This year’s Papal Day was celebrated in Poland and Polish communities around the world on October 16, 2022 under the slogan “The Splendor of Truth”, and in our Mission, the day after the liturgical remembrance of St. John Paul II, which falls every year on October 22nd. The motto of the Papal Day was taken from the title of the encyclical written by our great compatriot. His election to the See of Peter and his entire pontificate was of great importance for our Homeland – Poland. Since then and the words “May your Spirit descend, may your Spirit descend and renew the face of the earth, this land” that the Holy Father said during his first pilgrimage to Poland, changes have begun in our society and in the souls of Poles. The hope that the Pope brought us resulted in the freedom that Poles oppressed by the totalitarian regime wanted so much.
Every year, for many years, in our parish community, Papal Day is a very important event. This year, during the Holy Masses, we were accompanied by the words – pearls – of St. John Paul II contained in a short multimedia presentation: One does not live, one does not love for trial… our prayer is to be humble… These words corresponded very well with the readings of the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, which touched on the theme of prayer. We made our requests through the intercession of St. John Paul II, remembering especially the painful situation of the Ukrainian people. Children present at “their” Holy Mass at 3 p.m. watched the Pope’s meeting with children, which took place in Warsaw on Żytnia Street, during the pilgrimage in 1991. In their homilies, the priests referred to the person of John Paul II, recalling his life and his words. After each Eucharist, the faithful were able to purchase books related to our compatriot, prayer books, DVDs, rosaries… there were also books for the youngest.
The faithful showed their hearts by making voluntary offerings for the work of the John Paul II Foundation in Rome. Each donor could receive the cd “John Paul II – man of God” as a souvenir of that day. We thank all our parishioners for co-creating this special event, prayer, and open hearts.
Sr. Malgorzata Depka
