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 ‘Polonia’ is a general term used to describe Polish American institutions, organizations, social clubs, and activities in any geographical location or country outside Poland.** The ‘Polonians’ that currently comprise the various sectors of Polonia are typically 1st, 2nd, 3rd generation of Polish immigrants along with recent immigrants and post-World War II diaspora.
Estimates of the number of Polonians in the United States vary from ten to fifteen million. The greatest concentration is in Chicago. In San Diego County, there are approximately 120,000, many of whom are located in the city of San Diego itself. Oceanside, Escondido, and Chula Vista are the next three cities with the largest concentration in the county area.
The principal social organizations are the Polish American Association of 'the City' of San Diego, the Polish American Social Club of North San Diego County and the House of Poland, which maintains the Polish Cottage under the auspice of the House of Pacific Relations. In addition, there is a considerable body of religious and fraternal entities that intertwine with and directly relate to the groups mentioned above and to one another.
The prime religious entity is the Polish Roman Catholic Mission in Pacific Beach, St. Maximillian Kolbe, which consists of some 700-800 families. Until recently, there was also a Polish National Catholic Church located in the ‘Golden Hills’ district of San Diego. The congregation had dwindled from some 200-300 souls to a point where the Diocese decided to close it. Rounding out the larger, so-called “local organizations” is the San Diego-Warsaw Mazovia Province that operates under the general purview of the Sister City Corporation.
Polonians in San Diego also support their ethnic national organizations. These are the Polish American Congress (PAC), which is an umbrella organization with chapters spanning the United States. The Polish National Alliance (PNA) is a fraternal group that offers cultural heritage information, insurance and Polish heritage activities. The Polish Women's Alliance (PWA) and smaller groups such as the Paderewski Society, the Wesoli Noski (dance group) and Polonia Kalifornijska, which is actually a publishing group under the auspices of the Polish Church mentioned above.
Finally, there is a smattering of members of Polish American Historical Association (PAHA), the Kosciuszko Foundations (KF) and the Southern California Chapter of the Polish American Genealogical Society of California. Two smaller groups: one that holds “celebrity notable” meetings, and the other that bills itself as the Polish California Chamber of Commerce.
A more detailed description of Polonia is in process as well as a Web site. The site should be informative to tourists and to the Polonia San Diego community. Hopefully, many will use and enjoy it. |
**There are clusters of Polonia across the United States, Canada, and Australia, as well as European countries closest to Poland, even central South America.
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