Among the many ethnic groups that create the mosaic of the U.S are the Silesian- Polish Texans. This group came to Texas in 1854, and settled in Karnes County, building the first Polish place in the U.S., called Panna Maria. After many years of no or little contact with the old country since 1973, with the help of Bishop John W. Yanta, and then with Monsignor Franciszek Kurzaj (pastor of Floresville Sacred Heart Catholic Church) the connections with the distant relatives in Europe were revived and a new spirit of appreciation for the Silesian Polish culture was created.

Every year a group of Silesian Texans travels to Poland where they not only visit the known and popular places such as Warsaw, Krakow,  Czestochowa, but also the villages where their ancestors are from such as Pluznica, home of Moczygembas, Jarzombeks, Felux, Dugi, Janyseks; and Boronow, home of the Kotaras, Korzekwas, Banduchs, to mention only a few.  On those trips they have a chance to meet distant cousins, visit their homes and establish new, lasting relationships.

Those in Poland who welcome the Texans are now in the process of sharing the information about the Texans with the rest of Poland. They have prepared a traveling exhibit which is being displayed at cultural centers, universities, and even the Polish Parliament. To view the exhibit go to Slask-Texas.org. A group of forty in Poland who are directly responsible for making this exhibit available recently visited Texas. They were able to learn firsthand about the thousands of descendants of those who left Silesia in the nineteenth century. They were hosted by many Texans in their homes and received a Texas sized welcome at the Floresville Event Center. Billy Mata and the Texas Tradition Band graced them with their traditional Texas music, much of which was inspired by Silesian Texan musicians.

There are movies being shown in Poland about the Silesian Polish emigration to Texas, and a play being presented about this exodus in the Silesian Theaters in Katowice, Poland. The playwright, Artur Palyga, visited South Texas recently to make the final touches for this special production. He met with local Polish Texans, people who still speak Polish, and visited many Polish communities, experiencing the multi-cultural character of Texas.

The annual essay contest of the Father Leopold Moczygemba Foundation creates a lot of excitement among high school seniors and encourages the young people to learn more about their roots and family traditions. This year’s winners of the $1000 scholarship essay contest were Aaron James of the Woodlands High School, Kayla Ann Gorzell of La Vernia High School, Morgan Michelle Kelly of Karnes City High School and Kolton John Pollok of Falls City High School.

Blessed with generous monetary gifts, the FLMF has had the opportunity to fulfill its obligation in supporting the charitable, cultural and educational institutions in Texas and Silesia-Poland. Among the many latest recipients of the Foundation support are the St. John Paul II Catholic High School in New Braunfels Texas ($10,000) and the ISKIERKA Foundation (the Flicker Foundation), www.Fundacjaiskierka.pl, from Silesia Poland which helps children with cancer and their families ($5,000).
Last December people in many churches and nursing homes in South Texas enjoyed the Silesian-Polish music presented to them by the visiting “Tryl” Choir from Toszek, Poland. It was beautiful once again to see the colorful, traditional dresses worn by the singers and have the opportunity to meet the Polloks and Moczygembas from Poland on Texas soil

The South Texans are really excited about the planned Panna Maria Heritage Center to be built across from the historical church in Panna Maria, Texas. This project, initiated by Bishop John W. Yanta, D.D., is progressing in the planning stages with the land being purchased, the architect finishing the design and the valuable artifacts and historical images being collected. To view the progress or the plan itself see www.PannaMariaCenter.org.

Making the Silesian Texans even more proud of their heritage and helping them better understand their responsibilities in the world, a bishop from Bolivia visited them recently. Bishop Antony Reiman, a Franciscan born in Silesia Poland, is a distant cousin of Bishop Yanta, and related to the Reimans, Yantas, Zaiontz, Morawietz and Janyseks in Texas. His visit was an opportunity for all to appreciate even more the gift of faith which the Silesian Texans received from their ancestors and to encourage all to share it with others, especially their families.

The next event of the FLMF will be the 2015 Folklife Festival where the FLMF will sponsor the Polish booth, a long-standing tradition of the Foundation. Volunteers are always welcome to help.  More and more people are becoming interested in their heritage and to the best of their abilities participating in the activities of the many Polish organizations.  If you would like to help or get more information about the activities of the Foundation, see SilesianTexans.com and FLMFoundation.org.

The FLMF is a member of another organization bringing many groups in Texas together; the Polish American Council of Texas, which was created to help the different Polish American groups, parishes and professionals across Texas further their various missions. To learn more about PACT visit www.PolishAmericanCouncilofTexas.org.

Photos courtesy of Elaine Mazurek Stephens, Piotr Smykała Sue Mason, and the Panna Maria Heritage Center.