Silver Jubilee in Kiabakari - Images

My Jubilee logo by Florian Ludovick Kaija

Men in black - me, Fr. William Bahitwa and Msgr. Aristaric Bahati

Jubilee Missal Cover

This is the cover of my jubilee missal (both pages - back and front - in spread) designed by Miss Agata Krupa, the volunteer of our Foundation Kiabakari, and printed by Miss Bożena Koczur, the CEO of Foundation Kiabakari. I am very grateful to the ladies for their skills, contribution and kindness, Thank you so much! The back page of the missal features all parishes I lived and worked since my birth till now.

Left - back page; right - front page

The Week

Last week, the Week, the time we have been waiting for and talking about for a very very long time. The last week of the Year of Faith, the last week of the current liturgical year, the week of my silver jubilee celebration in Kiabakari on coming Thursday, the week of the blessing of our three development projects, the week of the official opening of the said projects, the week of the fourth graduation in our pre-school.

The air in Kiabakari is ripe with anticipation. The church for the past two Sunday is fully packed, parishioners who grace our parochial church usually on major solemnities come to attend the Masses. People listen eagerly and attentively to announcements at the end of the Mass wanting to get the full picture of the coming celebrations.

Although I feel weariness and tiredness after many months of hard work on projects and other celebrations of the Year of Faith, adrenaline keeps me going. And the last Thursday recollection day in Bunda Carmel, filled with silence, prayer and the Holy Mass to Holy Spirit filled my heart and soul with calmness, inner joy, resolve, gratitude and spiritual power.

I enjoy phone calls, emails and messages I receive these days from well wishers and people willing to contribute towards the expenses of the celebrations. This spirit of togetherness, friendship and love is what makes these days so special.

Thank  you, Lord!

Divine Mercy Hill dressed for the upcoming celebrations

Silence Is A Way Of Communication

A couple of weeks passed since my last post. A lack of word is a word itself. A lack of post can speaks volumes. In my case it means an intense period of time for me, full of responsibilities, travels, things to do, matters to take care of, decisions, stresses, challenges and lot of work - on the upcoming jubilee, graduation, opening of projects, finalization of registration, insuring and servicing our donated motorcycles, drilling the borehole and water quality testing in government lab etc... And by saying - a lot, I mean A LOT!

Kiabakari Open For Business

Having finished a tense period of long preparations of the ordination of Fr. Augustino Mapambano, his thanksgiving Mass and all events related to it, we can go back to work. Kiabakari open for business again. My mind and heart shifting back to parochial pastoral and spiritual life, development projects, daily stuff coming from our educational and healthcare facilities, diocesan events like tomorrow's silver jubilee of Fr. Julius Manyonyi in Masonga Parish which I am going to attend. After all, Father Julius along with Monsignor Aristaric Bahati are my classmates - we were ordained same year, 1988. So, I really look forward to tomorrow's long journey to Masonga parish. Nice day off Kiabakari and its duties.

On Thursday I will accompany our volunteer Jane from Rome who has been working for a couple of weeks in Kiabakari serving children in our pre-school during her annual holidays. Jane is working professionally for Italian Television Rai Tre, but she decided to offer her holidays this year for voluntary work and asked to come to Kiabakari to do so. As she will be leaving next week back home, this week is the last bell for her to reward herself a little with a day trip to Serengeti. I want to make sure that she gets the value for money as the experience shows that when my volunteers go by their own, without the knowledge of Serengeti, sometimes drivers tend to shorten the day and save fuel for which we paid after all, and they come back in the afternoon without even reaching Seronera and Hippo Pool. So, I will go with Father Augustino to make sure we get what we paid for and Jane and us enjoy spectacular views and close encounters with the wildlife. Expect some nice picture soon!

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.

Silver Jubilee - Photos

Silver Jubilee Homily

I have been asked by many people who attended the Jubilee Mass for copies of my homily. I guess the best way to share it with them and with you is to publish the text here. It is in Polish, so please, use Google translator or other software to get it in your own language.

So, here it goes. And remember, please, to pray for me and Kiabakari. God bless you all!

Radio Bonus

Yesterday I had an opportunity to talk a bit on various issues concerning myself, my vocation, silver jubilee, my missionary vocation and work, Kiabakari and Divine Mercy and so forth during a radio interview at internet Radio Bonus  in Kraków. The excerpts of the interview have been published just a while ago at the Archdiocese of Kraków portal www.franciszkanska3.pl. The link to the article is here.

For those of you who would like to listen to the recording, I was told it would be aired tomorrow, Friday, May 10th at 5pm Polish time. I was told also that they intend to publish the audio file of the recording, so those of you who cannot access the radio at that particular time, could do so at their convenience.

