My grandparents emigrated from the Holy Cross Mountain region of Poland over 125 years ago and settled in the Black Rock section of Buffalo. My father (born in the USA) and his brothers and sisters were baptized at Assumption Parish. My road, although born and raised in Western New York State has led me back to Poland where I am a full-time resident and citizen. For me it is the completion of the circle of family life and history. My grandparents who gave so much of themselves for family and faith, will forevermore be my heroes.
What an amazing story! God bless you! And your family! We have lived on Western Coast of USA for last 30 years but my children dream of going back to Poland. America is a beautiful country but is also changing so much from what it was when we came. They want to speak Polish.
@@jaja-nw2ftthat's what you think because you dont know how is life in america, many people are moving from America to Poland right now because america is getting worse, while Poland is getting better
Beautiful documentary. Watched it with my 8 year old son who was born here in the States. Me and my wife however both were born and bred in Poland. So it's important to me that he knows his heritage and can speak the language fluently.
I'm Polish living in New York City 30 years History for Buffalo huge place New York special poles later they move special to new york city and Detroit Chicago Massachusetts Connecticut Toledo Taxes 10 millions of Poles living in USA today I'm proud of that I'm Polish so can tell you Poles never beg for freedom Poles fight for freedom!!!
So much of this resonates with my upbringing in the UK in the Polish community post WW2 and shows how cohesive the Polish people really are. It's about the values of family and friendship. However I had to laugh when the gentleman said that the community in Buffalo were trying to prevent Poland being taken over by the communists, didn't they realise that the American government was instrumental in gifting Poland, Hungary, Czech, Slovakia and others to Stalin, those countries forming the Soviet bloc? Of course the USA, UK and others will say that after 6 years of bloody conflict they didn't want another fight they'd probably lose, but those former soviet bloc countries having regained independence suffer so much ignorance and prejudice from people who forget that WW2 finished in 1990 for these countries. They're still playing catch up
Hi! If you ever visit Seattle in WA state, please, come to 9:45am or 12noon Mass to St. Margaret’s Church on Sunday. There is a really nice Polish community here and you can meet with Poles after the service at the coffee and cake downstairs. Or go to Polish Home Assoc on 18th Ave for Pierogi’s night on Friday - plenty of Polish folk there. Do zobaczenia!
My mother’s father was getting involved with helping start the Polish National Church, but was too busy working to support a very large family. Evidently, my grandparents were livid with how the Irish and German Catholics were sucking up all of the Polish parishioner’s money, only to spend it on themselves.
I think thus the most comprehensive story of a major Polish community that us Polinia in Buffalo but also similar to so many other communities across the US and Canada. Please watch!
My Polish grandfather's younger brother was one of the founder members of the Polish National Catholic Church at the end of the 19th century in Passaic, (Clifton), New Jersey. The primary reason was the conflict with the Irish and German RC clergy which had severe communication problems with their Polish parishioners. The latter in the PNCC promoted their own bishops and priests and church services were in Polish.
Thank you for this beautiful documentary.So proud of my heritage. Came here in 1984 to New York ,Brooklyn-Greenpoint was very polish then🥰WE will forever keep our tradition and culture❤Proud to be Polish-American 🇵🇱 🇺🇸
Saludos desde Argentina, tuve parientes que fueron a Estados Unidos desde la partición austríaca, una parte volvió y luego de la 1ra guerra mundial una parte llegó a la Argentina, somos al menos cientos de miles de descendientes, muchos luego migraron a Canada, Estados Unidos o hasta volvieron a Polonia. Gracias por compartir
An amazing documentary. What struck me as odd was that Polish settlers of Jewish heritage began arriving in the area before 1860, with Catholic Poles began arriving in large numbers soon after. I'm amazed that there seems to be no mention of the origin of the Polish community in this video.
I was born in the early 80s and growing up in West Seneca, we always made fun of the polish kids. It was nerdy to be a "polak", which was considered a dumb person, and like polka and play accordion. Now, watching this, and looking back, I feel sad because I think Buffalo has changed so much and culture and tradition was abandoned in the 60s and on. The kids I went to school with were loosing their heritage and traditions. They didn't speak Polish or feel value for what their grandparents left behind. What happened? Why was it a bad thing to be Polish? Now the Catholic Churches stand empty, the community centers shut down.... and a rich heritage is lost. The East Side is riddled with drugs and crime. The Polish have all left. I don't even think the Broadway market is open anymore. Did these people living in the early half of the 20th century ever go to market and think, wow....I'm living the GOLDEN LIFE! This is the good old days...this is the golden era which future generations will look back on and wish they had? Probably not. But it truly makes me sad. So much is at stake now in 2023. So much has been lost and I wonder if we will ever be able to regain civility again.
