Dear parishioners and friends of St. Hedwig's church,
When Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris caught fire on Monday of Holy Week, many Catholics across the globe were aghast at the prospect of losing a pearl of faith, culture, and medieval architecture.
Moreover, in the context of the recent church burnings in France, another unexplained fire took on an ominous significance. Still yet, for some, the image of the flames engulfing the second-most recognizable church in Europe -- after St. Peter's Basilica -- precisely at the start of Passion Week, was a symbol of the travails and tribulations of European and global Catholicism. The fire spread rapidly and burned ferociously, and, at a certain moment, it seemed that the building would collapse -- and that all would be lost.
We live in a society of images. Images often take pride of place before words, reason and intellectual arguments. The day after the fire, as embers glowed and smoke rose from the smouldering remains, cameras captured an Easter image that was as haunting as it was beautiful -- the cross of the main altar of Notre Dame left standing, unscarred, in front of a pile of charred debris. Below the cross was the Pieta, the statue of the Blessed Mother holding the body of her Son, Jesus Christ. The cross was literally rising out of the rubble, its golden hue reflecting in the light of day.
My brothers and sisters, let us take comfort and pride in the power of the cross of Christ. The Church, confessing both the cross and the empty tomb, displays remarkable resilience in the face of adversity. She has survived disasters, fires, revolutions, wars and crises. In the Sacred Triduum, we are once more reminded of the glory of the cross, and the power of Jesus Christ -- the One who, through His Passion, has conquered sin and death.
Together with Fr. Joseph Hattie, O.M.I., and Fr. Constant Kienge Kienge, O.M.I., I wish you:
Wesołych Świąt Zmartwychwstania Pańskiego! (Polish)
Wiesłego Alleluja! (Kashubian)
A blessed and holy Easter to all -- Surrexit Christus Alleluia!
Fr. Paweł Ratajczak O.M.I., pastor
