Thousands of Catholics of Polish descent living in the Archdiocese of Chicago mourned the loss of Poland’s president, his wife and 94 others who died in a tragic plain crash near Smolensk, Russia, April 10. The loss was keenly felt in Chicago, which is thought to have the highest population of people of Polish descent outside of Poland. Here is a look at the local remembrances held in honor of the victims.
Krzysztof Oleksy and Andrzej Brach lower a flag to half-staff at the Katyn Memorial at St. Adalbert Cemetery in Niles on April 17. Sculptor Wojciech Seweryn, who created the Katyn monument here in Chicago, was among the 96 people killed in the plane crash. The plane’s passengers were on their way to Russia for a service marking the 70th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre where more than 20,000 members of Poland's elite officer corps were killed by Soviet troops. In the days following the April 10 crash, many people came to the Chicago monument to pay tribute to those who died in the crash.
Photo: Karen Callaway / Catholic New World