June 17: The Pole's Pride

Welcome to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Today is June 17th, and our story is The Pole's Pride. Paul Peter Rode was only nine years old when he arrived in the United States. He came with his mother, Christina, who had been widowed years before in their native Poland. Like countless other Poles who came to America in the late 19th century, Christina and her son settled in Chicago. There, while still a boy, Paul heard the call to the priesthood. He attended minor seminary in Kentucky, then returned to Chicago to study with the Jesuits at St.

Ignatius College, today's Loyola University. He completed his theological studies in Wisconsin and was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Chicago on June 17, 1894. Two years later, at only 25, Rode became the first pastor of Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Chicago's McKinley Park.

Like many parishes built by Polish immigrants in the major metropolitan centers of the Midwest, the church was an imposing structure, a marvel not only for its size, but also for the poor immigrants' ability to finance such a church. Already proud of their parish, those same Polish Americans grew even prouder on July 29, 1908, when 37-year-old Father Rode was consecrated an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Chicago.

He was the first Polish-American bishop in the country. Polish-Americans grew prouder still in 1915, when Bishop Road became the Bishop of Green Bay, Wisconsin, a sea he would shepherd for 30 years. When Bishop Rode died in 1945, at the age of 73, he left behind a legacy of 10 new parishes, 19 Catholic schools, and the diocese's first office of Catholic charities.

Bishop Rhodes' deep connection to his people allowed him to translate faith into tangible support, churches, schools, and charitable works, building not only institutions, but identity and pride. Today, identify a community need you can support, or a way to mentor someone within your community.

Thank you for listening to the American Catholic Daily Reader Podcast. Join us tomorrow, June 18th, for another story of faith and courage in America.