On January 21, at the office of the Museum of the Polish Army there was a ceremonial gala of awards of Benemerenti, combined with celebrations of the 35th anniversary of the restoration of the Field Ordinariat. This year's winners were: Operations Command of Armed Forces Types, Armed Forces Support Inspectorate, Air Force Representation Orchestra and the Polish Vatican Media Section.
The celebrations of the Field Ordinariat were held at the Polish Army Museum. They were attended by representatives of the authorities, including Minister Krzysztof Wacławek, advisor to the president of Poland and Minister Lech Parell, Head of the Office for Combatants and Represented Persons, representatives of the army headed by: Gen. defender Marek Sokołowski, Commander General of the Armed Forces and Gen. defender Maciej Klisz, Operational Commander of the Armed Forces, Gen. defender Adam Joks, Commander of the 2nd Polish Corps – Commander of the Land Component, Gen. defender Grzegorz Gielerak, manager of the Military Medical Institute – State investigation Institute and Gen. defender Sławomir Owczark, 1st Deputy Commander General of the RZ. erstwhile representatives of the clergy led by Archbishop Adrian Galbas, Metropolitan of Warsaw and Cardinals. Kazimierz Nycz, his predecessor and chaplain of the president of Poland Fr Jarosław Wąsowicz. The ceremony was attended by chaplains, clerics and employees of the Field Ordinariat, as well as members of the evangelical and Orthodox military pastoral services with Archbishop Jerzy Pańkowski, the Ordinary. besides present were representatives of the Border defender headed by Brig-Gen. SG Wioleta Gorzkowska, Deputy Chief of the SG, State Protection Service, Police and Railway Protection Service and military institutions, including manager of CBW Jan Tarczyński.
The gathering was welcomed by Bishop Wiesław Lechowicz, who stressed that although the 35th anniversary is not a Jubilee, a decision was made about a solemn celebration of it to appreciate the actions of all those who contributed to the creation of the Field Ordinariat and its modern functioning. “This is why we have organised today’s celebration, and for this reason we are recalling the 35th anniversary of the reinstatement of the Field Ordinariat, in order to thank first of all everyone who stood at the basis of that decision by Pope John Paul II, who contributed to the establishment and organisation of the Field Ordinariat in the form that is present and to express to you and your colleagues the gratitude that you are kind and open to being active in our mission. This is what this celebration is for today, to thank you all and at the same time to look forward to the future, that always the Polish Ordinariat will service the soldiers of the Polish Army, the officers of the Border defender and the State Protection Service and their closest families in terms of safety and peace," he said. The military average recalled that on the occasion of the anniversary of the return of the Field Ordinariat the letter was sent by the president of Poland Karol Nawrocki, who was read during the Thanksgiving Mass on Sunday 18 January.
Brig-Gen Mariusz Kubarek, Deputy manager of the MON Operations Centre, representing the National Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz read the letter, addressed by the Deputy Prime Minister to the participants of the ceremony. "This year's year is simply a unique chance to express gratitude for many years of pastoral service among soldiers of the Polish Army, their families and all those associated with the service of the Homeland. The restoration of the Field Ordinariat was an crucial sign of the Church's concern for the spiritual dimension of military service and confirmation of the inextricable relation of Christian values with the soldier's ethos," wrote the head of the MON.
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz pointed out the improvement of military pastoral ministry in Poland and mentioned the places of service of chaplains. "I thank all the priests of the military chaplains for their self-serving service, their readiness to accompany soldiers in their regular ministry, as well as in peculiarly hard times, requiring fortitude, courage, hope and spiritual support," he thanked. "Let the next years of activity of the Polish Army's Field Ordinariat bring rich spiritual fruit, strengthen patriotic and moral values, and service to build a community based on common respect, work and faith," the Deputy Prime Minister wished.
The Minister of National Defence besides addressed this year's Benemerenti winners with congratulations. “The awards received are an expression of gratitude for the merit, commitment and faithful service of our common good. delight accept my heartfelt congratulations and want you further success, satisfaction with your actions and continued motivation to service another man," he added.
The past of the Field Ordinariat is presented in a movie specially prepared for this occasion. Then, in a panel led by Grzegorz Mistal, Fr.Zbigniew Kępa, Fr.Zbigniew Rećko, Gen. defends Sławomir Owczarek and Gen. Tomasz Dominikowski told about their memories and experiences related to the Field Ordinariat. They shared the stories of their first contacts with military ministry, chaplains, as well as reflections on military service and the importance of spiritual ministry to her.
Benemerenti Awards Gala
The Benemerenti Award was preceded by a brief reminder of their history. Benemerenti – meaning "well-deserved" was established by the decree of the Field Bishop on 23 February 1995. It is awarded “to item the merits of those who bear witness to the highest values of fact and justice in the lives of individuals and society”. Benemerenti winners besides receive the Milito Pro Christo medal – awarded to people who are peculiarly well-deserved for military ministry.
Operations Command of Types of Armed Forces
The first recipient of the Benemerenti award was the Operational Command of the Armed Forces Types, which was awarded for caring for the safety of the country in the face of threats, securing peace through the Polish Military Quotas and supporting charity activities.
