EUROPE/POLAND - Initiatives promoted by the Catholic weekly “Niedzela” for the 30th anniversary of John Paul II's first apostolic trip to Poland

Czestochowa (Agenzia Fides) – In honor of the 30th anniversary of John Paul II's first apostolic trip to Poland (June 2-10, 1979), the Polish Catholic weekly “Niedzela,” the most widely-read magazine in Poland with headquarters in Czestochowa, is organizing various pastoral and cultural events. They sent a report to Agenzia Fides on the activities. The magazine recently published in its series “Bilioteka Niedzela,” a booklet entitled “We should be strong with the strength of the faith! John Paul II in Poland 1979.” Nearly 160,000 copies of the booklet were sent out with their magazine. The text is based on the homilies and speeches of John Paul II in 1979 and present the main teachings of the Pope during his first apostolic trip to his homeland. The text is filled with photos from Ryszard Rzepecki.
The magazine, in cooperation with the Czestochowa Museum, has also prepared a display of photos at the Pilgrimage Museum in Czestochowa, entitled: “The first pilgrimage of John Paul II in Poland, the 30th anniversary.” The magazine has prepared nearly 250,000 copies of the DVD “The Pilgrim” by Andrzej Trzos-Rastawiecki. “All our initiatives are done so we can remember the first apostolic trip of John Paul II to Poland,” Niedzela's Editor-in-Chief Msgr. Ireneusz Skubis told Fides. “It is an opportunity to remember the teachings of this Great Pope and to reinforce the pastoral and evangelization effort with the so-called Generation John Paul II (Generation JPII). Our magazine, Niedziela, also re-opened at the beginning of John Paul II's Pontificate, after 28 years of forced closure under the Communist regime.” (MF/SL) (Agenzia Fides 22/5/2009)