San Antonio, Bexar County
Polish immigrants from Upper Silesia came to San Antonio in December 1854. As members of the roman catholic church, they first attended the existing Church of San Fernando Parish. Priests from Panna Maria in Karnes County ministered to the Silesian Cultural Community in San Antonio until 1863. After the Civil War, Polish missionary priests from the society of the resurrection came to Texas to minister to the immigrants. St. Michael’s Parish was created in November 1866 to serve San Antonio’s growing Polish population. Its church and school would become the religious and social center for the community, known as the Polish Quarter. Located on South Street, between Matagorda and Indianola streets (near the existing Hemisfair Tower), St. Michael’s Parish grew from 36 families in 1866 to 900 families by 1949. Father Vincent Barzynski was the first resident pastor. In 1873, a school was opened by the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of Panna Maria, who conducted classes until 1880. Subsequently, the Ursuline Sisters built a school on the church grounds. This building was eventually given to the parish and then managed by the Sisters of the Divine Providence. In 1922, the old church was demolished, and a larger, more ornate building of white brick was erected. St. Michael’s Parish continued to be a place where the Polish culture and language thrived. The church was a safe haven and a social network, a place to display their unique culture, and a cohesive element for the polish quarter. In the 1960s, the city of San Antonio selected the polish quarter as the site for Hemisfair ’68. Urban renewal demolished St. Michael’s church and surrounding structures. The archdiocese built a new St. Michael’s Church on Indiana Street.