Meetings

The day of several crucial meetings and visitors. My head is already spinning and still there is one more meeting 'sine qua non', but so far I have been very pleased and happy with the day's proceedings!

The Purpose Of Life

Just came across a video on YouTube of lake flies called in Tanzania 'sami'. These nasty tiny creatures have only one purpose in life, I reckon - annoying people big time! They life span is just a few hours up to a couple of days, but what they cause while living is beyond imagination. Not even mosquito nets can prevent them coming inside the house...

Wanawito

The title of this post is the term we use to call altar servers and all members belonging to so called Chama cha Wito in parishes - kind of vocational groups for primary and secondary schools, helping them to discover their skills, charismas, talents through sharing with their peers and also - through communal and private prayers - to discover their own vocation in life, be it priesthood, consecrated life, marriage or others vocation in their future adulthood...

Orphans

Two keywords of this Sunday Liturgy of the Word - "The Spirit of Truth" and "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you"."The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows him. But you know him, because he remains with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live." (from today's Gospel of Jn 14:15-21)

Symphony

This is exactly what it was tonight. A symphony of perfect football from my boys, FC Barcelona. I just can't believe how comes Man United became champions of Barclays Premier League this year with this kind of performance? They simply did not exist tonight. Well done, Barca! Cheers!

Jubilee Cross

Since October last year we have been celebrating a Jubilee Year of a Centenary of Christianity in Diocese of Musoma, since the establishment of the very first Catholic Mission in Nyegina in 1911 by White Fathers. One of the highlights of the program of the Jubilee is a peregrination of the Jubilee Cross in all parishes of the Diocese. Since two weeks the Cross has been visiting our deanery of Butiama, first Makutano Parish and today - an official handover of the Cross to Zanaki Parish. We have been there today...

Talking In The Night

After a few nights of good rest and sleep, though waking up in the middle of the night as it has become a routine since 2005 when I had my goiter almost completely removed and since then those interrupted nights begun...last night was one of those I barely had any sleep at all and found myself talking in the night...

Mother's Day

Today, on May 26, Poles all over the world celebrate Mother's Day. As I wrote in my previous post, this day is of mixed feeling, praying for my late Mum, missing her so much and also praying for all Mums all over the world, starting with my Godmother, Grandmothers and all Mums who played a crucial role in the process of my formation, education and shaping me to who I have become. Without you, dear Mums, I would not be who I am now. I dedicate this song to all of you - with love, gratitude and respect. God bless you much. Praying for you always...

Miss You...

Tomorrow is Mothers' Day in Poland. For the third year I celebrate this special day with a Holy Mass for my Mum and my spiritual pilgrimage to her grave in Rakowice Cemetery in Kraków. I miss her so much. It always is too late to love more and cherish more and care more... Too late...

Uprooted Tree

Uprooted and transferred. Just returned from Buturu, from a farewell dinner with the Resurrection sisters, in honor of Sr. Ewa, the superior, who is wrapping up her Tanzanian odyssey and after few years of selfless and dedicated work for girls and the school community of Chief Edward Wanzagi Secondary School in Buturu is getting ready to fly back to Poland...

In The Lord I'll Be Ever Thankful...

The Fifth Sunday of Easter. For me and for sixty five of my classmates from major seminary in Kraków - also  a 23rd anniversary of priestly ordination in Kraków's cathedral. Please, join us in thanksgiving today as we sing - the same way we sung on that day after ordination in the cathedral on Wawel Hill - 'In the Lord I'll be ever thankful'...

Agape

My sisters invited me to come over for the dinner tonight. It was a noble and kind gesture. The superior of the community explained that the sisters wanted to thank me for everything I did for them since the beginning till now and also to apologize for whatever mistakes and troubles they caused along the way. I was moved by this token of appreciation and apologies. I did the same in my short speech and it felt so great to connect on a higher level, after getting in terms with the past...

Signature

Job well done. What is left is to put signatures on payment vouchers for all involved in the renovation and refurbishment of St. Martha and St. Robert Bellarmin Houses i.e. the guest/volunteers house and the rectory. I'm positively happy and satisfied with the outcome of the works. Truly, my task force stood up to my expectations and standards set for this job...

Home

I laughed out loud a moment ago, when I opened an email from a friend of mine from Toronto, who sent me this video link on YouTube. I've been looking for precisely the same video for some time now, searching on YouTube, but in vain. Now, I got it! I love it, I love it, I love it! One of the best, if not the very best, short summaries of who we are as the Catholic Church. Whenever I watched it a year of two ago, it gave me goose bumps, and today, when I watch it again, the feeling is the same... Watch it, save the link and enjoy as much as I do!...

