ROSARY TO THE BORDERLINES
Wojciech Dudkiewicz talks with Lech Dokowicz – a film director, a screenwriter and a film producer, a co-creator of the initiative ‘Rosary to the borderlines’
WOJCIECH DUDKIEWICZ: - The initiative ‘Rosary to the borderlines’ is getting more and more popular. What is it?
LECH DOKOWICZ: - This year we have been experiencing the 100th anniversary of the apparitions in Fatima. ‘Rosary to the borderlines’ is deliberately converging with this event. Fatima has changed a lot of things, showing how dramatic the spiritual condition of the world is and how urgent the calling for conversion is. For me it is a modernized calling, converging with the three biblical events. The first one are the words: ‘Yet forty days, and Niniwa will be destroyed’ (Jon 3.4), the second one – destroying Sodoma and Gomora, and the third one – building the arch before the flood. In the all three situations an enormous majority of people insulting God were preparing their own failure. Only a small group of people did not reject those warnings. We do not want to mention Fatima in vain, but fulfill its callings. Therefore, first there was a ‘Great Penance’, and this year we are inviting everybody for the ‘Rosary….’. On 7 October, on the feast of Our Lady of Rosary, the eve of the 100th anniversary of the last apparition in Fatima, we are inviting all Poles to say the whole Rosary prayer on the borders of the country. We mean surrounding Poland with an alive Rosary – a prayer which is said by big congregations and which has already changed the course of history a lot.
Who is the initiator of the ‘Rosary….’? A group of people working for the Solo Dios Basta Foundation – so the same people who initiated the ‘Great Penance’ at Jasna Góra last year.
The ‘Great Penance’ was attended by over 150 thousand believers. Is the ‘Rosary…’ a continuation of this initiative?
After the ‘Great Penance’ a lot of people asked us what next. People were saying that it was something particular to them and we should continue such actions, as they are very needed at present. In the beginning we were reflecting on a form of further penance actions, but God is still surprising us. This His action has appeared in a vena to make a further step, which was to be the ‘Rosary to borders’. And this is logical because Our Lady asks everybody for penance and Rosary. What happened at Jasna Góra last October was a respond to the first of these requests, so there is another step now – the Rosary.
What are the similarities between the two initiatives?
Both initiatives are a calling for spiritual actions in the national dimension. This is a prayer for saving souls. According to the official data, about 35-40 percent Poles attend the Holy Mass. Beside the fact that the very participation in the Holy Mass is not a guarantee for salvation – how many people do not attend confession and do not accept Lord’s Body for months, how many receive the Holy Communion sacrilegiously…But even if we assumed that all people of these 35-40 per cent will go to Heaven after death straightaway, the other 60-65 percent live and die in sins. So their lives are endangered by eternal condemnation. A worse situation is outside the borders of Poland. In many nations there is a small percent of people how have their personal relationship with God. In other words, we live at the times in which most people are born for hell, not for Heaven. Beside that a lot of analytics are threatening us with a war from the East, and we are dealing with the expansion of islam and depravation coming from the West, and with inner commotion and lack of unity in our country. Therefore believers cannot be passive but must fight in the intention of the world conversion as God indicates it to us through Mary – with penance and Rosary. We will be saying the whole Rosary in the intention of Poles’ conversion, protection and blessing for Poland and in the intention of other nations and for peace in the world.
How many people will take part in the ‘Rosary….’?
Poland border is 3511 km long. In order to surround it with a wall of people about a million of people is necessary. It is absolutely a real number of participants. From experience of the ‘Great Penance’ we know that when feel the significance of an issue, the hussars sit up onto horses and nothing will stop them. In Częstochowa there was such a big crowd that it was hardly possible to get through the square at Jasna Góra. It proves that a lot of people really understand how dramatic situation of the world is at present. They know that they cannot sit with their arms folded. Therefore we believe that they will be on Poland borders on 7 October.
This is a great endeavor. What are the preparations like?
We have been making preparations since last November. Since last January all Carmelite convents in Poland have been praying in this intention. Gradually, also other religious orders are joining it, priests are celebrating Holy Masses – a lot of laymen receive graces through the prayer. And from the technical side the best specialists in IT, graphics, mass media, lawyers are cooperating with us…We have had a dozen of meetings with ordinaries of border dioceses where there is going to be a prayer, and also tens of meetings with communities, businessmen, briefly speaking – with all people who want to contribute to the development of this work.
The idea was presented to bishops, later other details were presented to them. How do they see this initiative?
Most of them – very well, some of them very joyfully. We heard a lot of voices of encouragement and assurance about a prayer and blessing. There were also 2- 3 criticism voices but after talks most stipulations were explained. We are praying and asking God so that on 7 October there would not be a gap along the Poland borders.
Before Poland is surrounded with a Rosary, the borders are the intention of prayers among a group of people going under the aegis of Pilgrims of Divine Mercifulness. They have been going in a pilgrimage for weeks. Is there any news about this pilgrimage?
Yes, from the mid of May till October around Poland, along the borders, there is a group of people going in a pilgrimage, and who have been preparing this great event through their pilgrimage effort. This is one of spiritual initiatives, which is supporting the ‘Rosary….’
Where can one find information, the news about the ‘Rosary…?’
In September a media campaign was begun. We are printing millions of leaflets and thousands of posters, which can be ordered on the website of this event. all information can be found on: www.rozaniecdogranic.pl. One can get registered here and declare their arrival at one of 300 local churches. From the logistic point of view, this endeavor is very complicated and costs are much higher than possibilities of organizers. Therefore through the website one can also support the organizations of the event financially.
(AA)
„Niedziela” 38/2017