100th anniversary of the battle
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund
September 19, 2020
On September 19, 2020, at the Polish Military Cemetery near Dytiatyn in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, which is cared for by the Franciscans from the Bolshovtsi monastery, ceremonies were held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the battle with the Bolsheviks.
The Holy Mass for the heroes was led by Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki. The joint prayer was attended by Poles and Ukrainians, representatives of the authorities of both countries, Polish diplomats from Kiev and Lviv, and local Greek Catholics, the parish priest, and the faithful.
– The history of the world is filled with signs of the times that shape the history of individual nations
the Lviv Metropolitan said in his homily.
One such symbol is the place of today's prayer, where a hundred years ago a Polish soldier performed a heroic act defending his homeland from the Bolshevik onslaught. Therefore, today, on the hundredth anniversary of this great, heroic deed, later called the "Polish Thermopylae," we gather in prayer of gratitude, commending to God all those buried in this war cemetery.
The hierarch quoted the order of Bolshevik general Michal Tukhachevsky, who wrote: "I call for a merciless fight against the forces of the White Eagle, for drowning in blood the crushed Polish army [...]. The fate of the world revolution is being decided in the West. Over the corpse of Poland leads the road to a general world conflagration". On the other hand, the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Army, Marshal Józef Piłsudski, seeing the enormous threat, wrote in his order: "Boys! Forward! For life or death, for victory or defeat - go with a warlike act to awaken Poland to resurrection".
The Metropolitan also recalled the voice of the Polish bishops at that time, who addressed the following words to the Nation from Jasna Góra: "Give the homeland what God wills to give it. Not by word alone, but by deed, declare that you love it. Become worthy of the most precious gift of freedom through your dedication to Poland. Sacrifice for it all party envy, all desire for domination by some over others, all festering and all poisonous acids that eat into its soul and its organism. Unite in its common love and in its common need."
– And in such circumstances the “Polish Thermopylae” was born on the fields of Dytiatyn
emphasized Archbishop Mokrzycki.
"That is why, after a hundred years, I find in this event a great message for us, and I ask that we not disregard history, let us not disregard God's Providence. In memory of our heroic deeds, we must not disregard the sacrifice of the lives of those whose graves we pause at today. Therefore, looking to the future, with St. John Paul II, I cry out: 'May our path be shared, may our prayer be humble, may our love be mighty, may our hope be greater than anything that can oppose it.' In all of this, may Mary, Mother of Peace and Reconciliation, Mother of the Holy Scapular of Bołszowce, support us, guiding us along the path of memory and gratitude. Amen."
Flowers were laid at the monument at the Polish War Cemetery by the Deputy Marshal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland Michał Tomasz Kamiński, the Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Lviv Eliza Dzwonkiewicz, the Defense Attaché of the Polish Embassy in Kiev Lieutenant Commander Maciej Nałęcz, the Deputy Chairman of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration Yevheniy Ferbey, the Rector of the Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University Prof. Igor Tependa and representatives of Polish organizations in Ukraine.
Letters were read to the participants of the ceremony, addressed by the Marshal of the Republic of Poland Elżbieta Witek, Deputy Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland Małgorzata Gosiewska, Head of the Office for War Veterans and Victims of Repression of the Republic of Poland Jan Józef Kasprzyk, Minister in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland Jan Dziedziczak, and Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland Jarosław Selin. They could not participate in the ceremony in person due to the difficulties and restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Lviv, Eliza Dzwonkiewicz, read a letter from Deputy Speaker of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, Małgorzata Gosiewska, addressed to Father Marian Gołąb, Provincial of the Kraków Province of St. Anthony and Blessed Jakub Strzemię of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (Franciscans). She gratefully recalled that she participated in last year's commemorations of the 99th anniversary of the Battle of Dytiatyn and remains deeply impressed by the event. Her stay at the Center for Reconciliation and Peace in Bołszowce and Dytiatyn was an extremely valuable experience, both substantively and socially.
– Thanks to the lovers and guardians of this piece of native land, defended by Polish soldiers to the last drop of blood against the Soviet invaders, I learned a lot about the history of this place
written by Małgorzata Gosiewska.
