St. Peter's In Dar

Got an email this evening from my friend - Mr Florian Ludovick Kaija - Tanzanian artist from Dar es Salaam, whose art decorated Kiabakari shrine. He notified me in the email that he was given a big job of interior wall paintings in one of the most prestigious and important Catholic parish churches in Dar es Salaam - St. Peter's in Oysterbay. Four sample pictures were attached to the email.

I must admit I am quite impressed with his new works. See for yourselves!

PayPal

You may have noticed a new addition to this blog - on the right sidebar, just at the top of it. The donation button from PayPal. Some of my readers have been asking me how I can cope running this blog knowing the internet data packages charges in Tanzania and elsewhere. They suggested to place the donation button in the blog so people can donate a bit to help me to make ends meet. Moreover, I would like to use donations to enable volunteers coming to Kiabakari to have free wifi by purchasing a mobile wifi router which are now available in Tanzania and keep it running by purchasing voucher cards to top up credit in the router. So, if you feel giving us a hand in this, you are very welcome. I will appreciate greatly your kind support.

Mesmerizing Beauty

Today I took a minibus from Kraków's Bus Terminal and traveled 90 minutes to Jawiszowice (12 kilometers from Oświęcim / Auschwitz and 10 km from Bielsko-Biała outskirts), to St. Martin parish, where my lifelong friend, Fr. Henryk Zątek, has been a parish priest and custodian of the centuries old wooden church for the past fifteen or so years.

What he accomplished, helped by art conservation specialists from Kraków in this relatively short span of time is beyond my comprehension (please, read the history of the parish and the church here. This surely must be one of the most beautiful and most professionally restored, preserved and protected piece of sacred architecture in Poland if not in the world. To me, this is my favorite wooden church ever.

I took a few photos on my iPhone (posted below), but I would suggest that the best way to appreciate the beauty of the church and the love of Fr. Henryk to his church and his never-ending effort to preserve it as best as possible for this and future generations - is to see it with one's own eyes. If not possible, please make a virtual walk in and around the church by clicking here.

From Wild Man To Wise Man

A friend of mine living in Kraków just recently gave me as a special gift a book written by Franciscan Friar, Fr. Richard Rohr - 'From Wild Man to Wise Man'. Thank you, Christopher!

I have been reading the book a this point of time and this read led me to the Male Spirituality website and to some of the recorded talks of Fr. Richard on YouTube. 

The book has been a revelation to me. I want to go through it slowly and deeply. I would suggest to all my male readers and friends to lay hands on this little gem of spiritual literature dealing with very rarely touched topic such as male spirituality. 

The same applies to the videos. Here below I embed a series on 'Why Males Need Initiation.' Listening to these talks, folks. They are quite revealing.

Visiting Our Heavenly Mum

I am very happy and grateful to Black Madonna, Our Lady of Jasna Góra National Shrine in Częstochowa, The Main Patroness of Poland, for today's personal pilgrimage and the special grace of celebrating the Holy Mass at noon in the Sacred Image Chapel. I offered the Holy Sacrifice to Our Lady for all your and mine intentions, my dear readers. May Our Most Holy Mother intercede for us, protect us and lead us to Her Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ukraine Creativity

Say 'Ukraine!' these days and immediately you think about the recent events there. The video from YouTube I post here is from 'Ukraine Got Talent' though. I found the link to this incredible performance on Facebook (thanks to one of my friends there) and thought I would be a good idea to share with you all. Not the latest edition of the show, five years old in fact, but very relevant in my humble opinion. This is the creativity we should crave for, support and admire. Not the creativity in art of war.

BREAKING NEWS: World Youth Day In Kraków 2016

Today at noon, His Eminence Stanisław Cardinal Dziwisz, officially unveiled the logo, prayer and anthem of the upcoming World Youth Day in Kraków, Poland, in July 2016.

The logo for WYD Krakow 2016 is enclosed in the outline of Poland. In its center there is a cross which represents Jesus Christ who is the centre of the meeting. Yellow circle marks Krakow on the map of Poland and also represents the youth. The spark of the Divine Mercy flows out of the cross, its shape and color refer to the painting 'Jesus I Trust In You'. The logo is a graphic illustration of the words "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7) that have been chosen as the theme of the meeting. The colors used in the logo are: blue, red and yellow and they refer to the official colors of Krakow and it's crests.