Don’t mean to offend you here, but didn’t you think that the fact that Polish kids were laughed at and poked fun influenced them as adults to abandon their Polish traditions and customs since they remembered how they were treated because of it?? They chose to blend in into that American culture and have a peace and quiet and not themselves targets to aggressive people. That is one of the reasons to answer your question Why? They were not welcomed with their richness and different ways of being- Poles were ridiculed- who want that?
Ciekawe ilu z was mieszkających w stanach potrafi jeszcze mówić po polsku. Zauważyłem, że polacy w US i Kanadzie zadziwiająco szybko tracą akcent (w zaledwie kilka lat) i zasób slownictwa po jakiejś dekadzie. Później, po kilku dekadach nagle okazuje się, że Kanada jest bardziej komunistyczna niż Rosja czy Chiny a US zmierza do kolejnej wojny domowej i wszyscy zastanawiają się czy nie wrócić z powrotem do Polski. Wielu już wróciło.
I don't know about Canada but the US is not heading for a second civil war, it is admittedly divided but in no way as divided as it was in our civil war era
The response to this statement = It is an old version of the Polish eagle [ phoenix ] - original Prussian eagle was black with a gold crown around it's neck symbolizing fiefdom of the Polish king.
31:00 No... literally not true and insulting What about orthodox, lutheran, calvinist Poles? Polish Jews? atheist poles? muslim poles too? Was Julian Tuwim not a Pole?
Yes. Literally true and historically factual. 90% Catliks. What about what about being honest ? Roman Catholic religion - as observed by the kings of Lechia was part of the Slavic pagan culture. The others appeared much later for Polish Natives & in very small numbers. Orthodoxy was in the East for Ruthenians. Zyd, Chabad, Zio, Zevi, Judeo Talmudists were never Polish. They were always a self separated, self serving tribe of foreigners. They did not speak Polish. They spoke German Yiddisher.
Orthodox,Lutheran,calvinist,muslims nor Jews dont EVER invite Polish Catholics,and outside Poland they dont consider themselves Polish. Julian Tuwim was not judaistic an was sometimes present in catholic churches. After the war he came back to Poland and glorified Stalin,Bierut and communist dictatorship,though. In Poland 95% is roman catholic.
My grandparents emigrated from the Holy Cross Mountain region of Poland over 125 years ago and settled in the Black Rock section of Buffalo. My father (born in the USA) and his brothers and sisters were baptized at Assumption Parish. My road, although born and raised in Western New York State has led me back to Poland where I am a full-time resident and citizen. For me it is the completion of the circle of family life and history. My grandparents who gave so much of themselves for family and faith, will forevermore be my heroes.
Man thumb up. But choosing Poland to live when you can live in America is not so good choice.
What an amazing story! God bless you! And your family! We have lived on Western Coast of USA for last 30 years but my children dream of going back to Poland. America is a beautiful country but is also changing so much from what it was when we came. They want to speak Polish.
@@jaja-nw2ftthat's what you think because you dont know how is life in america, many people are moving from America to Poland right now because america is getting worse, while Poland is getting better
Thank you to all Polish Americans for embracing the Polish culture and traditions ❤
Our pleasure!
Great Story I went to Saint Stanislaus Kostka church in Chicago and lived in ethnic neighborhood 😂😂
Beautiful documentary. Watched it with my 8 year old son who was born here in the States. Me and my wife however both were born and bred in Poland. So it's important to me that he knows his heritage and can speak the language fluently.
I have Polish in me as well from my mother’s side though. Although we’re American, we must never forget our European heritage.
Pielęgnuj nasze Polskie tradycje bracie i nie pozwól by twoje dzieci ich nie poznały a resztę zrobi za ciebie życie przyjacielu🍻😅
I'm Polish living in New York City 30 years History for Buffalo huge place New York special poles later they move special to new york city and Detroit Chicago Massachusetts Connecticut Toledo Taxes 10 millions of Poles living in USA today I'm proud of that I'm Polish so can tell you Poles never beg for freedom Poles fight for freedom!!!
