Polish Community

Resources and oral histories regarding the Polish community in Cape Breton.


Polish Dance
Polish Dance
The Pogoria Polish Folk Ensemble was founded in 2003 by director Shari McKay. The dance troupe holds practice and performs at St. Michael's Society Hall (the Polish Village). The Pomorze Polish Folk Dance Ensemble of Halifax, which started in 1983, has also participated several times in St. Mary's Polish Parish events throughout the years.
St. Mary's Polish Church
St. Mary's Polish Church
The church was first opened as a covered basement, but was completed in 1918 in a modified Gothic style, modelled on a Polish church in Quebec. Home of the Pogoria Polish Folk Ensemble and originally the foundation of St. Michael’s Polish Benefit Society before the church was constructed, the Parish Church of the Nativity of St. Mary is provincially registered under the Heritage Property Act, and the only designated site recognizing Polish Nova Scotians. The church was destroyed by fire on November 29, 2014. Plans to rebuild were announced on May 3, 2015.
St. Michael's Society Hall Polish Village
St. Michael's Society Hall Polish Village
St. Michael’s Polish Benefit Society was formed in 1909 and is believed to be the oldest continuously operating Polish service organization in Canada. The building was built in 1950 at 972 Victoria Rd. in Whitney Pier. St. Michael's Society Hall is also known as the Polish Village, or Polonia.