On January 23, 2020, Stefan Jakubowski, a former PTTK activist, initiator of the construction and guardian of the John Paul II mountain chapel on Groń in Little Beskids, died in the hospital in Wadowice. In July of this year, he would have turned 87. Throughout almost his entire life, he was preserving the memory of John Paul II – mountain and hiking enthusiast. The Beskids “sanctuary” today gathers multiple pilgrims and tourists from Poland and abroad.
Back in 1980s, Stefan Jakubowski with his late wife Danuta decided to commemorate the mountain places associated with the presence of Karol Wojtyła. In 1981, together with the Prayer Group and members of the PTTK group “Szarotka”, they organized the first hike “Trails of John Paul II”, which since 1990 has its constant finish place at John Paul II’s Groń. It was their effort to change the name of this peak, formerly called Jaworzyna. In 2002, the Pope from Poland agreed to this form of honoring his person. In 2003, MSWiA issued the necessary regulation and the new name could be officially applied. Mr. & Mrs. Jakubowski also erected a stone cross dedicated to the people of the mountains.
On June 6, 1999, John Paul II during his pilgrimage to his homeland, from a helicopter was able to see the chapel built on the top of the peak that bears his name and a group of faithful people who gathered there. The second flight of the papal helicopter took place on August 17, 2002. After the celebrations at the Divine Mercy Shrine in Łagiewniki, the Holy Father flew over the family village and then, this time in sunny weather, in the presence of about a thousand faithful, the papal helicopter circled the top of the Beskids, and then flew in the direction of Babia Góra.
After the death of Pope John Paul II, a former councilor of Wadowice district initiated a prayer and burning mountain watra in the Beskids Mountains. On the Groń peak prayers for the canonization of Karol Wojtyła were ongoing, and after the canonization, people were giving thanks for the holiness of the Polish Pope. After the beatification of John Paul II, his relics were placed here.
The John Paul II Groń in Little Beskids is the only mountain peak in Poland named after the Polish Pope. The hill is 890 meters above sea level. In the chapel there is the chair where John Paul II sat during his visit to Skoczów in 1995, as well as, Rosaries that he donated. Nearby, there are the Stations of the Cross with carved stations, several smaller chapels, a bell tower and a statue of John Paul II. Masses are celebrated periodically over here for different groups of pilgrims and tourists. Also, over here the “Hike on the trails of John Paul II” that takes place every year ends here.
The Beskids “sanctuary” is a votive chapel for saving the Pope. Therefore, it has symbolic dimensions – 13 by 5 meters – referring to the date of the assassination of John Paul II (May 13, 1981). In September 1995, the chapel was dedicated by Bishop Tadeusz Rakoczy.
