Friends of the John Paul II Foundation gathered in the Christmas spirit at the annual wafer meeting, held on December 4 at the Princess Manor banquet hall in Greenpoint.
This charming gathering, under the glow of the holiday tree, began with a communal prayer led by the Circle’s chaplain, Fr. Józef Szpilski. The newly elected board of the New York Circle was also sworn in. The oath was received by Bishop Witold Mroziewski, who then gave a blessing to all attendees.
Following Polish tradition, everyone shared the Christmas wafer and exchanged holiday and New Year’s wishes. A festive artistic program was prepared by students and teachers from Polish supplementary schools. Well-known carols and Christmas-themed poems were performed by students—Alicja Czajkowski, Aleksander Jopek, Adam Wysocki—and teachers—Dr. Dorota Andraka, Mariola Dudek, and Teresa Ramotowska.
After a delicious dinner, Santa Claus arrived and handed out gifts—first to the children, then to the adults who participated in a prize raffle. This attractive raffle always draws interest, especially since the proceeds and all donations collected during the event support the ongoing growth of the John Paul II Foundation, which celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2016. We thank all donors for supporting the mission of St. John Paul II.
The lovely gathering took place in a warm, joyful atmosphere created by the Foundation’s members, supporters, their families, children, youth, representatives of Polish schools and organizations, as well as many priests from Polish parishes.
The evening concluded with communal carol singing.
ZT