Click here to read more on the topic.

The official logo of WYD Kraków 2016

The official prayer of WYD 2016:

“God, merciful Father, in your Son, Jesus Christ, you have revealed your love and poured it out upon us in the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, We entrust to you today the destiny of the world and of every man and woman.” [1]

We entrust to you in a special way young people of every language, people and nation: guide and protect them as they walk the complex paths of the world today and give them the grace to reap abundant fruits from their experience of the Krakow World Youth Day.

Heavenly Father, grant that we may bear witness to your mercy. Teach us how to convey the faith to those in doubt, hope to those who are discouraged, love to those who feel indifferent, forgiveness to those who have done wrong and joy to those who are unhappy. Allow the spark of merciful love that you have enkindled within us become a fire that can transform hearts and renew the face of the earth. 

Mary, Mother of Mercy, pray for us. Saint John Paul II, pray for us.

---

[1] John Paul II, Homily for the Dedication of the Shrine of Divine Mercy, Krakow, 17 August 2002.

Into The Sacred Reality

Tomorrow is the day I will go on my personal pilgrimage to St. Wojciech (Adalbert) parish in Mucharz (my Patron Saint). This is the centuries old parish, one of the first in this area, with amazing history. Here it is believed my Patron Saint stayed and preached Good News on two separate occasions in tenth century. It would not be possible to omit this sacred place in my road map of shrines and holy places important to my faith and spirituality which I need to visit and pray there in my time of holidays in Europe this year.

From this parish Wadowice parish was born (the home parish of Saint John Paul II). Mucharz was the very first parish visited pastorally by Karol Wojtyła right after he became the bishop of Kraków. This is the parish and the sacred place which - according to words of Saint John Paul II spoken in 1994 in Vatican during the celebrations of 16th anniversary of his pontificate - had great influence on his faith and his life. 

Time to immerse myself in the sacredness of this holy place and its venerable history full of the presence of the Holy Spirit and of my Patron Saint. The added value of this spiritual journey is the fact that the parish priest of the parish is my classmate from our ordination class, Rev. Fr. Krzysztof Strzelichowski, one of my closest friends in our class. So good to reunite with him again, to celebrate Holy Mass together and have a nice late evening chat over a piece of world renowned cottage bread, a glass of fine wine and our favorite cheese.

Memory Is Our Homeland Project - Important News

This post is a follow up on the project "Memory is our homeland" of which I wrote two years ago in this blog (click here). I am very happy that things are moving forward in the project. Below is the full letter I have received this morning from Jonathan. I will be very happy if you could spare a few minutes of your kind attention to read it carefully and act on it. Jonathan needs our support. The story he so passionately wants to narrate in his movie is very important part of our Polish history and must be preserved for next generations. I would be very grateful if we could support this project in any way we can - either by prayer and well wishes or through donations. Let us come together to help this young, caring and dedicated filmmaker to fulfill his dream and the need of his heart.

Jonathan's letter:

To the friends, family, and supporters of Memory Is Our Homeland,

I hope this email finds you all well. I figured it was a good time to send out a bit of an update on my film project. Almost four years after my first trip to Poland and Belarus in 2010, there have been many ups and downs to get here, but the project has now been picked up by a producer, here in Montreal, who is going to help me try and find the funding to complete it. There's still work to do, but I wanted to let you all know where I'm at, and thank you for helping me get this far.

If you're receiving this email, you should know that it's because I count you among those who’ve made an important contribution towards helping me work on something that feels both like a long-standing dream and a family obligation. Whether it's through a financial contribution that's helped me travel or work on the film, helping with translation, shooting, or photographing, or support in the form of a meal or an encouraging conversation, you've each had a role in helping me work on something that's bigger than me. If I'd known at the beginning how much work it would be to get to this place I would have found it daunting, but it's your support that's helped me stay with it.

