Polish emigration to Australia has rapidly increased after the second world war. Then it became necessary for Polish clergy to take a priestly care of coming emigrants. Capouchin father Kasjan Wolak was a person of greatest importance in this respect. In years 1954-1973 he was working among Poles in Canberra and Brisbane, where he were a parish-priest of an Australian parish at Bowen Hills and also founded a Polish Ministry Center. The main task of his ministration, however, was to make Polish emigrants not to lose their Catholic faith, Polish character and their unity. Alongside with his ministerial activity father Kasjan Wolak also carried on welfare work. He founded a Polish Catholic Committee, initiated the rise of Polish Girl Circle (Kolo Dziewczęcia Polskiego). He also acted as a patron and a protector to various organizations uniting both grown up and young Polish emigrants. Moreover, he worked in the field of education and upbringing, he initiated the rise of Polish school at Bowen Hills, he also patronized Polish scouts organization. Father Kasjan inspired and then was an editor-in-chief of a monthly „Catholic Review” („Przegląd Katolicki”) (1968-1973). In years 1959-1969 he edited a directory entitled „Priestly Communication” („Komunikat Duszpasterski”). He also organized and for many years conducted „Wawel” a Polish choir, took care of Polish cultural organizations. He was honoured with two golden medals and a special favouring letter from cardinal S. Wyszyński for his outstanding activity among Polish emigrants in Australia.
The subject of the article is the educational work of Honorat Jedliński, a priest from the order of the Capuchin Fathers among Polish emigrants in Brasil. It lasted for 5 years (1901-1906) and it covered the central and eastern part of Rio Grande do Sul state. About 30 000 Poles lived there in that time. The living conditions of Polish emigrants were bad. They mostly came from poor peasants families and from country proletariat. In these circles illiteracy was common, and striving to reach a certain fevel of material conditions blinded the people to the necessity of spendings on education of children and youths. Before Father Honorat arrived in Rio Grande do Sul, there were only a few elementary schools there. As a result of his hard work after his arrival in Brasil, 25 elementary schools were established, and a secondary school in Alfredo Chaves, whose purpose was to educate future teachers, and possibly aspirants to priesthood. At the same time Father Honorat organized courses to give teachers additional training, inspected schools, and imported books from Curitiba and Poland. Owing to Father Honorat Jedlinski's work in the field of education in the first decade of 20th century, Polish schools in Rio Grande do Sul state had the best record in whole Brasil, both with respect to the amount of schools and the level of instruction.