On Sunday, November 7, a solemn Mass was celebrated by Cardinal Stanisław Rylko on the 40th anniversary of the blessing of the Polish House on Via Cassia by the Holy Father John Paul II. Together with Cardinal Rylko Holy Mass celebrated: Rev. Łukasz Kotarba, director of the Polish Home. Fr. Krzysztof Wieliczko, administrator of the JPII Foundation, Fr. Robert Ptak, vice director of the JPII House in Lublin and invited priests from Rome. In the solemn Mass participated the Polish Ambassador to the Holy See Janusz Kotański and representatives from Germany and Poland and numerous Poles living in Italy.
His Eminence Cardinal Ryłko, welcoming the participants, said: “We have gathered today in front of the Lord’s altar in the chapel of the Polish House, to thank God in this Eucharist for the gift of this House, on the 40th anniversary of its inauguration by St. John Paul II. We wish to extend our prayer to all our countrymen scattered all over the world who made it possible to buy this House with their sacrifice and later presented it to the Holy Father; we thank God for those who managed this House and the institutions located in it; thank you for all the good that has been done here for 40 years. It is truly a living statue of St. John Paul II in Rome, whose role – over the years – does not diminish, but continues to grow”.
In the homily Cardinal Ryłko mentioned that exactly 40 years ago, John Paul II met at the special audience with representatives of the Polish diaspora to thank for the gift of the Polish House in Rome, purchased from the donations of Poles scattered around the world. He also quoted the Pope’s words: “it is a gift of the hearts of many, a gift of Polish men and Polish women, a gift of friends from other nationalities who wanted to participate in this initiative”. Then, Cardinal Ryłko mentioned that special committees were set up in 25 countries to buy the House, collecting the funds, which later turned into the JPII Foundation’s Chapters which operate to this day.
At the end, Cardinal Ryłko noted that “The Polish House and the John Paul II Foundation are closely related, and they can fulfill their mission thanks to the generosity of many countrymen from around the world, as well as people of other nationalities, in whose life John Paul II played and still plays a big role, for example in Indonesia, Singapore, Mexico. Today, we express our gratitude to all of them and say: God bless you for every gift of your heart. On the 40th anniversary of the inauguration of this House, invoking the intercession of our great Patron, we look to the future with confidence that despite the constantly raging pandemic, hope always prevails, because there is no lack of good people ready to support the legacy of St. John Paul II “.
After the closing prayer, the letter of Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz was read on the Jubilee of the 40th anniversary of the dedication of the Polish House on via Cassia 1200 in Rome. Father Krzysztof Wieliczko, administrator of the JPII Foundation thanked His Eminence Cardinal Ryłko for the celebrating of the Holy Mass and his homily, and to all priests, religious sisters and gathered participants for their presence and prayers. Fr. Wieliczko on behalf of Rev. Łukasz Kotarba invited all participants to the reception.
Foto: Grzegorz Gałązka