People don't make documentaries to get rich quickly, they do it because they have something that needs to be said, even if it takes time. Over the last four years, I've travelled to England, France, Tanzania, Kenya, Amsterdam, Germany, and Poland in search of a story that belongs not only to me and my family, but to countless others. I've interviewed more than 20 people, been in touch with hundreds of others, and share these stories with many, many more. And after being able to travel to Belarus, and stumbling upon the village where my grandmother was born, I was even able to find people who fondly remembered my great-grandparents and their family.

Whatever reception this film may have when it’s done, it already feels like an accomplishment to have gotten this far. It feels significant to have been able to reassure my grandmother, before she passed away, that not everything had been lost when she was deported as a child: the memories had endured. I am grateful to have been able to give those who shared their stories with me a sense that they were being heard and documented. To see the trailer, that shows some of their stories and how the film is coming together, please visit this link: https://vimeo.com/99573982

As for the good news, a few weeks ago I signed a contract with a Montreal-based producer named Frederic Bohbot to find the funds to complete the film. Frederic runs Bunbury Films (http://www.bunburyfilms.com), a production company that won an Oscar a few months ago for a documentary called "The Lady In Number 6". He's the perfect producer for this project: smart, savvy, respectful of the story and my approach, and even a graduate of Eastern European and Soviet Studies. In Poland, we will also be working with producer who has worked with the Andrzej Wajda Film School and The Polish Film Institute. 

Having these people onboard with the project is a huge step, and we hope to have funding sorted out by this autumn. Frederic has applied to the Canadian Media Fund (a TV broadcaster-supported fund), and met with several Canadian and American broadcasters, and we should hear back by September. In the mean time, he is willing to put his equipment and his expertise at my disposal, towards continuing the work, until we secure financing. 

In the immediate future, my goal is to spend the next couple of months working on it, and getting to Europe this summer to work on the film, since there are important interviews to shoot in the winter. To that end, I am looking to find the means to travel to Europe, and to cover the expenses of a small shoot in Poland and Belarus. With equipment in place, and translators and a cameraman in Poland willing to work for free, I just need to find a way to make my way over there. I’m asking for help to figure out how to do that, so if you know people who can help (or have travel agents in the family, or air miles you won’t use!), please let me know. If you know of people who might be able to figure out how to get me there, please let them (or me) know. There are only two months to cover until we hear back about funding, but they are important ones. Any ideas are appreciated!

In the end though, what I am contacting you for is to say thank you again. Please take the time to check out the short trailer. It's just over 2 minutes out of 50 hours that I've shot in North America, Europe, and Africa in the last several years, but it's a good representation of what it is I've been trying to do, and of the people whose stories I've been trying to tell: https://vimeo.com/99573982 

And it's partly thanks to all of you that I've been able to do it. 

Warm wishes,

Jonathan 

The movie trailer:

Memory Is Our Homeland (Short teaser trailer) from Memory Is Our Homeland on Vimeo.

Like A Girl

Watch and share this inspirational video to tell girls around you that they are simply awesome!

Full Respect

His Excellency Bishop Jan Zając, auxiliary of Archdiocese of Kraków and rector of Divine Mercy Shrine in Kraków-Łagiewniki celebrated his 75th Birthday today in the shrine together with three priests - confessors in the shrine - who celebrated their Golden Jubilee of priesthood. Bishop Jan Zając was my rector in the major seminary in Kraków, donated personally Divine Mercy image to the shrine in Kiabakari, was present on behalf of the Metropolitan of Kraków during the dedication of Kiabakari parochial church on July 3, 1997 and has been my mentor, guide, spiritual father and great consolation throughout all these past twenty + years in the missions. I could not have possibly missed his celebration today. Happy Birthday, Bishop Jan! Congrats, Jubilearians! Photos courtesy of Piotr Bednarczyk

"Kiabakari" Playlist On My YouTube Channel

Polish Power

Yesterday a brand-new Kraków Arena - a multifunctional indoor center in Kraków, just a mile or so from where I live in the town, was officially opened. The first major event serving as an opener was a volleyball game between arch rivals Poland and Brazil. The venue as you would expect was fully packed with fifteen thousand or so spectators who got an excellent and first hand opportunity to admire the new impressive facility. Poland won the game 3-1 by the way!

