Faith, Family, Community
The mid 1800s saw the immigration of Poles from the region of Upper Silesia, an ethnically Polish border area on the extreme southern tip of what was then the Kingdom of Prussia, to Texas. Though their homeland had been politically separated from Poland for four hundred years, the people had retained their Polish identity, distinctive dialect of Polish, customs, and Catholic faith.
In Prussia, German language, culture, and the Protestant religion maintained a place of privilege. At the same time, Catholics, most ethnic Poles, were marginalized and isolated by their native language and culture.
In the 1850s, poor harvests, high food prices, devastating floods, and epidemics of typhus and cholera were factors contributing to the decision by many families to leave their homeland for opportunity.
Life was not easy in Texas, the Polish settlers struggled to overcome difficult challenges, but through their faith, the support of family, and the strength of community, they survived and prospered.
Bishop Emeritus John W. Yanta
Bishop Emeritus John W. Yanta is the first bishop from the Panna Maria immigration and a recipient of the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, which was awarded to him by Poland’s President, Andrzej Duda, on June 13, 2019 in Houston, Texas. The prestigious award was presented in recognition of the Bishop’s numerous initiatives in the Polish community, most notably his vision and leadership in founding the Polish Heritage Center at Panna Maria. It is the Bishop’s vision to build the Polish Heritage Center as an American Polonia treasure to “Instill pride and knowledge of our Polish heritage, ancestors, and culture for this and future generations.”
