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In 1870, for example, Poles had established 17 Roman Catholic churches in the United States. By 1910, there were more than 500 such Polish Roman Catholic churches. A 45 The rapid growth of Polish Catholic churches led to conflict between Poles and other Catholic immigrant groups, primarily the Irish. By the early 1900s, Irish Americans were beginning to move into the middle class of American society. As a result, they had greater influence in the selection of religious leaders for all American Catholics, including the Poles.

A Polish rabbi, or Jewish religious leader, was photographed in the late 1860s or early 1870s in Krakow, Poland. Religion in Immigrant Life lthough neighborhood markets and Polish assistance organizations were important elements of immigrant life, the Roman Catholic faith was the center of the Polish community. Immigrants were quick to establish churches virtually everywhere they settled. As the population of Polish immigrants continued to grow, the number of churches did as well. In 1870, for example, Poles had established 17 Roman Catholic churches in the United States.

Yet fewer than onetenth of Polish immigrants in the peak years of immigration were able to become farmers once they reached the United States. Farming required large amounts of land, which poor Polish immigrants could not afford to buy. Some German Poles did settle in farming areas of the Midwest, mostly in Minnesota and Wisconsin. A few Poles arriving at the start of the 20th century settled in farming areas of eastern Long Island, New York, and in the Connecticut River valley region of New England.