Church officials, Schultz said, “see the potential in what the Knights has to offer the Polish layman and his family.” The Knights met with Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, retired Cardinal Franciszek Macharski of Krakow, Archbishop Slawoj Glodz of Praga, Bishop Stanislaw Stefanek of Lomza and Bishop Zygmunt Zimowski of Radom.
Dadak also spent the month of January in Poland holding parish open house recruitment drives and other informational meetings.
“We’re closing in on our first 100 members,” said Tracz. “We held First Degree exemplifications in five areas, and initially we see the possibility of four councils being chartered.”
According to the Order’s bylaws, a council needs 30 members to be chartered. The five areas where Knights have been recruited are Krakow, Warsaw, Ludmierz, Lomza and Radom.
Polish members of St. Maximillian Kolbe Council 9612 in Mississauga, Ont., and Cardinal Wyszynski Council 9296 in Toronto, conducted exemplifications at the Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Krakow, the Marian Shrine at Ludzmierz, the Institute for Studies on the Family in Warsaw, and at the home of Bishop Stanislaw Stefanek of Lom¿a.
Comprising the degree team were Canadian Knights Henryk Skibiñski, Franciszek Lenart, Kazimierz Szuber, Joseph Chudoliñski and Jan Hapek.
Dadak and Schultz are scheduled to visit Poland again for additional recruitment drives and degrees. “Our target is 400 members by June 30,” said Schultz.
Since the Order’s Board of Directors approved expanding into Poland, the Supreme Council office has created a Polish-language version of the Order’s Web site,. Recruitment posters and flyers and promotional literature is also being developed. Tracz said the interest in the Knights has been strong and the Supreme Council’s next phase is to get the Polish Knights educated about Columbianism, volunteerism and the fraternal infrastructure of the Order.
“Essentially, we’re training them in all facets of the Knights of Columbus,” he said. “Once we have the structure in place, with a few leaders there, we can get more aggressive about growth.”
Tracz also urged Polish- Canadian and Polish-American Knights with family members or friends in the five areas where the Order has started to talk about the Knights of Columbus with the men there. “It would be a great way to build the Knights and show the strength of family ties in our Order,” he said.
With Pope Benedict XVI scheduled to visit Poland from May 25-28, Supreme Knight Anderson said there is nothing the Order desires more Knights and their families among those welcoming the pope to Poland.
“It will be a further demonstration of the Order’s global solidarity with Pope Benedict XVI,” said the supreme knight.