The way my fellow Poles sung our national anthem holding cards with national colors gave me goose bumps. In times like these we endure in our country at this particular time of our history, it feels so good to express in such a powerful manner that we are proud to be Polish. Polish Power!

New Website Same Address

Just to let you know that our Foundation Kiabakari website underwent a major upgrade and facelift. The address is the same at www.kiabakari.org but the content is totally different and more user-friendly. Great job done by our two volunteers - Agata Krupa and Tomasz Zbrzeżny. Kudos to them! Enjoy!

Screenshot of the the new website 

Kiabakari 1991-2014 - Polish Language Version

Proudly presenting a concerted effort of Prosonica Studio to prepare a Polish language version of the original Kiabakari 1991-2014 documentary movie of the history of Kiabakari mission and its planned future I made with my friend Mr. Aldimilablis Novatus in April this year.

The work of recording the Polish narration was done very nicely in my humble opinion and synchronizing with the movie scenes and English narration in the background is done well as well.

Here it is for the first time published publicly in my channel on YouTube:

Back Home

Landed in Kraków airport close to midnight last night, then a taxi to St. Kazimierz parish where I stay. It took a while to get some sleep, things to do first, laundry and so forth, but managed to wake up on time and go to Sisters' convent a few hundred meters away from the parish for the 6.45am Holy Mass.

Now waiting for the funeral Mass of Sr. Aniela, one of my favorite sisters, who suffered immensely in her long illness, whom I have always knows as jovial, full of life and energy person. May Lord grant her eternal peace.

I still feel a bit dizzy having covered yesterday a distance from Fatima by bus to Lisbon, visiting St. Anthony church built on his birthplace in Lisbon there, long wait at the airport and four hours flight to Warsaw, another wait for the connection to Krakow, and from the Balice airport to my ghetto.

My personal pilgrimage to Fatima was a must for me this time when I am in Europe. Long due after the last one I did my my fellow missionary, Fr. Piotr, back in 2001. I had a truckload of reasons to go there - to praise the Lord with Our Lady, to thank Merciful God, Our Lady, St. Joseph, Fatima seers, to ask for forgiveness for our sins and failures, to commit myself and ourselves in Kiabakari, family, foundation and friends anew to Our Lady and her maternal protection and intercession. So many intentions to present to Our Lady - my personal and others.

I feel in peace now and happy, hopeful and focused, totally surrendered to God and His Will under protection of Our Lady of Fatima.

May Lord's Will be done. Amen.

She Owns It

Looks like Shakira owns the World Cup tournament and has the licence to produce official anthems for it. It has been third time her song is set to become the official anthem of the World Cup in Brazil. Really? Check this.

It's Been Too Long

Yes, it has been so long since I last made my personal pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Rosary in Fatima. The first time I went alone in 1997 to thank Our Lady personally for the dedication of the parochial church in Kiabakari.

The second time I went to Fatima with my fellow missionary and friend, Fr. Piotr Pawlus, in 2001, to thank for the Year of the Great Jubilee and all graces we received during that holy time; and prepare spiritually before the elevation of the parochial church of Kiabakari to become the diocesan shrine of Divine Mercy.

It has been thirteen years now since that time. Way too long.

Tomorrow I will set off from Kraków to Fatima for my third personal pilgrimage to Our Lady of Fatima. So many reasons to be grateful for and praise the Lord with Our Lady. So many reasons to be grateful to Our Lady - for her incessant protection and intercession especially in difficult times and situations. So many reasons to be sorry, personally and as a parochial community. So many things to ask for Our Lady, Merciful Mother of Jesus - my own intentions, worries, problems, challenges, dreams and passions, in particular the fulfillment of the vision of Divine Mercy in Kiabakari; but also so many intentions of so many people asking for prayers and intercessions.

Fatima is my favorite Marian shrine. It draws my heart and mind with powerful mystical force. I feel at home there, yet extremely shy and respectful.

