Holiness seems to be a difficult goal, achievable only for the people absolutely unique or those who totally break away from life and culture of the specific epoch. In fact holiness is a gift and a task, that is rooted in Christening and in the Sacrament of Confirmation, and that is entrusted to all the members of the Church in every epoch. Holiness is a gift and a task for the secular people as well as for the monks and priests, both in the private sphere and public activity, both in the life of individuals and the life of families and communities. John Paul II- The Proclamation for the XIII World Youth Day, 30th November 1997

Holiness was a subject repeatedly mentioned by John Paul II. Holiness is a gift. Jesus Christ calls each of us to realize it, even by the simplest activities in our everyday life. Each of us can try to achieve it in his own, individual way. Totus tuus- Totally Yours. Now these words become closer and more visible to us, expressing our devotion and surrender to the Holy Mary and Her Son. We also should entrust them our lives without fear, since it is Jesus who knows what is the best for us. To simplify it, He put special persons on our way. Saint John Paul II was such a person for me, as well as surely for many of you. We were accompanying him in every significant moment of his life, wanting to become a part of it. It is impossible to enumerate all his merits for the world, for Poland and especially for us- scholars of the Dzielo Nowego Tysiaclecia Foundation. Were it not for our saint patron, many beautiful moments would not have happened and many amazing projects could not have been realized. He was the one to show us how great it is to help other people, deriving joy and satisfaction from it. As a scholar of the Foundation, I am proud of being a member of the Saint John Paul’s II generation and grateful for the opportunity to develop myself in the organization which is established by him and for which he will always be a paragon. I was very happy, but also shocked when I was proposed to represent all the Fellows during the canonization of our great patron. There is nothing more special than “the birth” of a new saint. I have not met the Holy Father personally, but I could really feel his presence during the process of canonization while praying at his tomb and rejoicing with then people who came to Rome for him. 26th April was the moment of culmination of the joy, sharing by the people from all over the world. What is really amazing, during the stay in Rome one could feel like home, since the Polish language was heard at every turn. The Monday Thanksgiving Mass in the intention of the canonization of John Paul II was an ideal summation of his life, attitude and words that he was enouncing to us. By unifying we could all be grateful to the Senior Pope Benedict XVI for quick beatification and to Pope Francis for canonization. However, the most significant thing for us was the opportunity to thank God and Holy Mary for the gift of his pontificate. As the representation of the Polish youth we were honored to present Pope Francis with the Poles’ Canonization Book, which contained over 70 thousand requests, acknowledgements and decisions dedicated to God with the intercession of Saint John Paul II. We also offered the Canonization Spark of Mercy in the St. Stanislaus Kostka Church. Being in Rome in the special time of canonization enabled us to entrust the Foundation, all of the Fellows and the whole Poland to our Holy Father’s intercession. Obviously, we were also able to visit the Eternal City- the beauty of its architecture, temples and olive gardens. Unfortunately, marvelous moments passed quickly, but they will certainly remain in our memory for a long time. At this point I would like to give thanks to the people working for the Foundation and to God for the possibility of being one of the Fellows. I give special thanks to Priest Jan for choosing me to represent the scholars of the Foundation and to Fr. Darek for all the beautiful moments, long hours of talks, smile and his great heart. Jon Paul II, pray for us.

tr. Karolina Rudzka