Corpus Christi In Kiabakari 2015 - Images

All images by Ewelina Kościelniak.

Retreat - Corpus Christi Solemnity - Fifth Day Texts

Today the Holy Mother Church is celebrating the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. The Solemnity of the Most Holy Eucharist. Here is today's text of the homily and four short reflection at four altars during the Eucharistic Procession this afternoon in our parish. Please, continue praying for me and for the whole community taking part in this important spiritual exercise in the parish. Thanks in advance!

Corpus Christi

The Sunday of the Solemnity of The Most Holy Eucharist (also known as Corpus Christi) waking up slowly to the sounds of music and announcement coming from the Seventh Adventist annual camp wrapping up after whole week prayers, songs, loudspeaker noises and general nuisance caused by the disturbance to us, neighbors, from very early morning hours till late night. Thank God it's over now! I wonder if there is a law in Tanzania safeguarding the right of citizens to have a peaceful rest at night and forbidding people from making noise from certain evening hour till certain morning hour...

Two Signs

Just a while ago I have finished the Holy Mass of the Solemnity of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist. As today is Friday, this Mass was the last event of the recollection day in the shrine, which dates back, as I wrote on my occasions, to 1994 when we were about to begin the construction of the parochial church, and has been continuing for 17 years now on each and every Friday of the year without interruption till today...

Lauda Sion Salvatorem!

Lauda Sion Salvatorem

Lauda Sion Salvatórem
Lauda ducem et pastórem
In hymnis et cánticis.
Quantum potes, tantum aude:
Quia major omni laude,
Nec laudáre súfficis.

Laudis thema speciális,
Panis vivus et vitális,
Hódie propónitur.
Quem in sacræ mensa cœnæ,
Turbæ fratrum duodénæ
Datum non ambígitur.

Sit laus plena, sit sonóra,
Sit jucúnda, sit decóra
Mentis jubilátio.
Dies enim solémnis ágitur,
In qua mensæ prima recólitur
Hujus institútio.

In hac mensa novi Regis,
Novum Pascha novæ legis,
Phase vetus términat.
Vetustátem nóvitas,
Umbram fugat véritas,
Noctem lux elíminat.

Quod in cœna Christus gessit,
Faciéndum hoc expréssit
In sui memóriam.
Docti sacris institútis,
Panem, vinum, in salútis
Consecrámus hóstiam.

Dogma datur Christiánis,
Quod in carnem transit panis,
Et vinum in sánguinem.
Quod non capis, quod non vides,
Animósa firmat fides,
Præter rerum ordinem.

Sub divérsis speciébus,
Signis tantum, et non rebus,
Latent res exímiæ.
Caro cibus, sanguis potus:
Manet tamen Christus totus,
Sub utráque spécie.

A suménte non concísus,
Non confráctus, non divísus:
Integer accípitur.
Sumit unus, sumunt mille:
Quantum isti, tantum ille:
Nec sumptus consúmitur.

Sumunt boni, sumunt mali:
Sorte tamen inæquáli,
Vitæ vel intéritus.
Mors est malis, vita bonis:
Vide paris sumptiónis
Quam sit dispar éxitus.

Fracto demum Sacraménto,
Ne vacílles, sed memento,
Tantum esse sub fragménto,
Quantum toto tégitur.
Nulla rei fit scissúra:
Signi tantum fit fractúra:

Qua nec status nec statúra
Signáti minúitur.
Ecce panis Angelórum,
Factus cibus viatórum:
Vere panis fíliórum,
Non mittendus cánibus.

In figúris præsignátur,
Cum Isaac immolátur:
Agnus paschæ deputátur
Datur manna pátribus.
Bone pastor, panis vere,
Jesu, nostri miserére:

Tu nos pasce, nos tuére:
Tu nos bona fac vidére
In terra vivéntium.
Tu, qui cuncta scis et vales:
Qui nos pascis hic mortales:
Tuos ibi commensáles,
Cohærédes et sodales,

Fac sanctórum cívium. Amen. Allelúja.


Sion, Praise Thy Savior

Sion, lift thy voice and sing:
Praise thy Savior and thy King;
Praise with hymns thy Shepherd true:
Dare thy most to praise Him well;
For He doth all praise excel;
None can ever reach His due.

