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Dominican Friar Lends Spiritual Support to Pilgrims During Canonizations
By Fr. Jonathan Kalisch, O.P.
Fr. Jonathan Kalisch, O.P., with two
Polish pilgrims from a Dominican parish
in Warsaw.
On the historic occasion of the
canonization of our two new Pope
Saints, I was asked to coordinate the
spiritual welfare of Knights of Columbus
pilgrims and their families attending
the canonization events in Rome. The
Knights of Columbus hosted close to
1,000 teenagers, young adults and
families from Poland, who camped for
free on two of the Knights of Columbusowned soccer fields during the days
surrounding the canonization. Over thirty
brother Knights and their wives served
as volunteers, turning the Knights of
Columbus playgrounds into makeshift
pilgrim campgrounds, and one of the
very few refuges for the over one million
pilgrims who descended on Rome. Polish
pilgrims traveled between 24-36 hours
by car to reach Rome. It was amazing to
witness the pilgrims trickling in, including
over one hundred pilgrims who hitchhiked
from Poland and another forty who
bicycled to our pilgrimage fields. For
almost all of the pilgrims, it was their first
time in Rome.
We offered Adoration, Confession and
daily Masses in Polish and English on the
soccer fields and at the local parish. The
Italian pastor welcomed the presence of
our pilgrims and the witness they gave
to the Roman young people of the San
Lorenzo neighborhood. The canonization
pilgrimage provided an opportunity for
chaplains to begin to introduce the
teachings of St. John Paul II, as most of
those who stayed with us were too young
to remember him. The charitable witness
of our brother Knights from Poland also
provided a compelling witness of a faith
in action that builds community. In honor
of the canonizations, a Polish Knights of
Columbus Initiation Ceremony was held
at the fields.
I was privileged to celebrate Mass at
the tomb of John Paul II, as well as joining
the Dominican Te Deum celebration at
Santa Sabina with ov