The Contribution of Poles to the Evangelization of Argentina

Abstract

The presence of Poles in Argentina dates from the period of national uprisings: the Warsaw Uprising (1830) and the Polish Uprising (1863). They were mostly political refugees who fled the country. In the end of the 19th c. the Polish emigration for economic reasons arrived in Argentina, mainly from the Lvov archdiocese. At the beginning of the 20th c. there came ca 120 000 emigrants of various nationalities from Poland; after the Second World War ca 20 000 soldiers. The pastoral care for the faithful of Polish origin was conducted by Salesians, Verbists, Redemptorists, Saletins, Orionists, Piarists, Christ’s Missionaries of the Holy Family and Franciscans. After the Second World War they were joined by diocesan priests recruited basically from the prisoners of concentration camps. In the period of 1980-1987 at the request of Argentinian bishops there arrived priests mainly from the Tarnów, Białystok, Katowice and Łomża dioceses. The priests’ work was supported by nuns.

The activity of priests and nuns obviously concentrated in parishes, schools, chaplaincy and hospitals. They carried out the construction of temples, chapels and schools. They were also involved in the cultural life of Polonia, e.g. radio broadcasts were organized, several religious magazines were issued etc. The presence of Poles marked out also in many spheres of economic-social life, that is, in agriculture, medicine, art, painting, oil industry, architecture etc.