| Dreams
Come True
It
all began in the year 1981 when a parcel of land
at the corner of Cawthra Rd and Meadows Blvd. Was
purchased by the Archdiocese of Toronto as the site
for the new church for the rapidly growing parish
of St. Maximilian Kolbe, serving the Polish community
in and around Mississauga. The land adjacent to
it was vacant and an idea grew in the mind of Father
Stanley Bak, OMI, the first pastor of the Parish.
What if the Polish community were to purchase this
land with the intention of building a Community
Centre, a meeting place for all generations and
a tribute to the Polish heritage? To
this end Father Stan called on several prominent
members of the new formed parish community and
was able to secure their financial and moral support.
These fifteen men became the Founding Members
of the Maximilian Kolbe Foundation which was incorporated
in August 1982 and subsequently received charitable
status. A board of Directors of 29 members was
established from within parish and the community
at large, including the Founding Members. In December
of that year the land for the John Paul II Centre
was purchased. In October 1988 a delegation of
Foundation members traveled to Rome where the
Holy Father Pope John Paul II gave permission
for the use of his name and blessed the cornerstone
for the building, which was eventually placed
on the right of the main entrance.
The
process of fundraising was slow and difficult,
but with the help of the Polish community and
various fundraising events, by June of 1993 the
blessing of the site and sod turning ceremony
marked the beginning of construction of the John
Paul II Polish Cultural Centre. By this time the
Foundation had made its mark in the community
by participating in “Heritage Mississauga”
at City Hall, organizing a contest for the logo
of the organization, and establishing a Polish
library temporarily housed at the parish office.
Finally,
on September 17, 1994 the dream became a reality
with the official opening of the John Paul II
Polish Cultural Centre. Proceeded by a Solemn
Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Maximilian Kolbe Church,
the ribbon cutting, blessing and banquet and ball
were attended by many distinguished guests from
all levels of government as well as representatives
of the clergy. A week-long program of cultural
events followed with several thousand people in
attendance. Since then, the Centre has become
what it was meant to be – a meeting place
for all generations, a home for treasures of the
past, a place to enjoy and develop talents of
the present and a legacy for the future.
While
the main thrust of the Maximilian Kolbe Foundation
has been directed towards the development and
operation of the John Paul II Centre, in 1998
its members decided to organize and sponsor the
First Canadian Chopin Competition in the fall
of the following year. The event was very successful,
and two finalists went on to compete in the International
Chopin Competition in Warsaw in the fall of 2000.
Another competition was held in 2004 and its finalists
went to Poland to compete in the International
Chopin Competition in the autumn of 2005.
The
Centre is issuing quarterly bulletin Centrum.
Centrum is bilingual, in English and Polish. The
bulletin presents articles on current issues,
events, and performers. Also, it includes a calendar
of future events.
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