"The hosts of the celebrations and the local residents proved to be wonderful people, passionate and passionate about their traditions. I am also full of appreciation and admiration for the Franciscan Fathers, who so actively and consistently participate in organizing the anniversary ceremonies at the Dytiatyn Military Cemetery. Thanks to all the extraordinary people I mentioned, the defense of Dytiatyn in 1920 was saved from oblivion and has survived in our memories as a symbol of a soldier's duty fulfilled to the fullest. But we must also remember that there were many more such places in these lands. However, they were not as fortunate as Dytiatyn, and today no one remembers their names, their history, or the Polish soldiers who created it. I'm sure your Reverend Father will agree with me that this beautiful gesture of gratitude, repeated by contemporaries every year at the Dytiatyn Military Cemetery, is also a tribute to the silent, anonymous heroes who, by a twist of fate, have perhaps passed into oblivion forever, and to whom we owe so much." I am convinced that this year's anniversary celebrations in Dytiatyn, due to the beautiful anniversary, will have a special character, as will the atmosphere and emotions that will accompany them. Although I cannot participate in them personally, I assure you that on September 19th, I will be among the invited guests in my heart and thoughts. – wrote Deputy Speaker of the Sejm Małgorzata Gosiewska.
Words of gratitude were addressed to Wiesława Holik, who was unable to attend the ceremony due to the coronavirus pandemic, as were many other guests from Poland. Mrs. Holik made every effort to find funds for the construction of a new pantheon in Dytiatyn. Also current senator Michał Kamiński, vice-marshal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland, thanked the Franciscan fathers for maintaining this place and for maintaining this historical memory, and for what they do on this land for Ukrainians and Poles, their common life and common memory.
– Let us remember that our great compatriot, Józef Piłsudski, started this war in 1920, and the aim of the Kiev expedition was to establish an independent Ukrainian state.
said Michał Kamiński.
"Today, Józef Piłsudski's dream has come true. Today, there is an independent Ukrainian state. Today, the goal for which Poles and Ukrainians died in 1920 has been fulfilled. Not only is Poland free. Not only is Europe free from Bolshevism, but there is a strong Ukrainian state, which today, on its eastern borders, must fight against the same barbarity that the heroes of a hundred years ago fought here, near Warsaw, near Zamość. Everywhere, Poles and Ukrainians, Roman Catholics, Greek Catholics, Orthodox Christians, but also Tatars, stood shoulder to shoulder against the Bolshevik onslaught and defended not only Poland, but also Europe. Just as today, the heroes of Donbas defend not only Ukraine, they defend all of Europe, they defend our entire civilization against those who, in their pride, are capable, as yesterday, of decreeing that Venus is a Russian planet," noted the Polish senator..
"Today, as we remember the sacrifices of the Polish heroes of this battle, which we call the 'Polish Thermopylae,' we bow before their sacrifice, we bow before this effort, which, after twenty years, would seem to have been thwarted," continued Michał Kamiński. "Today, although a hundred years have passed, Poles and Ukrainians still live in a common Europe and must, just as our great compatriot Józef Piłsudski did then, direct eastward that famous saying among Poles: 'For our freedom and yours!' Because there will be no free Poland without a free Ukraine. And none of us in Warsaw will feel free as long as the grim hand of imperialism, which brought so much blood and destruction to Poles, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Jews, but also to Russians themselves, who were, after all, also victims of Bolshevism," hangs over our part of Europe. Today, on this land sanctified by the blood of our heroes, which should never again divide anyone but should unite us all for eternity, it is worth repeating these words of blessing for free countries with the faith and awareness that their deaths were not in vain. Remembering history, drawing strength from it, we must look to the future and build a common future for Poles and Ukrainians. – added the senator.
Next, Yevheniy Ferbey, Deputy Chairman of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration, spoke. In his speech, he stated:
"We stand at the site of a battle a hundred years ago, in which Ukrainian and Polish soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder against the onslaught of the eastern enemy. At the cost of their own lives, they saved their loyal friends by defending the Bolshevik offensive in Ternopil. The Battle of Dytiatyn is our shared history, our shared pain, and our shared heroism."
Deputy Chairman of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration Yevheniy Ferbey.
This is an example of defending the interests of our lands and nations. Dytiatyn became a place of Ukrainian-Polish brotherhood, and today, more than ever, we must remember this as we defend the eastern borders of Ukraine and all of Europe. – he noted.
