Polish Catholic Mission
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The Polish Catholic Mission, Polish: Polska Misja Katolicka, (PMK) is a permanent Catholic chaplaincy for migrant Poles. It operates in a number of countries under the direction of the Polish Episcopal Conference.[1]
England and Wales
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History
After the Second World War there were almost 200,000 discussed Poles - mainly soldiers, among them 120 Military chaplains and priests.[2] In 1948, following a visit to Poland the previous year for talks with cardinal Hlond, and after consulting with the Catholic episcopate of England and Wales, Cardinal Griffin nominated the rector of the Polish Catholic Mission, rev. Staniszewski as Vicar delegate for civilian Poles in England and Wales, with the powers of an Ordinariate. Around this time Hlond had nominated Bishop Józef Gawlina, also a Divisional general and based in Rome, to be responsible overall for the Polish diaspora.[3]
The temporary Polish parish hosted in Central London by the fathers of Brompton Oratory was able to be moved westward in 1962 to the newly acquired building from the vacating Scottish Presbyterians. It became St Andrew Bobola church in Shepherd's Bush, the second Polish owned church in London since 1930.[4] The Mission was boosted by the integration of male religious orders, the Polish Jesuits in Willesden northwest London, the Marian fathers in Ealing and Fawley,[5][6] and the Society of Christ Fathers, to deal with the Polish diaspora abroad who run a parish in Putney.[2]
21st century
The next wave of immigrants to the United Kingdom occurred after Poland's accession to the European Union and the opening of the UK job market to Poles, among other Central Europeans. Churches are full on Sundays, despite the estimate that 10% of Poles actually attend services regularly.[7] The Polish Catholic Mission in England and Wales has charitable status[8]
Scotland
France
The oldest of all PMK European legations operates from its centre in Paris, already established in the 1830s by such national luminaries as Aleksander Jełowicki its first rector, Adam Mickiewicz, or Juliusz Słowacki all of whom were obliged to emigrate to France after the 1831 November Uprising. The hub of the mission is the parish of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption, Paris, dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary which collaborates with the Polish Adam Mickiewicz school in Paris, next to the Polish Embassy. As well as religious instruction, the parish offers Polish lessons for children and young people and various levels of French language teaching. There are well over a dozen Polish parishes and chapels in Paris that celebrate Mass in Polish, or in the event that there are Francophone visitors, in both Polish and French language.
Every year Poles join a special Pilgrimage to the celebrated Sacre-Coeur basilica in Montmartre. While Polish burials are scattered in cemeteries across France, a special place is the cemetery des Champeaux de Montmorency, 15km north of Paris in the Val-d'Oise, by the spa of Enghien-les-Bains, much favoured by 19th-c. Poles. There are almost 300 Polish graves and a Memorial Wall, covering 20th-century events.
Monsignor Stanisław Jeż was PMK rector in France from 1985 to 2015. Since 2015 the role is filled by rev. Bogusław Brzyś.[10]
Germany
The Mission began operating in Germany in 1945 in many Polish communities. It concentrates on organizing services in Polish and collaborates with Polish schools across the country. The Mission owns a social centre, Dom Concordia and publishes a review, Nasze Słowo - "Our Word".
Sweden
In Stockholm the Mission is called "Polska Katolska Missionen”. The chaplaincy team rents a protestant church where services are held on Sundays and Fridays. The Mission does outreach to areas beyond the capital. In Malmö the mission operates in the Catholic churches of Maria and Rosengard, with services every Sunday.[11] In Gothenburg a Mass is celebrated every Sunday in the "Kristus Konungens kyrka".
United States
Several religious orders run parishes across the country, especially:
- The Society of Christ Fathers (SCH) dedicated to the ministry for Poles Abroad
- The Society of the Divine Word (SVD) at the John Paul II Center in Yorba Linda, California
- Jesuit Fathers in Polish pastoral centres.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Memphis oversees the Polish Catholic Mission of Memphis, TN (Polska Misja Katolicka w Memphis, TN) for Polish immigrants living in the Memphis, Tennessee area.