Leadership among Poles in Canada
Article Sidebar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Main Article Content
Abstract
Mass emigration of Poles to Canada can be divided into two phases: first between 1895 and 1914 and the second being a midwar period. Polish emigrants settled down on Canadian prairies. There was in fact only one special kind of leadership that they really needed. Spiritual leadership was what they demand for. Therefore the first form of organizations were local parishes with their priests as their natural leaders. However, they could act only on a very limited scale confined to local territories.
Organizational life of Polish colony in Canada was weak until it became united through concentration of people of Polish origin in municipal centers. It is estimated that 4-7% of the whole community belongs to ethnic organizations in Canada.
Both in the period of the most intensive affluence of Polish emigrants and nowadays there wasn’t in Canada any Polish emigrants leader of all-Canadian importance, although there were and there are now particular organizations leaders enjoying respect and having influence. Leaders of Polish emigrants are mostly elected and as long as they control the organization they hold the dignity of a leader. In the first phase among the persons of weight were priests of the Holy Spirit parish and at the same time members of an editorial staff of „Gazeta Katolicka” - priest W. Kulawy, priest F. Kowalski, priest W. Grochowski. In later period among persons of importance playing leading roles in various organizations there should be mentioned S. Hai- dasz, P. Staniszewski, C. Bielski, T. Glista and P. Teraska among others.
However, it was not for individuals to play the authentic role of a Polish colony leaders, at least at the first stage of emigration, but for papers such as: „Catholic Gazette” („Gazeta Katolicka”) and „Time” („Czas”). It seems then that if one wants to specify the most characteristic trait of the leadership in Polish colony in Canada, one should speak about collective leadership of papers.
Article Details
References
Greene V.: For God and Country. Madison 1975. The State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Greene V.: Becoming American - The Role of Ethnic Leaders: Swedes, Poles, Italians and Jews. W: The Ethnic Frontier. Ed. G. Holli and Peter d’A. Jones. Grand Rapides 1977. William B. Ferdmans Publ. Co.
Heydenkorn B.: The First Polish Umbrella Organization: The Federation of Polish Societies in Canada - Forthcoming - The Multicultural History Society of Ontario 1978. Heydenkorn B.: Pionierska droga Związku Polaków w Kanadzie. Toronto 1973. Heydenkorn B.: Problemy Polonii Kanadyjskiej. W: Sympozjum 50. Ed. B. Heydenkorn. Toronto 1972.
HeydenkornB.: The Immigration Policy of Canada. W: Twenty Years of Ethnic Press Ass. in Ontario. Ed. J. M. Kirschbaum, B. Heydenkorn et al. Toronto 1971.
Heydenkorn B.: The Social Structure of Canadian Polonia. W: Polish Canadians: Profile and Image. Ed. T. W. Krychowski. Toronto 1969.
HeydenkornB., KoglerR.: Liczebność Polonii kanadyjskiej. „Kultura” 1978 nr 4.
Kogler R.: The Polish Community in Canada. W: Topics on Poles in Canada. Ed. B. Heydenkorn. Toronto 1976.
KoglerR.: A Demographic Profile of the Polish Community in Canada. W: Polish Canadians. Ed. T. W. Krychowski. Toronto 1969.
Kogler R., Heydenkorn B.: Poles in Canada. W: Past and Present. Ed. B. Heydenkorn. Toronto 1974.
Matejko A.: The Polish Canadian Intelligentia. „Migrant Echo” Vol. 6 nr 3.
Matejko A., Matejko J.: Polish Canadians. W: Past and Present. Ed. B. Heydenkorn. Toronto 1974.
Ma te j ko J.: Polish Peasant in the Canadian Prairies. W: From Prairies to Cities. Ed. B. Heydenkorn. Toronto 1975.
Puchniak S. OMI: Polish Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Vol. 1 - Western Canada. Maszynopis w posiadaniu autora s. 416.
Radecki H.: Ethnic Organizational Dynamics. Waterloo 1979. Wilfrid Laurier Press.
Radecki H.: Leaders and Influential: Polish Ethnic Group in Canada. W: From Prairies to Cities. Ed. B. Heydenkorn. Toronto 1975.
Radecki H.: The Polish Voluntary Organization Structure. W: Past and Present. Ed. B. Heydenkorn. Toronto 1974.
Radecki H., Heydenkorn B.: A Member of a Dintinguished Family: The Polish Group in Canada. Toronto 1976.
Smith M. OMI: The Ethnic Parish. W: Topics on Poles in Canada. Ed. B. Heydenkorn. Toronto 1976.
Turek V.: Poles in Manitoba. Toronto 1967.
Turek V.: Polish Langueage Press in Canada. Toronto 1962.