After the dignitaries from Ukraine and Poland spoke and laid flowers, Father Andrzej Wanat OFMConv, guardian of the monastery and custodian of the sanctuary of Our Lady Queen of Peace and Reconciliation in Bołszowce, said in a conversation with journalists:
"From the time the Franciscans arrived in Bołszowce, they began caring for this place. Of course, it didn't look the same as it does today. There was no memorial. There was a cross. And at first, there was only a Holy Mass for the fallen soldiers, and then the initiative to create a pantheon was born. We didn't return to the original appearance of this place, where St. Catherine's Chapel stood, although the very appearance of this place honors the soldiers who died for Poland's freedom. In Bołszowce, we created the Center for Peace and Reconciliation to unite two nations. In that place, in Dytiatyn, Polish and Ukrainian soldiers fought against the Bolsheviks. And that also unites us. It was one of the initiatives to conduct our activities here in this way – patriotic and at the same time uniting two nations." – emphasized the Franciscan. "Every year we try to invite the Polish authorities to these celebrations, thanks to whom we can practically celebrate every anniversary, but also the Ukrainian authorities of the Galician district, Ivano-Frankivsk region, where we live and work. I received many calls saying that five or six buses were supposed to be coming from Poland, but due to the pandemic, they were unable to participate. Today, the family of one of the soldiers who died here is still alive in Poland. Last year, they visited us, but this year they only wrote greetings and indicated that they could not come due to the coronavirus. Our Father Provincial, Marian Gołąb, invites us to this celebration, and we work here and implement this project in a tangible way. Every year, Father Provincial, if he can, is present, but this year many things overlapped, plus, of course, the pandemic, so he couldn't come. But he did have his representative, Father Stanisław Kawa, our delegate from Lviv." – added Father Andrzej.
Also present was the rector of the Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, Prof. Igor Cependa, who added that the topic of the centenary of the Battle of Dytiatyn would also be discussed during the 13th Polish-Ukrainian Meeting – Yaremche 2020, which will be held in Ivano-Frankivsk and Przemyśl on September 24-25 online.
Many guests present at the ceremony were very moved by the solemnity of the moment and the history of the place. – Unfortunately, due to the quarantine, we could not come in large numbers, as every year. – said Włodzimierz Hułaj, vice-president of the Polish Cultural Society named after Adam Mickiewicz in Kołomyja. – I laid flowers on behalf of all Poles in Pokucie and our Ukrainian friends.
– I was here for the first time in 2011, I think. – recalled Danuta Stefanko from the Centre for Polish Culture and European Dialogue in Ivano-Frankivsk (formerly Stanisławów). "I remember this place when there was only a cross in the middle of the field. Now, looking at this place, my heart rejoices because we remember those who died for the independence of their homeland, but also – as was mentioned many times today – for the independence of Ukraine. They are duly honored. Every year, both the elderly and young people come here. They pray together.".
Anita Sirkova came to Dytiatyn for the first time. She was deeply moved by the visit: – I felt like I had to be here because I wanted to thank the people who gave their lives so that we could live in peace. – she noted. – It was very interesting to listen to people talk about this event from 1920. Each person poured their own emotions into the story. There were also some beautiful Polish patriotic songs.It is worth adding here that the ceremony was honored with singing by young people from the "Wielkie Serce" Society for the Aid of Poles in Nowy Rozdół.
– These are the songs of my childhood – said Zofia Semianów (née Stecka) from Stanisławów. "My father loved them, and I sing them all too, these war songs. We should remember these events and pass on the memory of how independence was gained. This is very important, because it is patriotism."
After the Battle of Warsaw, the Polish Army was far from complete victory. The Red Army was still not completely defeated. In mid-September 1920, another offensive was launched against the Bolshevik forces from the Dniester. Its goal was to block the Red Army's route to Tarnopol. On the night of September 15th, units of the 13th Infantry Regiment advanced towards Pidhaitsi. Near Dytiatyn, they encountered the enemy occupying a hill. The Bolsheviks fired on the Polish forces. With a bayonet charge, the 9th Infantry Company pushed the Red Army back, taking the hill. However, around 9 a.m. on September 16th, the Bolsheviks, with 2,000-3,000 soldiers, launched a counterattack. The hill was defended by approximately 600 Poles. The battle lasted eight hours. After repeated Red Army attacks and running low on ammunition, Polish troops gradually retreated, but delayed their retreat long enough to prevent the Bolsheviks from further attacking the 16th Infantry Brigade. Ninety-seven Polish soldiers were killed and 86 wounded. To commemorate their heroism, a plaque bearing the inscription "Dytiatyn 16 IX 1920" was placed on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw.
Konstanty Czawaga, member of the Association of Polish Journalists and the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine
"Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Cultural Promotion Fund, obtained from surcharges established in games covered by the state monopoly, in accordance with art. 80 sec. 1 of the Act of 19 November 2009 on gambling"
