All Saints' Day commemorations in South Africa
01.11.2021
All Saints' Day, celebrated on November 1, is one of the most important Catholic holidays. It is a unique period of reflection and wistfulness. On this day, millions of Poles visit the graves of their loved ones, light candles and remember their relatives and friends. At that time, we also remember about those whose graves are forgotten by others on a daily basis. At the same time, we remember outstanding Poles who made a significant contribution to the development of our country's culture and heritage. We remember outstanding writers, sportsmen, actors, diplomats, but most of all, those who fought for the Homeland.
All Saints 'Day and All Souls' Day celebrations were held in the Polish section of the Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg. Father Radosław Szymoniak celebrated Holy Mass for the deceased countrymen who devoted their lives to our homeland. The celebrations were attended by numerous representatives of the local Polish community and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria: Head of the Political and Economic Department Jarosław Spyra and Consul of the Republic of Poland, Michał Gierwatowski. Polish diplomats laid flowers on the grave of Stanisław Łepkowski, who is buried in Pretoria at the Rebecca Street cemetery.
Stanisław Łepkowski - lawyer and diplomat, joined the diplomatic service of the Second Polish Republic in 1919. Initially, he was the second secretary at the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York, and then at the Consulate of the Republic of Poland in Chicago. In 1920, he worked at the Civil Office of the Chief of State. For some time he was Józef Piłsudski's adjutant. In 1923, he was assigned to the General Commissariat of the Republic of Poland in the Free City of Gdańsk as a legation secretary, then in the Polish Legation in Moscow. In 1926-27 he was the deputy head of the department in the Political and Economic Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1927, he was promoted to the First Class Legation Counsellor, and then served as a Counsellor in the Polish Embassy in Washington. In the years 1931-1936 he was an MP of the Republic of Poland in Budapest. In the years 1936-1939 he served as the head of the Civil Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, Ignacy Mościcki, and then, until October 1940, of Władysław Raczkiewicz. In November 1940, he was the Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria. After the war, he stayed in the Union of South Africa, where he died in 1961. Stanisław Łepkowski was valued for his competence, professionalism and loyalty. He was honoured with a number of Polish and foreign decorations: the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, the Golden Cross of Merit, the Medal of the Decade of Regained Independence, the Knight's Cross of the Legion of Honour (France), the Knight's Cross of the Order of Saint Sava (Yugoslavia) and the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (Hungary).
