Cardinal Dziwisz received The Gold Medal from the American Polonia
On February 4th, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz received the Gold Medal from the American Institute of Polish Culture in Miami, Florida. The ceremony took place during the 40th great ball, which is the most important event of the season in the life of the Polish community in Florida. This year’s ball was initiated by Lady Blanka Rosenstiel, Honorary Consul R.P. The annual ball of Blanka Rosenstiel in Miami is the most important event of the season in the life of the Polish community in Florida.
Proceeds from the ball will be donated to the John Paul II Foundation in Rome, whose charitable activity began in 1981. The Foundation provides scholarships to students from Eastern European countries.
President Lech Wałęsa was attending the Polonia ball in Miami. During the ceremony, President Wałęsa handed the Media Award prize to the Director of the Kosciuszko Foundation Alex Storożyński. In previous years, the award was given to, among others, Cardinal Adam Maida, President Lech Wałęsa, President Ryszard Kaczorowski and Professor Norman Davies.
Cardinal Dziwisz is staying in Miami, Florida at the invitation of the Archbishop Thomas Wenski. The visit will last until February 8th. The trip provided a great opportunity to promote the John Paul II Center “Do not be afraid!”. On Thursday, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, Metropolitan Archbishop of Krakow, was welcomed at the house of Archbishop Thomas Wenski. Archbishop of Krakow gave to Archbishop Thomas Wenski, a reproduction of a portrait of the Blessed John Paul II by Dina Bellotti.
On Friday morning, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, met with the employees of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center. Visiting various Curial offices, Archbishop of Krakow spoke with employees offering each of them a precious gift: a prayer and a small piece of the relic of the Blessed John Paul II. After the visit to the Archdiocese Pastoral Center a short briefing was held.
The Cardinal said that his visit in Miami coincided with the 25th anniversary of the John Paul II’s visit to South Florida in September 1987. He also recalled that during the Holy Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II at Tamiami Park, storms and tempests passed by Florida and one of them disrupted the celebration. For the questions related to the Blessed John Paul II canonization date, the Cardinal said that he hopes that it will happen soon, as there are many sings from heaven – miracles that are reported from around the world. Especially, graces received through the intercession of the Blessed John Paul II – “The pro-life Pope” – received by childless marriages and women who had conceiving problems.
When asked about the upcoming Pope Benedict XVI visit to Cuba, Archbishop of Krakow noticed that the path for the next Papal visit was paved by John Paul II during His pilgrimage to the island in 1998, when He encouraged the Cuban people to open up to the world and to have the world open up to Cuba. “Cubans should not suffer. They need freedom. Dictatorship is always based on fear. They should be guided by the John Paul II message: “Do not be afraid!” – He said. In the evening, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz met with Polish priests who are working in various parts of Florida. The meeting was held thanks to the courtesy of Archbishop Thomas Wenski, who invited guests to a dinner at his house in Miami. The Cardinal recalled several personal, less-known stories from the life of the Blessed John Paul II and presented the idea of the construction and operations of the John Paul II Center “Do not be afraid!” that arises in Krakow Lagiewniki. In turn, priests who came from various parts of Florida were sharing their experience and impressions of pastoral work in the United States.
Rev. Robert Pietrzyk
