The Polish Churches of Milwaukee

We are currently conducting research for a book documenting the history of the Poles and their churches in Milwaukee. If you have material to contribute, or personal recollections of your parish, please either email me or write:

This website is dedicated to the memory of three great men; Clement J. Zablocki, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, and Alan Kulwicki. 


Clem Zablocki served as Congressman for the 4th district from 1948 until his death in 1983. He was elected 18 consecutive times, sometimes with a majority as high as 80% of the vote. A devoutly religious and honest man, Congressman Zablocki was also a graduate of St. Vincent de Paul High School as well as the organist there. Once, following the death of two family friends in a traffic accident, the Congressman intervened on our behalf to help the orphaned daughters who faced duplicate taxation of the estate from the IRS. We will always remember his kindness towards us. Thank you, Congressman.


Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski served as Cardinal of Poland from 1953 to 1981. Imprisoned by the Communists in 1953, he spent three years in jail rather renounce his beliefs. Cardinal Wyszynski worked tirelessly to preserve the existence of the church in the hostile Communist state, despite the personal risks. In 1966, St. Stanislaus sent an invitation to Cardinal Wyszynski to celebrate the millennium of Polish Christianity in Milwaukee. The Cardinal was denied a travel permit by the Polish authorities. Cardinal Wyszynski was instrumental in the election of Karol Wojtyla as Pope John Paul II and supported the Solidarity movement until his death. A man of outstanding faith and courage, Cardinal Wysznski was also a great patriot and social activist. He is regarding as one of the leading moral authorities of the 20th century.

     A successful competitor in the Midwest, Kulwicki sold everything he owned and drove to North Carolina in a borrowed car to follow his dream in 1985. 

     Against all odds, Kulwicki won NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors in '86. His first win came in Phoenix in 1988, and it was there he made his first clockwise post-race lap, dubbed by the media as the "Polish Victory Lap.". He called his car "The Underbird" (Ford Thunderbird) because of the shoe-string budget the team raced on.

    In 1992 Kulwicki’s team posted two wins, at Bristol and Pocono, but were 278 points behind with just six races left in the season. In the final race of the season, Kulwicki took the title by just ten points over Bill Elliott.

     While the reigning Winston Cup champion, Kulwicki died in a plane crash on his way to a race at Bristol in April of 1993. He was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 2002. A low budget movie documenting his life, Dare to Dream, was released in 2005. I saw Alan race many times, and he was truly a champion among champions.