Cathedral de Sal de Zipaquirá

Browsing through my external hard disks, sorting movies and images, browsing the internet, I have arrived to the day - August 19, 2014, when the participants of World Apostolic Congress on Mercy in Bogota Colombia held their fourth day of the congress down inside the world wonder - Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá outside of Bogota. Here is a nice short video I found on Vimeo beautifully depicting the mystery and sacredness of this inspiring place. Check it out:

Catedral de Sal from H. Paul Moon on Vimeo.

Mission Town - Images

Came back home late last night, woke up this morning to do some post-production work on pictures I shot yesterday with that little excuse of a camera. Hard to get anything decent out of these pictures, especially those shot in low light conditions. Anyway, here they are - images from the pilgrimage up the Monserrate, then La Candelaria, the Cathedral, Museum Botero mixed some street graffiti and busy city life caught on camera while sitting in the back seat in the car. Enjoy!

Silver Jubilee in Wawel Cathedral - Photos

I haven't posted pictures from our jubilee in the cathedral yet. Apologies. Here they come:

Goosebumps

Back home from ordination class 1988 jubilee retreat at Totus Tuus retreat center near Zembrzyce. It was a sacred time. I praise the Lord's name for our retreat master, Fr. Kazimierz Duraj, spiritual director from our major seminary. Absolutely mesmerizing spiritual talks and homilies. Tomorrow morning all of us will celebrate the Holy Mass at St. Stanislaus altar in Wawel cathedral presided by His Eminence Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, his three auxiliaries - bishops Jan Zając (our former rector), Jan Szkodoń (our former spiritual director) and our classmate Grzegorz Ryś. we expect most of our colleagues to make it to the cathedral - we are 59 left, so expect a huge concelebration. And all of us vested with the same stole - made for our ordination as deacons. Looking forward to this unique reunion at the same place we were ordained exactly twenty five years ago. We will sing again the same song we sung as newly ordained priests on that day - Pan jest Mocą swojego Ludu! Goosebumps...

Reunion

In a couple of hours I will be picked up by my classmate and our class chairman, Fr. Marek Hajdyła, and we will drive up to Zembrzyce, small town near Sucha Beskidzka, for our two days of prayer and ordination class reunion, before we celebrate our Silver Jubilee of Ordination on Wednesday, on the very day of our ordination, twenty five years ago. The Jubilee Mass will be celebrated in the cathedral on  Wawel Hill, presided by His Eminence, Stanisław Cardinal Diwisz, our former rector in major seminary - His Excellency Bishop Jan Zając, our former spiritual director - His Excellency Bishop Jan Szkodoń and our classmate - His Excellency Bishop Grzegorz Ryś.

I will carry all of you in my heart along with all intentions dear to your hearts. I promise my prayers for you and for your intentions. Please, pray for us, so the Holy Spirit on whose Solemnity we received our ordination to priesthood, guide and enlighten us, so may continue to go forth and bring abundant fruit of our faith and good deeds as faithful servants of God and His Church.

What's Next?

With Divine Mercy Sunday over, grateful to Merciful Lord, relieved and happy to the last bone that everything went amazingly well, time has come to set my sights on what lies ahead. 

Next week I will go to Ministry of Education in Dar es Salaam to submit documents for the registration of our pre-school and primary school in Kiabakari, which were processed and positively opinionated by the relevant authorities in the District and the Region. Hopefully, in a not so distant future, our schools will be officially registered in the Ministry.

At the same my task force and myself will sit down to plan for the implementation of the funded projects - expansion of the health center, construction of the modern pre-school and the complex system of harvesting and storing of rain and ground water.

In two weeks time, I will turn fifty. What it means, I do not know. Probably nothing, really. I do not feel inside of me as someone of this age. Still, a good opportunity to thank the Lord for the gift of life, half a century of it.

In some three weeks time I will fly to Poland to celebrate my sliver jubilee of priesthood with my classmates and in my home parish. First, on May 12, it will be parochial celebration. I will be extremely happy and honored to celebrate the day with you, my esteemed readers! I invite all of you most heartedly!

Then on May 22, with my classmates at Wawel Cathedral where we were ordained priests 25 years ago. Then, starting from May 26, I will have a privilege to go with my home parish community to the spiritual desert for the Faith Awakening retreat.  Requesting your kind prayers for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the preparations and in the retreat itself.

Busy times ahead, quite interesting. I look forward to this new experience of celebrating the jubilee of this kind.

