On October 30-31, 2021, members and friends of the John Paul II Foundation from the east coast of the United States participated in a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The purpose of the meeting was to commemorate the 43rd anniversary of the election of Cardinal Karol Wojtyla as the successor of St. Peter, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of St. John Paul II (a year later, because all celebrations in 2020 were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the John Paul II Foundation. The meeting began on Saturday, October 30, with a solemn banquet attended by the presidents of the John Paul II Foundation Chapters: Mieczysław Pająk from New York, Mieczysław Boksz from New Jersey, Barbara Pyśk from New England, Marianna Eckel from Washington, Ryszard Krzyżanowski from Philadelphia. People who have contributed to the development of the organization were also invited. This group included: Mary Witkowska-Flanagan, Teresa Romanowska, Cecilia and Raymond Glembocki (printed and promoted educational materials and programs of the heritage of St. John Paul II), Michael Blichasz and Monsignor Anthony Czarnecki, a distinguished member of the Administrative Board of the JPII Foundation. The meeting was honored by the presence of the bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, Witold Mroziewski. The Provincial of the Pauline Order, Father Tadeusz Lizińczyk, was also present. The Polish-Slavic Federal Credit Union was represented by President Bogdan Chmielowski, who donated a check for the sum of five thousand dollars for the development of the John Paul II Foundation. Numerous members and supporters of the Foundation came. From Rome, the Administrator of the John Paul II Foundation, Father Krzysztof Wieliczko, came to the meeting. Fr. Krzysztof gave to the participants of the meeting a blessing from the Holy Father Francis and read a letter from Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko, Chairman of the Administrative Council of the John Paul II Foundation. Cardinal Ryłko wrote in his letter, among other things: “Dear friends, the joy of the jubilee of the Great John Paul II has not yet had time to resound fully, and we are already entering the time of celebrating the anniversary of the John Paul II Foundation. It was created by the will of the Pope himself on October 16, 1981. The goals of the Foundation include: scholarship awards which supports students; the Center for Documentation and Pontificate of John Paul II which collects valuable materials and publications, the Pielgrzym Home on Via Cassia, which was also dedicated 40 years ago. Thanks to your generosity those goals can be carried for so many years. It is an expression of a sense of responsibility for the content of our Foundation and its fate. May this meeting on the east coast of the United States be a thanksgiving time for 40 years of our Foundation, and at the same time a request for the further blessing of Almighty God for the next years of development of this heritage that our founder John Paul II the Great left for us. I bless you from the heart.”
During the banquet, the “Fidelity to Legacy of Saint John Paul II” award was presented for dedicated and selfless activity for the Foundation. The award was presented to Mary Witkowska Flanagan from Washington D.C. She was the main secretary of the committee that collected money to fund the Polish Home in Rome at Via Cassia. The Home still serves pilgrims and is a place of documentation of the pontificate of St. John Paul II. Together with Władysław Zachariasiewicz, she founded the John Paul II Foundation Chapter in Washington DC. Mary Witkowska Flanagan received the St. Sylvester award from John Paul II.
Then, there was another solemn moment. The presidents of the Foundation’s Chapters and people of merit for the Foundation and guests of honor were presented with American flags that flew over the Capitol on the 100th anniversary of the birth of St. John Paul II. The flags were presented along with a diploma to: Bishop Witold Mroziewski, Father Tadeusz Lizińczyk, Michael Blichasz, Director of the Polish Cultural Center in Philadelphia, Bogdan Chmielewski, Director of PSUK and Presidents of the John Paul II Foundation Chapters: Marianna Eckel, Barbara Pyśk, Mieczysław Boksz, Ryszard Krzyżanowski, Mieczysław Pająk. Those who received it have the mission of displaying the flag during important celebrations related to St. John Paul II.