Cova da Iria - the place in Fatima
where the Apparitions of Our Lady occurred in 1917

The Chapel of Apparitions

The Chapel of Apparitions from outside

Jacinta, Lucia and Francisco - the Seers of Fatima

I am very happy to be given this opportunity to visit Our Lady of Fatima for the third time. I am very happy also and grateful to the Rectorate of the Shrine for allowing me to celebrate a private Mass in the Chapel of Apparitions on Wednesday morning at 6.00 A.M. before the official program of the day starts. I will celebrate the Holy Mass not only in my intentions but also in all intentions dear to the hearts of all my readers, relatives and friends.

I hope you will be able to participate in this celebration on Wednesday morning at 6.00 A.M. thanks to the internet camera live feed straight from the Chapel of Apparitions (not sure if the feed will be live at that early time of the day, though):

It will be very short pilgrimage, just one full day in Fatima, but it will be the day filled with prayer, medication and total homage and submission to Our Lady. Let Her Son's Will be done through her maternal intercession.

Pilgrimage to Patron Saints of Kiabakari Church

As promised, I would like to write a few words about the personal pilgrimage we undertook with Fr. Emil Furtak to Patron Saints of Kiabakari parochial church - Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and Saint Gemma Galgani.

It was a daring and challenging journey. Fr. Emil was doing the driving and guiding us throughout the whole adventure. More than 3,500 kilometers covered in five days, one day we did more than 1,000 kilometers, the other - more than 900 kilometers.

Everything went smoothly and surprisingly without any problems. First day we traveled to one of our classmates parish in Austria, Fr. John. We spent the night over there. On Tuesday morning we set off at 4.30 a.m. towards Turin which we reached about 3.30 p.m. We found our accommodation at Casa Madre of Salesian congregation adjacent to Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians built by Don Bosco himself whose tomb is in the basilica.

The same evening we went to the cathedral to pray at the tomb of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati located at the left hand side chapel / altar. We were lucky to meet the parish priest of the cathedral, who permitted us to celebrate the Holy Mass praying in all intentions we came with in our hearts.

The following morning we celebrated the Holy Mass in the Basilica at the main altar in honor of Saint Don Bosco, praying through his intercession in particular for children and youth of the world, especially those under our pastoral care.

Then we took a metro and went to visit the Museum of Automobiles, which left us a bit disappointed. We expected something better and more interactive and displaying more of the Italian car history.

Anyway, we returned to the starting point in the city center and took the bus to Juventus new stadium where we spent quite some time, took a guided tour and took pictures in the museum and the stadium itself.

Rain suddenly came with hale, we were lucky to find shelter at the bus stop waiting for the bus taking us back home.

The next day at 6 a.m. we set off to Lucca, where we arrived around 10.30. We were lucky again to get permission to celebrate the Holy Mass at the main altar of the Shrine dedicated to St. Gemma Galgani. Her tomb is located below the main altar. We met mother general of Passionist sisters there who introduced us to two Tanzanian sisters, one from Dodoma and the other from Iringa, members of the congregation.

We were lucky again as one of the assisting priests in the shrine, Don Giuseppe, took us for lunch and nice talk about the shrine and the history of the area. We met another Passionist father there at the lunch as well.

Then we went to the house where Saint Gemma was born, in Camigliano, just outside of Lucca, some 8 kilometers from Lucca. One of the sisters showed us around, then we started our journey back home.

First, we arrived to Cella, to one of the Polish fathers living and working in Reggio d'Emillia diocese. He received us very well, the next morning we said Holy Mass at the chapel of the nursing home, adjacent to the parish.

Then we drove back, climbing Alps and negotiating millions of sharp turns as we climbed up to Passo Giovo, passing on the way some finest machinery the world has to offer - Bugatti Veyrons (eleven of them, we were counting!), Ferraris, Lamborghinis, motorcycles of all sizes and kinds. Wow. The views were breathtaking, hard to explain, you have to see it for yourself.

We went through Brenner Pass, stopped for a short walk in Innsbruck, then drove straight to Ulmerfeld, another classmate of ours' parish, Fr. Wiesiek. We had a nice chat and meal together and after Saturday morning Mass in the parochial church, visiting on the way Fr. John again, we arrived to Krakow shortly after 3 p.m.

