Minutes of March 13 meeting, Carpatho-Rusyn Society/Lake Michigan Chapter

Tim Cuprisin called the organizational meeting at the Polish Museum in Chicago to order shortly after 1 p.m.

 

He asked those present to introduce his or her self:  They included Fr. Bill and Charlotte P. Conjelko, Ken Cuprisin, Richard Garbera-Trojanowski, Arlene and Jim Gardiner, Jim Kaminski (National Education Committee Chair), Fr. John Lucas, Ron Pyke, Maria Sedor, Tom Sedor, Ivan Skala, John Sutko, Andrea Valasek and Lisa Terlecki.

Interim officers elected are:  Tim Cuprisin, president; Charlotte P. Conjelko, secretary and Fr. John Lucas, treasurer. 

Tim has set up a blog for the chapter.  The C-RS websites needs to include a link to it.  The blog is http://lakemichiganrusyns.blogspot.com. 

Jim Kaminski noted that C-R is the only ethnic group that’s growing because people are just finding out who they are.  

Other comments from the group noted that googling “Rusyn references in movies” brings up numerous references and that the Rusyn language is the Esperanto of the Eastern European languages.  (Note from Charlotte: The Polish philologist Dr. L.L. Zamenhof wrote under the name Dr. Esperanto, “one who hopes.”)

 

Tim asked for suggestions for chapter activities that would build public awareness of our ethnic identity and the chapter.  Suggestions included:

• Hosting a vatra bonfire
• Creating a book on Carpatho-Rusyns in Chicago-land  (Richard Garbera-Trojanowski has already started documenting for a book)
• Creating a data base of Rusyn villages
• Decorating a Christmas tree Carpatho-Rusyn style for the Museum of Science and Industry’s annual Christmas trees from around the world event
• Having a booth at the Whiting, IN Pirohi Festival that could offer information on genealogy and/or translating.  Charlotte will check on 2010 dates and booth information.
• Workshops on the meaning and preparation of Easter baskets, pysanki decorating, Christmas Eve Holy Supper
• Outreach to the Slavic studies departments at area colleges such as University of Chicago and Northwestern.  Tom will contact UIC professor of Rusyn background.

Meeting sites were discussed.

The consensus was the Polish Museum was central to the coverage area and easy to get to.  Ron Pyke wrote out a personal check so that the chapter could join the museum and have free access to the facility for meetings. 

Tim will call John Righetti to speak at a chapter meeting in June.

Chapter dues are included in the national dues fee. 

After a photo session, Lisa took the group on a tour of the Polish Museum."
Respectfully submitted by
-- Charlotte Pribish Conjelko, Secretary