Back Home

It took a full week to come back to blogging. Surely, the past week was not an opportune time to do this. In short, the trip to Poznań was a very positive and fruitful, both on medical ground and social-wise. Reconnecting with my friends who took care of me in a style, going through thorough medical checks and knowing what is going on with me, great meetings with valuable persons and social moments - all this made for a rich six days spent there... I'm grateful to God and my friends for making all this possible. Now, back in Kraków, continuing  with the densely packed holiday planner. The weather reminds me of Kiabakari, hot and humid. But, being with Dad at home, and meeting friends who are closest to my heart is truly priceless...

Polite Notice

This is just to let you know that I will be going for medical checkup tomorrow and the regular service on the blog may become erratical or new posts missing for a few days or so. Please, pray for me and keep your fingers crossed so that the outcome of the checkup is encouraging. Thanks in advance for your kind support!

Hungry Shoe

These days I dislike to travel heavy loaded with suitcases and stuff like that. So I took this medium size bag on wheels and extendable handle and came Poland light. This meant coming with only one pair of shoes hastily repaired shortly before the flight in Kiabakari...

Home, Sweet Home

So good to be back home with my Dad, the family and my best friends. Priceless! I'll spend some time with them,  visiting also here and there and undergoing a medical checkup for my troubles. All in all, it is a welcoming change in this year's hectic schedule and I am very grateful to the Almighty for giving me this chance to rest and recharge my inner batteries...

Sub Tuum Praesidium...

Sub tuum praesidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genetrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen. / We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen...

Kigamboni

This morning I crossed the port waterway at Kigamboni, Dar es Salaam, by ferry going to see the other side of the city. The unique experience of being onboard of this massive ferry vessel made me to take a few picture which I would like to share with you now...

World Youth Day 2011- Madrid

Just a quick post with link to the 26th World Youth Day celebrated in Madrid, Spain, with the Holy Father Benedict XVI. From Tanzania we have approx. 250 youth representing Tanzanian youth, led by two bishops. This is an official delegation, but there are several individual pilgrims who traveled to Madrid, some of them are my friends, who share their experience on Facebook and Twitter. Praying for all the youth of the world, may the grace of this special encounter with Living Christ through the presence of the Holy Father, His Vicar on earth, bring showers of special blessing on all the youth of the world. May they truly be “Planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith” (cf. Col 2:7). The message of the Holy Father for the World Youth Day in Madrid can be read here. And the special page of the Vatican website dedicated to the World Youth Day 2011 is here. Let us all pray for the success of the World Youth Day in Madrid!

Allegory

Proudly presenting to you the latest work by our 'court' artist Florian Ludovick. This is a painting (all rights reserved) commissioned by me some time ago for my Foundation Kiabakari, an allegory of what we have been doing as foundation - showing in pictures all seven fields of our activities or - if you will - areas of interest. The painting will be placed in the main office of the foundation in Krakow and, on the other hand, used also in all our official stationary and PR stuff...

Pictures, Pictures!

As promised loooong time ago, that I would post pictures from the peregrination of the Jubilee Cross in Kiabakari, I wish to fulfill the promise as I finally got charger for my macbook and am able to access photos on HDD. So, here we go...without special chronology, presenting a few pictures:

Picky

Went this morning to Tanzanian Episcopal Conference headquarters at Kurasini, Dar es Salaam. The mission objective was to hand over sealed envelope I was asked by sister-in-charge of immigration matter in our Diocese of Musoma to deliver to the Secretary General of TEC to proceed with the residence permit (for my incoming volunteers Agata, Denise and Thomas) procedure via persons in charge of these matters on TEC level...

I'm Back!

This is what my macbook pro just have said when I plugged in a new charger which I bought locally (probably not an original one, but working anyhow) for quite a decent price. So, while the macbook is charging, I can go back to normal work, telling my little 10" Acer netbook - bye for now!

It Wasn't Right

In Tanzania we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady on Sunday preceding or following the August 15 (unless it is Sunday of August 15 itself). That is why we celebrated the Solemnity today in my parish as elsewhere in Tanzania. In my homily I focused on Divine Logic and God's meticulousness  in guiding life of Our Lady...

Anniversary Gift

Twenty one years ago, exactly to the day, I left my Homeland for missions via Ireland where I spent three months, practicing my English, before heading to Tanzania to join my fellow countrymen who were already there working as Fidei Donum missionaries (diocesan priests sent to help in the mission countries). Grateful to God and people for the past amazing years, in which I was blessed to taste the whole spectrum of human existence and feelings, from euphoria to despair, from victories to failures, meeting wonderful people along the way and serving to the best of my limited abilities, I am proud to present the special anniversary gift I wish to share with you.

Round Table

Children sometimes can be the best teachers, showing us the real meaning of things and ideas. Check this picture below, teaching us a lesson - what the round table idea means in children's eyes.

Applause

One of missionaries in our diocese of Musoma called me the other day, sharing with me his disappointment and disenchantment. He talked for half an hour, complaining that he did so much in his mission, spent so much money, built this and that, brought the Gospel to the people, did this and that...and nobody applauds him, neither bishop, priests, us nor parishioners...

Bearers Of The Ark

The First Reading of today's commemoration of St. Claire, Virgin, brings forth an expression which echoes profoundly in my heart. "While all Israel crossed over on dry ground, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD remained motionless on dry ground in the bed of the Jordan until the whole nation had completed the passage." (Jos 3:17). The priestly bearers of the ark is a term used to define priests in the Chosen Nation. I like this expression very  much. It drives a valid message to all of us. The Ark of Covenant of the Lord is in the hands of priests...while the whole nation completes the passage... Let us pray so the hands of priests may hold fast the Ark of Covenant always - to the Holy Scripture, to tabernacle, to Eucharist, to sacraments, to powerful interceding priestly prayer, while the Church completes the passage from this life to the House of the Father...St. Claire, pray for us!

