The President of the Polish Bishops' Conference celebrating his 50th anniversary as a priest (Announcement)

In thanksgiving for 50 years of priesthood, Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki will preside over the Eucharist in the Poznań Cathedral on Saturday, 10 June, at 11 a.m. The homily will be delivered by Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski, Metropolitan Archbishop of Kraków, Deputy President of the Polish Bishops' Conference. The ceremony will be broadcast by TVP3 and Television TRWAM.

The day before, on 9 June, the Metropolitan of Poznań will travel to Gniezno to participate in the Eucharist at 12.00 p.m. The homily will be delivered by the Primate of Poland, Archbishop Wojciech Polak. It was in the Primate's basilica in Gniezno fifty years ago, on 9 June 1973, that Archbishop Gądecki was ordained a priest by Blessed Stefan Wyszyński.

"As the community of the Church of Poznań, we wish to surround the jubilarian with prayer and to thank God for his ministry," we read in the invitation to the celebrations on the website of the Archdiocese of Poznan.

The Priests of the Archdiocese of Poznań, in gratitude for the 50 years of priesthood of Archbishop Gądecki, supported the construction of the Saint John Paul II Centre for Spiritual and Psychological Rehabilitation, which is being built in the diocese of Kamieniec Podolski in Ukraine. The centre will provide psychological treatment for war trauma and spiritual support for those affected by war and its consequences.

Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki was born in Strzelno (Poznań voivodship) on 19 October 1949. He was ordained priest by Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński at the Archcathedral Basilica in Gniezno on 9 June 1973. On 1 February 1992, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Gniezno Archdiocese. On 28 March 2002 he was appointed Archbishop Metropolitan of Poznań, by Pope John Paul II.

In the Polish Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki has so far held, among others, the function of Chairman of the Commission for Dialogue with Judaism, and then of the Council for Religious Dialogue, as well as Chairman of the Pastoral Care Commission of the Polish Bishops’ Conference. Since 2002, he has been a member of the Permanent Council of the Polish Bishops' Conference. Archbishop Gądecki served as Deputy President of the Polish Bishops' Conference from 2004 to 2014. On 12 March 2014, he was elected President of the Polish Bishops' Conference for a first term and on 14 March 2019 - for a second term.

www.archpoznan.pl/ Press Office of the Polish Bishops’ Conference

Translation: s. Ewa Dobrzelecka / Office for Foreign Communication of the Polish Bishops’ Conference