Triptych went to the faithful
On the Divine Mercy Sunday, April 11, 2021, a large group of faithful came to the Holy Cross Church in Maspeth, NY to participate in a unique event. At the end of the Mass, Bishop Witold Mroziewski dedicated a triptych commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Polish Pope, Saint John Paul II.
Faith unites us
At 3 p.m., the faithful gathered for a joint prayer. They prayed “Divine Mercy Chaplet” along with the Pastor, Bishop Witold Mroziewski, Parish administrator Father Andrzej Salwowski and Vicar Daniel Rajski. After the prayer, Bishop Mroziewski began the celebration of a special Mass. In front of the main altar, on the right side, on a small altar, there was a triptych. It consists of three beautiful paintings: Saint John Paul II (left), Our Lady of Częstochowa (center), and Saint Faustina. Faustina Kowalska was a Polish mystic who found Jesus in her heart. On April 30, 2000, she was canonized by Pope John Paul II. Then the Pope established the feast of Divine Mercy.
– Faith unites us- Bishop Witold Mroziewski said during the sermon. We touch this faith through the divine heart, through the mercy of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Saint John Paul II taught us this faith. He told us to be filled by it, so we could look for divine love and experience the solace of our pain, our suffering in it. (…) Today, we recall Saint Sister Faustina, who entrusted her life to the merciful Christ and made his mercy famous throughout the world. Today, in our church, a triptych dedicated to the divine Saints begins its journey. It will travel under the supervision and mantle of Our Lady of Częstochowa, from community to community, from parish to parish, to ask for God’s mercy – through the intercession of Saint John Paul II and sister Faustina. May this mercy be experienced by as many believers as possible during this pandemic, which teaches us how to face an unknown reality, how not to doubt, how to protect ourselves and others from this terrible, deadly, disease. We trust that Merciful Jesus will give us strength and faith through the intercession of our Polish Saints – Saint Faustina and Saint John Paul II. This triptych today we dedicate to God’s glory and to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of John Paul II – emphasized Bishop Witold Mroziewski. Before the blessing, the bishop invited members of the John Paul II Foundation Chapter to come to the altar where the triptych was located. He expressed gratitude to Dariusz Knapik for sponsoring and donating this triptych. Then, Bishop Mroziewski blessed the triptych. And, at the end photographs were taken to document this occasion.
Dariusz Knapik: triptych is a gift of heart!
The donor and initiator revealed how the idea of this unique triptych originated
– Two years ago I was at the Vatican and I spoke with Father Krzysztof Wieliczko, who is the Administrator of the John Paul II Foundation. We talked about various events to celebrate with dignity the 100th anniversary of John Paul II birthday – said Dariusz Knapik, a member of the John Paul II Foundation Chapter in New York. – We started by producing a coin dedicated to the Polish Pope. A great commitment was provided by Mieczysław Pająk, the president of the John Paul II Foundation, New York Chapter. These coins are still available for purchase at various places. During this meeting I learned that the anniversary triptych was made in Białystok. Father Wieliczko worked on this. He presented photographs of the triptych to the people who were attending the meeting. It inspired me a lot to go down this path. With a group of friends, we decided to create a similar triptych for us, parishioners in Polish churches in the USA. All paintings were made in Poland by the artist Bogusław Onsowicz in his studio “Bog-Art” in the village of Oleszna Podgórska, in the municipality of Lubomierz, in the Lower Silesia province. This is a friend of mine from the school years. He is a great creator of wonderful icons, which he paints on lime boards. His works, which he donates, adorn many churches in Poland and abroad. Many of his works can be viewed on the website http://onsowicz.netgaleria.pl.
Bogusław Onsowicz painted these three icons, which are in the triptych. My fellow carpenter made wooden frames, and the rest was done by employees of my company Victoria Consulting & Development LLC in Greenpoint. No one took any compensation for their work. It is a gift flowing from my heart, but also from other hearts – added Dariusz Knapik.
Dariusz Knapik also revealed that he and a group of friends are preparing another triptych, which will travel through … Mexico. For that reason it will have an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. John Paul II and Sister Faustina. The icons are ready, but the triptych will be made with a different technique, so it takes time.
Closer to St. John Paul II
On May 18, 2020 was the 100th anniversary of the birth of St. John Paul II. Due to the pandemic, the celebrations of this anniversary were moved to a later period. This year, still we will not be able to commemorate this anniversary. The official celebration of this beautiful anniversary was to take place in Rome, Poland, but also in the United States, which Pope John Paul II visited 7 times.
This year we will pay tribute to John Paul II in a different way than planned. In Polish communities in the United States, as well as in others, there will be a peregrination of a triptych dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of St. John Paul II. Such triptychs are already peregrinating in Canada, the Chicago metropolitan area, and on the west coast of the United States. On the Divine Mercy Sunday, the triptych began peregrination on the east coast.
In each parish the triptych will stay for at least 9 days. Every day a novena to St. John Paul II will be prayed on that parish.
Every two weeks this triptych – according to the plans – will be transported to another place, to another parish, community. This idea was born in the John Paul II Foundation in Rome, chaired by Cardinal Stanislaw Ryłko.
JANUSZ M. SZLECHTA/NOWY DZIENNIK
