One of Pacific Beach’s signature events, the annual Polish Festival at St. Maximilian Kolbe Roman Catholic Church, will be Friday and Saturday, Oct. 9 and 10 at 1735 Grand Ave.
This is the 20th anniversary for the colorful Polish Festival, an annual fundraiser for St. Maximilian, which is a tribute to Polish heritage, culture and cuisine. One of the area’s most popular ethnic festivals, the event features Polish song, dance and food. It attracts people from all over San Diego, as well as international visitors who want to get a taste of what Poland is all about.
“This annual fundraising event – already our 20th – is one of the most popular ethnic festivals in the Pacific Beach area,” said Bogdan Maziarz, head of the festival’s organizing committee.
“For those who want to learn more about our mission and also join in prayer, daily mass and tours of the church will be offered. The church building was recently renovated and features magnificent stained-glass windows portraying patrons of the Mission. Veneration of the relics of St. John Paul II, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Sister Faustina, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, St. Padre Pio and other saints will also be offered.”
On the menu will be traditional Polish fare: pierogies (dumplings stuffed with sauerkraut or potato and cheese), golabki (meat-stuffed cabbage rolls), bigos (Hunter’s stew), potato pancakes and grilled kielbasa (Polish sausage), which are all worth the turnout. The festival menu is rounded out by Polish pastries and soft drinks, coffee and tea. There is also a beer garden for ages 21 and up, which will feature well-known Polish beers like Zywiec, Okocim, Tatra and Warka.
Event entertainers will include Polish folk-dance groups Polonez from San Diego and Krakusky from Los Angeles, 224 Kosciuszko Polka Band and Il Giardino d’Amore baroque chamber orchestra from Vienna. There will also be a polka band and a DJ entertaining festival guests.
St. Maximilian was built in 1995 in Pacific Beach to serve the Polish community, a large number of whom who emigrated from their native land during the Solidarity labor-union movement of the 1990s.
The church is named for St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Franciscan friar and World War II-era hero who voluntarily sacrificed himself in the place of a stranger at the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp.
Kolbe provided shelter to refugees from Greater Poland, including 2,000 Jews, whom he hid from Nazi persecution in his friary until he was arrested by the German Gestapo and imprisoned. While imprisoned, Kolbe volunteered to take the place of a man condemned to be starved to death. In his cell, Kolbe led men in songs and prayer. After three weeks of dehydration and starvation, only he and three others were still alive. He was murdered with an injection of carbolic acid.
For those who want to learn more about the church and also join in prayer, Holy Mass and tours of the church will be offered. Veneration of the relics of St. John Paul II, St. Sister Faustina, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, St. Padre Pio and other Saints will also be offered.
All proceeds from the fundraiser will go towards supporting the parish, whose main goal is the continued renovation of St. Maximilian Kolbe Roman Catholic Church.
For more information and details visit www.polishmission.org or call 760-207-9734.