It has been 27 years since the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ełk

On Tuesday, June 8, 1999, Pope John Paul II came on a pilgrimage to Ełk. He blessed the inhabitants during the Holy Mass. The meeting with the Holy Father was attended by about 300 thousand faithful from Polish and abroad.

On

23 December 2013, the Mayor of Ełk received a request signed by 4,144 residents of Ełk to initiate the procedure of establishing John Paul II as the patron saint of the City of Ełk.

In January 2014, the Ełk City Council gave a positive opinion on the residents' request to establish John Paul II as the patron saint of the City of Ełk. The councillors authorized the President and the Chairman of the City Council to submit to the Ełk Diocesan Curia the request of the inhabitants to initiate an ecclesiastical procedure in the Holy See.

In 2014, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, on the basis of the powers given by Pope Francis, recognized St. John Paul II as the patron and intercessor of the glorious city of Ełk with God.

the anniversary of the Holy Father's visit to our city, on June 8, we celebrate the Day of the Patron of Ełk.