Polish Roman Catholic Union of America

The Polish Roman Catholic Union of America ("PRCUA") (pol. Zjednoczenie Polskie Rzymsko-Katolickie w Ameryce) is the oldest Polish American organization in the United States.

The Polish Roman Catholic Union of America traces its existence to 1873. In June of that year, Father Theodor Gieryk of Detroit wrote letters to Polish-language newspapers urging the creation of a Polish-American national organization. On October 3, 1873 a group of influential Polish Americans met and established the PRCUA. Among these founders were Father Vincent Barzynski, influential pastor of Saint Stanislaus Kostka in Chicago and Father Leopold Moczygemba, founder of America's first Polish settlement in Panna Maria, Texas. The new organization's stated goals were:

From the time when many Polish Americans were disenchanted with the American Catholic hierarchy's preponderance of Irish and German bishops, the PRCUA's history spans notable periods in the development of the Polish American ethnic group, from the time of early settlement by immigrants from Poland (Poles) through their development of ethnic identity, to their dual struggles in support of Poland's independence and to find their place in American society.

In 1972 the PRCUA had 887 lodges. In 1979 this had declined to 815 lodges in 27 states.

Before the First World War, the PRCUA often found itself at odds with the Polish National Alliance, a fraternal organization founded in 1880. The basic outward differences between the two fraternals are often remarked. The PRCUA, the earlier and more conservative of the two, tended to support the American Catholic hierarchy over lay groups such as parish councils. The younger PNA was more radical in outlook and generally championed lay leadership over the Church hierarchy. However, the most important difference was that of world view. The PRCUA viewed the Polish American community in terms of okolica, or "local environment," which it viewed as the starting point for building cultural awareness. The PNA viewed the Polish American community in terms of naród, which was constituted by the entire Polish people, at home and abroad, and took as its ultimate goal the reconstitution of divided Poland. Fortunately, the two fraternals were able to reconcile their differences during the twentieth century and have coexisted amicably for decades.

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