Love my Polish Buffalonian friends. Always super friendly every time I'm there
You're always welcome to come back ^-^
@zobius9191 I'm out in Buffalo like once every couple months or so. From Albany. Though I am not Polish at all
So much of this resonates with my upbringing in the UK in the Polish community post WW2 and shows how cohesive the Polish people really are. It's about the values of family and friendship.
However I had to laugh when the gentleman said that the community in Buffalo were trying to prevent Poland being taken over by the communists, didn't they realise that the American government was instrumental in gifting Poland, Hungary, Czech, Slovakia and others to Stalin, those countries forming the Soviet bloc? Of course the USA, UK and others will say that after 6 years of bloody conflict they didn't want another fight they'd probably lose, but those former soviet bloc countries having regained independence suffer so much ignorance and prejudice from people who forget that WW2 finished in 1990 for these countries. They're still playing catch up
Very interesting greetings from California. I'd love to meet a polish person 😊
Hi! If you ever visit Seattle in WA state, please, come to 9:45am or 12noon Mass to St. Margaret’s Church on Sunday. There is a really nice Polish community here and you can meet with Poles after the service at the coffee and cake downstairs. Or go to Polish Home Assoc on 18th Ave for Pierogi’s night on Friday - plenty of Polish folk there. Do zobaczenia!
"A lot of beige food" 😂😂😂
This brought back a lot of memories. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it!
Happy you Ludziska still hold on to our traditions ❤ That's the spirit and pride to know where you came from❤
Thank you Dziękuję
Thank you So much For this VIDEO🙏
Dziękuję!
(Thank You!)
proszę bardzo
@@BuffaloTorontoPublicMedia (You’re welcome!)
My mother’s father was getting involved with helping start the Polish National Church, but was too busy working to support a very large family. Evidently, my grandparents were livid with how the Irish and German Catholics were sucking up all of the Polish parishioner’s money, only to spend it on themselves.
I think thus the most comprehensive story of a major Polish community that us Polinia in Buffalo but also similar to so many other communities across the US and Canada. Please watch!
My Polish grandfather's younger brother was one of the founder members of the Polish National Catholic Church at the end of the 19th century in Passaic, (Clifton), New Jersey.
The primary reason was the conflict with the Irish and German RC clergy which had severe communication problems with their Polish parishioners. The latter in the PNCC promoted their own bishops and priests and church services were in Polish.
Thank you for sharing.
Beautiful!
Thank you for this beautiful documentary.So proud of my heritage. Came here in 1984 to New York ,Brooklyn-Greenpoint was very polish then🥰WE will forever keep our tradition and culture❤Proud to be Polish-American 🇵🇱 🇺🇸
Very cool, thank you for sharing!
Kocham cię
Saludos desde Argentina, tuve parientes que fueron a Estados Unidos desde la partición austríaca, una parte volvió y luego de la 1ra guerra mundial una parte llegó a la Argentina, somos al menos cientos de miles de descendientes, muchos luego migraron a Canada, Estados Unidos o hasta volvieron a Polonia. Gracias por compartir
Great documentary!,
Glad you enjoyed it!
An amazing documentary. What struck me as odd was that Polish settlers of Jewish heritage began arriving in the area before 1860, with Catholic Poles began arriving in large numbers soon after. I'm amazed that there seems to be no mention of the origin of the Polish community in this video.
Is it just me having a problem sharing this documentary on FB?
BUFFALO HAD THE LARGEST R.C.CHURCH CONGRAGATION IN AMERICA FOR OVER 30 YEARS!! ST. STANS! 😊
Interesting!
DOM POLSKI=POLISH HOME, THEY WILL GIVE U HELP WHEN U NEED IT, 24/7/365 !
Don't give me that BOLOGNA, give me
WARDINSKI'S!! 😊
And some Webers on top!
I love you all Polish catholic Americans !