Special theme of praise is thine,
That true living Bread divine,
That life-giving flesh adored,
Which the brethren twelve received,
As most faithfully believed,
At the Supper of the Lord.

Let the chant be loud and high;
Sweet and tranquil be the joy
Felt to-day in every breast;
On this festival divine
Which recounts the origin
Of the glorious Eucharist.

At this table of the King,
Our new Paschal offering
Brings to end the olden rite;
Here, for empty shadows fled,
Is reality instead;
Here, instead of darkness, light.

His own act, at supper seated,
Christ ordained to be repeated,
In His memory divine;
Wherefore now, with adoration,
We the Host of our salvation
Consecrate from bread and wine.

Hear what holy Church maintaineth,
That the bread its substance changeth
Into Flesh, the wine to Blood.
Doth it pass thy comprehending?
Faith, the law of sight transcending,
Leaps to things not understood.

Here in outward signs are hidden
Priceless things, to sense forbidden;
Signs, not things, are all we see:-
Flesh from bread, and Blood from wine;
Yet is Christ, in either sign,
All entire confessed to be.

They too who of Him partake
Sever not, nor rend, nor break,
But entire their Lord receive.
Whether one or thousands eat,
All receive the selfsame meat,
Nor the less for others leave.

Both the wicked and the good
Eat of this celestial Food;
But with ends how opposite!
Here 'tis life; and there 'tis death;
The same, yet issuing to each
In a difference infinite.

Nor a single doubt retain,
When they break the Host in twain,
But that in each part remains
What was in the whole before;
Since the simple sign alone
Suffers change in state or form,
The Signified remaining One
And the Same forevermore

Lo! upon the Altar lies,
Hidden deep from human eyes,
Angels' Bread from Paradise
Made the food of mortal man:
Children's meat to dogs denied;
In old types foresignified;
In the manna from the skies,
In Isaac, and the Paschal Lamb.

Jesu! Shepherd of the sheep!
Thy true flock in safety keep.
Living Bread! Thy life supply;
Strengthen us, or else we die;
Fill us with celestial grace:
Thou, who feedest us below!
Source of all we have or know!
Grant that with Thy Saints above,
Sitting at the Feast of Love,
We may see Thee face to face. Amen

29 May 1986 - Corpus Christi procession in Kraków - I served as a thurifer (a thurible bearer)

I will come back to this post after today's celebration of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. Just one question? Why in so many parishes we've decided to left out of Corpus Christi Liturgy this beautiful and so rich in meaning Sequence? It is beyond me...Do not  tell me there is no time for this! We do have time to spend hours on silly things, but to abandon this Eucharistic catechesis condensed in a pill in our Liturgy is a big mistake in my humble opinion. aaaahhhh!

I'm back. Monday afternoon already. No internet connection since yesterday afternoon. Just now it came back, so quickly before it goes again, a few pictures from yesterday's celebration of our Eucharistic faith. I asked our pastoral sister, Sr. Jennifer, to take a few photos for me, and then I edited them a bit. Here we go.

 Misty morning on Corpus Christi Sunday in Kiabakari, as seen from top of Divine Mercy Hill

Incensing the altar and Divine Mercy picture at the beginning of the Liturgy

52 young Catholics received their First Holy Communion, among them two Anglicans were received officially in the Catholic Church first

Corpus Christi procession on its way to the first station

 Kids throwing flower petals - but...straight at the monstrance! 

 My altar servers - 'fire brigade' keeping fire alive in portable charcoal stove during procession

Third station in the procession

 Kids enjoying the colorful procession

 Some of the parishioners came from afar - like Mr Deusdedit (an old man in the front) who walked 13 kilometers from Isaba outstation and went back home by foot as well

Fourth station - an altar server awaits procession to arrive

St. Gemma Galgani Choir members dancing and singing welcoming Jesus at the fourth station

Shortly before the final prayer and blessing at the fourth station

Up the Divine Mercy Hill on our way back to the shrine with incoming rain the background

It was fantastic proclamation of Eucharistic living faith of my people. I'm so proud of them. Moments like these are greatest reward for times of stress and frustration. May God reward all those who participated and prepared this beautiful solemnity!

