New York street to be named after Pope John Paul II

Holy Cross Church, Maspeth

As Catholics await the canonization of Blessed John Paul II's sainthood at the end of April, the City of New York is paying its own special tribute to the late pontiff three weeks earlier.

A stretch of 56th Road, at the front entrance of Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church in the Maspeth section of Queens, will be named in his honour.

So that the dedication ceremony does not conflict with the solemn period of Holy Week, Passover and Easter, the unveiling of the street sign at the corner of 56th Road and 61st Street displaying the designation, 'Pope John Paul II Way' has been set for this Sunday, April 6 at 3pm.

Fr Witold Mroziewski, Parish Priest of Holy Cross Church, is welcoming members of all faiths to participate in this event.

Pope John Paul II, frequently referred to as John Paul the Great, visited the United States seven times during his 27 year pontificate. But he had come here earlier when he was still known as Cardinal Karol Wojtyla. He visited several Polish American parishes at the time, Maspeth's Holy Cross being one of them.

The initiative to name a street in honor of Pope John Paul II came from the Polish-Jewish Dialogue Committee sponsored by the Downstate NY Division of the Polish American Congress and the Jewish Historical Society of Queens.

At the request of the Committee, Maspeth's Community Board #5 headed by Mr Gary Giordano approved the idea which was then introduced as a bill by Elizabeth Crowley, Maspeth's representative in the New York City Council.

After the City Council passed the bill, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed it into law shortly before his term of office ended on December 31, 2013.

Many Polish Americans still remember John Paul II's visit to New York the year following his election as Pope. They can recall his appearances at Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium.

One of them firmly stated she was not worried rain might interfere with the street-naming event on April 6. "When the pope came to Shea Stadium (in Flushing, Queens) it was pouring rain. When the pope began to speak, the rain stopped and the sun was shining."