Crisis

In London and elsewhere riots unfold. Here, in Tanzania, standoff between the government and the fuel suppliers continue, causing havoc to people's lives. Google the topic (example: click here)and you will have plenty articles to browse through dealing with the  chaos...

In The Reflective Mood

Since yesterday, when we went to celebrate fiftieth birthday anniversary of one of our Fidei Donum Polish missionaries in diocese of Musoma, I've been into a reflective mood. Looking at that guy, who just turned fifty, I recalled vividly times we spent together in the major seminary, as he was my classmate (till when we were ordained as deacons) and my roommate (at one time). Time flies so fast. It will take me two more years and I will turn fifty myself. When did all these years come and pass? Life is truly a short project and as we are on the downhill part of it at this point of our life journey, I guess this makes for a reflective mood and a serious examination of conscience... Well, fifty behind him (already) and me (almost). How many more ahead? Only God knows. I don't care but I hope we learned something by now and the remaining years of our lives will be pleasing to God and lived wisely, piously and fruitfully, working tirelessly in the vineyard of the Lord, till He comes and calls us off duty.

Lord's Dogs

In Krakow, where I come from, we used to call Dominican friars - Lord's Dogs, translating literally their Latin  name - Domini Canes (Lord's Dogs). Well, they may not bark in defense of the Lord, but surely their voice is out loud and clear in the field of preaching in the Catholic Church...

Beyond Words

Prophet Elijah met with Living God face to face in a silent intimate encounter. He walked forty days and nights to reach the sacred meeting point... When he finally met with God, he did not need to say anything. His meeting happened beyond words...on a level where only pure Love and ecstasy lives...

Big And Small

Jubilees, big and small, coming in thick and fast this year. Apart from the main celebration of the Centenary of Christianity in the territory now called Diocese of Musoma, we get invitation now and then for other jubilee events - be it a Golden or Silver Jubilee of a certain parish in the diocese, be it a Golden or Silver Jubilee of priesthood or religious vows of certain servants of God in the diocese, be it a Golden or Silver Jubilee of the marriage or baptism or the birth of our parishioners. Envelopes with invitation card come thick and fast this year! But today there will be a small exception.

Wow Factor

"Did anything so great ever happen before? Was it ever heard of?" (Dt 4:33nn) The Lord challenged us with this question this morning in the First Reading. He challenged our ability to see things in our lives with children's eyes and hearts. The ability, the innocence, the sensitivity of the person touched by the greatness of God's things happening in front of our eyes on daily basis, which we, adults, sadly, got used to and take for granted or allowed ourselves to never see them again...

The Grave

A few days ago a man came to my office asking for advice what to do in a case when the family members of a deceased elder decided to renovate his grave paying their respect to him. The man was buried 28 years ago in a family plot adjacent to the Divine Mercy Hill, just on the other side of the road that runs around the hill...

Issenye

Yesterday my sisters and I drove to Issenye parish, some 70 kilometers from Kiabakari, on the outskirts of Serengeti National Park. The parish covers a huge area including a sizable chunk of Serengeti itself, as the pastors attends to spiritual need of tourists and staff of a number of hotels and lodges in Serengeti, where he travels regularly to render sacramental and liturgical service. The parish celebrated the Golden Jubilee yesterday, fifty years since she was established back in July 1961 by Maryknoll missioner, Rev. Fr. John Casey, MM.

Is It Normal?

Is it normal that we are surprised and say this is NOT normal that the electricity has been supplied with no interruption since yesterday morning? And it still there... But we are sure that it will be gone any moment... Is it normal to react like this???

Pure Simplicity

So many people around here claim that they cannot reach the decision to sanctify their spousal love and relationship by the sacrament of marriage because of lack of resources to prepare a wedding party. They used to dismiss my inquiries into the possibility of this sacramental step in their Christian lives by saying that they still 'gather the strength' (bado tunakusanya nguvu). But this strength seems not to materialize any soon or never...

Some Things

A very close friend of mine sent me a message in the wee hours of the day, asking if he was correct by meditating on Christ's Passion while reciting Divine Mercy chaplet (he explained what he meant by this). His message prompted me to look deeper into the Passion of Christ and to offer a broader perspective, writing to him that Christ's Passion is much more about spiritual and psychological torture and suffering, than the physical one only. So, I continued with the meditation on the Passion and pinpointing the crucial elements of the spiritual and psychological dimensions of Christ's Passion. While doing so, I found this page, which drew my attention, though a bit off the topic but the last paragraph of the text in that link speaks volumes about my point. By the way, what I read in that link somehow correlates with my feelings when I denied at first watching the movie, only later only reluctantly doing so, as I never was and never will be a fan of biblical movies. They force, in my opinion, a certain angle of the director of the movie into my imagination, denying me my freedom to visualize the Bible content in my own way and my own sensitivity, based on what I read and reflect upon in the spiritual reading.

The Bravest Doughnut In The World

Please, visit this link (here) to meet the bravest Doughnut in the world (for non-Polish readers, please, use Google Translator). An amazing interview with a Polish lady nicknamed 'Paczek' (Doughnut) who fought in the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, telling the story from her own perspective, in an unassuming, humble way. Touching testimony and a valid message for all of us living in Poland and elsewhere. Truly, she is the bravest 'Doughnut' in the whole world!

17 Hours

At exactly the same moment I started to write this post, the alarm siren sounded in Poland marking the 67th anniversary of Warsaw Uprising, its beginning at 5pm on that August 1st afternoon in occupied Warsaw. I have written on this topic last year on the same date (read it here), so no need to repeat what I have written already...