PolishOrigins(TM) Forum

Re: Prayer card terms

Skowronski — Tue Jul 22, 2025 12:07 pm

Author: Skowronski

Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2025 12:07 pm

looking for clues wrote:

I searched around online regarding D.O.M. and I'm not sure that I am on the right track, but I am now wondering if D.O.M. could be a Latin abbreviation rather than Polish.

I found D.O.M. related to tombstone inscriptions here - http://www.alsirat.com/symbols/latin.html shows:
Deo, Optimo, Maximo (D.O.M.) - To God, the Best, the Greatest (motto of the Benedictine order)
Domino, Optimo, Maximo (D.O.M.) - The Lord, the Best, the Greatest.(alternate motto)

Diane

This makes more sense. This appears on the headstone of a distant Uncle & Aunt (Rozalia Grubczak née Skowrońska).

Re: Prayer card terms

Skowronski — Thu Jun 26, 2025 4:06 pm

Author: Skowronski

Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2025 4:06 pm

sirdan wrote:

Hello.
Ś.P. is regulary used in Poland. It indeed means "Świętej Pamięci".
D.O.M. is little harder to recognize as it's not in use nowadays, but still appears on old monuments, family tombs - i suppose that latin abbreviation meant to give some nobility to buried person. I think "Domus Omnium Mortuorum" suits better here.

According to ai: "Domus Omnium Mortuorum" is a Latin phrase that translates to "House of All the Dead".
"The phrase emphasizes the universal nature of death, indicating that the place houses "all the dead"."

Re: Prayer card terms

mfhy2k — Tue Jun 25, 2019 11:49 am

Author: mfhy2k

Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2019 11:49 am

I decided to join the Polish Genealogical Society of New York State. Their prayer card project sounds interesting.

Re: Prayer card terms

mfhy2k — Tue Jun 04, 2019 2:56 pm

Author: mfhy2k

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 2:56 pm

That is some great information. More than I had. I think I was looking the wrong way.

Re: Prayer card terms

sirdan — Tue Jun 04, 2019 2:49 pm

Author: sirdan

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 2:49 pm

Hello.
Ś.P. is regulary used in Poland. It indeed means "Świętej Pamięci".
D.O.M. is little harder to recognize as it's not in use nowadays, but still appears on old monuments, family tombs - i suppose that latin abbreviation meant to give some nobility to buried person. I think "Domus Omnium Mortuorum" suits better here.

Re: Prayer card terms

dnowicki — Tue Jun 04, 2019 9:36 am

Author: dnowicki

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 9:36 am

mfhy2k wrote:

I have a number of prayer cards from the 1920s and 30s that I have been translating. I am having trouble finding what
S. P. and D. O. M. mean. Any search for D. O. M. comes up as house instead of what the individual terms mean.

mfhy2k, Sophia, & Diane,

The abbreviation Sophia explained is one commonly used both in Poland and in the USA. The D.O.M. abbreviation seems to be of local usage.

The Polish Genealogical Society of New York State (located near Buffalo) has a funeral card project. Perhaps your question regard D.O.M. could best be answered by contacting the society. Here is the link http://pgsnys.org/ They also accept copies of funeral cards, which may be of interest to you as part of your translation project.

Wishing you success,

Dave

Re: Prayer card terms

looking for clues — Tue Jun 04, 2019 8:53 am

Author: looking for clues

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 8:53 am

I searched around online regarding D.O.M. and I'm not sure that I am on the right track, but I am now wondering if D.O.M. could be a Latin abbreviation rather than Polish.

I found D.O.M. related to tombstone inscriptions here - http://www.alsirat.com/symbols/latin.html shows:
Deo, Optimo, Maximo (D.O.M.) - To God, the Best, the Greatest (motto of the Benedictine order)
Domino, Optimo, Maximo (D.O.M.) - The Lord, the Best, the Greatest.(alternate motto)

Diane

Re: Prayer card terms

Sophia — Tue Jun 04, 2019 6:16 am

Author: Sophia

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 6:16 am

mfhy2k wrote:

Thanks. I have reviewed those links but couldn't find those terms.

At least you now have one of the two terms you asked about.

Re: Prayer card terms

mfhy2k — Mon Jun 03, 2019 10:17 pm

Author: mfhy2k

Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 10:17 pm

Thanks. I have reviewed those links but couldn't find those terms.

Re: Prayer card terms

Sophia — Mon Jun 03, 2019 5:41 pm

Author: Sophia

Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 5:41 pm

Hi,

It's a wonderful project you are doing! Perhaps you are aware of this guide, but if not, the PGSA (Polish Genealogical Society of America) has a very useful guide, which is a 13 page pdf file that you can download for free, if you click on the words "Obituary Translation Guide" on this page: http://pgsa.org/dziennik-chicagoski-death-notices-1890-1929/

Among those many pages, you will see the answer to one of your questions: "świętej pamięci" is what the S.P. stands for. I would translate it as, "of holy memory" but the guide translates it to the simple way we often express this idea, "late."
As for the D.O.M., I have no clue. I hope someone else joins in with an answer to that. If you see it only on her card and not on others, it may tell you about some society to which she belonged. If it is on all cards, it is likely to be something like "rest in peace" (but for sure it is not that) where the "m" might stand for "modlitwa" (prayer) but I do not know what the rest of the phrase would be.
I see that this woman's name is spelled Katazyna on her card, where I would expect it to be Katarzyna (note the added "r").

Best of luck with your project,
Sophia

Prayer card terms

mfhy2k — Sun Jun 02, 2019 5:55 pm

Author: mfhy2k

Posted: Sun Jun 02, 2019 5:55 pm

I have a number of prayer cards from the 1920s and 30s that I have been translating. I am having trouble finding what
S. P. and D. O. M. mean. Any search for D. O. M. comes up as house instead of what the individual terms mean.