It was an exhausting trip and very emotional. I am very very grateful to Merciful God for the grace of this special week when I was able to fulfill my dream of personal pilgrimage to holy shrines of Patron Saints of my parochial church in Kiabakari. I am very grateful to Fr. Emil as well. Without him, his driving skills, his expertise, his knowledge and character - this trip would remain just an unfulfilled dream.

Happiness...

The Apostle of Divine Mercy In Kraków

I have just returned home from the funeral service at Salwator cemetery in Kraków of a man whom I will always consider and respect as the Apostle of Divine Mercy in Kraków. The late dr Stefan Bartik was the most gracious, kind, sensitive, patient and caring person among all doctors I consider to be blessed by the grace of encountering them in my life. I grew up in the light of his smile and the warmth of his heart since I was a baby boy. He was a classmate of my Mum, the family friend, our doctor. To me he was always more than a family, he was a role model to me. I feel honored to meet him in my life.

He was the Apostle of Divine Mercy in merciful deeds towards all who surrounded him, his patients in particular. So many fond memories I cherish in my heart of this absolutely remarkable person. I remember one in particular, on the day of imposing the martial law in Poland, on December 13, 1981, when my Mum got very very sick and I had to make my way from Sądowa Street to Salwator to ask dr Stefan for his help. The situation of our country was critically serious, yet he did not care the dangers and came to help my Mum.

His family is my family, and more than a regular family, because we have been close for so many years through spiritual and friendship bonds. I hope his departure to Father's House in heaven will not weaken these important to me ties.

The funeral announcements posted online and in local newspapers witness to my words (I copy here just two of them):

,,Ci, których kochamy nie umierają nigdy,
bo miłość jest nieśmiertelna"
Emily Dickinson

Z głębokim żalem zawiadamiamy,
że w dniu 26 maja 2014 roku
odszedł od nas po ciężkiej chorobie,
w wieku 76 lat,
zaopatrzony świętymi sakramentami

ś†p
STEFAN BARTIK

Lekarz medycyny

Bezgranicznie oddany
Rodzinie, Przyjaciołom i Pacjentom
Najukochańszy Mąż, Brat, Tatuś, Teść,
Ojciec Chrzestny, Wujek, Kuzyn i Przyjaciel

Msza święta żałobna przy Zmarłym odprawiona zostanie
w poniedziałek, dnia 2 czerwca 2014 r. o godz. 13.00
w kaplicy Wszystkich Świętych
na cmentarzu Salwatorskim w Krakowie,
po czym nastąpi odprowadzenie Zmarłego
na miejsce wiecznego spoczynku.

Pogrążeni w głębokim smutku i żalu

Żona, Siostra, Dzieci, Rodzina i Przyjaciele

and 

Z głębokim żalem zawiadamiamy,
że w dniu 26 maja 2014 roku zmarł

dr STEFAN BARTIK

Wspaniały Kolega o prawym charakterze,
cieszący się ogromnym szacunkiem pacjentów.
Wieloletni lekarz reumatolog,
który większość swojego życia zawodowego
związał z Krakowskim Szpitalem Reumatologii i Rehabilitacji,
pełnił przez wiele lat funkcję Zastępcy Ordynatora.
Wieloletni członek Małopolskiego Oddziału
Polskiego Towarzystwa Reumatologicznego,
znany z aktywności zawodowej i społecznej.
Tracimy wspaniałego Kolegę i Przyjaciela.

Wyrazy głębokiego współczucia

Rodzinie i Bliskim

składają

Koleżanki i Koledzy
z Małopolskiego Centrum Reumatologii,
Immunologii i Rehabilitacji
Szpitala Specjalistycznego im. J. Dietla w Krakowie

It was raining during the Holy at Salwator cemetery chapel, it was raining during the funeral itself. Kraków bade farewell to one of its finest sons with heavenly tears. And rightly so.

Now we ask dr Stefan to intercede and pray for his family and for all of us as well. I believe he will continue to be the Apostle of Divine Mercy in Father's House in heaven taking care of us, till we meet again there...