At the end of the banquet, Bishop Witold Mroziewski shared his reflections on the Foundation. He said that as a graduate of the Catholic University of Lublin, he had a chance to meet scholarship recipients of the John Paul II Foundation, who bore witness to their faith and are followed the path of their Catholic education. He added that supporting the education of young people at Catholic universities is very important. He has been personally associated with the New York Foundation Chapter for 25 years. He concluded: “I know what it means to be a member of the Foundation, to participate in its life. This life fills us with joy, gives us power and strength. It is good to be in the Foundation and it is good to be part of this Foundation.” At the end of the meeting, Father Krzysztof Wieliczko blessed all the participants of the meeting and invited them to pray together in the Chapel of the Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Czestochowa. In front of the Miraculous Image the Jasna Góra Appeal was sung and then Bishop Witold Mroziewski blessed all participants.
On the second day of the meeting the Administrator of the Foundation, Father Krzysztof Wieliczko discussed current matters related to the activities of the organization. He mentioned the peregrination of the Triptychs to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of St. John Paul II. He talked about the activities of the Chapters in Mexico and Indonesia and updated us on the scholarship recipients’ current status. This year, one hundred and forty-six scholarship recipients are studying at the Catholic University of Lublin and the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow. Subsequently, the Presidents of individual Chapters submitted reports on their activities. In many statements there was a concern for the preservation of the spiritual heritage of the Polish Pope. Everyone agreed on the continuation of the scholarship program for young people from Eastern Europe and Asia. Ryszard Krzyżanowski, President of the Philadelphia Chapter said that on his initiative and with his financial support, a perpetual fund was created to educate young people at Catholic universities. All initiatives, goals, further development of the Foundation depend on the financial and spiritual support of the members of the Foundation.
The meeting ended with a Holy Mass, which was celebrated in the Chapel of the Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Czestochowa in the intention of all friends of the Foundation. Bishop Witold Mroziewski together with Monsignor Anthony Czarnecki and Father Krzysztof Wieliczko celebrated the Holy Mass. In his homily, the bishop, referring to the activities of the Foundation and in beautiful words, said: “The John Paul II Foundation was established on October 16, 1981, that is, 40 years ago. It is, we can say, a precious pearl that finds beauty and reflects it in people; in those who create the Foundation and in those who benefit from its benefits. For 40 years, thousands of young people, capable and open to spiritual heritage, have undergone intellectual and spiritual formation to become leaders of an order based on the commandment to love God and neighbor. It is thanks to the commitment of you present here and the many who join us in prayer that the veneration and devotion to our Great Compatriot, St. John Paul II, are always alive in the other man who is and will be the future of the Church and the world. Therefore, we are to continue this beautiful work, so that, as St. John Paul II emphasized: “Not only with words, but above all with a specific lifestyle, a testimony of a free heart and a creative mind, we can show that Christ is our joy and happiness. Thus, it is necessary to avoid more often today a situation in which faith does not penetrate into life, life is separated from faith.” It is all of you who show this harmony of life by being part of the John Paul II Foundation. May the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of his birth, the 43rd anniversary of the election of Cardinal Wojtyła to the See of Peter and the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Foundation named after our Pope be filled with joyful service to others for the multiplication of God’s glory for the benefit of all the faithful in the One, Holy, Universal and Apostolic Church.”
Natalia Prajzner, Lidia Wiśniewska, Maria Zdunek and organist Paweł Raczkowski enriched the liturgy with singing and music. After the blessing of Bishop Witold Mroziewski there were words of thanks for participation in the meeting delivered by Father Krzysztof Wieliczko and Monsignor Anthony Czarnecki. The time has come to say goodbye. We parted in a joyful mood that after a year of the pandemic we were able to meet in such a large group and continue our activities for the Foundation. We hope that similar meetings will be organized in the coming years for the benefit of the Foundation and all of us involved in its activities. Or maybe it is worth extending such meetings to other Chapters of the Foundation operating in the United States? To sum up: we had the opportunity to get to know each other better, confront and summarize the activities of our Chapters, but above all to set goals for the future for the further development of the John Paul II Foundation, to pass on our common achievements and the spiritual heritage of our Polish Pope to the next generations.
Zofia Twarowska
