On 6 June 1999, after arriving on top of Biskupia Hill near Pelplin, John Paul II celebrated Mass during a meeting with Kashubia and the Kociewie people, on his sixth visit to Poland. A month after this memorable event, the altar returned to Sierakowice to become a token of gratitude for the 1000 years of Christianity in Poland. On one of commune’s meadows, with great efforts, a park and a water reservoir were set up. The consecration of the altar – a net carried by birds – took place on 28 September. Net, being the basic fishermen’s tool, is the best symbol of Pomerania. But it also symbolises the Kingdom of God – “the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind” (Mt 13,47).
On 11 November 2003, on the initiative of the Branch of the Kashubian and Pomeranian Association in Sierakowice, the park received a newly-planted Oak commemorating the 25th Anniversary of John Paul II’s pontificate. In June 2004, the Sierakowice Commune put up a monument (by the same creator) in the form of a big screen presenting the Polish pope.
