John Paul II

"Whosoever will save his life shall lose it;
but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel's
the same shall save it."
Mark 8:35

A Card From Priest Kwiatek

"For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive;
and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon him."
Psalm 86:5

The card was received from Priest Ryszard Kwiatek most probably in the early 1970s as he worked in our parish from 1968 to 1977, and he used to be my sister's Bible teacher.

Ryszard Kwiatek was born on 30 June 1940 in Raciniewo, Poland. He served in many parishes, he became a provost and Vice Dean of the Torun Deanery and an Honorable Chaplain of Pope John Paul II.
Priest Ryszard died on 4 Oct. 2018. He was 79 years old.

John Paul II

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
2 Corinthians 5:17

My other post about John Paul II is here.

Pope John XXIII

Pope John XXIII was born on 25 Nov. 1881 in Sotto Il Monte, Bergamo, Kingdom of Italy. He served as Pope from 28 Oct. 1858 till the day he died (3 June 1963).

I must have had the card stuck in my RE notebook when I was in primary school (first or second grade). Then, I guess I cut it out, you can see the back of the card - part of notes from the notebook and my kiddy handwriting.

Paul VI

Pope Paul VI was born on 26 Sept. 1897. His real name was Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini. Paul VI's papacy lasted 25 years, from 21 June 1963 to 6 August 1978, when he died.

The card is a token of the 25th priesthood anniversary of Priest Franciszek Müller. He held his first mass on 5 April 1947 in Pelplin (Poland). Priest Müller celebrated the anniversary in Gdynia, 1972.

"Mary, the aid of believers,

pray for us"

John Paul II and Our Lady of Czestochowa

John Paul II (Karol Wojtyła) was born in Poland on May 18, 1920. He became Pope in 1978.

I remember the day when he was elected - a neighbor of ours came to our place to tell us the great news then, the lady also invited us to her place to watch the live TV transmission together. Well, we had a TV set of course, she just wanted to share the historical moment with us.

During his pontificate, John Paul II visited 129 countries, including Poland (8 times).  On June 11, 1987, he came to my city as well. That was a great day, when the Pope celebrated the service on the main city square. Mostly everybody, went there  - to see our Jan Paweł II (John Paul II) and participate in the mass. I can recall, the city center was so packed with people, I could not manage to get to the place where the mass was to be held. But I did find a spot on a street leading to Kosciuszko Square and saw the Pope's vehicle pass by. Furthermore, I remember the crowd, including myself, we all prayed ''Our Father" loudly. Frankly speaking, I found the moment quite unusual. I had never experienced anything like that - the solemn and joyful atmosphere and saying prayers standing among the crowd, on a pavement curb. I think I did not see the Pope himself, but it was once in a lifetime thing anyway.

On that day, in Gdynia, John Paul II spoke about the new meaning of Solidarity for the first time. If you do not know, his teachings and political influence helped to overcome communism in Poland. It led to system changes in other Easter European countries and the fall of the Berlin wall. 

Whenever 'the Polish Pope'  came to Poland, it was a kind of holiday in the country. He was our fellow countryman, known for his great intelligence, kindness and a bland and benignant smile. Whoever he talked to, he treated the persons in a most considerate way, no matter if they were politicians or simple and uneducated people. As many Poles, we watched his visits on TV. Thanks to live programs, we could also take part in the masses the Pope celebrated during his pilgrimages.

John Paul II died in 2005. National mourning was announced in Poland then. Many people felt as it was their close friend or relative who had died, not the Pope.

Besides being priest and Pope, John Paul II was also a poet, play-writer and philosopher. Have you ever tried to read on of his books?

The bookmark - at the top: picture of Our Lady of Częstochowa (original painting - supposedly painted by St. Luke/ in Jerusalem in 66-67). The painting was brought to Poland in 14th century and placed in the monastery in Częstochowa.

Our Lady of Częstochowa (called 'Black Madonna') is also known as Patroness, Protectoress and Queen of Poland.

John Paull's II motto, regarding Holy Mary, was 'Totus Tuus' (All Yours). He visited the monastery in Częstochowa a few times when he was young. In 1979 he paid his first official papal call there.

John Paul II was canonized in 2014.
Feast day of Saint John Paul II: 22 November