Polish Catholics from around the Archdiocese of Chicago poured into Holy Name Cathedral the evening of April 18 to mourn the loss of Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife, Maria, and some 90 Polish officials, church and civic leaders who died in a plane crash on April 10. Mourners filled the cathedral to capacity and flowed out on to the church steps and across State Street to be part of the Mass. Some wore traditional Polish dress, while others came dressed in black. Many carried Polish flags and photos of the president. Cardinal George presided over the Mass celebrated by Bishop Paprocki with two other bishops and more than 40 Polish and American priests. The large crowd was expected because Chicago is considered to be home to the highest number of people of Polish descent in one city outside of Warsaw. Bishop Paprocki serves as the cardinal’s liaison to the archdiocese's Polish community. Sunday’s Mass was a culmination of a weeklong time of mourning with services in Polish parishes around the archdiocese. It was celebrated the same day of an official state funeral for the Kaczynskis in Poland. The plane crashed on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday — a feast well-celebrated in Poland — on its way to a ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre in Russia where thousands of Polish officers were killed by Russian secret police. ‘Clarify the tragedy’ The memorial Mass here began with a ceremony in which the names of all 96 victims were read. “We are trying to understand and to explain the tragedy, but looking at it from a human point of view, we can’t find words with which to explain what happened in the forest near Smolensk,” said Bishop Paprocki in Polish during his homily. He added that only through the eyes of faith can people try to clarify this tragedy. “We are touched by sadness because of these unexpected deaths. I say touched by sadness, but not filled with sadness, because we are people of faith. Celebrations during the time of Resurrection prevent us from being filled with sadness,” said Paprocki, speaking in English. At the end of the Mass, Cardinal George honored Wojciech Seweryn, a Chicago artist who died in the crash and whose father was among the 22,000 victims buried in Katyn. The purpose of Seweryn’s life, as he himself repeated on many occasions, was to educate people about the Katyn Massacre and to build a monument in Chicago to the victims. Thanks to his commitment, the monument was dedicated last year in St. Adalbert Cemetery in Niles. “Wojciech Seweryn fought very hard, sometimes with my office staff, to build that monument,” Cardinal George told the congregation. Marching to Holy Name Many of those who participated in the Mass came to the cathedral on foot, marching more than two miles from St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, at Noble Street and Evergreen Avenue, which is the oldest Polish church in Chicago, and nearby Holy Trinity Polish Mission. Several local Polish organizations arranged the march in tribute to the crash victims. A horse-drawn black funeral carriage led the marchers and inside the carriage’s glass windows could be seen a portrait of the president and his wife. Polish scouts carrying 96 crosses bearing the names of the victims followed the carriage. Generations of Polish- Americans paraded in a solemn and prayerful atmosphere carrying candles, portraits of the president, waving Polish red-andwhite flags with black ribbons and praying the rosary and Divine Mercy chaplet. Those who attended the April 18 Mass were still trying to make sense of the tragedy. “I have mixed feelings about it. One moment I despair, another I hope that God will bring mercy out of this tragedy. I don’t understand the whole thing,” said Barbara Ignas, a parishioner at Holy Trinity Polish Mission and director of the parish’s Saturday Polish school for children. She recalled the moments she first heard about the crash. “I was getting ready for school when my phone rang. It was the most shocking news ever. That same morning we organized Mass for our students. It was abnormally quiet and sad in the church filled with 700 kids,” Ignas said. Jesuit Father Miroslaw Bozek said he learned of the tragedy in the confessional. “I didn’t listen to the news before my first Saturday 8 a.m. Mass, before which we offer confession,” he said. Reading about those in his native Poland mourning the loss inspired him to participate in Sunday’s march. “I read a story by someone who traveled on a bus with other people about five hours to Warsaw, then waited almost 10 hours in line to pay a few seconds tribute in front of the presidential coffins. I thought this march in Chicago could create a similar experience of unity to what they experienced waiting in line in Poland,” said Bozek. When asked why this tragedy is worth noting, Bishop Paprocki said, “The death of the president of Poland, his wife and those in his party has affected many people here in Chicago who came here from Poland and now are living in Chicago and who are part of our church.”