About the Polish immigrants in Texas:
Polish immigration to Texas dates back to the nineteenth century. At that time, the Polish nation was divided between three empires: Prussian, Austrian, and Russian, and each consecutive uprising against foreign armies brought to America a new wave of political and economic immigrants.
The first organized group of Polish immigrants came to Texas on December 3, 1854. On that day, a party of some hundred and fifty Polish farmers from Silesia disembarked in Galveston and moved to the mainland. With the assistance of the Polish Franciscan Rev. Leopold Moczygemba (who came earlier to minister to German Catholics in Texas), Polish farmers bought virgin land and established the first Polish colony at a place they called Panna Maria, or Our Lady. In 1855, seven hundred Silesian Poles left for Texas, and in 1856, five hundred.
Within a couple of decades these colonists established thriving agricultural communities in several counties around San Antonio. They also suffered many adversities. Some Polish colonists were killed by Indians, others perished because of severe drought in the 1850s, still others were drafted to the army during the Civil War before they learned to speak English, set up homesteads, or sell their first crops.
After a few generations quite a few counties in Texas became heavily Polish. The immigrants adopted the prevailing Anglo culture, especially when the women married into families with Anglo names, but the immigrants did not quite forget their Polish roots, as you can tell by some of their names, their interest in things Polish, and the cultivation of many Polish traditions and customs.
About Polish immigrants in Houston:
Houston likewise was a destination for the early Polish immigrants. A visiting Polish journalist S. Nestorowicz wrote in his book Travel Notes in 1909:
“I found about 200 Polish families in the Houston area. There is no Polish district here: Polish households are scattered throughout the area. Large distances and difficulties in communication account for the lack of organizational Polish presence in the city. In 1830, the first Polish organization was formed: the Kosciuszko Lodge #165. A Polish Catholic parish is in the planning stage, and so is a Polish library. Economically, however, the Poles in Houston prosper. Quite a few Poles are well-to-do, some are wealthy. I have not met a single Polish person that would complain of economic privation. ‘Houston is the best, ‘ they say, ‘there is no place better than Texas.’ ”
In 1963, under the auspices of the Most. Rev John L. Morkovsky, Bishop of Galveston-Houston, a Saints Cyril & Methodius Slavic Heritage Festival was initiated as an annual event in which Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, and Ukrainian Catholic groups participated. This annual festival continues to this day.
Between 1960–1980 the Polish population of Houston grew considerably. It also generated two distinct groups, one consisting of native-born Americans of Polish descent, and the other émigrés and first- generation Americans with Polish roots.
About Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic Church in Houston, Texas:
The parish church retains much of its Polish heritage, and almost all Masses are in Polish.
Physical address: 1731 Blalock Road, Houston, TX 77080
Mailing address: 1712 Oak Tree Drive, Houston,TX 77080
Tel: +1 (713) 973.1081 Fax: +1 (713) 984.9501
e-mail: proboszcz@parafiahouston.com
Click here for the official website of Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic Church in Houston.