Polish-French Cooperation in Organizing Pastoral Care for Poles in France (1909-1939)

Abstract

The article shows various forms of Polish-French cooperation in organizing pastoral care for Polish economic emigration in France, which started after 1900. Before World War I, during it, and immediately after its end, the institution called „Polish Protection of the Polish Worker in France”, established in Paris in 1910, played the leading role. In the period between the wars about half a million Poles found themselves in France. And since all the Polish-French conventions left out the problem of pastoral care, the Polish and French episcopates employed themselves in organizing it, starting from 1919.

A close cooperation of the Archbishop of Paris, L. Dubois and the Primate of Poland, E. Dalbor, and then A. Hlond, made it possible to establish a centre managing all the Polish pastorate in France. The Polish Catholic Mission existing since 1836 in Paris became such a centre. „Regulations for Polish priests in France” worked out together (1924) continued to be the legal base for such care till 1953.

The fact that French employers (i.e. the managers of potassium, iron ore and coal-mines as well as of other plants employing Poles) started financing about fifty permanent pastoral institutions, which after the war became Polish parishes, was decisive for their establishing. An important role in this respect was played by Deputy President for the Chief Management of the Mine Union in France, H. Peyerimhoff.

The cooperation of the French hierarchy was animated by the hope for a future gradual assimilation of the Polish element. However, they did not try to accelerate the process. Conflicts caused by assimilating aspirations of local French parsons were usually decided by the bishops in the Polish side’s favour. Apart from only a few exceptions, all the Polish pastorate used French churches and the diocesan periodicals published the information about Polish travelling pastorate through all the period between the wars.

The Polish-French cooperation was eventually influenced by several factors: by the traditions of Polish-French friendship, the fact that the managers of the big plants employing Poles were Catholic, by their own interest and by the traditions of freedom, so characteristic of France.