Good news! Our two backpacks and the snowshoes for Ela arrived on Saturday by van from Wroclaw. This made it easier for me to enjoy the ceremonies that we had come to participate in, the unveiling of a monument to commemorate the school and orphanage run by the Brothers of the Christian Schools in Duszniki Zdroj between 1945-1949. My father Czeslaw was on of the guests of honour, along with Brother Stanislaw, who was one of the original brothers to make the trek from Czestochowa in 1945 to the "wild west" of Lower Silesia.
There were about 80 alumni present. A brass band marched us from the Chopin Manor were the speeches were made to the site of the monument. The following day there was a special mass in the Franciscan monastery for everyone. The alums were mostly from Poland, with some from Canada, USA and Spain. It was interesting to meet them and hear their stories. The brothers seem to have done a good job in educating these poor victims of WWII, as many of them went on to become doctors, lawyers, sea captains, priests, industrialists and other useful professions. One priest said that his education began with one of the brothers teaching him how to hold a knife and fork. I came away with a new appreciation for the idea of "educating the whole person" rather than just instilling knowledge and critical thinking.
Today we are taking the train from Dusniki to Kudowa Zdroj to visit the Chapel of Skulls and the labyrinth in the Stolowe Mountains. It is one of the most spectacular train trips in Poland, and it's a warm sunny day, so off we go!
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