Two Small Coins

“Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood."” (Mk 12:41-44)

A couple of weeks ago a letter came for the youth of Musoma Cathedral who asked me for a retreat here in Kiabakari, in the diocesan shrine of Divine Mercy. Some of those youth I worked with back in 2002-2006 when I was a pastor there. The letter brought back memories of that period and one particular moment of it, when the youth group of Musoma Cathedral asked me for a retreat day for them. I complied and we had a recollection day in the cathedral...

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'...

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...

The Splendor

On January 15, 2002, I woke up as usual in my house in Kiabakari. Got ready for the morning Holy Mass preceded with confessions for those who wished to confesss before the Eucharist. Had my head full of many things while I celebrated the sacred liturgy, praying for the gift of discernment and the guidance of the Holy Spirit...

Touching Moment

Such a touching moment it is! My closest friends and coworkers from our Foundation Kiabakari have gathered together for a special thanksgiving Mass on the occasion of my twentieth anniversary of missionary work in Tanzania. The venue of the Mass is a very special too and very close to my heart as it is  the Royal Cathedral on Wawel Hill in Kraków, the very place I was ordained priest on May 22, 1988. I am extremely grateful and deeply moved for this amazing token of love and friendship. In particular I wish to thank Agata, Bożena and Paweł for this initiative and for their effort to spread the word among our friends and supporters. As my personal token of appreciation I have celebrated the Holy Mass for them, for all members and suporters of Foundation Kiabakari and their families, at the same time as the Mass in Kraków, in the home chapel in my mission, right here in Kiabakari. Thank you, my beloved friends, from the bottom of my heart! Dziekuję Wam, Kochani moi, z całego serca! Asanteni sana, Wapendwa wangu, kwa moyo wangu wote!

Theotokos

The Solemnity of Holy Mary, Mother of God has become particularly close to my heart since I was appointed as a parish priest in Musoma Cathedral parish in 2002 by the late Bishop Justin Tetemu Samba. The Cathedral church in Musoma has been dedicated precisely to Holy Mary, Mother of God, and today is the day we not only celebrate a New Year, but also a Patron Saint feast of Musoma Cathedral and the Diocese of Musoma as well, as Holy Mary, Mother of God is the Patroness of our diocese too...

Lost Ones

Wandering around the Manhattan in New York, I came across the St. Patrick's Catholic Cathedral. It's not that I stumbled upon this beautiful piece of sacred architecture. I looked for it on purpose. It is mandatory to me to pay visit to the Mother of All Churches in each diocese I travel to wherever I go. And in every instance, I look for any sign of Divine Mercy devotion displayed in the church, which means to me that the message of Divine Mercy took roots in the local Church...

Never Far Away

Indeed, never far away from Divine Mercy, wherever I go in this world. Which shows how this message and the spirituality based upon the devotion to Divine Mercy as passed to us by Saint Sister Faustina has spread all over the world...

Divine Mercy In The Heart Of Mombasa

Last time, in April, when I was on my way back home from Bura, my hosts showed me around Mombasa. It came to me as a very nice surprise and heart warming discovery to find out that Divine Mercy is very much in the heart of the People of God of Mombasa.

What a wonderful day today...So grateful to God and people who surround me. It was all about celebrating love and friendship, as I am so much aware how much I owe to all of you, who God put on purpose, and by no means - by chance - on my path of life. You continue to teach me, formate me, shape me and make me so much more than I am. Thank you for being there with me when I needed you and always...I salute you! I embrace with love, affection and gratitude. May God reward you thousandfold for all you've been to me. Without you I would never be who I am now and would never be able to do what God was able to do through me in those past twenty years of priesthood...

This is a song we sang together as newly ordained priests on that day, May 22, 1988 in Kraków's cathedral church, right after the ordination rite. As I continue to rejoice in the Lord, immensely grateful for His love and mercy to us, who were ordained on that memrable day, please, join me in reliving that magic moment again, singing (in English or in Polish, your choice) along with the video clips of this song I found on internet...





English lyrics:

In the Lord I'll be ever thankful,
In the Lord I will rejoice!
Look to God, do not be afraid...
Lift up your voices, the Lord is near...
Lift up your voices, the Lord is near...

Polish lyrics:


Pan jest Mocą swojego Ludu, Pieśnią moją jest Pan!
Moja Tarcza i moja Moc,
On jest mym Bogiem, nie jestem sam...
W Nim moja siła, nie jestem sam...