The Operations Command of Gen. Bronisław Kwiatkowski Armed Forces Types is the main command authority and deals with the operational command of the Armed Forces. Since its inception, he has been liable for commanding Polish military contingents in missions and operations. Its tasks are also: planning the usage of forces in military and non-military crisis operations, training and grappling of command and forces of separate components of types of Armed Forces in combined operations, directing on-call forces of the Integrated Armed Forces recognition System, and monitoring the readiness of national components emitted to NATO consequence Force. In the event of a military crisis and war, he is liable for preparing the command post of the Chief Commander of the Armed Forces and implements operational command. The command deals with the protection of the state border in the Polish airspace and supports the Marine Border defender Branch in the protection of Polish maritime areas.
The Medals of Milito Pro Christo were awarded: Operational Commander of the RSZ Gen. Guns Maciej Klish, Colonel Marcin Pysiewicz, St. Chor. Staff. Dariusz Korszun, St. Sgt. Tomasz Ładzinski, Jolanta Lau and Małgorzata Włodyka-Witkowska.
The statue was taken by General Klish. Benemerenti is simply a well-deserved man. There's my team, generals, officers, officers and staff. They are the recipients of this award today. The award will go to the Hall of Tradition of Operations Command, the most sacred, the most suitable place in DORSH – he declared. He besides referred to the safety mission carried out by the command. “Security is not a state where nothing happens, there is no specified condition. Safety is simply a condition in which, in case of danger, we respond immediately. And that's what the Armed Forces do, and that's what the Operations Command is doing," stressed General Maciej Klish.
Armed Forces Support Inspectorate
For the persistent improvement of the logistics support strategy of the Armed Forces of Poland, raising the level of safety and the conditions of service of the Polish soldier and testifying to the values written on the military banner Benemerenti received the Inspectorate of Armed Forces Support.
The Armed Forces Support Inspectorate is an organizational unit based in Bydgoszcz, liable for planning the full logistical safety of the functioning of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland. The tasks of the Support Inspectorate include, among others, the organisation and management of the Military Forces' logistics support system, the management of the planning and implementation of tasks resulting from the functions of the State-host and the State sending and planning and the implementation of the mobilization and operational improvement of subordinate organizational and military unions. The unit shall besides safe troops and sub-divisions active in the eradication and eradication of natural disasters, the protection of property, search and rescue or protection of wellness and human life, as well as in the purification and disposal of land from explosives and dangerous military origin, and in the implementation of crisis management tasks. The ICCS besides ensures that the individual needs of military units are complemented.
The Medal of Milito Pro Christo was awarded to: Gen. Dyw. Dariusz Mendrala, Commander of IWSZ, Brig. Gen. Piotr Wagner, Col. Artur Koskar, Col. Robert Krętkowski, Col. Krzysztof Napiórkowski and Col. Tomasz Rożniakowski.
Gen. Mendral, receiving the award, dedicated it to “thousands of unnoticed, frequently underrated employees and logistics service soldiers, who each day regardless of weather conditions, from the challenges they gotta face 24 hours a day in many parts of the country, in many parts of the planet supply support for our soldiers and allies soldiers”, he noted. – Military is not only beautiful uniforms that we stand out for, they are not just tanks, they are not just structures. It is simply a community of values and goals, it is simply a weaponry tradition, it is history, it is compassion, and above all it is simply a single soldier and his household who very frequently conflict with the challenges of this world," said General Dariusz Mendral. He added that the task before the Field Ordinariat remains peculiarly important. "The function of military pastoral ministry is invaluable in giving us a moral guide to show the way and teach us what choices to make," he added at the end.
Air Force Representation Orchestra
The 3rd recipient of Benemerenti was the Air Force Representation Orchestra. The formation was awarded for cultivating the musical traditions of the Polish Army and cultivating historical memory and promoting patriotism through artistic activity.
The Karol Kurpiński Air Force Representation Orchestra represents the Polish Army and provides musical setting of the military ceremony during state, military and patriotic-religious ceremonies. He cares about civic education, spreading and popularizing Polish music, especially songs and soldier songs, as well as promoting defence and creating a affirmative image of the army.
The orchestra was established on 18 May 1947 as an orchestra of the Officer's School of Armoured Arms in Modlin, where it was transferred to Poznań. By the decision of the General Staff of 1970, the orchestra was renamed the Air Force Representation Orchestra based in Poznań. As a consequence of the reorganization in 2004, its name was changed to the Air Force Representation Orchestra.
The statue was taken by the colonel. Paweł Joks, conductor-chaplain of the Orchestra, and the medals of Milito Pro Christo were awarded: St. Chor. staff. Maciej Misiak, St. Chore Peter Rulewicz, Chore. Rafała Rachwala, young chor. Krzysztof Mroz and young chor. Justyna Sliwa. – Benemerenti's award is simply a large discrimination for the full Representation Orchestra, highlighting the rank and sense of our service, both in the artistic and typical or ceremonial dimensions," said Colonel Joks. – Thank you for this expression of appreciation for the multigenerational, long-standing work, dedication, engagement of my musicians and their families, who through art accompany the most crucial state, military and spiritual celebrations – he stressed.
