“Whoever invests in people, in their integral development, is never a loser! The fruits of this investment will not wither”
John Paul II
ACTIVITY REPORT AND PROJECTS 2020/2021
At the beginning of January 2021, the team of the Belgian Chapter of the John Paul II Foundation sent 2,000 letters throughout Belgium. In the letter we informed as many people as possible about the resumption of the Belgian section of the Foundation, explaining that Pope John Paul II established the Foundation himself in 1981. We informed about the Foundation’s objectives and its activities inviting them to become members and support these objectives through contributions. The Foundation, in turn, is praying for all members at the tomb of St. John Paul II and informing them about all projects and events it will organize in the future.
We wrote this letter to ask for financial support, but above all to promote the Foundation in Belgium. The chapter has indeed been “dormant” for several years. When we took over the leadership, many projects quickly arose, which unfortunately had to be halted due to pandemic restrictions. Despite all the limitations, we try by all means to keep our Chapter alive. So far, more than fifty people have responded positively to our letter. Although the number of responses does not seem too high, we are pleased that the very existence of this Foundation, its spiritual, cultural and social character is known in Belgium.
The Foundation Chapter in Belgium has also started to issue a collection of brochures presenting in a clear and accessible way the thoughts and teachings of John Paul II. The idea is to allow everyone, especially young people, to understand the meaning and topicality of John Paul II’s message. Fourteen experts on this great Pope teaching have already agreed to participate in this project. Two brochures were issued in September 2020 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of John Paul II. The brochures were published thanks to the collaboration with Éditions MAME publishing house in Paris. One was written by Cardinal Robert Sarah “JOHN PAUL II, VISIONARY AND PROPHET OF MODERN TIMES” and the other by Cardinal Philippe Barbarin “JOHN PAUL II, PETER AT THE TURN OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM”.
Two new brochures will be published in May 2021. The first was written by Archbishop André Léonard, emeritus Archbishop of the Catholic Church in Belgium “JOHN PAUL II, DEFENDER OF TRUTH” referring to the encyclical letter Veritatis Splendor, and the second by Samuel Goblet, professor of religious and liturgical matters “JOHN PAUL II, POPE OF THE JEWS”.
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of John Paul II, we planned a solemn event “Feast of Families around John Paul II”. The event was to take place on June 28, 2020 in the church, cloisters and gardens of the Abbey de la Cambre. Given the circumstances, we had to postpone this beautiful event. But, we hope that in September of this year we will be able to implement it.
There is another project the “Congress-Mission 2021” organized by young people which is planned for October of this year. The Belgian Chapter was asked to support this project. (https://www.congresmission.com/map/206)
Brussels, March 12, 2021
Elizabeth Drucka Lubecka de Séjournet
President of the Belgium Chapter
