From November 12 – 13, 2022, the Stockholm Chapter of the John Paul II Foundation celebrated its 30thanniversary. The ceremony was graced by Father Krzysztof Wieliczko OSPPE Administrator of the John Paul II Foundation in Rome who celebrated a Holy Mass on Saturday evening in the Chapel of Divine Mercy in Stockholm. After the Mass there was an intimate meeting of Chapter members with Father Krzysztof in the Quo Vadis Oratory.
Joining the solemn celebrations of the 104th anniversary of Poland’s regaining independence, a thanksgiving Holy Mass was celebrated on Sunday, November 13 at noon in the church of St. James. Also during the Holy Mass we prayed for the Stockholm Chapter of the John Paul II Foundation which 30 years ago was established at the celebrations of the National Day of November 11 by the Congress of Poles in Sweden. The Holy Mass was attended by representatives of the Polish authorities: Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the Kingdom of Sweden Mrs. Joanna Hofman, military attaché Colonel Adam Jaborski, director of the Polish Institute in Stockholm Mr. Paweł Ruszkiewicz and deputy director Mrs. Magdalena Poznańska, Mrs. Jolanta Halkiewicz and Mr. and Mrs. Krystyna and Jan Andrzejewscy, members of the Congress of Poles in Sweden and the Polish Aid Committee.
The Holy Mass began with the introduction by Father Krzysztof Wieliczko and priests of the Polish Catholic Mission, Fr. Marek Brożyn SDB and Fr. Włodzimierz Kruczkowski SDB, the banners of the SPK – Association of Polish Combatants, the Katarzyna Jagiellonka Polish School at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Stockholm and the banner of St. John Paul II carried by representatives of the Stockholm Chapter of the John Paul II Foundation: Mr. Tomek Pater, Lilla Kalińska, Anna Włodkowska, Angelika Kubasiak and Dorota Walko.
During the Holy Mass, Father Krzysztof delivered a beautiful homily referring to the history of Poland and above all the JPII Foundation in Rome, the JPII Foundation Chapter in Stockholm and the deep thoughts of our Polish Pope about his work which is the Foundation. Fr Krzysztof thanked the members and supporters of the Chapter for many years of efforts to materially support the Foundation and to preserve the memory of the Polish Pope, and for disseminating his teaching in Sweden. The Mass was graced with patriotic songs, but there was also the favorite song of the Holy Father “Barka”, sung by the choir of the Polish Catholic Mission led by Mr. Tomasz Siegrist. At the end of the Holy Mass, the President of the Chapter, Mrs. Bogusława Zaniewicz-Dybeck, and Vice-president Dorota Walko as a token of gratitude from the Chapter’s members presented to Father Krzysztof a spiritual gift in the form of a second Marguerite – an eternal prayer for Father Krzysztof under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of the Church and Saint John Paul II. The first such Marguerite was given to him by both ladies during the celebrations this year of the 40th anniversary of the JPII Foundation in Rome.
Immediately after the Holy Mass, delegates from the FJPII Stockholm Chapter consisting of Bogusława Zaniewicz-Dybeck – president, Dorota Walko – vice-president, Lilla Kalińska – secretary, members Teodozja Norman, Barbara Kantarius, Wiktor Kalinowski, Bożena Andersson, Lucyna Castillo Llano, Nicole Kalinowska, Adelia Walko, Aneta Jarzombek, from the Polish Institute – Paweł Ruszkiewicz, Magdalena Poznańska headed by Father Krzysztof Wieliczko went to the Apostolic Nunciature, where, after prayer and singing, flowers were laid at the St. John Paul II monument. The delegation was welcomed by the Secretary of the Nunciature Msgr. Giuseppe Commisso together with Fr Andrzej Żmuda.
After returning from the Nunciature, a ceremonial reception was held at the headquarters of OPON – the Center of Polish Independence Organizations in Stockholm, sponsored by, among others, Mr. Wiktor Kalinowski and the Polish Institute and members of the Chapter. The refreshments were prepared by Anna Włodkowska, Angelika Kubasik, Danuta Mykhyiliv, Renata Jakubanes, Zofia Dębska and Zuzanna Żelazna. A large group of members came, including the oldest members of the Chapter, such as Mrs. Jolanta Halkiewicz, Teodozja Norman, Irena Heydal, Barbara Kantarius, Lucyna Castillo Llano and Wiktor Kalinowski. Gratitude words were directed to Ms. Bogusława Zaniewicz-Dybeck for her 28 years of work as President of the Chapter. Ms. Zaniewicz-Dybeck enthusiastically shared her experience and knowledge of the history of the Stockholm Chapter and other JPII Chapters in Sweden, remembering in a special way Mr. Bożysław Kurowski, ours and their founder and promoter. There was no end to the conversations on ecclesiastical and spiritual topics interspersed with Father Wieliczko’s speech about the Foundation and the Chapter. He also recalled the recent Jubilee celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the JPII Foundation, which took place in Rome in September of this year. The culmination of this beautiful event was a surprise in the form of a cake made in the confectionery of Mrs. Marzena Rowicka in Stockholm with the image of St. John Paul II and his coat of arms.
God bless Father Krzysztof Wieliczko for his presence among us, for celebrating the Holy Mass on Saturday and Sunday, for the Word of God preached and for experiencing the moments together in the Quo Vadis Oratory and in the Center of Polish Independence Organizations. We wish you a lot of strength and God’s blessing for further activities and work for the Foundation. We would also like to thank all the people, supporters, members of the Chapter and organizations that contributed to the celebration of the 30thanniversary of the JPII Foundation Chapter in Stockholm.
Dorothy Walko