Quasimodo of Kiabakari

For a long period of time now, I meet an incarnation of Quasimodo of Notre-Dame in the church bell tower of the shrine. Whenever I go up to the shrine to ring the bell before the morning Mass, he is there, sitting high on the rail of the flight of stairs leading up to the bell, motionless and staring at me from above, as if making sure my ringing is up to standard. The thundering sound of the bell does not bother him at all as he sits and stares down, fully composed and focused on what I do...

Feminine Touch

This will be the final step in the renovating and refurbishing efforts of St. Martha House and St. Robert Bellarmin House. For those of you who don't get these names - a translation into more approachable terms: St. Martha House is a small guest house near the mission compound, which initially I built in 1992 as an  employees house, for the housekeeper and the family, while St. Robert Bellarmin House is the rectory...

On The Mountain

On the Mount Carmel today. Happy coincidence that I was unable to go to the Carmel in Bunda last Saturday afternoon on my way back from Mwanza to Kiabakari. Today is the birthday of Blessed John Paul II. And having opportunity to celebrate the Holy Mass on top of Mount Carmel through his intercession on his birthday, in the month of May, the month of Our Lady, on Wednesday - the day of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, was a truly happy coincidence...

Heart Warming

It started innocently, just like that... At first I noticed first graders stopping in their tracks on their way to our school as I was celebrating morning Masses in February, when the first grade class opened at that time... Some of more curious and inquisitive children would stop initially near the school and just stare wondering what was going on up the hill in the bright lit chapel in such an early hour of daylight...

New Page

Please, take note of the new page on Educational Adoption I have just added to tabs below the main picture of the blog. I ask you to read the contents of the page and take a moment to ponder the idea of becoming one of sponsors of our children in need. Yes, together we can make a difference in lives of the underprivileged children in my local community. God bless all who already have become 'educational parents' of our students.

Dilemma

Sitting in Musoma, somewhere in shades, working on my macbook and wondering what to do with the blog to take it to another step, to higher level, to improve it, to go deeper and broader... Inspired by comments I read somewhere, I feel challenged after one full year of keeping this diary of my daily life, ups and downs, struggles, joys, failures and small victories... Wondering if I should migrate to other blogging platform, especially after last week crash of blogger.com... I know I am a beginner, a novice in this area of activity, communication and sharing... Just a good will is not enough at this point of time. I need some fresh ideas, mental challenges, guidance... I hope I'll get one...

Under Concrete Palms

This is the feeling I get whenever I happen to fly in or out of Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam. The fancy (at the time it was done) design of the main terminal makes the impression of sitting under concrete palms which form the roofing. It is somehow too heavy, to obsolete a material used at that time, but still... it keeps reminding us where we are. It must have been a pain in the behind to do this in those years and still the formwork came out nicely and clean. Here are a few pictures I took on my iPhone yesterday when I was flying out of Dar to Mwanza. Talk about me being bored waiting for delayed plane. Precision Air, as a good friend of mine stated - Indecision Air...

Lightning

Just came back from one of the outstations. Upon my arrival to the village, people told me about a tragic accident that occurred some tens days ago there. Three boys took shelter under the overhanging of the roof of the chapel as the thunderstorm was about to come down with fury on that area. Unfortunately, recklessly, one of the boys played with his mobile phone, trying to call someone. The lighting struck...

Setback

Another setback in my life dotted with setbacks of all kinds. This time it's just a nuisance, really, nothing else. The Blogger, host of this blog, messed up our blogs with a major malfunction lasting two days. All my work done on Thursday in this blog has been lost forever. So now I have to recover this from scratches. This is not easy as I was writing with my heart rather than with a cool mind...

Clean Up

I'm done for now with the design of this blog which, after major clean up, changes made and introduction of pages (menu) at the top resembles a private website rather than a regular blog. Anyway, if this is a direction I feel I should take, so be it. Hope you like the new design, color pallette and menu. More so, I pray that what I share with you, makes positive impact in your spiritual, private and professional life. God bless us all!

Did You Know

Found the link to this interesting short video on profile of a friend of mine on Facebook. Some data are mind boggling. The leap of technology is breathtaking, to say the least. Does humanity and its immortal values enjoy the same quality leap as well?

