Poland’s prayer chain for Pope Francis on 5th anniversary

By Robin Gomes

A prayer initiative organized by the Polish Church for Pope Francis on the occasion of the 5^th anniversary of his pontificate, is kicking off on Sunday in Poland.  “One for all, all for one!” is the title of the prayer chain that is in response to the frequent requests for prayers by the Pope.    “I encourage you to join this prayer chain that connects bishops, priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful,” urged Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki of Poznan, the President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference.

Initiative of Polish youth

The prayer chain is the initiative of the Lednica Youth Movement, that gathers every year at Lednica lake near Gniezno.   Over 25 organized groups and dozens of people all over Poland have declared their participation in the 11 March event. 

Over 45 organized groups and dozens of people throughout Poland have declared their adherence to the 11 March event.  

The man behind the prayer chain is Rafał Orzechowski, a member of the Lednica Movement in Grajewo, who had the opportunity to meet the Holy Father in 2017.  During the handing over the World Youth Day Cross by Poles, the hosts of the 2016 WYD in Krakow, to their counterparts from Panama, the venue of next WYD in 2019, the Pope had said to him: “I pray for you, and you pray for me”. “I consider this agreement to be binding”, Orzechowski said.

Support of Polish Church

Lending support of the Catholic Church for the “One for all, all for one!” prayer chain, Archbishop Gądecki said, “It is certainly a beautiful initiative, which implies the possibility of various forms of prayer, including the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, or other types of prayers, which are intended to surround the ministry and the person of the Holy Father.”  He said that it need not be limited to Sunday only but one can pray for the Pope always.

Other Polish cities and towns besides Warsaw, Krakow, Gniezno and Poznań are participating. Organizers have said people can pray anywhere they like - in the church, school, park…   “It is important to surround this beloved Pope with prayer,” they said.

On March 13, the day of the election of Pope Francis, members of the entire Polish Bishops’ Conference will celebrate a Mass for the Pope at the Temple of Divine Providence in Warsaw.  It will be presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio. The liturgy will be telecast live on TVP INFO.