On Sunday, October 10, 2021, Friends of the John Paul II Foundation in Great Britain solemnly celebrated Papal day, established by the Papal decree of October 26, 1981. There are over 50 chapters of the John Paul II Foundation in the world, associating our compatriots who support the Foundation not only through personal involvement, but also by spreading the teaching of St. John Paul II, passing it on to the next generations. For many years, thanks to the generosity of our members, founders and supporters, we have been supporting many valuable initiatives, and above all we have been helping to educate Polish youth from Eastern Europe at the Catholic University of Lublin, funding them with scholarships.
Since the establishment of Friends of the John Paul II Foundation in Great Britain, that is, since May 21, 1995, every year in October we celebrate the Papal Day. This year’s celebrations began with the Holy Mass at noon in the church of St. Andrew Bobola in London, which was celebrated by the Rector of the Polish Catholic Mission (PCM) in England and Wales, Monsignor Stefan Wylężek, assisted by Father Marek Reczek from the St. A. Bobola parish. The Rector prayed for the deceased and living members and founders of JPII Foundation Chapter in GB with a request for further graces and protection of our patron Saint John Paul II.
After the Holy Mass, the further part of the ceremony took place in POSK in the Łowiczanka restaurant, which was attended by 60 people. This part of the Papal Day was opened by President Ewa Szymańska, who warmly welcomed all the guests, and in particular our spiritual guardian Monsignor Stefan Wylężek – Rector of PMK, Consul General Mateusz Stąśek, Consul for the Polish Community Radosław Gromski, as well as all presidents, vice-presidents, secretaries and many activists of social organizations, wishing everyone a pleasant afternoon. Then, the Rector spoke recalling St. John Paul II and initiated our join prayer. Singing “Black Madonna” to the accompaniment of Andrzej Matuszewski we ended this part of the meeting.
Soon dinner was served and then coffee and Papal cream cake. After the dinner, the JPII Foundation GB Chapter Medals of Merit were awarded. The Medal was presented to: Rector of PCM, Msgr. Stefan Wylężek, Consul General Mateusz Stąsiek, Consul Radosław Gromski, Teresa Archutowska, Anna Kaye, Andrzej Krukowski, Anna Leśniewska-Multan, Danuta Michmiewicz-Amdur, Wiktor Moszczyński, Teresa Robińska, Wojciech Tobiasiewicz, Agnieszka Żebrowska and Ryszard Bielicki. The President congratulated all the recipients, wishing them further successes.
The President also passed the most sincere wishes sent to us from Rome from the JPII Foundation by Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko and the Administrator Father Krzysztof Wieliczko OSPPE, assuring us of frequent prayer in our intention. God bless you for keeping us in your prayers. We have also received many kind letters and wishes from our members in the UK, France, USA and Poland, for which we are very grateful.
In the last part of our meeting we listened to a specially prepared for this occasion vocal and musical concert by Andrzej Matuszewski which was dedicated to the memory of St. John Paul II. The President welcomed well known musical group, in which the following artists performed: Andrzej Matuszewski, Ryszard Bielicki and for the first time with us the soloist Bogna Bargieł. The concert consisted of a number of beautiful songs and pieces. Maestro Andrzej Matuszewski, announcing individual works, interestingly and wittily, explained their content and origin. At the beginning we heard two mazurkas, polonaise in A major and “Souvenir a Paganini” by Fryderyk Chopin, violin concerto in D major by Piotr Tchaikovsky and Polonaise by C. Bohm performed by A. Matuszewski (violin) and Ryszard Bielicki (piano). Mrs. Bogna beautifully sang, among others, “Ave Maria” by A. Coccini and the aria “Va Pensiero” from the opera “Nabucco” by G. Verdi. There were several other beautiful Neapolitan songs: “O Mio Babbino Caro”, “Torna a Sorento”, “Funiculi Funicula” and “O sole mio”. There were also patriotic accents such as “Red poppies on Monte Cassino” or “Today I can not come to you”. We would like to express our gratitude and big applause for excellent performances of works, opera arias and songs.
The President, concluding the meeting, once again thanked everyone for coming, the artists for the sensational concert as well as the Chapter’s Board, which, as always – put a lot of work into the arrangement of the Papal Day. The President of the Chapter also invited to the upcoming Christmas Wafer meeting (with a raffle), which will take place on Sunday, January 9, 2022. At the end, everyone sang “Barge” (“Barka”), the favorite song of St. John Paul II. We pray every day: May our Patron have us and our families in his care!
Ewa K. Szymańska
