PROSPECT HEIGHTS — The coronation the King Bolesław the Brave, 1,000 years ago, established the Kingdom of Poland — a milestone celebrated on Oct. 19 by Polish parishes in the Diocese of Brooklyn. 

The historic date was observed during the annual Polish American Heritage Month Mass at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph. This year, the Mass included a special guest — Archbishop Wiesław Śmigiel of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Szczecin-Kamień in Poland. 

The visiting archbishop was the celebrant and homilist and Bishop Robert Brennan, Auxiliary Bishop Witold Mroziewski, and Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Octavio Cisneros concelebrated the Mass. 

The co-cathedral was nearly filled with Polish Catholics of all ages, many dressed in traditional attire. Archbishop Śmigiel praised the attendees. 

“They are people of love,” he said later, with Bishop Mroziewski interpreting. “They have love of America, but in their hearts, they have a part for Poland.” 

This special Mass of the diocese’s Polish Apostolate added to multiple celebrations this year in Poland to mark the 1,000-year anniversary of King Bolesław’s coronation. 

Bolesław previously ruled Poland as a duke, but his coronation as king changed the land from a duchy to a true monarchy with political and economic power in the Holy Roman Empire. 

The king was baptized a Christian. As a duke, he sponsored missionaries, such as a Catholic Bohemian bishop, Adalbert of Prague, to the Prussians. Adalbert’s martyrdom and canonization gave Poland its first patron saint. 

Also, while ruling as a duke, Bolesław paid a ransom for the missionary’s corpse — the cost being the weight of the martyr’s body in gold. The act bolstered Bolesław’s reputation as a Christian leader, which followed him into his brief reign as king.  

Historians speculate he died of an unknown illness at about age 57 or 58 in 1025, soon after his coronation. Still, that pivotal year is the original milestone for the Polish people, who have been predominantly Catholic throughout their history. 

“From the beginning, the culture and the faith are going together,” Archbishop Śmigiel said. “That’s why each celebration reminds us about our identity and history, and they also point to the images of Our Lady of Częstochowa, the Blessed Mother, and to the images of St. Adalbert and all the saints.”  

The special Mass was organized by the Polish Apostolate in the diocese, led by its coordinator, Father Grzegorz Stasiak, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish in Brooklyn. 

Most of the Mass, including the music, was in Polish, but “God Bless America” was sung in English toward the end. 

Youth from Polish parishes throughout the Diocese of Brooklyn carried flags and banners and stood at attention with their colors throughout the Mass. A children’s choir from St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy also performed. 

“The Polish community always impresses me,” Bishop Brennan said. “What we experience here is a community of great faith. … I was impressed by the number of young people and their participation.” 

Bishop Brennan said he is constantly amazed by the honor guards and their stamina to stay at attention during Mass. 

“You can see that they’re not strangers to all of this,” he said. “They can do this well because they do it often.”