A Roman Catholic Polish mission at 1735 Grand Ave in the 92109 ZIP code, St. Maximillian Kolbe Polish Church has anchored the Polish-American community in San Diego since its founding in 1971. Bishop Leo Maher granted the original request for a Polish-language Mass that year, and the current church building was constructed in 1995 on its Pacific Beach site. The parish is named for St. Maximilian Kolbe, the Franciscan friar and World War II martyr who sheltered refugees—including approximately 2,000 Jewish people—before voluntarily giving his life at Auschwitz in place of a fellow prisoner. The church shares the Grand Avenue corridor with a wide mix of Pacific Beach businesses, including Cafe Athena, another locally rooted establishment a few blocks east. Mass is celebrated in Polish on Fridays at 7:00 PM, Saturdays at 6:00 PM, and Sundays at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM, preserving the language and liturgical traditions that many parishioners carried with them from Poland during the Solidarity-era emigration. Each October, the parish hosts the San Diego Polish Festival, a three-day celebration running since 2009 that fills the 1700 block of Grand Avenue with Polish folk dancers, live music, homemade cuisine, and imported Polish beer. Parishioners and visitors looking for additional spiritual community nearby can find St Brigid Parish just a short distance away. The event has become one of the most popular ethnic festivals in the Pacific Beach area and draws visitors from across San Diego and beyond.