The first Polish settlers in Kitchener (until 1916 - Berlin), which used to be a German settlement centre in Canada, were mostly Poznańers who had arrived here as early as 1872-1873. As they spoke German, the Canadian authorities directed them to Berlin considering them to be Germans.

In 1957, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of St. Mary's Church in Kitchener, a commemorative booklet Centennial St. Mary's Church - 1857-1957 was published. Although it presents the history of the church built by the then inhabitants of the town and the surrounding area, most of whom were of German origin, for the Polish ethnic group in Canada it is one of the most important sources documenting the date of the arrival of the first Poles here and their founding of a Polish parish and the building of the church.

The early history of the German-speaking parish mentions several Resurrectionist priests, including Father Edward Glowacki, who was here before 1860. A year later, on January 6, 1861 to be exact, a Silesian, Father Franciszek Breitkopf, became the parish priest. A commemorative brochure notes that Father Breitkopf spoke Polish and before and after services, "gathered a small colony of Poles, preached and prayed and sang Polish songs together with them". It is not known how large this group was, but it must be assumed that it was at least a dozen or so. It is known that they were Polish émigrés from Poznan and West Prussia, and that they always came down from the area known as New Germany - or New Prussia - to Berlin on Sundays and attended the city's only Catholic church, St. Mary's. Some of them had no problem taking an active part in the services because they knew not only Polish but also German. As Father Stanislaw Rogalski recorded in his diary, kept since 1892: "The first Poles from Montreal were arriving in Berlin at that time. Having an excellent command of the German language, the Canadian authorities assumed that they were Germans and therefore directed them here". He went on to write: "The Polish soul is drawn to its own people, and above all to a Polish priest, so at first they brought a Polish priest once or twice a year from Chicago".

By 1872, already 52 Polish families had settled in Berlin. In the Polish enclave, amidst Berlin's predominantly German-speaking society, "the Polish soul actually gravitated towards their own". After all, they belonged to the same Catholic faith, carried on Polish traditions together, spoke Polish, came from the same homelands... Whose help could they count on, when needed, if not that of their compatriots?

Guided by this message, in 1886, a small group of Poles set up the St Joseph's Mutual Aid Society. The origins of this first Polish-Canadian organisation were written by life itself. The story was presented during the fiftieth anniversary celebrations and was printed in the Journal of Chicago on 24 May 1936. Well, "one day a Polish woman, wife and mother, who knew no other language besides Polish, died, as did her husband. The poor husband sought the help of his compatriots and they made a box out of planks in which the corpse was placed, and the husband himself was taken on a cart to the church, so that the priest could at least sprinkle the coffin. As the German priest could not speak to our compatriot, a student, I. Tarasiewicz was called in, and speaking both languages, he explained the situation. The funeral so moved the compatriots that they got to work and did something to prevent the misery and distress of similar incidents. So a group of Poles gathered at the home of Mr Michał Białkowski and resolved to form a Society for the Care of the Dead, electing Mr Michał Białkowski as its first president. The entrance fee was $1.00 and the monthly fee was 25 cents. The post-mortem for the funeral was set at a total of $150.00".

The idea fell on very fertile ground and was soon realised. The Society for the Care of the Dead evolved into the St Joseph Mutual Aid Society. Already as an organisation, officially registered with the Canadian authorities, it had its own badge that distinguished its members as Poles among German-speaking parishioners. The badge cost 35 cents and "the first official members entitled to wear it on their frock coat lapel were Stanislaw Nowak, Franciszek Lemanski. Subsequently, the badges were purchased by: Jan Barwik, Wojciech Rajkowski, Jędrzej Grzebieniowski, Julian Lewandowski, Jan Bielicki, Walenty Stachowiak". Membership of the Society was not only an honour, but also an obligation. As the Society's Application Book of 14 February 1892 states: "Every member of the Society of St Joseph is obliged to go with others to the Polish chapel for Holy Communion, wearing the badges of the Society. And who through recklessness or other pride fails to do so falls under the penalty of 50 cents. Motion accepted and confirmed by the members".

In time, the Polish parishioners obtained a room at the German church for a chapel. It was a small room in the school building, able to accommodate 80 people. At that time, Father Jan Steffan CR was appointed the pastor of the Poles, and from 1895, Father Stanislaw Rogalski CR, who organised a Polish church choir and the Women's Rosary Brotherhood. The Polish ethnic group grew more and more. In the town, craftsmen opened their businesses. Farmers sold their produce at a marketplace created for this purpose. Thanks to the St. Joseph's Mutual Aid Society, a savings and loan fund was set up, commonly known as the "Polish fund", which could be used by all Poles living in and around Berlin, and a Polish school and library were established... The only thing the Poles did not have was their own church. In 1904, a spark of hope was lit that maybe this need would be fulfilled after all, as the German parish decided to build a large church, and in return for financial help in its realisation, undertook to hand over the old temple to the Poles. To this end, the then parish priest, Father Kleopfer, appointed three Poles - church collectors, in the persons of Ignacy Lemanski, Juliusz Lewandowski and Aleksander Duszynski, who, as representatives of the local Polish community, concluded an appropriate agreement with him. One of its basic points read: "I promise the Poles the old church if the Poles will help build the new St. Mary's church".

"The Poles kept their agreement to Fr Kleopfer, despite the enormous difficulties and hard economic times. They paid him everything to which they had committed themselves," wrote Joseph Slowikowski. - Rev. Kleopfer, however, did not honour the agreement. The Poles never got the old St. Mary's church. It was demolished, after the new church was built".

Disappointed and disappointed by the German priest's failure to honour the agreement, the Poles decided to create their own parish. It took a few years, but in January 1912, they established an independent Polish parish, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with a population of about 400. Father Paweł Sobczak became its parish priest.

Four years later, the site for the church was consecrated and the foundation stone laid. This momentous event was a great manifestation of Polishness. During the procession, which was attended by the entire Polish community, including children in national costume, the banner of the Fraternal Aid Society with the embroidered emblem of Poland was presented for the first time.

In 1918, the dream of many Poles no longer living in Berlin but in Kitchener came true: the Polish church was completed and consecrated. The joy was all the greater because the parish celebrations took place in the year Poland regained its independence.

On 1 July 1923, two bells were consecrated. On 3 May 1962, the fiftieth anniversary of the Polish parish, a copy of the miraculous image of Our Lady of Czestochowa was placed in the church, which had previously been consecrated in Czestochowa by Primate Stefan Wyszyński.

On 22 October 1967, on the occasion of the Millennium of the Baptism of Poland, the Millennium plaque 966-1966, carved in stone to a design by Władysław Mogilski, was unveiled and consecrated on the outside wall of the church. On the other hand, on 10 September 1978, an image of St Maximilian Kolbe was unveiled in the church, as well as a commemorative plaque containing an urn in the shape of a triangle with the letter 'P', containing ashes from the Auschwitz-Birkenau crematoria. The plaque was designed by Jerzy Łaszkiewicz of Toronto and commissioned by Nelson Bronze Ltd. in New Hamburg.

In 1982, the parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus founded a plaque to commemorate 600 years of the reign of Mary, the Lady of Jasna Gora, in the Polish nation, and in 1989 a plaque commemorating the 5th anniversary of the martyrdom of Father Jerzy Popieluszko (1947-1984) - a priest associated with the Solidarity movement, murdered by Security Service officers, Blessed and Martyr of the Catholic Church. The plaque is engraved with the maxim: "Conquer evil with good" and the words of Pope John Paul II: "I pray that from this death good may grow, as from the Cross the Resurrection".

Location: 66 Shanley Street, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada