The Polish Roman Catholic Union of America (Zjednoczenie Polskie Rzymsko Katolickie w Ameryce, or ZPRK), the oldest and largest Polish Catholic fraternal organization in the United States, was organized in 1873 in Detroit. The founders of the PRCU hoped to unite all Polish-Americans into one organization with the following goals: to maintain solidarity with a Roman Catholic Church, propagate its teachings, and maintain its churches and educational and charitable institutions; to maintain cultural ties with Poland and to preserve Polish ethnic heritage in the United States; to promote Americanism and patriotism; and to assist members morally and materially through sales of life insurance. The PRCU also provides educational loans to students, assistance to disabled persons, maintains a scouting program, and has promoted U.S. war relief and other war efforts. The organization maintains a library, museum, and archives in the PRCU headquarters building in Chicago, and from 1921 to 1939 published the weekly newspaper Narod Polski.
Circuit No. 6 (Osada No. 6-ta) of the PRCU was organized in Milwaukee in 1912. Originally referred to as “Council,” the group reorganized the following year as “Circuit.” By 1920 twenty individual societies were active members of Circuit No. 6. At one time there were two Circuits in the Milwaukee area, No. 6 serving the South Side, and No. 39 serving the North Side. Circuit No. 39 no longer exists. Circuit No. 6 has sponsored many cultural, religious, and social activities throughout its history, among them are a bowling league, dance group, and Boy Scouts and Daughter groups. In 1941 the Circuit purchased an island on Lake Waubassee for use as a youth camp, which was maintained until 1946. Four years later a building at 1428-1432 West Lincoln Avenue was purchased for a home and meeting hall. Circuit No. 6 celebrated its golden jubilee in 1962.
First attempts to initiate a society of the PRCU in Milwaukee met with little success until 1907 when John A. Olszyk, John Walczykowski, and Michael Landowski organized the St. Stanislaus Kostka society at St. Hyacinth Parish. Other societies rapidly followed. In recent years many individual societies have lost members, which coupled with an apparent reluctance on the part of remaining members to serve as officers, has caused several societies to merge.
One of the more active existing societies has been the Pol-Americ Society (No. 1423), originally founded by Harriett M. Nowaczyk in 1941 as a social club. Since 1968, the Pol-Americ Society has absorbed the St. Florentine Society, St. Clara Society, St. Anne Society (No. 781), and St. Dorothy Society. Harriett Nowaczyk has been an active supporter and officer of PRCU societies since age 16; most recently she has served, with Henry J. Czerwinski, as co-director of PRCU District 6, a regional administrative body which includes Arkansas, California, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Texas, and Wisconsin.
