The Polish community living in the Eternal City celebrated the 30th anniversary of the canonization of St. Maximilian Kolbe (October 10th, 1982, the ceremony was conducted by Blessed Pope John Paul II). The Pontificate’s Centre for Research and Documentation and the pastoral staff of the church of St. Stanislaus B.M. organized a meeting with a presentation of the album “Love is a gift” in the meeting hall of the church of St. Stanislaus B.M. in Rome, on Sunday, October 7th, 2012. Distinguished speakers for this event were members of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Undersecretary of the dicastery, Fr. Boguslaw Turek CSMA and relator Fr. Zdzisław Kijas OFM Conv. The meeting was chaired by Fr. Dr. Andrzej Dobrzynski, director of the Pontificate’s Centre in Rome.
Fr. Turek delivered a lecture on “Polish saints and those blessed during the pontificate of Blessed John Paul II”. The speaker pointed out the strong growth in the number of the blessed and of those who had become saints in the Catholic Church during the pontificate of the Polish Pope. Most especially, the speaker mentioned that all those who became blessed and saints from Poland, are a true manifestation of the spiritual riches of the Church in Poland in the perspective of the universal Church. Furthermore, they are a treasury of numerous messages and many values and are a call for the implementation of the grace of baptism in everyday life. They are a blessing for the Polish Nation. Holiness as such does not know cultural, geographical or social limits. The saints are witnesses to the Church’s holiness. They form a mosaic of people who took the Gospel seriously and “protected the community of believers against mediocrity” – said Fr. Turek quoting the words of Bl. Pope John Paul II.
The second part of the meeting, speaker Fr. Kijas spoke about “the Message of the life of St. Maximilian Kolbe”. Referring to the current events in the life of the Church – the opening of the Synod on the New Evangelization and the imminent announcement of the Year of Faith by Pope Benedict XVI – he pointed to the currency of the Martyr from Auschwitz. He also recalled the unknown threads related to the period of Fr. Maximilian’s time of studies in Rome. Among the topics, he spoke about the impact the demonstrations on the anniversary of the establishment of the Masons had on the young religious friar. St. Maximilian saw the need for spiritual development as well as the need for specific steps against the growing spread of evil. He employed the means of spreading good following the example of the Immaculate Virgin Mary: her obedience, chastity and devotion. This resulted in effective evangelization. This exemplary life – as stressed by Fr. Kijas – is also a challenge for us, for our faith and an invitation for the new evangelization.
The last part of the assembly was devoted to the presentation of an album entitled “Love is a gift. St. Maximilian in the museum collections of the John Paul II Pontificate’s Centre for Research and Documentation in Rome” (published in Polish). Fr. A. Dobrzynski, presented the publication prepared by Mrs. Helena Kupiszewska and Sr. Remigia Sawicka, graphic design by professor Władysław Pluta from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. The authors of the album gathered their information from the more than ninety exhibits related to St Maximilian on display at the Centre in Rome. These items form part of gifts given to Bl. Pope John Paul II by many donors over the years. The publication shows the spiritual bond uniting St. Maximilian and Bl. Pope John Paul II. Their life was a testimony of faith and victory of humanity.
At the conclusion of the event, Rev. Msgr. Pawel Ptasznik, rector of the Polish church, presented a beautiful reliquary, which was given to Pope Paul VI on the occasion of the beatification of Father Maximilian, October 17th, 1971 year. Participants had the opportunity to honor the relics of the St. Confessor and Martyr.