1945 Kensington High School Yearbook, Part 1 of 3

Academic year 1944-45 drew to a close after V-E Day but while the War in the Pacific still raged.

The theme was the City of Buffalo, in which high-school students were graduating while many of the veterans were returning, at least temporarily.  It seemed that a land invasion of Japan would be necessary.

Featured in the City Seal are the Port of Buffalo with lighthouse; a sailing vessel such as transported grain or coal from the Midwest; a canal boat on the Erie Canal.  The Compass version of the Seal showed the mule team towing the canal boat.

Zdrojewski family tradition holds that Ludwig and Victoria landed at Ellis Island, took a train to Albany, then crossed the Empire State from east to west in a boat on the Erie Canal.  The first jobs the menfolk had were as stevedores, unloading the ships at the docks of the Port of Buffalo.

The flyleaf announces the artistic theme of the volume:  "A Film of Buffalo as Seen from the Air."

 

The endpapers illustrate scenes of Buffalo past, present, and presumed future, most from an aerial perspective, and garnished overall with strips of film.

Buck Rogers would have liked the futuristic Buffalo cityscape.

The film projector and the school building are joined artistically on the title page.

 

 I like this bookplate.  Mom should have inscribed her name there!  It has City Hall and a stack of books, some of which are done up in a bookstrap.

Imagery on the back cover recalls the Seal elements, the compass, the arrow, and military chevrons, all contributing to a civic result.

Witaj Królowo Nieba

"Hail, Queen of Heaven" is an old Polish hymn, traditionally sung at the graveside.  The singers ask Mary, Queen of Heaven, to intercede with her Son on behalf of the deceased, to hasten his admission to Heaven.  The simple melody sounds exactly like the voice and the tones of a child, a well-behaved and serious, loving and beloved child, asking his mother for favor and blessing for an important and worthy purpose.  The lyric conveys that request in simple, reverent, serious, yet confident phrases.

John Zdrojewski, our JFZ, gave a moving eulogy at the funeral of his brother Eugene, our EJZ, and one thing he mentioned was "Witaj Królowo Nieba."  This hymn the Zdrojewski sons, each in his turn, sang at funerals when they were altar boys at St. Luke's, wearing their robes, swinging the censer, accompanying the priest, and moving those present to tears.

This is Eugene's Polish hymnal, which is all new to me.  John has one, too, he tells me; everybody at St. Luke's had one.

"śpiewać" is "to sing;"   (similar to "spiel" and calling to mind our phrase "Don't give me that song and dance!")

"śpiewnik" is "songbook;"

"śpiewnik koscielny" is "songbook for church," hence "hymnal;"

"wielbij duszo moja pana śpiewnik koscielny"  can be rendered as a title and subtitle: 

"My Soul Glorifies my Lord - Sacred Songbook."

The volume format seems more intended for an organist than a chorister, and not too many lyrics are given.  So choristers would perhaps use this to learn a hymn for performance from memory.

 "Nihil obstat" proclaims the censor liborum: "Nothing stands in the way."  No doctrinal error stands in the way of use of this work by the faithful.

"Imprimatur," third-person singular present passive subjunctive of imprimo, print.

Hence, "It may be printed."

"Pieśni za Dusze Zmarłych" -  "Songs for the Souls of the Dead."

You see it just gives four bars, for which I do not know the proper names.  But they are an introductory phrase, the melody line with little lyric-phrasing marks, a long "Amen" phrase, and a final chord.

 Click to enlarge.

The Polish-American Liturgical Center at Orchard Lake Seminary (yes, our Orchard Lake) maintains a collection of these hymns.  Here are their lyrics for "Witaj Królowo Nieba."

Witaj Królowo nieba i Matko litości,
Witaj nadziejo nasza, w smutku i żałości!

K'Tobie wygnańcy Ewy wołamy, synowie,
K'Tobie wzdychamy płacząc z padołu, więźniowie.

Orędowniczko nasza, racz swe litościwe,
Oczy spuścić na nasze serca żałośliwe.

I owoc błogosławion żywota Twojego
Racz pokazać po zejściu z świata mizernego.

O łaskawa, pobożna, o święta Maryja,
Niechaj będą zbawieni wszyscy grzesznicy i ja.

O Jezu, niech po śmierci Ciebie oglądamy,
O Maryjo, uproś nam, czego pożądamy.

Uproś nam żywot wieczny, grzechów odpuszczenie,
A przy śmierci skon lekki i duszy zbawienie.

O Jezu, Jezu, Jezu, Jezu mój kochany,
Jezu wielkiej dobroci nigdy nie przebrany.

Źródło: Śpiewnik Stulecia Orchard Lake

This translation is offered here, where you can listen to a priest singing this hymn on an All Soul's Day at St. Casimir's Oratory in Buffalo.

Hail our Queen of Heaven and Mother of Mercy,
Hail our hope in sorrow and all adversity.
We, the banished sons of Eve, are calling out to Thee,
Sighing and weeping in this prison valley.
O our Mediatrix, direct Thy gaze so merciful
Upon our hearts unworthy, ever so pitiful.
Deign to show us Thy womb’s fruit
Glorious and most blessed,
When it’s time we leave this world
Miserable and wretched.
Hail Mary full of grace, piety and devotion
Let all sinners, me amongst them, obtain our salvation.

Julie