Encounter Pope Saint John Paul II

This pilgrimage takes place in your home! The only traveling you will need to do is taking a trip to the store to purchase the ingredients to prepare the Kremówka Papieska! Learn about this incredible modern day saint as you bake his favorite dessert! Click on the photo to the left to download a handy summary of this page.

Catechetical Cooking gives families and small groupings the opportunity to encounter the saints through completing a recipe associated with them and learning about the lives of these holy men and women.

Throughout Sacred Scripture, food and drink are used to teach us about community, hospitality, and celebration. Food is part of our everyday life, and God takes what is ordinary and makes it extraordinary. And just as shared meals can bring people together, sharing the experience of preparing a dish can be an occasion of extraordinary grace and beauty.

Whether you have chosen this session to celebrate the feast day of Pope St. John Paul II or because the recipe looks delicious, our hope is that this time spent working together teaches you something new about cooking and something new about this extraordinary man! (Kremówka photos by Edyta Adalik. Used with permission.)

Gathering

It is often said that the kitchen is the heart of the home. Here is where meals are made for the nourishment of the family, where conversations are held around the kitchen table, and where we have many opportunities to love one another through acts of service. Today in your kitchen you will have the opportunity to create, learn, and pray.

Before you begin, make sure that you have a clear workspace for baking and that you have gathered all the ingredients and tools needed for baking the Kremówka Papieska. Please make sure you also have a device(s) on hand for listening to podcasts and watching a YouTube playlist. Finish reading this page before you begin.

Kremówka Papieska

• Pronounced "kreh-MOOV-kah pah-PYESS-kay," this polish treat was a favorite of Pope St. John Paul II! His love of the Kremówka, which translates to "cream cake," began in his hometown of Wadowice, Poland. The father of one of his high school classmates owned a bakery and he and his friends would pool their money to purchase a cream cake or two from him. Once Karol Wojtyla (pronounced "voy-TIH-wah") became Pope John Paul II and word got out about his penchant for the Kremówka, it became known as Kremówka Papieska, or the "Papal Cream Cake."
• Kremówka is composed of vanilla custard sandwiched between two layers of pastry, with a dusting of powdered sugar on the top. Some varieties include a layer of whipped cream.
• Click here for an instructional video that includes the recipe and an opportunity to learn about Pope St. John Paul II's devotion to the Blessed Mother.
• Notes on the pastry: It is important that the pastry not rise too high. In addition to poking holes in the pastry with a fork, it is suggested that you bake it layered between two sheets of parchment with a cooling rack both beneath and on top of it. The recipe that we suggest uses frozen pastry dough but if you are up for a challenge, you are encouraged to make that from scratch. If you do, here is a helpful hint from our baking friend Br. Andrew: use a European butter (such as Kerrygold), as it the higher fat content means it contains less water and does not break during the lamination.
• Notes on the filling: Keep stirring continuously, and pay attention to when the mixture starts to boil. The corn starch is a thickening agent and once it is activated by boiling, it should only stay on the heat for another minute or two.
• We'd love to see how your Kremówka Papieska turns out! Make sure to post photos on Instagram, tagging @arlingtonyouth! (Kremówka photos by Edyta Adalik. Used with permission.)

Learning about Pope St. John Paul II

Notable Dates in the Life and Death of Saint John Paul II:
Birthday: May 18, 1920
Ordination to the Priesthood: November 1, 1946
Elected as Pope: October 16, 1978
Death: April 2, 2005
Canonization: April 27, 2014
Feast Day: October 22

Biography: While your puff pastry is in the oven, take a few minutes to read this short biography aloud:  About Pope St. John Paul II. This takes you from his birth as Karol Wojtyła in Wadowice (pronounced "vah-do-vee-tsah"), Poland, through his priesthood and pontificate, to his last words before his death: “Let me go to my Father's house,” and on to his canonization.

Witness: As you work on preparing and spreading the custard filling, listen to this podcast: Pope John Paul II Up Close and Personal. A former Swiss Guardsman speaks of his experience serving at the Vatican and gives a unique insight into how Pope St. John Paul II shared the love of Christ with others.

Experience: Once you have assembled the Kremówka Papieska, it will need an hour to set. After you clean up the kitchen, take half an hour to watch this YouTube playlist: : Encounters with Pope St. John Paul II. See Pope St. John Paul II on the day of his election and in his final public appearance before his death. Hear the voice of this saint in prayer and song and as he addressed gatherings of young people.   His beautiful singing voice and his care and joy when interacting with people is truly remarkable to behold! One of the selections is St. John Paul II's address to the students of the Catholic University of America, on the steps of the Basilica. Especially living near to D.C., it is remarkable to see this man who would one day become a saint, standing in a spot not too far from where we live.

Remembrance: Pope St. John Paul II was pope from 1978-2005, which means that most teenagers have little to no memory of him, but at his death he was the only pope many adults had ever known. Take a few moments here for the adult(s) participating to share a memory or two of his life and legacy.

Questions for the adults: What do you remember most about his life? What do you remember about his passing? What did he teach you about faith?

Questions for the young people: What do you think Pope St. John Paul II would want you to know about God? What does his life teach us about Jesus? If you were known for loving one dessert, what would it be?

Questions for both: What did you learn today about baking? What is the most interesting thing you learned about Pope St. John Paul II today?

When your Kremówka Papieska is ready to be served, stop for a moment before enjoying this delicious treat to pray together the Prayer from Pope Saint John Paul II, which was  recited on the occasion of the canonization of Padre Pio in 2002.

Continuing the Encounter:

Visit the St. John Paul II National Shrine: Located in D.C. near the Basilica, this shrine offers an opportunity for you to partake in interactive exhibits on the life and legacy of Pope St. John Paul II and venerate his first class relic.  For more information, including operating status, please visit the website.

Baking with Brother Andrew:  If you enjoyed this Encounter, visit www.arlingtondiocese.org/Youth-Ministry/Encounters/Baking-with-Brother-Andrew/ for more! Br. Andrew Corriente, OFM Cap, was the winner of Season 5 of the “The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition” in January 2020. He has provided some of his recipes that can be baked in correlation with specific feast days (but are tasty year-round!). He walks you through each recipe step by step and has included photos.