|
|
|
March 13, 1983: |
|
Ground-breaking ceremony
at the church site and beginning of construction. |
|
|
|
May 22, 1983: |
|
His Eminence Wladyslaw
Cardinal Rubin blesses the cornerstone of the
new church. |
|
|
|
December 18, 1983: |
|
First Mass celebrated in
the newly-completed church. |
|
|
|
February 26, 1984: |
|
Official opening of a
branch of the Stanislaus-St Casimir Credit Union. |
|
|
|
September 16, 1984: |
|
Blessing of the church
during Pope John Paul II visit to Canada. |
|
|
|
PARISH ORIGINS |
|
The 1970's saw a great
many Polish families move into the rapidly
growing city of Mississauga. As a result, many
individuals as well as representatives of
various Polish organizations began lobbying to
establish a new Polish parish. |
|
|
 |
|
Towards this end, formal
petitions were gathered and presented to the
Diocese.
In October 1979, shortly after the election of
Pope John Paul II, the Polish communities in
Mississauga and Brampton received the news they
had worked so long and hard to hear. The new
parish would have as its patron Blessed
Maximilian Kolbe and be administered by the
Oblate Fathers. Father Stanley Bak, O.M.I. was
appointed its first pastor. The new parish was
generously helped by the Felician Sisters, who
gave permission for the use of |
|
the gymnasium at Holy Name
of Mary High School. They also permitted the use
of their liturgical vestments and furniture. On
December 2, 1979, the first Sunday in Advent,
the gymnasium was filled to capacity by new
parishioners, city officials and representatives
from Polish organizations. Father Stanley Bak
concelebrated the inaugural mass with numerous
Polish priests from the area. He was also
formally installed as pastor by Archbishop
Philip Pocock. This momentous day was the
crowning glory of the first steps of the new
parish. The sustained efforts of many
enthusiastic volunteers working in unison with
Father Bak and the Parish Council had reached
fruition that Sunday. |
|
The first Parish
Committees had been established before the
Inaugural Mass and were hard at work. The Social
Committee was responsible for organizing parish
social functions and dances; the Liturgical and
Service Committees weekly transformed an
ordinary gym into a place of worship; the
Financial Committee had as its main objective to
raise funds for the parish's needs and church
construction. |
|
|
|
WHY WAS BLESSED
MAXIMILIAN KOLBE CHOSEN AS PATRON SAINT? |
|
Blessed Maximilian Kolbe's
life, missionary work and heroic death are known
to most Polish people far and wide. The tragic
memories conjured up by the events of World War
II in Poland are still fresh in many minds.
Father Kolbe was but one of many who died in
those years. However, it is to the nature of his
death that we must look. He made his sacrifice,
to save the life of a fellow prisoner, alone,
freely and fully comprehending the consequences
of his act. By his action he was a living
witness to the belief that only good can conquer
evil. |
|
|
 |
|
There are many now living
in Mississauga who continues to be witnesses of
Maximilian Kolbe's resolve. Above all, this man
was a believer, who even in such inhuman
conditions, brought consolation, love and the
hope of survival. Father Kolbe is our personal
ray of hope- our role model for loving our
fellow man, a hero, a saint in our own time, who
lived and died amongst our Polish countrymen. On
September 13, 1980, in the parish hall of St.
Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Mississauga
the first Building Fund Banquet took place.
Their Eminences Gerald Emmett Cardinal Carter
and Wladyslaw Cardinal Rubin graced this
milestone-event with their presence. |
|
Included among the guests
were Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion and
Senator Stanley Haidasz. The Banquet was a great
success, realizing substantial sums in cash and
pledges to meet the initial goal of $500,000.00 |
|
|
|
BLESSING OF THE CHURCH
SITE |
|
|
 |
|
Crowds of faithful
gathered at the corner of Cawthra Rd. and
Meadows Blvd. on a sunny Sunday, September 27,
1980, to itness the blessing of the church site.
