Polish community marks beatifications
International
A Polish cardinal persecuted by communist authorities during the Cold War and a nun dedicated to helping the blind took a step towards sainthood last month when they were beatified at the Temple of Divine Providence in Warsaw.
The beatification was cause for celebration amongst the Polish community at the Resurrection Church, Unley, where Polish chaplain Fr Michal Skiba SCHR for three days celebrated Mass with homilies dedicated to Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski and Mother Elzbieta Roza Czacka.
Fr Skiba also organised a concert on September 11, with music, songs, poems and short movies dedicated to the two Blesseds.
All four days of the spiritual preparation for the beatification were well attended by members of the Polish community.
Cardinal Wyszynski, the primate of Poland from 1948 to 1981, is attributed with saving the faith of Poles in the harsh days of communism.
Mother Elzbieta, who lost her sight at the age of 22, was the founder of a secular institution helping the visually impared and later a new Franciscan congregation of religious women.
To this day the town of Laski near Warsaw, with a school and educational centre for blind children, is the heart of the activities of both institutions.
During a visit to Hungary, Pope Francis described Cardinal Wyszynski as a “herald of freedom and human dignity” and praised Mother Elzbieta’s life-long devotion to the blind.
“May the example of these new Blesseds encourage us to transform darkness into light with the power of love,” he said.
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