The peregrination of the Triptych commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of our Great Compatriot, St. John Paul II began on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 11, 2021 and is still continuing in the year 2022.
Members of the John Paul II Foundation New York Chapter were direct witnesses of the dedication of the Triptych. The triptych was blessed by Bishop Witold Mroziewski during a special Holy Mass celebrated in the Church of the Holy Cross in Maspeth, Queens.
In each parish, the visitation of Triptych last for nine days, during which the novena to St. John Paul II is prayed. On this occasion, a special prayer book was issued and distributed by members of the board of the New York Chapter.
The triptych commemorating the 100th anniversary of St. John Paul II birth began the peregrination in the Church of the Holy Cross in Maspeth. On Sunday, April 25, 2021, it was exhibited at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan during a Mass commemorating the seventh anniversary of the canonization of St. John Paul II. It was then transferred to the Polish-American parish of St. Matthias in Ridgewood, Queens. During the following months, the Triptych visited the following Polish parishes in Brooklyn: Our Lady of Czestochowa, St. Casimir, St. Rose of Lima and the parish of St. Francis de Chantal. The Triptych also visited Greenpoint in Polish parishes: St. Stanislaus Kostka and Saints Cyril and Methodius. The American parishes of Our Lady of Hope in Middle Village and the Guardian of Angel in Brooklyn also prayed in front of the Triptych. Bishop Witold Mroziewski is the coordinator of the Triptych peregrination in the parishes.
The founder of the Triptych is Dariusz Knapik, a long-time member of the New York Foundation Chapter, who together with a group of friends and employees of his own construction company Victoria Consulting & Development LLC, selflessly made the Triptych and gave it to the faithful. The author of the paintings painted on linden boards is Polish artist Bogusław Onsowicz. The gilded, decorative frames were designed and made by carpenter Mariusz Kusztykiewicz. “The Triptych is a gift that comes from my heart, but also from other hearts, those who participated in its creation,” said the founder.
May 18, 2020 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of St. John Paul II and anniversary celebrations were prepared for that year. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic announced at the beginning of March 2020, the celebrations and peregrination of the Triptych were postponed to 2021 and 2022.
Zofia Twarowska
