The Polish Catholic Mission in England and Wales continues to celebrate the 130th anniversary of its founding. The latest celebrations took place on 12-13 October, and were attended by the Secretary General of the Polish Episcopal Conference, Bishop Marek Marczak.
On 12 October, a pilgrimage took place to Walsingham, the main Marian sanctuary in the British Isles, led by Bishop Marczak. The following day, on 13 October, in the main church of the Polish Catholic Mission in north London, Our Lady of Czestochowa and St Casimir, he was the chief celebrant at a Mass attended by representatives of Polish communities and representatives of Polish parishes from around England and Wales. Among the invited guests were the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the United Kingdom, Prof. Piotr Wilczek, and the Consul General of the Republic of Poland, Ms. Renata Kowalska. In his homily, Bishop Marczak encouraged the congregation to zealously continue the Mission in the service of sacrificial love for one’s neighbour.
After the Holy Mass, an exhibition dedicated to the history of the Mission was opened in the basement of the church, where the cultural and social centre is located. The exhibition was prepared by the staff of the archives of the Polish Catholic Mission, which is the largest Polish archive in Great Britain, under the direction of Ms Jadwiga Kowalska. Visitors could see, for the first time, photographs of the first six rectors of the Mission, including the first Rector, Fr Antoni Lechert CR.
The Rector of the Polish Catholic Mission in England and Wales, Fr. Bogdan Kołodziej, thanked everyone for attending and reserved special recognition for the daily, selfless work of volunteers in parishes for the good of the Polish Catholic community in these lands. He also expressed his gratitude to representatives of Polish patriotic, cultural and educational circles for their kindness and close cooperation.
The celebrations concluded with a piano concert of works by Fryderyk Chopin performed by Mr. Ryszard Bielicki, a composer born in north London, one of the organists in the parish in Devonia Road. Many volunteers were involved in the organisation of the event, to whom the current Rector expressed his gratitude.
Celebrations of the anniversary of the establishment of the Polish Catholic Mission in England and Wales started in spring 2024. Many events have taken place since, including the Merry Children’s Day, Family Day, pilgrimage of the Blessed Ulma Family in Polish parishes and many other local initiatives. The main events are attended by the shepherds of the Catholic Church in Poland.
On 29 June, a pilgrimage took place to Holywell and Pantasaph, and on 7 September to Aylesford, led by Bishop Krzysztof Zadarka, Chairman of the Council of the Polish Episcopal Conference for Migrants and Refugees.
The annual priestly retreat for pastors serving in the Mission was led by Bishop Artur Ważny, Bishop of Sosnowiec, from 2-5 September 2024.
According to the latest historical research, the beginnings of pastoral care for Polish immigrants date back to 1832 and were a response to the arrival in London of refugees from the partitioned territories after the November Uprising. The first attempts at organised service were made in 1853 by Fr. Emeryk Podolski, who temporarily provided pastoral care in the London district of Soho in a chapel on Sutton Street. Despite many attempts to establish regular pastoral care, it was not until 1894 that Cardinal Herbert Vaughan, then Archbishop of Westminster, established a Catholic mission for Poles. An invaluable role was played by Blessed Franciszka Siedliska, who with great zeal provided spiritual and material help to Polish immigrants.
For more information, please visit: pcmew.org/historia
Adapted from an article on episkopat.pl
