A brief history of the Western Diocese

The motto of the Western Diocese is Prowadź Nas Panie, Lead Us Lord.

The history of the Western Diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC) has its beginnings officially with the creation of the Western Diocese by Prime Bishop Franciszek Hodur and the assignment of Bishop Leon Grochowski as the Diocesan Bishop in 1925. However, the foundations of the diocese were first formulated by independent parishes of the Polish Catholic Church organized under the leadership of Bishop Anthony Kozlowski.

After the death of Bishop Kozlowski in 1907, the independent parishes of the Polish Catholic Church came under the jurisdiction of Most Rev. Franciszek Hodur through affiliation with the Polish National Catholic Church.

Initially, the Polish Catholic Church and the Polish National Catholic Church were comprised of Polish immigrants who came to the United States in search of a better life. These hardworking people settled in those places where they could find work. Through the years those immigrants settled in coal mining, urban/industrial, and agricultural areas of the Midwest, and even in the logging areas of the far Northwest. As the country changed, so did the Church with new growth among immigrant communities and a diversification of its membership. The Western Diocese and its parishes have grown to meet the need of all people seeking a relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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Our Past Bishops

Short biographies of past bishops of the Western Diocese.

Bishop Franciszek Hodur

The organizer of the Polish National Catholic Church.

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