Father's Arms

The first day of the annual celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday in the diocesan shrine of Divine Mercy here in Kiabakari... A day of hiding in Loving Father's arms in His House on top of Divine Mercy Hill... A recollection day in the shrine for all members of parochial community - from Kiabakari Small Christian Communities and from all outstations... Like a day of closing our ranks in the face of gathering troops on the horizon ready to come down upon us starting from tomorrow...not in bad intention, but in their quest for living waters from Divine Mercy Ocean flowing out of this shrine...

Challenge

Challenging time for my community and myself, ahead of Divine Mercy Sunday coming up just in a few couple of days. Fighting malaria and flu bothering me big time these days, I have no time to rest in bed to recover fully. Big numbers of pilgrims coming for the annual pilgrimage to Kiabakari, for Divine Mercy Sunday celebrations pose a logistic nightmare to us especially in the current circumstances of lack of running water and power cuts that have become a routine in Tanzania this year...

Good Morning, Kiabakari!

Woke up this morning to the splendor of God's creation. What a fantastic morning hour it is! A quiet start to the day, unfolding lazily in front of my eyes with all its regal colors shed generously by the rising sun over the Kukirango valley with lingering fog in the gorges, flowing from Butiama hills... Magnificent glory...

Pensive

This is a correct term to describe precisely how I feel today. The only day I can be practically secluded and detached from the noise of parochial life and activities. I decided to stay home alone today, having celebrated a Holy Mass on Easter Monday in the morning, with everybody gone home to be with their families and loved ones. I needed this time for myself. Having just finished Lent and Holy Week marathon and bracing for the incoming Divine Mercy Sunday with its three days of busy schedule and logistics that brink on nightmare, especially when one takes under consideration frequent power-cuts and lack of running water in Kiabakari and the prospect of hundreds of pilgrims coming to the shrine for the weekend...

Hello!

Sadly, the English translation does not have the same translation as swahili one of Easter Vigil Gospel. It's a pity as in swahili the whole story of Risen Lord meeting women on the road and greeting them sounds quite different as Jesus greets the women using a common phrase used in daily life conversations...

Patron Saint

Today, on April 23rd, the Holy Catholic Church, venerates in its liturgy St. Adalbert, archbishop and martyr, who is my Patron Saint. Adalbert is his baptismal name as he wanted to honor his tutor and mentor, bishop Albert, that's why he called himself Adalbert - Ad Albert - from Albert... In Poland and Czech Republic though we know him by his original, native name - Wojciech... meaning 'famous warrior'...

Purpose

On Good Friday Novena before the Divine Mercy Sunday begins. In just an hour or so I, together with my parochial community, will celebrate the Liturgy of the Passion of the Christ, during which, as it has become a custom in Kiabakari, we will say prayers and Divine Mercy chaplet for the first day of the Novena...

Judas' Loneliness

What struck me tonight, while celebrating the Holy Mass of the Last Supper was the loneliness of Judas setting off in to the night. And no one followed, no one asked questions, no one got a hunch that something was wrong. But when mother of Zebedee sons came to Jesus asking for a favor of making them his closest ministers in a future government, the Apostles were very vigilant and quick in reacting...

Elevation

Tonight, during Consecration Prayer, as it has been a tradition for me for the past twenty three years since I became a priest, in the Holy Mass of the Last Supper of Holy Thursday, I will elevate all my Loved Ones, Relatives and Friends and all intentions dear to their and mine hearts - up to the Lord together with the consecrated Bread and Wine. I will elevate all readers of my blog and everyone I was blessed to meet in my life as well. So, take courage and lift up your heart and spirit knowing that there is someone somewhere in Africa, on the top of Divine Mercy Hill, who thinks about you and embraces you  fondly in the Eucharistic Prayer and Sacrifice, elevating you, your life, worries and joys, thoughts and intentions up to the Lord... My prayers are with all of you... Happy Easter!

Personal Easter

The home visiting of the sick in my parish, usually done before major feasts like Christmas or Easter, parochial Patron Saint Day etc, is a day anticipated by the sick and elderly, homebound parishioners. Tough service, to be honest, trying to reach them through bad roads and paths, tiresome for people assisting me and myself, but very rewarding, holy and satisfying...

FM Meets AM

That is exactly what happened this evening when I held a meeting discussing several issues and matters with no apparent consensus or understanding. It felt like trying to catch FM radio stations on AM only wavelength radio... Futile effort. Still not losing hope for coming up with some working solutions. Prayers appreciated!

