A few days after the liturgical remembrance of St. John Paul II, on October 25, 2020, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth, the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Gallardon, Eure et Loir, organized a special day for John Paul II. Christiane Tomkiewicz and Monique Valois represented the French Chapter of the John Paul II Foundation.
The solemn Mass in honor of St. John Paul II was celebrated by JE Philippe Christory, Bishop of Chartres, along with Pastor Fr. Dominique Aubert and Deacon Antoine. The holy Mass was enriched by a parish choir and a sanctuary organist. Numerous faithful who gathered for the holy Mass were wearing masks and filled this large church.
At the end of the Mass in the Chapel of Mercy, Bishop CHRISTORY and Father AUBERT unveiled a reliquary containing the cassock of our dear Saint John Paul II. It was donated by Cardinal Stanislaw DZIWISZ, Personal Secretary of John Paul II, later Metropolitan of Kraków. This cassock (one of the daily white cassocks) used and repaired, worn a few years ago by John Paul II, touched us a lot.
In the chapel next to the shrine there are three relics of saints: St. Pope, St. Faustina and St. Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr, patron saint of Poland. In the world, it is probably the only relic of St. Stanislaus located outside Krakow.
To make this day very special, Pastor Dominique AUBERT along with Pierre SOKOL, the devoted secular initiator of the day, organized an exhibition. The John Paul II exhibition was located in the Church of Saint Symphorien-le-Château, 6 km from Gallardon.
In the church on one side there were 12 panels depicting the life of John Paul II, which were borrowed from the French Chapter of the John Paul II Foundation, as well as a new panel, which was created on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Karol Wojtyła representing John Paul II from Bellotti’s lithography. On the other side a wonderful and interesting exhibition of the sculptor Czesław DZWIGAJ was presented. This exhibition consisted of 8 bronze sculptures depicting St. John Paul II which were borrowed by the Vice-Rector of the Polish Catholic Mission in France, Fr. Prelate Krystian GAWRON.
A beautiful slideshow about John Paul II was displayed on the big screen. Many people sat down and watched beautiful pictures with emotions. Many of the pictures evoked memories of meeting or seeing John Paul II. A nice barbecue organized by volunteers, allowed participants to have a meal. A team of scouts grilled Polish sausages and prepared delicious hot dogs.
At 3 p.m. in a small chapel in front of the relics of St. John Paul II placed in a beautiful reliquary a moving Rosary to Divine Mercy was prayed. It was a very beautiful day, which allowed all participants to happily immerse themselves in the memories of St. John Paul II.
Christiane Tomkiewicz
Photos: Jérémy Bouchot – Christiane Tomkiewicz
