The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate have served Polonia in Canada since the nineteenth century. The Venerable Brother Anthony Kowalczyk was the first Polish Oblate to come to Canada, arriving in Alberta in 1896. Since then, many others have followed in his footsteps and continued the task of evangelization.
Upon visiting St. Maximilian Kolbe parish in 2016, President of Poland Andrzej Duda stated that “here, in Canada, across the ocean, so far away, several generations of Poles have been gathering for more than 150 years. I want to thank the Oblate Fathers for this parish; I want to thank them for this church; I want to thank all of you for this community. Even though you are far away from your home, your relatives, it is incredibly important to have a place that you can visit, where you can kneel and immerse yourself in prayer, especially when you cannot go home... This place provides that spiritual support; it is indeed a precious thing.”
This perfectly captures the mission statement of the Oblate Fathers of Assumption Province, which states, “As men dedicated to Our Lord and the mission of the Church, we bring the Good News to these people in their language and help them acclimatize to a new society, culture and way of life… We strive to genuinely care for those who most need the consolation of the teaching of Christ and are least touched by the Gospel.”
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Assumption Province, currently serve at almost 20 Polish-speaking parishes across Canada, keeping Polish cultural traditions at the forefront of their ministry. In fact, the largest Polish parish outside of Poland is still St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Mississauga, ON, where the Oblates of Assumption Province facilitate the sacraments to over 40,000 faithful each week.
At these parishes, the Oblates administer the sacraments in the Polish language, bringing the Gospel in Polish to those far from their native home of Poland. The parishes promote the Polish culture through the founding of Polish schools and Polish-language catechesis, collaborating with local chapters of the Canadian Polish Congress, Polish Scouts (ZHP), cultural song and dance ensembles, and other community organizations. They help the next generations of youth in Polonia discover their Polish roots through youth groups, polish schools, catechesis, and musical ensembles.
In caring for the spiritual needs of the Polish faithful across Canada, the Oblates of Assumption Province provide numerous opportunities for both cultural and spiritual enrichment. This will remain the priority for ministry for Assumption Province for years to come.
Written by Natalie Banaszak