Chant

I have suddenly found myself this morning longing for a peaceful place to celebrate Holy Week and The Paschal Triduum, filled with echoes of gregorian chants, just like in the abbey of Solesmes. There is nothing more sublime in sacred music than a gregorian chant. It's notes are like finest feathers falling from angels' wings floating in the space consecrated by the presence of God and set in motion by human breath, filled with awe of God-With-Us... The perfectly crystal clear manner of praising Living God in the midst of the living community of His children...

In The Jungle

That's exactly how I felt today when I was celebrating the last (third) Mass in Mwibagi outstation. The faithful from three outstations gathered together for the common celebration of Palm Sunday in Mwibagi and their sheer numbers and fancy palms, some of them genuine masterpieces, decorated artfully, made for a feeling of being 'in the jungle'. Great feeling, great celebration, an hour + confessions before the Mass, long liturgy (over two hours), totally exhausted and dehydrated in extreme heat and humidity in a fully packed church. Exactly like in a real jungle! Check some of the photos we took there...

Schizofrenia

A Sunday with two names and two Gospels. Palm Sunday / Passion Sunday. Same crowd, same mouth. Two contradicting messages. 'Hosanna, Son of David!'...then 'Crucify Him!' A valid lesson of ongoing and thriving spiritual, moral and social opportunistic schizophrenia in our lives as followers of Christ. Shame on us. 

Vocation Group

Had a lovely meeting just a while ago with my altar servers, the candidates for altar servers, the girls from their vocation group and the candidates to become members of girls' vocation group in our mission. They will come back later in the afternoon for the second session - a meeting, practice of the liturgy of the acceptance of candidates to altar servers and another one for girls to be admitted to their vocational group. The prevailing mood among all of us is of excitement and anticipation...

Good Friday

No, it is not the Good Friday in the Holy Week I am thinking about. Today is Friday and it has been a very good Friday so far to me...

Comeback

It is always nice to go back to Musoma Cathedral for a diocesan function or just with a private visit. And to see that what I left back in November 2006 is growing and getting more and more beautiful in good hands of cathedral parochial community and its pastor. Today it was time for a Chrism Mass in the cathedral, presided by the bishop himself and all the clergy concelebrating. The diocese is too big to hold this Mass on Holy Thursday morning as it would be impossible for some us to be back home in time for evening liturgy. That's why it is celebrated on Thursday preceding Palm Sunday, with a full day of retreat and then the Chrism Mass...

Hanging Bridge

Whenever I look in the empty eye sockets of the abyss of despair and helplessness, calling me into its nothingness, I find myself standing on the swaying bridge of friendship... I am so grateful to Good Lord for enriching my life with outstanding human beings I can call true friends... They, through the grace of God, push me forward, encourage me, pull me up and support when I lose heart and feel lost, hurt, misunderstood or hit by the evil...

First Mass

Yesterday evening my fellow Polish priests and myself celebrated the very first Holy Mass in the chapel of the new convent, just the day after the official opening of the convent done by Bishop of Musoma, Rt. Rev. Michael Msonganzila. It was a solemnity of St. Gemma Galgani, the Saint Patron of the convent. And a very emotional moment for me as I kept saying to Gemma in my heart that my dream of preparing a religious house for her came true, and that first Mass was a great proof of the fulfillment of that promise, because we celebrated the Mass on her feast day in her convent in Kiabakari. And more so, using the chalice and patena of my late classmate, Fr. Piotr Wrona, on the day of his death six years ago, the chalice and patena, which were given to me in December by his loving parents. Here are a few pictures from yesterday's Mass...

TJ

TJ - a very pleasant abbreviation. TJ - Tumbo Juu - means in kiswahili 'belly up', resting, unwinding, lying down... This is what I've been doing for the last half an hour or so already as all guests left the house and I'm alone, happy and satisfied that today's blessing and opening of St. Gemma Galgani convent in my mission went well, with no glitches nor problems. Everybody is happy and me as well! Here are some pictures from today...

We Remember...

...in Kiabakari that tomorrow is the first anniversary of that fatal flight of Tupolev 154M '101' to Smolensk which ended in tragic death of 96 passengers on board on April 10, 2010. We will remember our late President Lech Kaczyński, his wife and all other prominent figures of our nation - in tomorrow's Mass which will be presided by the bishop of Musoma, Rt. Rev. Michael Msonganzila at 10am in our church.

Peas And Cabbage

This is a typically Polish expression when there is mix of different events, things, usually not matching and happening at once. The suitable expression for what is going on this weekend and beyond...

