Bishop welcomes Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki

I had the privilege of welcoming to the Diocese of Trenton Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki, Archbishop of Lviv of the Latins in the Ukraine, at St. Hedwig Church in Trenton on Saturday, March 12.

He celebrated the 5 p.m. Polish Mass there and stayed for dinner hosted by the pastor, Father Jacek Labinski.  It was a joyful reunion.

I first met “Monsignor” Mokrzycki in Rome in 2006 when he was secretary to Pope Benedict XVI.  I spent an unforgettable afternoon with “Mietek” at the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican where he lived with Pope Benedict.  He gave me a great private tour of the papal residence.  Born in Majdan Lukawiecki, Poland, the Archbishop was also the personal secretary of Pope St. John Paul II.

Since he does not speak English and I do not speak Polish, we depended upon the translations of our conversation by Fr. Jacek and Fr. Rich Basznianin, pastor of St. Plus X Church in Forked River. It was a fascinating dinner conversation about the Church in the Ukraine and his life with two extraordinary Popes.

Once again I was struck with the universality of our Church. We shared stories of our personal experiences as bishops in two different parts of the world, his reflections on the recent Synod of Bishops which he attended and our celebrations of the Holy Year of Mercy.

His English-speaking priest secretary was also present and added nuances to our conversation. It is amazing how laughter is a universal language! I fondly recalled my visit to Lviv, Ukraine, in 2009 during my service as President of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Before parting, Archbishop Mokrzycki invited me to return to Lviv and gave me a relic from the cassock of Pope St. John Paul II which I will cherish.

It was truly an honor to be with him again, this time in the Diocese of Trenton.

Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, C.M., J.C.D.
Bishop of Trenton