A Christmas celebration took place in the banquet hall Princess Manor in Greenpoint on the 3rd of December 2023 with the traditional sharing of the oplatek. The gathering started with the celebration of the Holy Mass at the Holy Cross Church in Maspeth. Msgr. Dariusz Giers, Administrator of the Foundation, was the main celebrant and homilist. He thanked the members and friends of the Foundation for inviting him to come to New York. Once again this was the grate opportunity to honor the Founder of the Foundation and reflect on his legacy.
The President of the New York Chapter, Mr. Mieczyslaw Pajak initiated the reception in the banquet hall. He welcomed the distinguished guest from Rome – the new Administrator of the JPII Foundation. Then, the Chaplain of the Circle, Fr. Jozef Szpilski led the prayers and blessed the oplatek according to the old Polish custom. Next, all exchanged Christmas and New Year wishes with sharing of the Christmas wafers. A local Children Choir, under the direction of Dominik Grzyb, by singing the Christmas carols put all the participant into the spirit of Christmas.
During the meeting, the newly elected board of the Foundation Chapter took the oath. The guest of honor, Msgr. Dariusz Giers greeted everyone and thanked the members for the and ongoing and exemplary assistance of the Foundation. He asked to continue this faithful assistance.
This was followed by a raffle, of which the proceeds went to the Foundation’s scholarship program in Lublin (Poland). At the end of the celebration, we all sang our heart touching Polish Christmas carols.
It was a truly great event that was attended by many members and benefactors, as well as young people, representatives of Polish organizations and associations, and numerous priests from nearby Polish parishes.
Zofia Twarowska
