USA Province
The USA Province was established in 1947, eighty years after the first Resurrectionists arrived to begin pastoral ministry in the United States. In 1866, after the end of the Civil War, the Superior General of the Congregation, Father Hieronim Kajsiewicz, sent Fathers Vincent Barzyński and Adolf Bakanowski, along with seminarian Felix Zwiardowski, to minister among Polish immigrant settlers in Texas. Fathers Barzyński, Bakanowski, and Zwiardowski are considered the founders of the USA Province. The Congregation continued its mission in Texas until 1895, and Father Zwiardowski was the first Resurrectionist to be ordained to the priesthood on American soil, on April 20, 1867, in Galveston.
The greatest development of the Congregation occurred among the Polish immigrant community living in Chicago and the surrounding area. The Resurrectionists organized many parishes, building churches, parish houses, and schools. The first, established in 1869, was St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish, whose church is called the “Mother Church of Chicago Polonia.” They also extended their ministry to Italian-speaking communities. Thanks to the pioneering efforts of Father Vincent Barzyński, hospitals and orphanages were established, along with Polish organizations, Catholic associations, publishing houses, Catholic press, and a parish bank. Some of these works have survived to this day.
In the 20th century, the Congregation began expanding its ministry, starting parish work in Florida, Missouri, California, and among African Americans in Alabama. At the General Chapter in 1932, a delegation was created from the religious houses in the USA, and Father Tadeusz Ligman CR was appointed as the first General Delegate. The 21st General Chapter decided on a new administrative division of the Congregation and established three provinces. The first provincial of the Chicago Province (as it was then called) was Father Kazimierz Guździel, and the first Provincial Chapter, convened by Provincial Father Stanley Fiolek, took place in December 1952. In 1980, the name was changed to the United States Province to more accurately reflect the area where its religious houses are located.
Today, the USA Province — that is, the Resurrectionists belonging to it and the apostolates it conducts — reflects the multicultural nature of the country: Americans of Polish descent, Latin American and African heritage, and European roots. The Province operates one high school, while some Resurrectionists work in secondary and higher education. They are also engaged in parish apostolates among Latin and Byzantine Rite Catholics, in English, Polish, Spanish, and Vietnamese. The Province's formation house is located in St. Louis, Missouri.
Click here to visit the website of the USA Province
