WILL POPE SACRIFICE THE CHURCH OF THE PROVIDENCE?

ARTUR STELMASIAK

If it is possible to maintain the pace of building the Church of Divine Providence in Warsaw, then its first Holy Mass might be celebrated in it in the year 2016

This year, the Holy Father will arrive in Poland. Although the World Youth Days in Cracow are going to be the main purpose of the apostolic pilgrimage, Francis will probably visit also Gniezno, Częstochowa and Warsaw. For, the Polish Episcopate wants the papal pilgrimage to be connected with the 1050th anniversary of the baptism of Poland.

During his visit in Warsaw, Francis might sacrifice the Church of Divine Providence and see the Museum of John Paul II and the Primate Wyszyński – says Szymon Chrostowski, a press spokesman of the Centre of Divine Providence.

According to the most optimistic plans, the liturgy in the Church of Divine Providence might be celebrated on the occasion of the jubilee of the Baptism of Poland.

– If it was possible to maintain the previous pace of collecting financial means from private donors and sponsors, I am sure that next three years will be the time when we will enter the church – emphasizes cardinal Kazimierz Nycz, the metropolitan of Warsaw.

Thanks to Poles and for Poles

The Church of Providence is being built with the prayer and financial support of believers from whole Poland. We often supported this work during parish collections and other occasions. – There are also over 40 thousand donors who regularly finance the building – emphasizes Piotr Gaweł, the chairman of the management of the Divine Providence Centre. There are much more Polish accents, because both the copper on the dome and granite slabs on the elevation come from native mines, and, at present, highlanders from Podhale are working for the Church.

The first phase of installation of the façade will finish this year. Portals covered with bright stone belong to the museum part of the Divine Providence Centre. They are going to include stairwells, emergency exits and elevators, with which it will be possible to go up onto a ring surrounding the church at the height of 20 meters above the ground. It is going to be a place where we will be able to visit an unusual exposition showing the history of the two great Poles of XX century – blessed John Paul II and the Primate of the Millennium.

– When the elevation has been finished, the works in the museum rooms will be begun – says an engineer of building Konrad Kulita. At present, this place slightly reminds of an athletic track, on which one can walk around the church. However, allotments walls will be built here soon, and later workers will be completing the interior. At that time we will implement what we have in mind and on paper into practice. The installation of the main exposition will be begun – says dr. Paweł Skibiński, a director of the Museum of John Paul II and the Primate Wyszyński. Thanks to the exhibits, photographs and multimedia, it will be possible to tell the history of the great people of the Church and their role in the history of Poland and the world.

After 225 years

Everything proves that in the nearest years, the beatification process of one of the main characters of the museum – cardinal Wyszyński will be finished. Whereas the pace of the canonization of blessed John Paul II turned out to be completely incomparable in the latest history of the Church. It is already obvious today that it will not be possible to open the main exposition of the museum before the canonization of the Polish Pope.

– We are not going to compete with one another. Besides, the loss may only comfort us. The canonization of John Paul II is another event saying about how much our museum is needed by Poland and Poles – emphasizes dr. Paweł Skibiński, a director of the museum. – If everything proceeds according to the plan, the first visitor will be able to see the exposition in the beginning of the year 2015. So, we will be prepared to present our museum to Pope Francis.

This unusual place may cause a positive impression on the Holy Father. For, it is going to present important people in the history of Poland and the Universal Church. What is more, we can expect from the museum everything which is the best, because the project was prepared by the married couple of Jarosław and Barbara Kłaupt. This is their workshop which co-created among the others, the success of the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising.

As long as the museum in the Divine Providence Centre is prepared for the visit of the Pope, the sacral part will be probably finished only to the basic extent. The historic experience shows that the interior of such churches is embellished for tens of even hundreds years.

– However, if it was possible to celebrate the Holy Mass inside the church on the 1050th anniversary of the Baptism of Poland, it would be a beautiful crowning of the national thanksgiving – says cardinal Nycz. – Therefore, I pray in the intention of sacrificing the Providence Church by Pope Francis.

It would mean that after 225 years, Poles will fulfil the vow made by the Four-Year Sejm in 1791.The whole world would see that there is such a nation in Europe which maintained its faith and can thank Divine Providence.

(AA)

"Niedziela" 38/2013

Editor: Tygodnik Katolicki "Niedziela", ul. 3 Maja 12, 42-200 Czestochowa, Polska
Editor-in-chief: Fr Jaroslaw Grabowski • E-mail: redakcja@niedziela.pl