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The Polish bishops’ conference announced that Pope Benedict XVI would visit Poland May 25- 28. He is scheduled to visit Warsaw; the Marian shrine at Czestochowa; Wadowice, birthplace of Pope John Paul II; Krakow; Auschwitz, the former Nazi concentration camp; and Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, a 400-year-old shrine dedicated to Christ’s passion and Mary’s compassion. Pope John Paul visited the shrine as a boy with his father.
The theme of the papal visit is “Be Strong in the Faith”. The announcement of a planned papal trip to Poland adds extra incentive to the expansion of the Order there. When your Board of Directors authorized exporting Columbianism to Poland, many wondered what kind of leap of faith would be needed to make this grand ambition a reality. Taking our cue from the theme of the upcoming papal visit, we know that we can succeed as Knights not when we take a dangerous leap into the unknown but when we are “strong in the faith.”
“Jesus, I Trust in You” is the devotional prayer associated with Divine Mercy, which has its roots in Poland and St. Faustina Kowalska. Trusting in Christ, he will lead the Order through this new undertaking, which is unparalleled in our history. When we expanded into Mexico and the Philippines at the turn of the 20th century, for instance, there were brother Knights from the United States already in those countries.
They saw the potential for the Order there and sought out the Supreme Council for help and direction.
In many respects, this new venture in Poland harkens back both to the bold vision of our founder but also to our patron, Christopher Columbus, and his exploring, evangelizing spirit. Both men, we know, had a strong devotion to Our Lady. Columbus’ signature incorporated the phrase, “I am a follower, devotee, and servant of Christ, Mary and Joseph.” That may be the best reason why we are known as Knights of Columbus.
Vivat Jesus!
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