WITH FATHER GÓRA ONTO THE CROWN OF THE WORLD

LIDIA DUDKIEWICZ

God’s crazy man, monk with severe symptoms of the incurable papal illness – this is how Fr. Jan Góra speaks about himself, who is a Dominican and a builder of the Gate of the Third Millennium near Gniezno, near Poles’ sources of baptism. This is the place where participants of meetings at Lednica, passing through the Gate the Fish, choose Christ for their further life.

At God’s home

Before the meetings in Lednica, Fr. Góra initiated students’ meetings on a meadow near the monastery in Ustronie-Hermanice, where the famous hymn of the VI World Youth’s Day ‘Abba Father’ was composed. The hymn reached to the very heart of John Paul II, attracted an enormous crowd of praying young people from 92 countries of the world, in the number of 1.7 million, besieging Jasna Góra in August 1991. Later Fr. Góra revived the village Jamna at Dunajec burned by the Nazis, where he opened the House of St. Jack, built the sanctuary of Our Lady of Reliable Hope and started organizing retreats and meetings in August which he called ‘Meetings of God’s Mothers’. His faithful love in his priestly life is the youth, mainly from the Academic Pastoral Group led by the Dominican Fathers in Poznań, where he used to wait for students in the morning before seven o’clock in the morning every day, in the chapel ‘At God’s home’ till the year 2012. Now, although he stopped having the function of the academic pastor, he also waits for people in the same place – because the place is still the centre of his life where, first of all, he talks with Jesus. Today Fr. Góra directed his helm towards Lednica and Jamna. He is doing a great God’s work within the Community of Lednica Movement. Certainly, the peak of his crazy struggles for souls of young people are annual meetings in Lednica in June, which even reached abroad. He is just planning a meeting in Lednica in 2014, this time it is going to be devoted to God’s filiation.

Like an eagle flying into the sky

66 years of life of this unusual monk is extremely interesting material for a film serial in many episodes. Such attempts are already being taken, among the others, by TV Theatre, which has performed a spectacle about Jamna entitled ‘A mountain of Góra’. Fr. Jan is an author of many books, articles, mainly newspaper columns, in which he expresses himself. And, recently, in the editorial office of ‘Niedziela’ he has written dedications to us for the latest publication entitled ‘…..means a priest’ – this is a long interview where he confesses the details of his life to Joanna Kubaszczyk. He says about his fatherhood and ‘unwanted children’, about superiors who had helped and disturbed, about miracles of John Paul II which he had experienced, about his suffering and loneliness, about necessity of finding a new way of passing faith and about great plans for the future.

Having read the last page of this interview, Fr. Jan reminded me an eagle flying up into the sky. After all, he said that youthful world of sounds (resulting from the neighborhood of his family home with a music school in Prudink) had used to attract and give optimism to him. ‘It gave me inspiration, aroused my dreams, in order to fly away far into the world and fly in the sky’. His dream was to become a scientist and gain the peaks of knowledge. However, in his adult’s life he had to go obediently, according to the religious order rule, where he did not want to, among the others, to the youth. How much he was objecting to pastoral ministry among the youth! However, young people attracted him. Hence, he confessed after years: ‘The youth is in my life ‘an unwanted child’ who brought me the most beautiful love’.

Radiation of fatherhood

In another place we read: ‘The youth allowed me to be a father and gave birth to me for fatherhood, so that I would not live only for myself. Therefore, I am the son of this youth’. It is worth opening the book with the interview and engross oneself into this reflection about the born fatherhood of Fr. Góra through his spiritual children, in order to learn that ‘fatherhood is the maturity peak of a man’. Fr. Jan understood his fatherhood and everything became clear to him when he saw ‘Radiation of fatherhood’ of Karol Wojtyła. He used to say that he had been crazy when he was reading this book, of the authorship of the future pope, because he had found a scenario of his life in it.

He lives in the hearts of people

We find out from the long interview with Fr. Góra that in his life the following relationships are the most important ‘First the basic relationship – with Jesus who called for me and save my life, and thanks to it I will not die but I will live’ – he explains. ‘It was him who bent over the dust which I am, he noticed me, distinguished and called for me. Later – the relationships with people. This is the biggest wealth of my life. People. Particular people. This is my treasure and my home. Yes, I live in their hearts like they live in my heart. People – are the biggest gift of God apart from time. Therefore my heart is full of gratitude’. And as for my plans for the future, Fr. Góra answers: “I would like to get mature and deserve holiness. This is the measure of God with which he has intended for me and everyone’.

It is worth reading the statements of Fr. Góra written in the book entitled: ‘….means a priest’, in order to fly together with him and gain a crown of the world. And for Fr. Jan Eucharist is the crown of the world.

Everybody who live in the heart of Fr. Jan Góra, and he lives in their hearts I remind that on 8 February he celebrated his 66th birthday in Lednica, and on 8 June he celebrated his 40th anniversary of his priesthood.

(AA)

"Niedziela" 6/2014

Editor: Tygodnik Katolicki "Niedziela", ul. 3 Maja 12, 42-200 Czestochowa, Polska
Editor-in-chief: Fr Jaroslaw Grabowski • E-mail: redakcja@niedziela.pl