Ctrl+Alt+Del

Woke up this morning with a strange feeling as if not has happened in the passed 15 months when I was hosting six sisters in my house, due to the unfinished convent which was built by the deceased bishop of Musoma, Justin Samba (unfinished because of his premature death in 2006). Upon my comeback to Kiabakari from Musoma Cathedral in November 2006, I found this building in a poor shape. Had no money to continue the construction, neither new bishop who said that he found no money in the construction account of this project...

Home Alone

At last! Eeeehaaaa! :)))

Miracle

Today we have witnessed a miracle. In the morning, before we set off to Musoma for shopping with sisters, I called a manager of Tanesco in Musoma, reminding him of our conversation and my request to connect the convent with the power line. I paid in full last week, but the manager told me that normally it takes time for them to react as the demand is growing and their manpower not capable of responding to demands as fast as they wished...

110th Anniversary

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, Saint Patron of the parochial church in Kiabakari, Saint Patron of Kiabakari Parish and Saint Patron of our health center, was born on April 6, 1901. Today is the 110th Anniversary of his birth. And the twentieth anniversary of my intimate relationship with him as a leading force and guardian of what I've trying to accomplish here in Kiabakari since 1991 when I met him under extraordinary circumstances in my life and on the way to find support for the construction of Kiabakari mission...

Movement

Sitting in the living room and listening to strange sounds of sudden mobility and movements... My housemates became agitated for the last few days, spending more and more time in their new house... On their knees scrubbing the floor, cleaning the house after last worker left... Moving things from here to there... I reckon a day, so long awaited by all of us, a day of saying farewell to my housemates and accompanying them on their way down there to the proper housing, is coming near at last... What a happy day it is going to be for all! Keep moving, ladies! Suddenly this song came to my mind...

The Last Three Things

"At last St. Gemma got her house she was waiting for for so long..." said Sr. Mary, the local superior of my sisters' community, smiling broadly and clapping hands. I have never seen her so jovial and happy. No wonder, I was ballistically happy and wanted to jump with joy, relief and satisfaction... Today is a day I have been waiting for far too long...

The White Star

Watching highlights of my home town football (soccer in USA) team - Wisła Kraków - on YouTube and walking down the memory lane, when I was like those fans waving scarves, singing their hearts out and displaying their pride in love of their team... I never was a hooligan, just a pure fan, fully dedicated to Wisła, but never despising any other team nor their supporters. I'm not a bandwaggoner as many of football fans all over the world, including African fans, are, jumping from team to team, supporting only those who win... I stick to my team in good and bad times. This is Wisła Kraków, this is Liverpool FC, this is FC Barcelona... You can say whatever you want to explain your bandwaggoning. To me, the real fan stay with his/her team forever. Like in a good solid marriage!

Electric Wire

Our parochial choir were singing entrance antiphone of today's Holy Mass, altar servers and myself were saying our customary prayer before the Mass. Then I switched on all the lights in the church. The Sunday Mass has begun. Most of lights were working, some of them shining brighter, some dimmed, a few were not working at all, though just recently we checked everything and bulbs were okay...

Six Years...

have passed already since the Servant of God, soon to be beatified, Holy Father John Paul II, has left us and went to the Father's House in Heaven. Six years! Though it seems still as if this traumatic event happened just a few days ago... For those among us who were blessed with opportunities of meeting the Holy Father in person, today those moments spring up back in our living memories, bringing a lot of emotions, fond feelings, interesting anecdotes and smiles on our faces...

Closer

Getting real close now to the moment my sisters will move to their new convent. It will be the very day they will spend outside of my rectory since they came on January 3, 2010. The very first day and the very first night in their new house. It took us fifteen months to accomplish this task. A huge relief to them and to me as well. Today we finish all construction works outside the house, in their plot (mainly in the gates and fabricating spare keys to all doors so I keep spares at home, as this is my policy in this mission that every door in all buildings must have its spare key in my safe), do the general cleaning of the house and put all things that are ready to go (most of the donated by me and my foundation Kiabakari) - like set of sofas, gas stove, automatic washing machine, deep freezer etc. Once Tanesco fix the service line to the convent, the house will become fully operational. This - I hope - will be done in a couple of days, so before we open the house on next Sunday, sisters will there already. My mood is more and more jovial!

Fools' Day

It may be an April 1st, the Fools' Day, as the opener of a new month in 2011 calendar, but there is nothing to fool around in this month, to be honest. Rather, a very serious stuff on the way, and what I want to share with you today is no prank or joke whatsoever...