Photo by Lee Depkin

LAWRENCEVILLE—There were dishes of jarzynowa and krokiety, festive foods for a celebration. A T-shirt commemorated the canonization of Poland’s native son, St. John Paul II. Pennant-waving children entertained their parents and the crowd with native songs.

Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory greets members of the Atlanta Polish Catholic community Nov. 9. At the conclusion of the group’s anniversary Mass Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory read a proclamation formally changing the group’s name to the St. John Paul II Polish Catholic Apostolate. Here he talks to (l-r) Helena Wojdyla, Anna Oberc and Wladyslaw Wojdyla. Photo by Lee Depkin

St. Marguerite d’Youville Church was filled with Polish pride on Nov. 9 as the Catholic community gathered to mark the 25th anniversary in the Atlanta Archdiocese of the Polish Apostolate.

Beata Bielicki emigrated here 27 years ago and has been part of the Polish Catholic community since its early days. For her, the link between her Polish roots and faith are inseparable.

“You just pray differently in your own language,” said the 47-year-old business owner. Polish customs, especially around Christmas and Easter, are especially meaningful, she said. “We have different traditions. We pray differently,” said Bielicki.

In the sanctuary of St. Marguerite d’Youville, an evocative portrait of St. John Paul II watched over the congregation as they worshipped in his native tongue. A relic of a drop of his blood was put in a place of honor during the Mass, as the American, Polish, and Vatican flags were carried into the church. The rare first-class relic of the pope-saint was given to the Polish Apostolate in 2011 for their worship space. Their beginnings and growth occurred during his pontificate, they received his blessing, and even their name is linked with his life.

Father Pawel Bandurski spoke in Polish and told the congregation its strength comes from the liturgy and from that they can strengthen their unity.

“You have to know your roots. Keep your traditions,” he said. “As John Paul II said, if you don’t know your roots, you don’t know who you are.”

He also said the generosity shown to the Polish immigrants should spur them to share that same generosity with others.

“They are the temple of God. That’s why we have to honor each other,” he said.

Father Bandurski is the provincial leader in the United States and Canada of the Society of Christ, a religious community dedicated to ministry to Polish speakers living outside of their native country.

At the conclusion of Mass, Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory expressed his appreciation for the faith of the Polish Catholic community. He read a proclamation that formally changed the name of the apostolate to the St. John Paul II Polish Catholic Apostolate, due to their patron’s canonization in April.

The party following the anniversary celebration for the Polish Apostolate included many ethnic foods, including jarzynowa and krokiety. Photo by Lee Depkin

The Polish Apostolate attracts families from across the northern and eastern metro area, from Winder to Woodstock. The community that began to come together many years ago has had uninterrupted weekly Mass in Polish for 14 years.

Their roots go back to the 1980s when the few Polish-speaking Catholics in Atlanta desired a Polish priest to minister to their community. In November 1989 Father Kazimierz Jasiński from the Society of Christ for Polish Emigrants began to celebrate Sunday Masses in Polish, first at St. Thomas More Church, Decatur, and then at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Atlanta. The celebrations were interrupted for a time, as the religious community transferred Father Jasiński and didn’t replace him.

With the help of Polish-speaking local priests and visiting priests, the community gathered on Easter and Christmas for Polish-language Mass and sometimes had a monthly Mass. But it wasn’t until 2000 that the weekly Mass in Polish began again with the assignment of Society of Christ Father Stanislaw Drzal. In 2002, the Masses moved to St. Marguerite d’Youville Church, and the apostolate found its stability.

Today the community is served by Father Ryszard Czerniak, of the Society of Christ. He transferred here in the summer from Chicago. He said he is learning about the community and is impressed with its enthusiasm. He said weekly Mass draws approximately 150 people.

A 25th anniversary is special. Just as a married couple at 25 years renews their commitment in unique ways, so people are renewing their commitment to the Polish Catholic community in metro Atlanta, he said.

The community raises money throughout the year. The most popular event is the Pierogi Festival, which draws hundreds to taste a variety of homemade pierogi, or filled dumplings. This fall nearly 12,000 pierogi were sold at the festival, which includes music and dancing, among other entertainment.

The Society of Christ serves 36 parishes in North America, with the biggest communities around Chicago and New York.

“(Atlanta) is a very small community, but still very lively,” Father Bandurski said.

Anna Oberc, clad in her native Polish costume, processes into St. Marguerite d’Youville Church along with other parishioners at the start of the 25th anniversary Mass for the Atlanta Polish Catholic community. On hand were the Knights of Columbus to provide an honor guard. Photo by Lee Depkin

Elzbieta Gurtler-Krawczynska, a longtime leader of the group, said the apostolate continues to attract new immigrants, in addition to serving generations of Polish-Americans. People are devoted to this ministry and seek it out, she said, because without the people, it would not exist.

This community celebrated its first Polish language Mass the year the Berlin Wall fell. The end of the division in Berlin was part of a chain of events, including the Solidarity movement in Poland, which allowed Poland and Eastern Europe to become free. Some historians, along with Pope Francis, have linked the Polish pope to the peaceful wave of freedom that swept Eastern Europe in the early 1990s.

Father Bandurski remembered those days, especially how the pope symbolized the Polish people’s desire for freedom.

“Every person is the image of God. People are called to be free,” he said.