Saint Hedwiga

It might have been Saint Stanislaus, bishop and martyr, Solemnity in Polish Church yesterday, but for us it as a grand day of celebration of Saint Hedwig (Jadwiga in Polish, Hedwiga in Swahili) as we gathered together at Buturu, the outstation of Butiama Parish, in the vicinity of Chief Wanzagi Girls' Secondary School, some 10 kilometers from Kiabakari, for the solemn blessing of the recently constructed church, the fruit of work and dedication of many, under the guidance of the parish priest of Butiama, Rev. Father Maciej Braun, CR (visit his blog here)...

Pro-existence

This is precisely the expression used by my former rector in metropolitan major seminary in Kraków, now the archbishop of Częstochowa, His Grace Stanisław Nowak, when he addresses seminarians in the shrine of Saint Stanisław, bishop and martyr at Skałka, Kraków, back in 1983 0r 1984 if I correctly remember...

Afya Bora

I may not have the best health at the moment, but the very first project - submitted by my Foundation Kiabakari to Polish Foreign Ministry under auspices of voluntary / development program 'Polish Aid' - titled 'Afya Bora' (Perfect Health) was approved by the ministry for funding! I'm thrilled! And so are all of us in the foundation. A very hard work in last two months paid dividends - the project passed and now our first volunteer coming to Kiabakari in late September for the implementation of this project will participate in training run by the 'Polish Aid' program in Warsaw. I'm positive she will do just great as she is a very smart and talented girl...

Would You?

In times like this, when I am sick and in pain, and not because of my mistake or fault, but 'just like that', getting sick of malaria and typhoid, as now, it feels like a special kiss from God. It feels and it conveys a message to me that I am alive and that part of my life is needed for someone or something else. It feels like God telling me He needs me and my life and health is worthy of sharing with others... It is hard to explain precisely this feeling, this message... But I believe that in times like this one now, my life means something, has its broader purpose and serves some worthy causes...

Streams Of Water

The First Thursday of the month. As on every thursday, todays as well, and indeed - more so, more intensely, our thoughts and heart travel to the Upper Room in Jerusalem, where Jesus, the King of Mercy, instituted two Sacraments of Mercy and the third one which makes sure that the first two sacraments never run dry and are always available to us...

Holy Firefighter

On May 4 the Church celebrates the liturgical commemoration of one of the ancient Saints, but very modernly revered particularly in my home town - Kraków. Saint Florian. A military commander in charge of organizing firefighters' brigades. Refused to denounce Christian faith, tortured, set alight and at the end - drowned in a river with a stone tightened to his neck...

First Celebrate, Then Decorate!

Okey! Done with the chain of fantastic celebrations and feasts, time to get down and get dirty! Painting time! Decorating time! Though the famous (in Tanzania) commercial of paints manufacturer Coral says quite the opposite - 'First Decorate, then Celebrate!', we do things our way. First we celebrated Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday, now it's time to decorate!...

Uvumilivu Hula Mbivu

This is Swahili proverb meaning - 'patience eats ripe fruit'. Continuing my reflection in my morning post, I recall the time I was done with the construction of the new mission in Kiabakari back in July 1992 and as I was sitting in the house on the barren hill, I kept asking myself - 'when will I hear the singing of birds, playing in the trees around my house?' There were no trees at all on the hill at that time as you can see on these pictures taken in 1992 around the time of the official opening of the mission (July 28, 1992)...

Praying With Birds

As I sat alone in parochial office this morning first time after Divine Mercy Sunday, I have felt strong connection with the Patron Saint of my ordination class, St. Francis of Assisi. And prayed with him in praise of God of all creation as I was recording baptism of infants and issuing baptismal certificates, avoiding sudden moves as much as it was possible, watching in awe birds flowing in through open doors of the office and picking up on leftovers of grains from offertory procession of Divine Mercy Sunday - the gifts were brought to the office after the Mass for distribution - that laid on the floor here and there as the cleaning of the office was to be done later on...

Sense of Belonging

Yes, the sense of belonging is what I felt intensely during the night vigil before Divine Mercy Sunday this year, which - by the Will of God and the Church - has become united with the beatification of the Holy Father who  was instrumental in bringing attention and devotion of the Church and the world to Divine Mercy message. John Paul II beatified Sister Faustina Kowalska, then canonized her and made officially the Second Sunday of Easter time - Solemnity of Divine Mercy, thus fulfilling the will of the Lord Himself which He revealed to Sister Faustina on numerous occasions when He was appearing the her, as described by herself in the Diary...

Divine Mercy Sunday In Kiabakari

I'm too tired to write in-depth report of today's celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday in Kiabakari. Hopefully, tomorrow when I go to Musoma and find a couple of hours to sit down and focus, I will post a report. But for now just a few pictures from today's celebrations...