News

Polish Association of the Order celebrates 100 years

A presence which goes back centuries

Warsaw, 20 February 2020

Since its foundation in 1920 – and with a history which traces the Order’s presence in Poland since the 12th century – members have been very active in their mission to help the poor and the sick.

Young volunteers at Polish youth camp

Works today

The Polish Association is celebrating its 100 years with a focus on current activities – a hospital in Barczewo, outpatient clinic in Poznan, help centre for children in Krakow, 70 camps per year for the disabled. The Association has 1000 volunteers, regularly cares for 1600 people every year, plus 6000 occasionally.

The twentieth century

Its recent twentieth century history: after the outbreak of World War II in 1939 an ad hoc Military Hospital managed by the Association was established in Warsaw to treat victims of the Nazi bombings. The Hospital cared for around 15,000 injured and sick people, with nearly 500 volunteer staff working in very difficult conditions in the facility, which was called the “Hospital of the Polish underground”. The Hospital doctors also opened a clinic for the Jewish population who were deprived of medical care due to the restrictive Nazi regulations.

After the war, Poland came under the occupation of the Soviet Union and the medical activity of the Association was banned. The Polish Association remained active in exile – mainly in Rome and London – and its activities were resumed in Warsaw on October 14, 1992.