Section of Polish Vatican Media
The fourth, final recipient of Benemerenti was the Polish Vatican Media Section – Vatican Radio, “L’Osservatore Romano” and Vatican News.
The Polish section of Vatican Media is the editorial board liable for the transmission of information from the Vatican – the papal ministry, the teaching of the Holy Father, and the activities of the Holy See and events from the Catholic Church around the world. It transmits liturgies and events involving the pope with translation into Polish. The Polish section of Vatican Media is simply a multi-platform editorial service and includes information service Vatican News, Vatican Radio and monthly magazine “L’Osservatore Romano”.
The formation of the Polish section on Vatican Radio began with 24 November 1938. Since 1980 the Polish edition of “L’Osservatore Romano” has been published. In December 2017, a Vatican News news portal was created, besides in Polish version. Since September last year, the Polish language has been included in a group of 7 main languages of Vatican media communication.
The Medals of Milito Pro Christo were decorated with: Fr. Paweł Rytel-Andrianik, manager of the Polish Section, Andrea Tornielli, Programme manager of Vatican Media, Massimiliano Menichetti, Deputy manager of the Publications Directorate of the Communications Division, Head of Vatican Radio – Vatican News and Wojciech Rogacin.
Fr Paweł Rytel-Andrianik thanked for the award and added that since the Polish Vatican media section is only part of the full editorial board of the Holy See, he gave the level to Andrea Tornielli and Massimiliano Menichetti, who besides thankfully referred to the award. They stressed the amount of work carried out by the Polish Section and pointed to its increasing popularity. They pointed out that Benemerenti was not the culmination of this activity, but a commitment to all the more strenuous efforts to supply accurate information from the Vatican.
All winners were congratulated by Bishop Wiesław Lechowicz. "I would like to congratulate and thank all Benemerenti winners this year," he stressed. He pointed out the fresh prize statue. It depicts a pelican. The first figure is in the field cathedral – he noted. – Pelican feeds young blood from his breast, and thus is simply a symbol of sacrifice, sacrifice, readiness for the top sacrifices, including bloodshed," said the Field Bishop. He added that this is an attitude that Benemerenti winners can identify with as peculiarly capable of serving and sacrificing others.
Award of honors and commemorative badges
After the closing of the Benemerenti gala, the award ceremony was held. The Blessed Fr Jerzy Popieluszko Medal “in designation and gratitude for the exemplary service performed at the global Preparatory Conference before the Military Pilgrimage to Lourdes [organized by the Polish Ordinariat in October 2025 – ed.], for the worthy representation of the Polish Army and promotion of Polish cuisine among representatives of military ordinaries and armed forces of respective countries of the world” awarded the Polish bishop the members of the Representation of the Polish Army. The winners were: Colonel Paweł Czubkowski, young chor. Piotr Welter, St. Sgt. Tomasz Wąsacz, St. Col. Piotr Kasprowicz, spit. Piotr Pawelec, Sgt. Rafał Sawicki, Sgt. Mariusz Onbula, st. szer. spec. Krystian Domeradzki, st. szer. spec. Dorota Jaworska, st. szer. spec. Piotr Marcińczyk, st. szer. spec. Sławomir Pukniel, szer. Tomasz Józwiak, st. szer. Michał has arrived, swordsman Adam Łyczywek, swordsman Agnieszka Maklakiewicz and swordsman Szymon Ruminski.
For the first time, the Field Ordinariat commemorative badge was presented, introduced by Decision No 99/MON of the Minister of National Defence of 18 July 2025. It is to be presented as a discrimination of soldiers and employees of the Field Ordinariat for its blameless service and work and honouring another persons especially deserved to the Ordinariat. Bishop Wiesław Lechowicz handed the first copy to the manager of the Polish Military Museum to Bogusław Pack to join the museum's resources. A number of people were then honored with the badge.
Archbishop Jerzy Pańkowski, on behalf of the council of Orthodox bishops, awarded Bishop Wiesław Lechowicz the Order of the Holy Equal to the Apostles of Mary Magdalene in the First Degree, the highest discrimination of the Polish Autokephalist Orthodox Church.
The awards gala was accompanied by the Choir of the Representation of the Polish Military with the repertoire of carols and pastors.
After the gala ended and the awards and commemorative badge were presented, a performance of the Air Force Representation Orchestra was held. In the program Faith, hope, love and orchestra were performed by members of their families.
Paulina Piątkowska WP Field Orchestra
![Tajna broń Trumpa [KOMENTARZ]](https://cdn.defence24.pl/2026/01/27/1200xpx/t1mO0Al6mPsCYX7XKEGyndbObJ4KhJuIFAVwJBXh.trew.jpg)
![Wojsko irańskie jest gotowe na wojnę totalną [reżim ajatollahów]](https://wcn-media.s3.us-west-004.backblazeb2.com/2026/01/yeb8RbSd-QgnfDom9-Iran-1.jpg)
