The annual meeting of the Administrative Council of the John Paul II Foundation was held in Rome at the Polish Home on January 22nd and 23rd, 2008. The meeting began with a Mass at the grave of the Servant of God John Paul II in the Basilica of St. Peter. Members of the Council and the staff of the Foundation participated. Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Krakow and supreme authority of the Foundation, was the main celebrant. The Cardinal's words before the Mass and in his homily recalled the person of the Holy Father John Paul II and the Foundation that is one of the fruits of his pontificate.
John Paul II is the patron of the Foundation, he is with us, and he inspires and supports us. The Foundation should be the instrument by which John Paul II is known and his heritage preserved and passed on to future generations.
During the meeting on the first day, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz presented nominations to the Administrative Council to the new members: Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, Chairman, Archbishop Jozef Kowalczyk, Bishop Thomas Paprocki, Chicago, Vice-Chairman, Msgr. Pawel Ptasznik, Secretary, Msgr. Stanislaw Budyn, Hanover, Ewa and Maciej Bednarkiewicz, Warsaw, Dr. John Krasnodebski, London, Richard Krzyzanowski, Philadelphia, Christiane Tomkiewicz, Paris, and Danuta Warszawski, Toronto.
In his opening comments Cardinal Rylko noted that the new Council does not begin its work from the very beginning but must build on the foundation that was laid by others, and the new members of the Council must see to it that the work of the Foundation continues to grow. They must respond to the challenges that are being set before the Foundation. Next, the Directors of the various institutions of the Foundation presented their reports on the activities of the past year and proposed plans for the coming year. Msgr. Stefan Wylezek presented his report on the activities of the Foundation Secretariat as well as the status of the Permanent Endowment Fund. In the past year the Secretariat published three books: „Bullarium Poloniae,” Vol. VII, an album dedicated to the activities of the John Paul II Foundation for the past 25 years, and „Etos of the Polish Emigration in the Light of the Teaching of Pope John Paul II.” The Secretariat is in contact with the 43 Chapters of Friends of the Foundation in 16 countries. In the past year two new Chapters of Friends were organized: one in Calgary and another in Munich. The Summer University of Polish Culture was conducted in the Polish Home in Rome for the 21st time. Academic scholarships were granted to 6 persons in Rome. Msgr. Mieczyslaw Niepsuj reported on the activities of the Polish Home. During the year many renovations were made at the Home to make it more comfortable for the pilgrims. Parish groups and individuals come as pilgrims to the Home. The latter group has become more numerous. The number of pilgrims from Poland has increased, and the number of pilgrims from Polonia has decreased. The renovations of the Home will continue so that the Home can be registered as a vacation home.
Msgr. Jan Glowczyk and Rev. Dr. Andrzej Dobrzynski presented the reports for the Center for the Documentation and Research of the Pontificate of John Paul II. On account of the specific goals of the Center, it has become the most important activity of the Foundation. The Center published the 7th volume of the Polish bibliography of John Paul II and cooperated with the publishing of „The Liturgical Hours with John Paul II and Benedict XVI.” The cataloging of the library collection and the museum collection continues. The Center continues to cooperate with the Historical Division of the Papal Academy of Theology as well as with the Papal Institute of John Paul II in Warsaw. Since
September 2007, Rev. Dr. Andrzej Dobrzynski heads the Research Division of the Center. Most emphasis is now placed on the organization of an international symposium on the subject: „Christ-Church-Person. Vatican II in the Pontificate of John Paul II.” It will take place at the Papal Theological Division of Seraphicum in Rome on October 28th and 29th, 2008.
Rev. Ryszard Krupa, SCJ, presented the report on the activities of the John Paul II Foundation Home in Lublin, which implements the educational program of the Foundation for the youth of Central and Eastern Europe. The Foundation grants scholarships to 143 students studying at the Catholic University of Lublin. Last year 42 students completed their studies. Eight students received their doctoral degrees. Scholarship students come from the following countries: Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Turkmenistan, and Slovakia. Last June, thanks to the efforts of the Chapter of Friends of the Foundation in Paris as well as the Catholic Polish Mission in Paris, 46 students made a 10-day pilgrimage to France. The pilgrimage covered Paris, Lisieux, Lourdes, Reims, and Strassburg. The regular program at the Lublin Home included newly-organized „Papal Saturdays.” Their purpose is to inform the students about the teaching and work of Servant of God John Paul II. For the new academic year, the Home accepted 17 students for the Master's degree and 11 Students for the Doctor's degree.
The meeting of the first day was concluded with a report from Msgr. Grzegorz Erlebach for the Review Commission of the John Paul II Foundation. This included information and an assessment of the budget report for 2007 and the preliminary budget for 2008. The three person Commission found no problems with the reports and recommended the approval of the report for 2007 and the budget for 2008.
During the meeting on the second day, the Council considered the budget requests for each of the Institutions of the Foundation. It also approved the invitation of the Friends of the John Paul II Foundation for a pilgrimage to Lourdes on the occasion of the 150 th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady from April 1st to the 4th. Information about the pilgrimage was sent to all the Foun- dation Chapters last year. An academic Symposium will be organized in Rome on October 28th and 29th on the 30th anniversary of the election of John Paul II as Pope. The Council decided that the 2008 Summer University of Polish Culture that has been held in Rome at the Polish Home for the past 21 years be held in Lublin, Poland, at the Catholic University of Lublin during its Summer School. Information about this program has been sent to all of the Presidents of the Foundation Chapters of Friends and other interested individuals. Much discussion was dedicated to the Foun- dation Day of John Paul II. Some of the Chapter Presidents who are very involved in this initiative asked that because of organizational reasons the proposed date of November 4th be changed. The Council established the date of May 18th as the Foundation Day of John Paul II. It suggested that celebrations of this day be as close to May 18th as possible according to local circumstances. The Council confirmed the need to continue the scholarship program for youth from Central and Eastern Europe. The Council foresees further development of the John Paul Foundation Home in Lublin in harmony with the vision that was suggested by the Servant of God John Paul II.
Special concern was expressed by the Council in regard to the activities of the Chapters of Friends of the Foundation and their regular contact with the Foundation Secretariat. The Council expressed deep gratitude to the members of the Chapters of Friends of the John Paul II Foundation. In a spe- cial way the Council expressed appreciation to the Presidents of the Chapters for their dedicated work and financial support of the Foundation. They also expressed gratitude to the many indivi- duals who support the goals and purposes of the Foundation as specified by John Paul II. Our grati- tude is expressed daily in prayer in the Chapel at the Polish Home in Rome and at the grave of Ser- vant of God John Paul II during the Thursday Masses offered for the intention of his early beatifica- tion. Every activity of the Foundation includes the personal gift of many individuals who identify with the Foundation's purposes and see in them important values that build a civilization of love.