Establishment of Divine Providence Center (COB)
His Excellency, Archbishop Kazimierz Nycz established the first Sunday of the June as a Day of Thanksgiving. The Metropolitan of Warsaw has appointed the Divine Providence Center, the modern institution of culture. Polish Bishops gathers on the Plenary Meeting of the Polish Episcopacy Conference on March 6 of this year, heard the information about the Divine Providence Center, in the frame of which the Temple is being built. As a support for this initiative, they approved the nation-wide fundraising for construction of the Temple of Divine Providence in all Churches in Poland on June 1, 2008.
The Idea of the Day of Thanksgiving is connected with the continuation of the historic initiative of the Four-Year Sejm from 1792. The construction of the Temple of Divine Providence as a Vote of Polish Nation for Divine Providence for free Poland, for the Polish Pope, the Primate of the Millennium was undertaken again by His Eminence, Cardinal Józef Glemp, the Primate of Poland. “This day is to remind us, that the real Vote is Poland to God grateful, and the construction of the Temple of Divine Providence should be connected with the reinforcement of the idea of thanksgiving among the Polish people. The fact of the Day of Thanksgiving taking place in June is an expression of our gratitude and memory of John Paul II, whose visits would start at the beginning of June.” – said Archbishop Kazimierz Nycz
During the Day of Thanksgiving, there will be a family meeting near the Temple of Divine Providence of citizens of the capital city and the faithful from around the Poland, to which the Metropolitan of Warsaw invites you. This year, The Day of Thanksgiving falls on June 1.
On this day, in churches in whole country there will be a nation-wide fundraising for the construction of the Temple of Divine Providence.
According to the quantitative research realized by the Center Establishment Team among the youth, the word thank you has a special meaning for our life. It is a certain multiplier of goodness. Thus, the aim of the Day of Thanksgiving is also providing the occasion and reminding us, that it is important to say THANK YOU to our loved ones: family, friends and God. The Temple of Divine Providence is to be symbol and also a special place of expressing gratitude of Poles.
As a beginning of a new chapter of creating the historic Vote of Gratitude, Metropolitan of Warsaw, Archbishop Kazimierz Nycz, by the power of the Concordat, established the Divine Providence Center – modern institution of culture. The task of the Center is to take care of work connected with construction of the whole complex i.a.: the Temple, Museum of John Paul II and Primate Wyszyński, Pantheon of the Great poles, cultural-educational center.Its main tasks will be the management of the whole project in an efficient, modern and apparent way.
“We strongly move up a gear for the Divine Providence Center to become a modern, professional institution of culture. We want to operate on the basis of higher standards and financial transparency and build a social trust around this project through hard work” – said Piotr Gaweł, the Head of the Divine Providence Center Establishment Team.
Divine Providence Center, in the frame of which the Temple of Divine Providence will realize its goals i.a. through fundraising, organization of the museum part, namely: gathering monuments, developing collections, organization of temporary and permanent exhibitions, didactic and educational promotion. The Center will support social initiatives and charity work in the local and national dimension. It also shows the common history and tradition of the Catholic Church and Polish Nation in their fight for freedom and independence. The aim of the new institution will be coordination and promotion of tasks connected with the Day of Thanksgiving. The office of the Divine Providence Center is located in the head office of Metropolitan of Warsaw on Miodowa St. 17/19.