„Pielgrzym” (The Pilgrim) in Canada, Polish Parishes’ Magazine

Abstract

The monthly „Pielgrzym. Czasopismo katolików polskich” (The Pilgrim. A Polish Catholics’ Magazine) was published in Toronto in the years 1984-2001 by the Polish-Canadian Catholic Group, under the patronage of the Conference of Polish Priests in Canada. „Pielgrzym” was read by circles of Poles inhabiting Canada for a long time as well as by people who came to that country in the 1980s and 1990s as part of the great wave of economic emigration and because of the Communist regime’s repressions against the „Solidarity” opposition. The main subject-matter of the monthly was constituted by theological and pastoral issues, but a lot of attention was also devoted to culture and education. A special place in “The Pilgrim” was taken by John Paul II’s teaching. The Pilgrim held writing competitions for its readers and had its own mail-order bookshop with good books published in Poland. The magazine had a very good editing standard. The best known Polish Catholic columnists, mainly ones belonging to the „Tygodnik Powszechny” group, wrote for it. “The Pilgrim” was closed due to economic reasons. Undoubtedly the monthly deserves a more thorough analysis.