The visit coincided with the 130th anniversary of the parish, the 300th anniversary of the canonization of St. Stanislaus Kostka, and the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The Presidential Couple was welcomed with bread and salt by Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn Witold Mroziewski, parish pastor Rev. Grzegorz Markulak, and Jerzy Leśniak from the Nowodvorski Foundation. A special moment was the meeting of Karol and Marta Nawrocki with 99-year-old Helena Knapczyk, a Sybirak (survivor of Soviet deportations) and president of the Ladies’ Auxiliary Corps at the Polish Army Veterans Association in America.
The celebrations were preceded by the concert “Polish Heart of America,” prepared under the direction of Dr. Mariusz Monczak and Bożena Konkiel. Performers included Patrycja Posłuszna, Wojciech Bonarowski, Agata Mańka, Maurycy Banaszek, Marta Bedkowska-Reilly, Paweł Knapik, Nicholas Kaponyas, Andrzej Raczkowski, the “Krakowianki i Górale” ensemble, and the 250 Choir under the direction of Sabina Nemtusiak.
After the service, Rev. Grzegorz Markulak, Dariusz Knapik, Janusz Grabiński, Monika Bolkun-Robert, and Aleksandra Hibowski presented the President with a commemorative medal and an icon. Karol and Marta Nawrocki also unveiled a commemorative plaque marking the jubilees celebrated by the parish and the Polish-American community of Greenpoint. The gallery captures both the official part of the ceremony and numerous personal, moving meetings with representatives of the Polish diaspora.
