpowers because of the Yalta agreements. If the United States admits it made a mistake at Yalta, then those fighting for freedom in Poland know they are not alone.”

Kiernik, who was born in New York of Polish-immigrant parents, said the Yalta accords by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Josef Stalin carved up spheres of influence on the European continent--giving Poland to the Soviet Union.

Seeking Repudiation

Kiernik, a member of the board of directors of Pomost, a Chicago-based national organization seeking freedom for Poland, said Southern California has about 250,000 Polish-surnamed residents. About 40,000 of them are involved in Polish-American political efforts such as the move to seek repudiation of the Yalta agreements.

All of the speeches that followed the Mass were given in Polish, and most of the speakers were former Solidarity workers or supporters who had escaped from Poland.

Two former Solidarity members who stood as honor guards at the front of the church were Richard Nikodem, 43, and Bogdan Czaplinski, 32.

Czaplinski, who immigrated to the United States 15 months ago and now lives in Fullerton, said he was jailed by the Communists for 3 1/2 months for his work with Solidarity in Poland.

Nikodem, who immigrated about two years ago and now lives in Los Angeles, said he was imprisoned for a year for his work with the trade union movement.

Held Flag Aloft

Throughout the Mass and subsequent speeches by lay Polish leaders, Nikodem stood ramrod straight, holding aloft the red and white Solidarity flag. The ceremonies lasted an hour and 45 minutes, but Nikodem neither flinched nor rested his arms.

After the ceremonies, Nikodem smiled when someone inquired how he could perform the job so long, without rest. “I am a member of Solidarity,” he said.