Your Excellency,
There come times in life when a heart full of gratitude turns to God: “Give thanks to the Lord because he is good, because his faithful love lasts forever” (Ps 118:1). Very often God, in order to show his goodness and grace, uses people whom he calls and chooses to build and spread the Kingdom of God on earth through their witness of faith.
You are undoubtedly one of these people. Looking at the achievements of your life, always and everywhere, holding many responsible positions, you were a Catholic, which in the modern world should be emphasized and appreciated. The words of the Lord Jesus: “You are the salt of the earth... You are the light of the world...” (cf. Mt 5:13-16), have become the unwritten, but preserved and fulfilled motto of your life. In every position, serving State, Church and Science, you left an example of unlimited dedication and commitment, always choosing the path of righteous Christian living.
For us, the Knights of Columbus, you have dedicated the last twenty-two years, contributing to the enormous growth of the Order, which today numbers almost two million Knights throughout the world, including several thousand in Ukraine.
You have developed a wide range of charitable activities, supporting Catholics in many countries around the world. I cannot overlook the support you have given to the Latin Church in Ukraine, and especially to the Archdiocese of Lviv. I realise that without your understanding of the needs of our Church, many deeds and investments would not have been possible. We thank God, therefore, for the goodness that He has sent us through your ministry.
I am deeply convinced that a direct acquaintance and even friendship with Saint John Paul II had a great influence on your attitude towards life. You perceived the wisdom of the Pope`s teaching and saw its timelessness. This is reflected in the creation of the Saint John Paul II Centre and in devoting your efforts so that the person and teaching of the Pope would not be only a historical memory, but the foundation of truth, helping contemporary people to rediscover the richness of faith, care for every life and the community of the Church, which Saint John Paul II practiced. You undertake this very responsible task in a spirit of responsibility for the present and future of the Church.
In thanking God for your time of faithful service to the Church and for your zealous exercise of the office of Supreme Knight, I wish for the rest of your life God`s blessings, the constant protection of Mary, Mother of the Church, and the intercession of Blessed Father Michael McGivney, whose beatification crowned your ministry. At the same time, I trust that our relations and contacts will continue to be marked by the mutual friendship which, through years of caring for the Church together, has united us in a good work for the greater glory of God and the propagation of the faith.
May God bless you, your wife Dorian and the whole family and give you peace.
Vivat Jesus!
With kind and deepest gratitude
+ Mieczysław Mokrzycki
Metropolitan Archbishop of Lviv