I would like to share with you the photos from southern Poland where Orthodox religion had used to flourish and coexisted with Catholicism and Judaism for centuries, until it was suppresed by communists after WW2. Today, Orthodox believers are trying to revive their religion and culture.

Orthodox Churches and Lemko people in southern Poland
http://polandsite.proboards104.com/index.cgi?board=places&action=display&thread=211

Additionally, you can see photos of major Catholic holidays in Poland.

All Saints` Day
http://polandsite.proboards104.com/index.cgi?board=customs&action=display&thread=105

Palm Sunday
http://polandsite.proboards104.com/index.cgi?board=customs&action=display&thread=84

Easter
http://polandsite.proboards104.com/index.cgi?board=customs&action=display&thread=85

Christmas
http://polandsite.proboards104.com/index.cgi?board=customs&action=display&thread=112

Corpus Christi
http://polandsite.proboards104.com/index.cgi?board=customs&action=display&thread=87

Xpectoc Bockpec!

Thank you so much for posting this. I really appreciate looking at the web sites and the photos.

Our parish priest at the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Toronto, Fr. Bohdan Sencio, is an Orthodox Lemko originally from Poland.

What is Corpus Christi????? Is this a Polish holiday? Is it Orthodox?

Ukrainian Orthodox do not have this feast day.

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C. I. X!
Assumptions and perceptions. Just because it happens in Lemkivchenya and is Catholic does not mean it is relevant to Greco Catholics. Just because Poland is perceived as a Catholic country does not mean Greco Catholics are better received than Orthodox.
Just because it has an eight point (three barred) cross does not mean it is not Catholic. Just because it has a three barred (eight point) cross does not mean it is Orthodox. Just because it is used by Roman Catholics today does not mean it was not Catholic yesterday. Just because it is used by Orthodox today does not mean it was Orthodox yesterday. Just because Lemkivchenya is perceived as an Orthodox stronghold today does not mean it wasn�t a Greco Catholic stronghold yesterday.

Today�s post depiction of the Orthodox Churches of St. Michael in Wysowa and of the Presentation in Hanczowa I possess (grandparent�s baptismal) documents proving they were Greek Catholic parishes yesterday. Don�t make Akcija Wisla an Orthodox persecution became it is used as their rallying cry. It was mainly (but not exclusively) an Ukrainian Greco Catholics repatriation. It was important to eradicate the Eastern CHRISTIAN indigenous history from the new Polish lands to create an illusion of an all-inclusive Latin Catholic exclusive Poland.

One can only imagine how history would have been written if Poland had been converted to Byzantine Christianity instead of the Latin Rite.

The large majority of the Lemkos (or Lemki) who were "cleansed" out of their houses, churches, farms and homeland were deported to the Soviet Union. They still maintain organizations in Ukraine. The whole horror is a serious blot on the Polish escutcheon.

Fr. Serge

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C. I. X!
Etnick,
Who said Poland originally wasn't?

It is either these photos are from Poland or Wallington, NJ...not sure. ;-)

Ray

In the one link they have landscape pictures and you have to wonder, is that central Pennsylvania or Southeastern Poland. All doubts melt when you see a house in the picture, but otherwise the mountains and landscape look like PA, New York, or pretty much anywhere Appalachia.