By Anthony Barich
HUNDREDS packed out to overflowing churches across the Archdiocese as a number of Masses were offered celebrating the beatification of the “indefatigable” Pope John Paul II on 1 May.
For the Polish-Australian Catholics who attended services around Perth and those around the world celebrating the Pope’s beatification, it was merely confirmation of what they already knew.
Polish Franciscan Frs Maciej Kaczmarczyk, Piotr Rzucinlo, Stanislaw Tomasiak and visiting 29 year old Fr Lukasz Kwiatkowski – who is heading to a Papua New Guinea mission where what is believed to be the world’s first church dedicated to John Paul II was built – concelebrated as Mass at Our Lady Queen of Poland Chapel in Maylands for over 500 people at 9.30am.
At the Maylands Mass, Archbishop Hickey said that the broadcast of the beatification beamed live outside St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney and many other celebrations around Australia proved he was truly a Pope for the whole world.
The Maylands Mass was the first in a series of events throughout the Archdiocese marking the special day, with hundreds more attending Masses offered by the Archbishop at St Mary’s Cathedral at 11am and by Polish Salvatorians at St Lawrence’s Church in Balcatta in the afternoon.
A special Divine Mercy Mass was also offered in the Cathedral at 2pm, as the Pope initiated Divine Mercy Sunday – the second Sunday of Easter – in 2000, the Jubilee Year.
The Divine Mercy Mass was concelebrated by St Charles Seminary Rector Mgr Kevin Long and Frs Paul Fox, Hugh Thomas CSsR, Andre Mary Feain FI and Marcellinus Meilak.
The service also included a Divine Mercy Chaplet, Benediction, two Rosaries and readings from Pope John Paul II and St Faustina Kowalska, the Polish nun whose visions of Christ telling her to propagate the message of Divine Mercy are the foundation of the devotion that has since spread through the Church.
North Beach-based Sister Joseph of the Holy Family of Nazareth, a Polish-founded Religious Order that the late Pope knew well, said John Paul II was “chosen from the beginning as someone to look up to”, especially in a country where Catholics suffered for their faith.
“We all believed he was very special and holy, even since he was a young man, so the beatification is confirmation of what we always knew,” she told The Record.
John Paul II not only inspired the Polish nation to liberate itself from Communist shackles but spread devotion to Mary through his own love for Our Lady and showed the world what it was to be a Christian, Archbishop Hickey said.
John Paul II was known not only by Catholics but by the whole world because of the many areas in which he was so active, including his teachings and writings on morality and on Jesus the Redeemer, which where were always clear, concise and persuasive, Archbishop Hickey said.
“He stood up to atheism, especially Communist domination in Europe and his home country. His victory over Communism was achieved through his powerful witness. He was indefatigable in his travels, his speeches, his pastoral work, reaching out to the poor and downtrodden.”
The Archbishop noted the three key Bible excerpts that John Paul II’s close friend, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, said at his funeral in 2005 inspired the late Pope since he was young. All were from the Gospel of John.
Jesus’ words to His Apostles that “you have not chosen me, I have chosen you; go out and tell the Good News” inspired John Paul II as he believed Jesus was calling him personally. “He could reflect on this quote throughout his papacy,” the Archbishop said.
Jesus’ quote from Chapter 10 of John’s Gospel, “I am the good shepherd” was also pivotal for John Paul II, as He said the good shepherd is “one who lays down his life for his friends”.
“John Paul II lived this as priest and Bishop of Rome – he was indefatigable in his travels, speeches, teachings and reaching out to the oppressed; his life was almost taken by an assassin,” Archbishop Hickey said.
Jesus’ words to His Apostles that “just as the Father has loved me, so I have loved you – abide in my love” was also important to the late Pope as John Paul II constantly lived the conviction that he was called by God to lay down his life for his flock, Archbishop Hickey said.
Hence not only the Polish nation but all Polish people are honoured by his beatification, he added.
Sr Joseph, who hails from the Congregational house in Krakow where the late Pope was the Archbishop before his elevation to the papacy, said Catholics made every effort humanly possible to catch the limited train services to where he spoke when he returned to Poland as Pope, despite the persecution they suffered.
People were pulling people through closed doors onto crowded trains just to get to the Shrine of Our Lady of Chestachowa, where he prayed and spoke during his historic visit in 1979 in only his second apostolic voyage, she said. During this visit he mentioned the Sister from Sr Joseph’s Religious Order who ran the after-school childcare centre he attended as a child. Sr Joseph recalled him saying he would not be the man he is without her guidance.
Her family travelled to Chestachowa annually to hear then-Cardinal Karol WojtyÅa preach at the shrine of the Black Madonna – which is also the patron of the Maylands church on Eighth Avenue and of Poland.
They made the trip because her father, like many Poles, had a great affection for Cardinal WojtyÅa and for Our Lady, whom he had consecrated her children to after his wife died when Sr Joseph was nine.
Her father never let her forget them being present during Cardinal WojtyÅa’s visit to the Shrine in 1966, when Poland was celebrating 1000 years of Christianity. It was the same year Sr Joseph had her first Holy Communion.
Sr Joseph got to know John Paul II personally through her many meetings with him in Rome. He often visited her Order’s retreats when he was Cardinal.
She said she felt a “great, deep peace emanating from him” during the se meetings, “like when you come close to a candle and can feel its warmth”.
“I felt very safe. I didn’t want to go anywhere. He was very much united with God.”
Sr Joseph added that many others who had personal contact with him also regarded him with great respect, because “he was a man of such integrity. What he said was what he meant”.