History
The Polish Roman Catholic Union of America traces its existence to 1873. In June of that year Father Theodor Gieryk of Detroit wrote letters to Polish-language newspapers urging the creation of a Polish-American national organization. On October 3, 1873 a group of influential Polish Americans met and established the PRCUA. Among these founders were Father Vincent Barzynski, influential pastor of Saint Stanislaus Kostka in Chicago and Father Leopold Moczygemba, founder of America's first Polish settlement in Panna Maria, Texas. The new organization's stated goals were:
- to build Polish churches and schools
- to promote adherence to the Roman Catholic religion, and the religious and cultural traditions of the Polish nation
- to give fraternal assistance to Poles
- to take care of widows and orphans
- to help Poland to become an independent country again
- to establish the newspaper Pielgrzym as the official organ of the organization
From the time when many Polish Americans were disenchanted with the American Catholic hierarchy's preponderance of Irish and German bishops, the PRCUA's history spans notable periods in the development of the Polish American ethnic group, from the time of early settlement by immigrants from Poland (Poles) through their development of ethnic identity, to their dual struggles in support of Poland's independence and to find their place in American society.
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