A joyous celebration of community

Polish Heritage Festival attracts hundreds for faith, fun, food

By Maggie Parsons

More than 800 people around the diocese were excited to experience a taste of Polish culture on Aug. 2 while attending the second annual Polish Heritage Festival.

Prior to the festival, members of the Polish community and those interested in learning more were invited to celebrate Mass together at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The 5 p.m. vigil Mass was standing room only, filled with a community spreading God’s love with others by sharing their culture with one another.

“Without Catholicism there is no Polish culture,” said Father Martin Gladysz, the cathedral’s associate pastor who is a native of Poland. He explained that in the Polish culture there is no separation of faith; if you are Polish, you are Catholic, which explained the large turnout at Mass before the festival.

“I hope people walk away feeling a deeper connection to Polish culture. Whether it’s through the food, the music, the traditional costumes, or simply the sense of community,” said Kasia Golec, one of the festival’s main organizers.

Mrs. Golec and the other organizers wanted people to be welcomed and get to experience the same things they do through their culture.

Members of a Polish dance troupe from Atlanta recruit audience members to participate in traditional Polish dance during the Polish Heritage Festival on Aug. 2 in the Sacred Heart Cathedral Hall. (Photo Dan McWilliams)

After celebrating Mass together, festival attendees rushed over to the cathedral parish hall to experience “Poland in Knoxville.” Right away they were welcomed by members of the Polish community in Knoxville into a room filled with food, drinks, information about the Polish community in Knoxville, and T-shirts to express the Polish culture.

There were activities spread out over the course of the evening starting with traditional Polish dancing. People were encouraged to take a seat and watch the Polish culture come to life through dance.

“The significance of the dances and of the whole tradition is to cultivate our heritage and do it in a way that is vibrant to modern audiences,” said Maciej Smusz, director for the Mazury Folk Dance Ensemble based in Atlanta who also is one of the dancers. He spoke about the importance of dancing in the Polish culture and his desire to share that with audiences around the world.

“I feel like it gives the audiences fulfillment, this is my culture, this is me, I am proud to be who I am and where I come from,” Mr. Smusz said, expressing the honor he receives when showing his culture and who he is through dance.

After the dancing, the audience enjoyed vocal ensembles from Polish performers. The audience was encouraged to dance while the music played and people of all ages joined in.

After the singing, festival participants were excited and ready to get a taste of Poland they had been longing for. A line of festival-goers wrapped around the building, with everyone greeted by servers explaining what each dish was.

“I want them to leave with full hearts and full bellies, proud of our heritage or curious to learn more about it,” Mrs. Golec said, sharing what she wanted people to take away from the festival.

The Knoxville Polish community consists of around 3,200 people. Some 74,000 Polish people live in Tennessee.

“What it means to bring my culture here to Knoxville is hard to put into words; it’s a mix of pride, responsibility, and deep emotion,” Mrs. Golec said. “For many of us, this event is more than just a celebration; it’s a way to feel seen, to share stories, flavors, and traditions that shaped us. In a place where the Polish community is small, creating this space is like planting a seed.”

Although small in number, the Polish community is poised for growth, and the initiative is to plant the seed for the community to expand, which is a significant step.

One way the diocese is helping bring the Polish culture into the Knoxville area and expand is by celebrating Mass in Polish once a month, every first Sunday at 3 p.m. at the cathedral. It’s an opportunity for the Polish community, or those who do not know much about the Polish culture, to experience the faith and see how important faith is in the Polish culture.

Organizing the Polish Heritage Festival requires long hours and hard work. The planning begins in early January, when organizers start identifying who will take part, what is needed, when the festival will be held, and where it will be held.

Festival organizer Kasia Golec and Father Martin Gladysz, who leads Mass in Polish for the Polish Catholic community in the Diocese of Knoxville, take part in the festival. (Photo Dan McWilliams)

“There aren’t many Polish people in the area, so putting together something like this isn’t easy. But we do it with love,” said Mrs. Golec, who talked about how the planning process can be difficult. But above all she has a grateful heart to be able to share her culture with the community in any capacity.

“When you see the joy on people’s faces, hear the music, and smell the food, it’s all worth it,” Mrs. Golec noted.

Polish natives in the Knoxville community relish having an event that feels like home, a place to share their culture with those around them, and to again experience the richness of their culture.

“For me, to have a little part of Poland here in East Tennessee is special. We have a lot of third-, fourth-, and fifth-generation Polish people here in Tennessee. For me and for them, it is bringing back the country of our fathers, the origin of our culture here to Tennessee,” said Father Gladysz, describing what it means to him to have his native culture in Knoxville.

He said it is a tradition, it is keeping culture alive, and it introduces the culture to new people who join in helping keep it alive and the community growing.

Also, as a way to promote the Polish culture in Knoxville, the Cathedral Concert Series is bringing the Amadeus Concert Ensemble to the cathedral on Sunday, Oct. 12, at 5:30 p.m. It promises to be an enjoyable way to hear Polish music and learn what music means in the Polish culture and how events like these can help the community grow. For more information and to claim a ticket, visit shcathedral.org/cathedral-concert-series/

The Diocese of Knoxville and the cathedral parish helped sponsor the Polish Heritage Festival and were thankful that people from around the diocese could learn more about the culture while experiencing songs, dancing, and delicious food.

“It brings people together—both Polish and non-Polish—and reminds us how faith, culture, and community can unite us in a beautiful way, no matter where we come from,” Mrs. Golec said.