On Wednesday, June 24, 2020, Our Lady of the Angels Province Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. met the President of the Republic of Poland, H.E. Andrzej Duda, and other dignitaries and representatives of our Order and the Polish Government, in Washington DC.
H.E. Andrzej Duda awarded posthumously Friar Łucjan Królikowski, OFM Conv. with the Order of the White Eagle – Poland’s highest order awarded to both civilians and the military for their merits. (article in Polish)
In his Acceptance Remarks, Friar James stated, “As you know, Father Łucjan was a member of the Order of Franciscan Friars Conventual. We Franciscans first came to Poland in the year 1236. Today’s ceremony marks a unique moment in the 800-year-long history of the Franciscan Order. For the first time in Franciscan history, and in Polish history, the Order of the White Eagle is being conferred upon a Franciscan Friar. How fitting, indeed, it is that the humble Polish Franciscan Łucjan Królikowski is the recipient! ”
Friar James (far left) was accompanied by six of Friar Łucjan’s closest friends, including Kraków, Poland’s St. Anthony of Padua and B. James of Strepa Province (Prowincja św. Antoniego i bł. Jakuba Strzemię w Polsce) Delegate for the USA – Fr. Piotr Sarnicki, OFM Conv. (2nd from right) and Our Lady of the Angels Province friar – Fr. Marek Stybor, OFM Conv. (far right), who serves as Parochial Vicar for our pastoral ministry of St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ.
The President was presented with a 1st Class Relic of St. Maximillian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. by Friar James, alongside Helena Knapczyk – one of Fr. Łucjan’s Polish orphans from Siberia & the Tengeru refugee camp.
