Polish Roman Catholic Union of America - Contention With The Polish National Alliance

Contention With The Polish National Alliance

Before the First World War, the PRCUA often found itself at odds with the Polish National Alliance, a fraternal organization founded in 1880. The basic outward differences between the two fraternals are often remarked. The PRCUA, the earlier and more conservative of the two, tended to support the American Catholic hierarchy over lay groups such as parish councils. The younger PNA was more radical in outlook and generally championed lay leadership over the Church hierarchy. However, the most important difference was that of world view. The PRCUA viewed the Polish American community in terms of okolica, or "local environment," which it viewed as the starting point for building cultural awareness. The PNA viewed the Polish American community in terms of naród, which was constituted by the entire Polish people, at home and abroad, and took as its ultimate goal the reconstitution of divided Poland. Fortunately, the two fraternals were able to reconcile their differences during the twentieth century and have coexisted amicably for decades.