I remember the Holy Father once winking at me and then smiling, watching how I reacted to it. He knew very well that these gestures relaxed the atmosphere. Father Lewandowicz mentions that everything was so simple. Right from the doorstep. We drove to the first floor where the Holy Father lived. Then, we waited for a while in the room by the refectory. The Holy Father usually prayed in the chapel. Then, he came to the refectory. Father Lewandowicz remembers well where he sat. He had a permanent place. On the right side of Cardinal Deskur. Cardinal Deskur sat opposite the Holy Father. When I ask about the menu, he talks about small stuffed chicks. What they were stuffed with – he does not remember. But, he remembers that they were very small, smaller even than quails. And, delicious. Desserts were also great. The sisters cooked and baked well. I witnessed the situation (…). The Holy Father drew a circle on the tablecloth when he asked for a cake. And, he looked significantly. With a smile. The sisters knew what was going on. But, if I remember correctly, they did not always fulfill his wish.
Father Lewandowicz recalls the great memory of John Paul II. And, his questions about specific priests, specific professors from Łódź. He also mentions Papal jokes at the table. Once the Holy Father joked about my young age – he says. “The young rector – he said – but apparently, he has something to say.” Lewandowicz was thirty-six years old when he became the rector of the seminary in Łódź. He says that something unusual for him were these name day dinners in the Papal apartments. He understands them as an expression of John Paul II’s great sympathy for Archbishop Mokrzycki. But, also as a response to John Paul II’s sympathy for people. The Holy Father simply loved people. He never ate alone. He invited us to pray together, to his morning Masses. He loved people. And, he wanted to be around people. He also wanted to share this joyful Christmas and New Years’ time with them – he says.
With the consent of Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki – “Place for everyone”
Znak Publishing House, Kraków 2013
