On the eve of All Saints’ Day, the Polish community centered around the Church and Hospice of St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr in Rome held an extraordinary celebration — a unique All Saints’ Ball, where the dress code required participants to come dressed as saints.

“I pray for all of you and for your children, that together we may walk the path toward holiness,” said Archbishop Wiktor Skworc, Metropolitan of Katowice (2011–2023), who was visiting Rome and presided over the Holy Mass preceding the ball.
After the Mass, all participants — beautifully dressed as saints — processed in a joyful parade to the John Paul II Hall, where the results of the art competition “The Saint Triumphs” were announced. The contest attracted 87 submissions from children attending Polish schools in Rome.

“I thank the parents and teachers for helping the children and young people experience holiness with joy. Holiness can be part of our everyday lives, even in ordinary moments,”emphasized Fr. Dr. Paweł Ptasznik, Rector of St. Stanislaus Church and chaplain for the Polish community in Rome.

Fr. Tomasz Jarosz, Administrator of the Polish Church in Rome, also joined in offering his thanks, highlighting the involvement of numerous groups — including university students from the Polish Catholic chaplaincy and members of the Polish School of St. John Paul II based at St. Stanislaus Church.
“You have chosen holiness, and you have chosen life,” said Fr. Jarosz, addressing the gathered families.

The Oldest Polish Pastoral Center Abroad

The Church of St. Stanislaus plays a vital role in uniting the Polish diaspora in Rome through a wide range of cultural, educational, and faith-based initiatives. It also serves as a spiritual home for Polish students in Italy and is recognized as the oldest Polish pastoral institution outside Poland.

The church’s history dates back to October 8, 1578, when Pope Gregory XIII, responding to a request from Cardinal Stanislaus Hosius, established by the papal bull Ex supernae dispositionis arbitrio a church and hospice for the “Polish nation.” Its mission was to provide pastoral care to Poles living in or visiting Rome, including pilgrims.

Thirteen years later, on October 13, 1591, Cardinal Jerzy Radziwiłł, Bishop of Kraków, consecrated the new Church of the Most Holy Savior and St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr in Rome. Since that time, each Bishop of Kraków has been recognized as the official protector of the church — a role formally defined in 1757, establishing the rights and duties of Kraków’s bishops as guardians of both the church and the hospice.

Monika Stojowska / Family News Service

Family News Service