Sent to officiate by the Polish Episcopate, was
his Excellency Jan Wieczorek, Auxiliary Bishop
of Opole. Concelebrating the Mass with him were
the Polish pastors of parishes adjacent to
Mississauga. Representing the city of
Mississauga was Mayor Hazel McCallion, along
with other government and Polish organizational
representatives. The most memorable and touching
moment came when Bishop Wieczorek sprinkled
earth taken from outside Block II at Auschwitz's
infamous Wall of Death. |
|
The very same earth had
been soaked years earlier with the blood of
thousands executed there. It served as a fitting
reminder of our patron's sacrifice. Later that
afternoon a special commerative banquet,
attended by close to 800 people, was held at St.
John's Lithuanian Parish Hall in Mississauga.
Distributed at that time was the first Souvenir
Booklet outlining the events and activities of
our young parish. |
|
|
|
MAXIMILIAN KOLBE
FOUNDATION ESTABLISHED |
The dynamic growth and
active participation in the new parish spurred
the pastor to lay plans for the future. After
many consultations and discussions with
parishioners, Father Bak decided to capitalize
on the opportunity to purchase the adjacent 3.2
acres of land at the church site. The land was
owned by the Ontario Government and already had
a bidder.
Lacking funds to bid directly, it was decided to
form a Foundation that would purchase the land
as its primary objective. Thus the Maximilian
Kolbe Foundation was born on August 4, 1982. The
Foundation continues its work by planning future
use of the land to accommodate a park, senior
citizens home and perhaps a nursery and meeting
halls. Today the benefits accruing from the
establishment of the Foundation are obvious to
all. |
|
|
|
SPONSORING REFUGEE
FAMILIES |
The Parish was able to do
a great deal in helping many refugee families.
Thanks in large measure to the hard work of
certain individuals and the co-operation and
support of the entire parish, we were able to
assist 137 refugee families and sponsor 17
families ourselves. The planning and
coordination for this project was headed by
Father Bak and Sister Alice.
What type of assistance did these families
receive? Many were temporarily accommodated in
the homes of parishioners until their own
lodgings were available. |
|
|
 |
|
These friendships and
contacts enabled the newcomers to more quickly
acclimatize themselves to their new lives in
Canada. Not everyone realizes the tremendous
amount
of work involved in this successful undertaking,
- the countless telephone calls, hundreds of
kilometers driven and the many major decisions
taken. A great deal of time and effort went into
the collection, pick-up and delivery, division
and cleaning of donated items. |
|
The new families were
encouraged to participate in all parish
activities from the liturgical to the social to
the recreational. Individual contacts and visits
continued to help in the psychological
adaptation of the first traumatic months and to
maintain morale. In this atmosphere of
assistance and gradual exposure to life in
Canada, they could look more confidently to the
future. |
Certainly they will
remember their first hosts and acquaintances
with fond appreciation as witnessed by the
following excerpts from thank-you letters
received by the parish:
When we came to Canada... we were broken
psychologically. And then we found people who
held out a helping hand. Our surprise was
immeasurable... help came in time.
Czesław Kępa and Family
With all our hearts we thank these people who
helped us and surely we will remember them all
our lives, for they helped us at a time when we
needed help most.
Karlowicz Family
. . . they are wonderful friends, ready to
come and help with advice at any time.
Baska Family
These wonderful people helped us to begin our
new lives in Canada. We are eternally grateful
for all they have done for us. Any words of
gratitude are inadequate...
Jerzy Meinhardt and Family |
|
|
|
CANONIZATION OF OUR
PATRON |
|
In the fall 01 1982 the
parish family received the long awaited
momentous news Blessed Maximilian Kolbe was to
be canonized. Happiness and awe were but two
emotions we all experienced at this news.
Attending the canonization Mass In Rome was a
parish delegation headed by Father Stanley Bąk.
