On Saturday, 21 June, the annual “Summer Fête” picnic was held in the gardens of the Brompton Oratory Catholic Church in London. The Polish stall, organised for several years by the British Poles media, was a great success, attracting crowds eager to taste our excellent traditional products.
Once a year, the church opens its gardens to welcome the Catholic community for a picnic. The goal is to strengthen the community and raise funds for the church’s upkeep. The garden fills with stalls selling food, drinks, books, jewellery—anything that can help fulfil the charitable mission of the event.
The picnic always attracts key figures from the worlds of politics and culture, mostly from London. It is an exclusive event, and only trusted individuals from the Catholic circles in London are allowed to host a stall. The Oratorians have welcomed our Polish representation for several years now.
The Brompton Oratory, a stunning neoclassical Roman Catholic church dedicated to St. Philip Neri, is located in South Kensington. Construction began in 1878, with its striking dome completed in 1896 in a flamboyant Baroque style.
The church has been well-known to the Polish community since World War II. After the war, tens of thousands of soldiers did not return to occupied Poland, fearing persecution.
South Kensington was then the heart of Polish life, hosting Polish community organisations, the Polish government offices, the White Eagle Club, the Ognisko Polskie Club, the Airmen’s Club, the Veterans’ Club, the “Dziennik Polski” newspaper office, the Polish Institute, and the Sikorski Museum, as well as some of London’s oldest Polish restaurants like Daquise and Ognisko (where General Władysław Anders had his favourite table). These were meeting points for Polish emigrants. The Brompton Oratory held a significant place on this list. Thanks to excellent co-operation with the Oratorian fathers, from 1945 to 1962, a Polish Mass was held every Sunday at 1pm. In 1962, the Polish Catholic Mission established its own parish, St. Andrew Bobola, in Hammersmith.
Since the picnic serves a charitable purpose, numerous sponsors responded to our call to participate. Łowiczanka Restaurant at POSK generously provided apple pie and cheesecake, which tasted just like homemade! Polish Village Bread donated doughnuts and sweet rolls that were a big hit with children—and adults too! We also received a donation from Top Spirits, who supplied a wide variety of Polish beers, with queues forming almost constantly. New to the British market Ferment Fizz pickled fruit lemonades—perfectly refreshing on a hot day—also drew great interest.
Our stall looked impressive, with beautifully arranged Polish products. We decorated it with the Polish flag, making it easy for anyone entering the garden to spot and identify us instantly.
Sales were a huge success, and our charitable collection surpassed the results of previous years. No surprise—Brits have long known and appreciated the taste of Polish food.
Many Poles visited us, including HE Professor Piotr Wilczek, Polish Ambassador, former Kensington and Chelsea MP Felicity Buchan, Councillor Janet Evans, representatives of the Polish Catholic Mission—Chancellor Father Artur Strzępka and Father Marek Gałuszka, parish priest of Christ the King Church in Balham—and many friends.
The youngest visitor, Fryderyk, was just three weeks old!
The Polish community in London is closely tied to Brompton Oratory. Almost everyone knows someone who was baptised there, took First Communion, or got married there. Many Poles still attend the Latin Mass, held every Sunday at 11:00 a.m
The Oratorian Fathers repeatedly came over to express their delight at the success of our stand, which truly captured the hearts of the visitors. It is satisfying to be able to fulfil the picnic’s charitable mission in this way.
All proceeds from the sales were donated to the church. We wholeheartedly thank all our sponsors for such an outstanding promotion of Poland among the British public.
See you next year!
Maria Byczynski
Photos: British Poles
