“In 2033 we will celebrate the bi-millennium of the Redemption accomplished by our Lord Jesus Christ through his passion, death, resurrection, ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit. The nine years preceding this great Jubilee are a wonderful opportunity for the Church in Poland to revive faith and, above all, to give thanks for “the great things that the Almighty has done” (Lk 1:49)”. With these words Mgr Tadeusz Wojda announced the beginning of the great novena before the bi-millennium of the Work of the Redemption. This announcement is the first act of the new President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference. Archbishop Wojda was chosen by the Polish bishops to lead the country’s Episcopate at their meeting on 14 March.

Archbishop of Gdansk

Archbishop Wojda has been Archbishop of Gdańsk since 2021. Previously, from 2017 to 2021, he was Archbishop of Bialystok, but previously many years of his life were spent in Rome. Ordained a priest in the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottines) in 1983, he studied missiology at the Pontifical Gregorian University and then, from 1990 to 2017, worked in the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, becoming its undersecretary in 2012. With his appointment as Archbishop of Bialystok, he returned to Poland, bringing with him a wealth of experience gained while working in that important Vatican congregation.

Towards the bi-millennium of the Redemption

According to Archbishop Wojda, the most important moments of this novena, which will last until the year 2033, will be “the annual celebrations of the Paschal Triduum, the Ascension of the Lord, the Descent of the Holy Spirit and – concluding the liturgical year – the celebration of Christ King of the Universe. By celebrating these very important liturgical moments each year, we will give special thanks and praise to the Divine Trinity for the work of Redemption that covers the entire world”.

The Archbishop of Gdańsk encourages pastors to “emphasise the importance of the work of Redemption”, asking the faithful, especially those gathered in religious communities and movements, “to be generously involved in all the initiatives connected with this novena”.

A Novena for the whole Church

The initiative of the Polish Episcopate could remind the entire Church that we are entering the period that prepares us for the anniversary of the work of redemption accomplished by Jesus 2000 thousand years ago.