It is not only to remember the time when the book appeared but to get up and show Pope John Paul II, his person, and his work. Let us get up and remind the 40th anniversary of Pope’s pilgrimage to Poland in 1979 – said Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz, Metropolitan of Warsaw and chairman of the Council of the “Work of the New Millennium” Foundation during a press conference organized by the Foundation at the Secretariat of the Polish Bishops’ Conference on January 16, 2019.
Cardinal Nycz announced the motto of the 19th Papal Day, which will be celebrated on October 13, 2019: “Rise, let us be on our way”, which refers to the title of one of the books of Pope John Paul II.
“Celebrating the 50th anniversary of his episcopal consecration, Pope wrote the book ‘Rise, let us be on our way’, the title of which was taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark. It is not just to remember the time when the book appeared, but to get up and bring closer Pope, his person, and his work. Let us get up and remind the 40th anniversary of Pope’s pilgrimage to Poland in 1979. It became the inspiration for what happened a year later, i.e. Solidarity movement. We will have the opportunity to reflect on the work of the Pope just before the 100th anniversary of his birth, which falls in 2020. I encourage to bring closer the person and teaching of Pope John Paul II,” said the Metropolitan of Warsaw.
“John Paul II is still one of the fathers of the Church and the fathers of our Fatherland”, said Fr. Dariusz Kowalczyk, chairman of the Foundation’s Board. Then he said that the Papal Day celebrated in 2018 referred to the issue of fatherhood, understood in two dimensions: the family and the homeland. The money raised in 2018 in the whole country will finance scholarships for talented young people from poor families.
After the press conference, 40 presidents and mayors of the Papal Cities met at the Plenary Hall of the Seat of the Polish Bishops’ Conference. There are 80 Papal Cities all over Poland.
