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Nasza Przeszłość

Vol. 65 (1986): Our Past

Articles

The beginnings of Polish settlement and parish in Suffield, Ct.

  • Bolesław Kumor
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52204/np.1986.65.199-236  [Google Scholar]
Published: 1986-06-30

Abstract

The article concerns Polish settlement in the area of Windsor Locks, Suffield, CT and attempts to establish a Polish parish in Suffield. The article refers to the parish archives in Windsor Locks and Suffield and the archdiocesan archives in Hartford. Poles began settling in Connecticut in the early 1970s. Polish surnames appeared in the registers of St. Mary's Church in Windsor Locks as early as 1884. In the years 1898-1913, the Polish population began to outnumber other ethnic groups. The nominal census of the Polish population in the parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (separated from the parish of Windsor Locks in 1913), prepared in early 1915, showed that the Polish community numbered 197 families, including 1,128 people. Polish immigrants in Suffield, according to baptismal records from 1916-4918, came mainly from the Russian partition of partitioned Poland (71.18%), Austrian (23.82%) and Prussian (1.47%). The first attempts to create a Polish national parish in Suffield took place in 19(08). The petition, supported by documentation and addressed to Bishop Tierney, was rejected due to the opposition of the parish priest of Windsor Locks, J. A. Creedon. In the following years, Poles opened a parish fund for the construction of a Polish church and the maintenance of a Polish priest. In 1913, they submitted a petition to the bishop's office (J. J. Nilan), then a petition to the Apostolic Representation in Washington and the Congregation of the Consistory in Rome. On November 1, 1913, Bishop Nilan established an independent parish in Suffield, but the expeditions did not satisfy the Poles, who constituted 57.58% faithful (832 Poles, 522 Irish, 49 Lithuanians, 24 Italians and 18 French Canadians). The first parish priest was J. E. Clark, who did not know Polish. Attempts to establish a Polish parish with a Polish priest were resumed in 1914, but this was only achieved on March 12, 1916. The reason for the dramatic fight between Poles and the diocesan administration authorities to establish a Polish parish in Suffield was the attitude of the Episcopate, which after 1870 began an Americanization program life of the Church. Parish priests were also against the creation of Polish parishes, fearing that their income would decrease as a result. In 1980, the parish had 436 families, of which 334 had Polish surnames, 102 families were of mixed nationality or had foreign surnames.

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