Meanwhile, at home, plans were rapidly advancing
to organize a fitting tribute for the
canonization. |
|
|
 |
|
Invited to help us
celebrate was the newly appointed Primate of
Poland, Archbishop Jozef Glemp. Unfortunately,
due to pressing political problems at home, he
was unable to attend. Nevertheless, the
celebratory Mass was held at Toronto's St.
Michael's Cathedral on October 24, 1982. The
Mass was concelebrated by Father Bak and the
homily delivered by Father Henry Pieprzycki, a
Franciscan from Montreal, who was also the
official postulator for the canonization of
Maximilian Kolbe. Hundreds of people filled the
|
cathedral to capacity
including standard bearers from Polish
organizations, children from Polish schools,
Polish Girl Guides and Scouts and choirs.
We were once again fortunate to be witnesses at
a very historic event. Following the Mass a
banquet was held at St. John's Lithuanian parish
hall in Mississauga.
Among the various city officials and
organizational representatives were two special
guests and parishioners, Mrs. & Mrs. Mazurek.
Both had been inmates at Auschwitz and Mr.
Mazurek was an eyewitness to the martyrdom of
Maximili3n Kolbe. Both shared their painful
memories of their experiences and in so doing
helped all present to better understand the
events of 41 years ago. |
|
|
|
GROUND BREAKING
CEREMONY |
 |
|
On Sunday, March 13, 1983,
with the sun shining warmly, the official ground
breaking for our new church took place. With it
the stage was set for a group of active and
enthusiastic supporters who began to give
of their time and labor. Craftsmen and tradesmen
volunteered their time and expertise and some
donated construction materials. Those without
special trades volunteered their time and labor
while ladies provided lunches. Everyone worked
towards the common goal - completing the new
church as quickly as possible. Providing
encouragement and handling the countless details
involved while maintaining a grueling schedule
was Father Bak. |
|
|
|
BLESSING OF THE
CORNERSTONE |
On Sunday, May 22, 1983 at
2:00 p.m. our church's cornerstone was blessed.
A steady and prolonged downpour forced a change
of location for the blessing from the church
site to St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church.
Wladyslaw.
Cardinal Rubin once again officiated at the
ceremony and celebrated the Mass. As at many of
our previous milestone events, Mississauga Mayor
Hazel McCallion, Provincial and Federal
Government representatives as well as
representatives from Polish organizations were
present.
The Parish choir, children in national costumes,
Girl Guides and Scouts all contributed to the
solemnity of the occasion. Later that afternoon
parishioners and guests assembled at St. John's
Lithuanian parish hall for a celebratory banquet
whose guest of honor was His Eminence Wladyslaw
Cardinal Rubin. |
|
|
|
CONCLUSION |
Five years seems a very
short span of time, but during those years many
thousands of hours of volunteer work helped make
the dream for a church a reality. What has been
accomplished by the parish leaves one with
feeling of happiness, awe and above all
thankfulness. We have a beautiful house of
worship, parish hall and large parking are - ideal
foundations for our next stages of continued
development.
We see increases in the number of young families
registered, in children attending religion
classes, in an active youth group which also
forms the nucleus of the dancing group as well
as the Girl Guide and Scout groups.
We continue to meet Sunday after Mass over
coffee and donuts with old and new friends. The
various committees and groups provide
parishioners with many varied opportunities for
active participation in all aspects of parish
life. We have every opportunity to become one in
God, linked by our faith and Polish heritage.
At the same time we realize the difficult
financial burden we are carrying. That burden is
being effectively carried by a few hundred
active parishioners.
The daily upkeep of what we now have is immense
and does not include the original loans. What we
need and ask for is the help and support of all
Polish families in Mississauga, Brampton and
surrounding areas. Come and join our Parish
Family. Let the parish of St. Maximilian Kolbe
continue its growth in God's praise for future
generations. |
|
|
|
|
