A Holy Mass was celebrated in the Field Cathedral of the Polish Army on the occasion of the Polish Armed Forces Day. The liturgy, offered for the Homeland and soldiers on the 105th anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw of 1920, was presided over by the Field Bishop Wiesław Lechowicz. “Along with promotions and higher military ranks, let there also come self-improvement and the cultivation of moral qualities, which are no less important than training and physical fitness,” he told the soldiers.
The solemn Eucharist in the Field Cathedral of the Polish Army was attended by representatives of the highest state, civilian, and military authorities, including: President Karol Nawrocki with his wife Marta, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz with his wife, Deputy Minister of Interior and Administration (MSWiA) Czesław Mroczek, and generals led by the Chief of the General Staff, Gen. Wiesław Kukuła, the First President of the Supreme Court Małgorzata Manowska, and members of the diplomatic corps. Also present at the liturgy for the Homeland were military chaplains of other rites.
“We thank you for your faithful and steadfast service, which is one of the names of love. We thank you that, in carrying out your daily duties, you do not ask: why? or for what purpose?” – said the Field Bishop of the Polish Army, Wiesław Lechowicz, addressing the soldiers.
“love is the only key to understanding their service,” He underscored.
“Awareness of what should and should not be done is fundamental to a soldier’s mission,”
the bishop continued, stressing that “crossing those boundaries means violating the soldier’s honor”.
He added that it is no coincidence the word honor appears on military banners between the words God and Homeland. Duties toward God, summarized in the Decalogue, and duties toward the Homeland define the moral space in which a soldier must act – determining what should and should not be done, what is fitting and what is unworthy of a soldier.
As a moral and spiritual example to follow, the hierarch pointed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, who “before God was distinguished by humility, obedience, and fidelity”, and “before other people, by readiness to help, courage, selflessness, and solidarity”.
“Along with promotions and higher military ranks, let there also come self-improvement and the cultivation of moral qualities, which are no less important than training and physical fitness”
he urged.
Quoting Marshal Józef Piłsudski, the hierarch underlined that “the honor of service is like a soldier’s banner, with which the soldier parts only with his life”. – Without honor, military service is always without a soul and loses its strength – Bishop Lechowicz added, citing the Marshal’s words from June 13, 1923.
The Battle of Warsaw took place on the outskirts of the capital from August 13-15, 1920. It was the decisive battle of the Polish-Soviet War, which determined Poland’s independence and saved Europe from Bolshevism. Polish losses amounted to about 4,500 killed, 22,000 wounded, and 10,000 missing. It is estimated that about 25,000 Bolshevik soldiers were killed or severely wounded, 60,000 were taken prisoner by Poland, and 45,000 were interned by Germany. In 1923, August 15 was established as Polish Armed Forces Day. After 1947, the holiday was celebrated in May, and later on October 12, the anniversary of the Battle of Lenino, to commemorate the participation of the Tadeusz Kościuszko Division. Since 1992, August 15 has again been celebrated as Polish Armed Forces Day.