I was born in the early 80s and growing up in West Seneca, we always made fun of the polish kids. It was nerdy to be a "polak", which was considered a dumb person, and like polka and play accordion. Now, watching this, and looking back, I feel sad because I think Buffalo has changed so much and culture and tradition was abandoned in the 60s and on. The kids I went to school with were loosing their heritage and traditions. They didn't speak Polish or feel value for what their grandparents left behind. What happened? Why was it a bad thing to be Polish? Now the Catholic Churches stand empty, the community centers shut down.... and a rich heritage is lost. The East Side is riddled with drugs and crime. The Polish have all left. I don't even think the Broadway market is open anymore. Did these people living in the early half of the 20th century ever go to market and think, wow....I'm living the GOLDEN LIFE! This is the good old days...this is the golden era which future generations will look back on and wish they had? Probably not. But it truly makes me sad. So much is at stake now in 2023. So much has been lost and I wonder if we will ever be able to regain civility again.
Broadway Market is still open. The neighborhood is starting to look like open flat lands.
Don’t mean to offend you here, but didn’t you think that the fact that Polish kids were laughed at and poked fun influenced them as adults to abandon their Polish traditions and customs since they remembered how they were treated because of it?? They chose to blend in into that American culture and have a peace and quiet and not themselves targets to aggressive people. That is one of the reasons to answer your question Why? They were not welcomed with their richness and different ways of being- Poles were ridiculed- who want that?
What year was this filmed? Early 90's?
2004-2005
We poles really like our churches ;)
My polish ancestors built banks and flour mills in Buffalo and Art Institutes and newspapers in Chicago. No more jokes, please!
St. Albertus in Detroit is older
Ciekawe ilu z was mieszkających w stanach potrafi jeszcze mówić po polsku.
Zauważyłem, że polacy w US i Kanadzie zadziwiająco szybko tracą akcent (w zaledwie kilka lat) i zasób slownictwa po jakiejś dekadzie.
Później, po kilku dekadach nagle okazuje się, że Kanada jest bardziej komunistyczna niż Rosja czy Chiny a US zmierza do kolejnej wojny domowej i wszyscy zastanawiają się czy nie wrócić z powrotem do Polski.
Wielu już wróciło.
I wish I could, have dul citizenship but due to health, kids, grandkids, I must remain here in the peoples republic of Canada a true communist state.
I don't know about Canada but the US is not heading for a second civil war, it is admittedly divided but in no way as divided as it was in our civil war era
Prosze bzdur nie klepać.
How ironic that Polka is a Czech dance...not Polish
Yeah and it does baffle us a lot that Americans associate polka with being Polish.
That's a Prussian eagle at 9:22
That is the Polish, Lithuanian & Ruthenian coat of arms used in the January Uprising of 1863.
@@MT-ow2xl I know the intention is to represent the commonwealth, but that is NOT the Polish white eagle!
@@ericbush3399 your intention is to show off, Fail !
The response to this statement = It is an old version of the Polish eagle [ phoenix ]
-
original Prussian eagle was black with a gold crown around it's neck symbolizing fiefdom of the Polish king.
31:00 No... literally not true and insulting
What about orthodox, lutheran, calvinist Poles? Polish Jews? atheist poles? muslim poles too?
Was Julian Tuwim not a Pole?
Hungary has more Calvinist than Poles A Hungarian Prime Minister Orban is Calvinist but some Poles are Catholics
Muslims in Poland are not ethnic Poles. They are Tatars.
Yes. Literally true and historically factual. 90% Catliks. What about what about being honest ?
Roman Catholic religion - as observed by the kings of Lechia was part of the Slavic pagan culture.
The others appeared much later for Polish Natives & in very small numbers.
Orthodoxy was in the East for Ruthenians.
Zyd, Chabad, Zio, Zevi, Judeo Talmudists were never Polish. They were always a self separated, self serving tribe of foreigners. They did not speak Polish. They spoke German Yiddisher.
Orthodox,Lutheran,calvinist,muslims nor Jews dont EVER invite Polish Catholics,and outside Poland they dont consider themselves Polish.
Julian Tuwim was not judaistic an was sometimes present in catholic churches.
After the war he came back to Poland and glorified Stalin,Bierut and communist dictatorship,though.
In Poland 95% is roman catholic.
@@Reytan-e8x = Tovim - was a Zyd.
so what if he went into Xtian buildings ?
Jesuits - are Zyd.
Marxism Zyd Bolshevism Zyd Communism Zyd Zio nism
31:28 No, not a common Polish greeting
Stop talking about pierogies! We have much richer and better cuisine than pierogies and kielbasa!!!!