Toughest Day of the Week

You think, for a priest like me, it must be Sunday, huh? You are wrong.

Not at least in my parish / mission! Actually, Sunday is the community celebration day. The Lord's Day. The Easter of the week. Though I wish I had only Mass on Sundays for the entire parochial community, gathered as God's family at His table on the day of His only Son's Resurrection, even if - in fact - I have three consecutive Masses, two in the shrine and one in the one of nine outstations, constituting Kiabakari parish, still it is not as tough and physically and psychologically demanding as the Toughest Day of the Week, which is for me, surprise, surprise - Saturday!

You would expect 'normal' people to take it easy on Saturdays after demanding working week, Friday evening 'folly' for some, for many a day when you can at last sleep bit longer (which for some of people I know may be quite a big bit!).

For me though, Saturday is the most versatile in demands, toughest in variety of challenges and the beloved day for so many who think that on Saturday i have nothing else to do but to sit and wait for them to come and care for their 'shidas' (shida in Swahili means problem, trouble but also an agenda someone wants to share with you, a goal to achieve, issue to solve).

Today is the best example of toughness of TDW (Toughest Day of the Week). Waking up early to get ready for confessions before the morning Mass which on Saturday starts half an hour later than on Mondays to Thursdays to allow school kids, altar servers and all others coming for Saturday morning to arrive to church on time. A lot of confessions as usual, taking from time to time more than half an hour to hear them all. Then Holy Mass with Eucharistic adoration. Right after Mass people would come to the office with their shidas. Quick coffee and something to accompany it (to avoid a despicable type of breakfast called here chai ya mkono mmoja - which means one hand breakfast haha! Funny expression and describing a really poor situation - to have just a cup of tea, coffee with nothing else to munch on!). Pity! Executive Committee of Lay Parish Council arrive at their office in pastoral center to deal with other issues that do not need my attention. Then I would normally go for meetings - with altar servers, vocation group, Holy Childhood, catechumens from primary schools, sometimes meetings of parish lay council etc. Till lunch time or longer. In the afternoon I would hear confessions (as I am alone in the parish, I cannot do it on Sundays, time does not allow me to hear confessions before two Masses in the shrine, only before the Mass in the outstation) if there is no wedding Mass or something else like a Vigil Mass etc.

Today though, right after morning confessions and Holy Mass, I sat in the office for an hour, then drove to Isaba outstation for Baptismal Mass for a handful of catechumens, around ten only, and just two school kids who were prepared for their First Communion.

The Holy Mass started at 10.30 preceded by confessions as usual in outstations, then I was asked to rush to a dying person. I managed to get to an old lady, a godmother of one of the catechists their. She was fighting for her life. I was able to give her plenary indulgence in the hour of her death and the Sacrament of the Sick. Then suddenly rain came. I think the Lord was pleased with the service rendered to a godmother of the catechist. The Lord never fails to take care of their chosen ones...I saw it so many times in my life! The priest will be their for them  when he is needed most. I was so glad and relieved that the lady was safe, whatever awaited her from then on...

Drove back home with my altar servers, got something to keep me alive and kicking, then on 2.30pm I begun hearing confessions of the school kids who will receive their First Communion tomorrow, during Corpus Christi solemn Mass and will follow Jesus in monstrance walking behind the Eucharistic Tent. All of them on my list (51 altogether) showed up and were truly very well prepared. We had last catechesis yesterday afternoon along with practical exercises of how to confess and also how to receive properly a host.

It took me three hours to hear all confessions (theirs and some other parishioners who came to prepare themselves for tomorrow's Solemnity). I pity them that they are forced to come to me, as they have no choice of priests. I'm the only one around. I would really love to have an assistant parish priest (or curate as they called in other countries), but that's how it is, we are still very few and most missions in this diocese are served by single priests.

Just came back from the church, making sure all is ready for tomorrow. And decided to share these few lines with you.

So TDW is what it looks like here in Kiabakari. But it feels special when I sit just like this, after finishing all things since early morning till dusk, feeling kind of satisfaction that is very rewarding and making the physical and psychological exhaustion a blessing rather than a cross.

Happy and blessed Corpus Christi Solemnity to you all!