Such Faith

The Gospel of Saint Luke, chapter 7, verses 1 to 10, is read today. It is all about a simple yet powerful faith in Jesus and His tender merciful Heart, which is touched by the people's misery. It is all about Jesus' praise of such faith and His rebuke that He did not find such faith in the Children of the Chosen Nation:

The Dark Lining

"As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant."

The One Who Knows

Saint James Apostle, the first among Apostles to shed his blood for his Master, whose liturgical feast we celebrate today, is one of the three true 'Illuminati', the chosen ones among the Apostles, who were allowed by the Master himself to know Him best and participate in the full account of His life, teachings, mysteries and actions...

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...

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...

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...

Three Incredible Days

On February 5 every year the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Agatha of Sicily. It is somehow strange that one of the most venerated Saints in the Pantheon of Catholic Saints throughout the centuries is not known to many! Her name is pronounced among the seven prominent Catholic Saint women in the First Eucharistic Prayer in the Holy Mass. What better display of veneration and love for a Saint can be if not placing her or his name in the Mass Canon?!

Help Me

October 5th every year since 1938 has been marked by a passage from this life to heaven of one of the most remarkable Saints ever who influenced the whole world by the message given to us through her by Jesus himself, the King of Mercy... Sister Maria Helena Faustina Kowalska - a humble and unassuming Polish nun became a secretary of Divine Mercy for the whole world...

No Country For Old Men

When the echo of a final word of the Prayer after Mass of altar servers faded away in the sacristy of our church, I grinned to myself and groaned incomprehensibly - 'no country for old men...' Three and a half hours in sauna temperatures of in fully packed church with zero air circulation. Give me a break! I felt even my teeth sweating in this condition...

The Rural Death Row

We have just put two convicts on the rural death row. It always happens whenever we are about to celebrate a parochial feast, as we are getting ready to do just that the day after tomorrow, when Bishop Michael Msonganzila will come to celebrate a Holy Mass with the sacrament of Confirmation for some 300 young and old members of the parochial community. There  always is a death sentence accompanying these joyful events. They aren't that joyful to some convicts though. And although we have a prison in Kiabakari, those convicts we put to death on the occasion of our feasts are not from that prison...They are from the green mile a.k.a. the rural death row...

Tomatoes Or Oranges?

Today is La Tomatina Day in the town of Bunyol in Spain. I heard about this festival of sheer madness and saw some videos of it. I always wanted to take part in atrocities like these that never end in fatal accidents. But considering my spectacles and the fact that my targeting system might be compromised big time by the lack of eyewear, I would turn into a moving target for others, rather that be an effective tomato propulsion device...