When the John Paul II Foundation New York Chapter’s ad of the pilgrimage to Turkey appeared many of us began to wonder – why to travel to this unstable country? Also, most likely there is not much to see?  Some had a very poor country in front of their eyes. Is it worth it to go? – a question with which so many struggled.  Some lost this “battle” and stayed at home.  Brave ones decided to go. And what…? Huge surprise.  In front of us appeared a beautiful country with many natural, cultural and architectonic attractions, the country with a high level of infrastructure and friendly people; but, most of all the country in which the first missionary church was created.  After all, over here the great missionary – St. Paul the Apostle was active.  Over here we met with the characters – St. John the Apostle, St. Philip.  So many saints from the first centuries stood on our pilgrim’s path that only now we started to better understand the Letters of St. Paul, the Acts if the Apostles and the Revelation of St. John.  From the very first moments we started to enjoy the idea of our pilgrimage organized by the Foundation.

Pope Francis’ Regina Caeli address this Fourth Sunday of Easter, World Day of Prayer for Vocations:

Dear brothers and sisters,

Fourth Sunday of Easter is characterized by the Gospel of the Good Shepherd - in the tenth chapter of St. John – which we read every year. Today’s passage contains these words of Jesus: " My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one"(10.27 to 30).These four verses contain Jesus’ entire message, the core of His Gospel: He calls us to participate in His relationship with the Father, and this is eternal life.

A journalist since 1992, Tomasz Pompowski has worked as the deputy chief of the opinion sections of the Polish dailies Polska and Dziennik. He is the co-founder of the prestigious weekly Europa, the author of dozens of original articles about the history of the Cold War, and co-producer of the film Nine Days that Changed the World about the role of Pope John Paul II and Solidarity in the fall of communism. In 2012, he published his book Ronald Reagan, John Paul II, and Solidarity: A Spiritual History of the Collapse of Communism. He is presently engaged in talks regarding publishing the book in English.

As a Vatican correspondent for the Polish media, Pompowski covered the last months of Pope John Paul II’s life, and met and interviewed many of his closest friends, including Cardinal Andrzej Maria Deskur. In 1983, he participated in the pope’s second visit to Poland.

On October 16, 1981 in the Vatican, the Holy Father John Paul II established a Foundation bearing his name. In the Decree of Establishment he outlined its goals: "to promote religious, cultural, and social initiatives which will serve the faithful." The Foundation, with its headquarters in Rome, currently embraces almost the entire world. The Foundation consists of forty four Chapters and the Friends of the Foundation are located in seventeen countries in Europe, North America and Asia. Individuals who are members desire to learn more about the teachings of John Paul II and actively contribute to their dissemination, helping to achieve the Foundation's goals.