Polish Canadians (`Polonia') in London (Canada) Before Establishing the Parish

Abstract

Although Poles started emigrating to Canada in the second half of the 19^th century, in London (Canada) – apart from individual, albeit exceptional cases (e.g. Kazimierz Stanisław Gzowski, Hellmuth Isaac) – their colonization falls on the first years of the 20^th century. As years went by, their number slowly but constantly increased. This resulted in about 500 Polish people living there in 1939. They fairly eagerly integrated, concentrating their potential in the Towarzystwo Bratniej Pomocy Synów Polskich [The Polish Sons' Brotherly Assistance Association] (next called Polskie Stowarzyszenie Narodowe [The Polish National Association]) and in the Stanisław Staszic Polish School that existed from 1927. After the war – and numerous young Polish Canadians volunteered to join the Polish Army – on the map of social organizations of the London community Stowarzyszenie Polskich Kombatantów (The Polish Combatants Association) appeared. Although the work of the Polish Canadians organizations on the Ontario Thames brought clear-cut results, the factor that united the immigrants from Poland most strongly was their religious life. It was inspired by Polish people themselves, however, it was soon supported by the pastorate care of priests belonging to the community of the Resurrection from Kitchener and Hamilton, and then from other Polish Canadian parishes, or from the curates of the Our Lady parish of London, who – according to the intentions of the London ordinary – were to take Poles under their pastorate protection, too. Despite this, the ever greater and more consolidated Polish community strived after forming their own ethnic parish. In this respect – apart from Bishop Cody's favorable attitude – at the beginning of the 1950s invaluable actions were undertaken by Rev. Jan Achtabowski, the curate of Windsor and Leamington, who worked together with the Polish Canadian organizations. The result of these actions was establishing the Our Lady of Częstochowa parish in London, with Rev. Franciszek Pluta as its first parish priest.