I wish to express my gratitude to the Radio Bonus staff, in particular to Miss Magda Dobrzyniak and Miss Karolina Putlak who organized the interview, for this unique experience and an opportunity to share. God bless us all!

Finale

The last day of surveying the potential suppliers offers and the local market for the needs of our development projects in Kiabakari for this year. Tomorrow morning back to Kiabakari for the last ten days before I fly to Poland for my silver jubilee celebrations in my home parish and with my ordination class. As much as I look forward to this unique and joyful experience, I feel a bit apprehensive as the time remaining is very short and lots of things to do and to set properly before I go. Anyway, I will do whatever I can, and the rest I will leave up to the Lord and His Merciful Providence guidance. Fiat voluntas Tua!

Special Message To Someone Close to My Heart

A Special Message to You, my Relatives and Friends, on the occasion of my Silver Jubilee.

Almighty God in His Divine Providence has planned that I will celebrate 25 years of priesthood - in the Year of Faith. This is a privilege, a great challenge but also a wonderful opportunity to thank God with living faith for His countless blessings, in particular - for the priceless gift of YOU in my life. By the grace of God’s Providence, you have helped me to become what I am today. I am deeply honored. You are - and always will remain - a very important person to me, close to my grateful heart.

That is why, as my jubilee is approaching fast, I come to you with this special message, asking you to join me in the celebrations, not only through prayer, liturgical celebration and sharing the festive food, but most of all through our living faith, as Apostle James, teaches us: “Faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead...for just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” (James 2:16.26)

Since my priestly ordination on May 22, 1988, I have always stood firmly by and worked hard for the holistic (spiritual, corporal and intellectual) development of communities I served, trying to live my faith among people through works. I wish my jubilee celebrations to be a clear example of this lifelong attitude, thus benefitting directly the community I serve in Kiabakari.

I do not wish any personal gifts for myself on the occasion of my jubilee. Yet I dream of a different, special gift from my friends instead. I humbly ask you to think about the development of Kiabakari community i serve. Your gift will make a difference in rekindling our faith, improving our medical facilities and services and broadening access to a quality education for young generations of Kiabakari people.

Thank you for being there for me throughout all these past years! I invite you cordially to my jubilee celebration in my home parish in Kraków. I will be preaching in all Masses on that day. The main jubilee Mass will be at 12.30PM. God bless you much and see you soon at the celebrations!

Fr. Wojciech

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.

Holy Thursday

My silver and golden jubilees logo. Created by Mr. Florian Kaija Ludovick

Holy Thursday of this year carries in itself a special meaning to me.

In four weeks time I will turn fifty. Half a century of life behind me. God only knows how long I will live more. I am not worried at all and I do not give this thought much attention. What is important is to live my life to the fullest and continue to be a tool, though poor and insufficient, but still a tools in God's hands.

Apart from the golden jubilee of my birthday, in two months time I will celebrate golden jubilee of my Baptism and then together with my classmates - our silver jubilee of priestly ordination in Wawel cathedral in Kraków. Twenty five years have already passed and I do not know how? Out of these twenty five, twenty three served in Tanzania - in Kiabakari and in Musoma cathedral a bit as well.

This evening I will The Holy Mass of the Last Supper of our Lord with my heart and soul filled to the brim with infinite gratitude to Almighty and Merciful God for the gift of life, Baptism, faith, priesthood and missionary all; gratitude of my Parents who not only gave me earthly life but also brought me to the Baptismal font and raised in Catholic faith and morals and taught life with their wisdom and love; gratitude to so many wonderful people I met in the course of my life - relatives, friends, colleagues, who shaped me and my life in many ways.

I will offer this evening Holy Mass for all of us, immersing us anew in the Ocean of Divine Mercy. Thank you for all you have been to me throughout these past fifty years of Christian life and twenty five years of priesthood! May Good and Infinitely Merciful God be your reward here and in heaven!

Dziękuje! Asanteni! Thank you!

Second version of the jubilees logo. Can you find number 25 in the picture?

The Road Map

Last evening we had a very constructive and fruitful meeting of the Parochial Executive Council. Planning the Year of the Faith and highlights of this time of grace. For us, in Kiabakari, this special period of the history of mankind means a lot as it coincides with a few events of heavy caliber which need careful and thorough planning and execution...

Silver Jubilee of Priesthood

Yesterday I had a unique opportunity to see and feel how it may look like next year when I will be celebrating my silver jubilee of priestly ordination. My sisters, Denise and Thomas, frater William and the chairman of the parish lay council, together with myself - drove to Kigera-Etuma village, some 20 km beyond Musoma, in Nyegina parish, to the home village of Father Godfried Maruru, a priest of Diocese of Musoma and my friend, who celebrated yesterday his silver jubilee of priesthood...