It’s been a long time since I last was at a wedding. And definitely long since the last wedding in my family. My both sisters have been married for many years now, my cousins – for even more. So now it’s time for the nephews.

I was deeply moved do celebrate the Mass during which Magdalena and Maciej, my oldest nephew, exchanged their marriage vows. It seems I baptized him only yesterday. And today… I’m already blessing him for this new path of his life.

Looking at their joy, I’m thinking about all the couples who sought my help. We need to protect married couples, we need to pray for them, and we need to create environments which will give them support, because, as Bl. John Paul II reminded, the future of the Church and of the world comes through the family. The joy of the newly-weds is authentic. They will have to overcome on their own the difficulties that they are going to encounter on their way, but… so much depends on our testimony and our commitment.

We know ourselves, how helpful for us were all those kind words, and little gestures of assistance and comfort. Let’s be alert, because maybe somewhere near there is someone for whom it will be enough if we phone them, meet them for a short while, offer even some tiny support – and things are getting easier.

Remembering about you,

Fr Jay

[*the title of a song often played at the weddings in Poland – translator’s note]

…with families are sometimes risky. They may end up in giving you a new identity which you’ll find difficult to live with. Meaning: it’s definitely more than you are, and still you may feel obliged to accomplish the goal of fulfilling the expectations.

That’s how it was. Two days ago I went to the beach with a group of families. I seemed to be taking my trip solo, but on the way we were walking together. When we got to the beach, some families went left and some right. I stayed independent in the middle. After a time I decide to check the temperature of the Baltic Sea. I noticed a large shallow area, going far into the sea. To the left and to the right of it the water was knee-deep and deeper close to the shore, and here you could walk for many meters and only your feet beneath your ankles got wet. Froma  distance it might look like the way of moving aroud the see in a Gospel-like manner. So I didn’t have to wait long for response. One of the children cried out: “Look, Mum, God is walking on the water!!!” It turned out I stand for “God” in their language.

And today at dinner one of the boys told his mother that he’d “played with Jesus.” Ufff. I felt a bit relieved. Maybe in a few days I’ll get down to my own identity: a priest. But even that identity is so obliging. To set example for children, to make the world of prayer safe, close, and warm, and to ispire the longing to become part of that world – that is really obliging.

That is to continue the thought of our M from the previous post. Wether you are a Mum or Dad, Wife or Husband, Piest or Sister – you need to grow to match your name. The lives of the others depend on that. The way they discover the dignity of a person depends on that.

From Wisełka, retreat group 1

Fr Jay

The local Committee has chosen a rather symbolic place for our Congress:  Australian Technology Park, the former railway yards. The place that used to promote technology, today hosts the event promoting family as the right point of reference.

One of the speakers today said: If you would like to go fast, go alone, if you would like go far, go together. I liked it a lot. The family is a place where you can go furthest. Contemporary civilization would like to turn us into isolated individuals fighting over their own selfish rights. For an individual – it is easy to accomplish the goals very quickly, but you remain single. When you walk together with the others – maybe it will take more time to achieve all the goals, because you have to adjust your pace to the slowest member of the team, but you may go far and share the joy of the covered distance with other people.

That is visible also in my situation. I’ve seen so many beautiful things, I’ve been to so many wonderful places, but it makes you feel really sad when you can’t take there with you your near ones, your friends – with whom you could share your joy. That’s why it is so important for me to share  my experiences with you. I am aware that since I have dominated the blog for over 6 weeks, we have diverged a bit from what this website was trying to be: the inspiration for discovering the joy of being a couple, a family. So I’m taking the right course again with my posts from the WCF.

One of the questions that people keep asking is: what can we do in such difficult times?The family is ipersecuted with growing intensity, the governments of many countries change the definition of a family, where should we hide to escape that? We’ll find the answer with the first Christians. At that time, the situation was about the same as now: abortion, divorce at request, promiscuity, homosexualism, pagan worship of false gods, idolatry. What did the Christians do when they were persecuted for several centuries? They looked after their families: they were faithful to each other, open to life, they prayed. Rome fell. Christianity survived.

My stay in New Zealand begins with a small acclimatiziation. Last night, even though I was awaked by a cloudburst, I tried not to get entirely out of sleep and I kept trying to get back to it, explaining to myself that here I am on holiday and I should get some rest.  It’s the first morning in many weeks when I don’t need to be in a hurry.

Today – the highlight is my youngest Sister’s Birthday. Round anniversary, so even more special. Today I’m also going to have my cassock cleaned – it got a bit worn-out from travelling. I should also buy some warm clothes, because I didn’t manage to pack my suitcase for all seasons of the year. And here it’s November-like weather. When I was leaving Poland, the snow on the Warsaw pavements stayed behind. I landed in the middle of hot summer in between, and now it’s already autumn. Time passes by so quickly. I only must have lost the spring somewhere on the way. 🙁

But the first objective of today was to visit Lord Jesus present in Eucharist. Today, as on every Thursday, in one of the local parishes there is the exposition of the Holy Sacrament. So we turn up for adoration.

The church on the top of the hill has in it a window located right behind the altar. From that window you’ve got the view of the whole vicinity.

It’s the first time I’ve seen such an idea for the chancel design. You have to look at the world outside through the Altar and Lord Jeusus. As if He didn’t want to stop our sight just on Himself, but invited us to see the world through His eyes. The Church is not the place of flight from the “bad” world, but the place where we learn to see the world from the right perspective.

I liked it here a lot. I was happy to stay here and adore the Holy Sacrament. I didn’t feel like leaving this place.

For tomorrow I’ve scheduled a day of prayer and reflection. Until the evening, because then I’ll celebrate the Mass and give a talk to the local Polish community. But before that, I want to spend some time face to face with Lord Jesus. I need it after so many meetings with people. I need to tell Him about all that happened. And this possibility of seeing the world through the Lord – inspired me greatly.

Remembering you always,

ks. Jarosław

The last blog post penned by Fr Captain of the “Harbour” has got a post-script with the greetings sent for you, Dear Readers

already from the journey to Mexico

Fr. Jay, who soon will be renamed “Padre Jota” (“jota” – in Spanish means the letter “j”. That’s how I’m called – by the first letter of my first name, as almost nobody is able to pronounce Jarosław – not to mention “Szymczak”)

Yesterday in our parish the Homily for children was prepared by a Deacon and two seminarians – all from a missionary congregation. They asked the kids for help in getting a missionary-to-be ready for his trip to South America. So they picked different objects from the bag, asking if they will be useful for the young priest to reach people’s hearts. When the Deacon asked the seminarian, wearing already the poncho, straw hat and a stole, which country in South America he would like to visit, he confessed that he had always dreamt of going to Mexico. That was followed by some degree of confusion as to where Mexico was placed on the map, but they found their way out by saying that it’s somewhere between both Americas.

That’s why the blog editors decided to insert a map into this post, hoping it includes all that our Missionary, Fr Jay, may need on his way.*

*The bottom right corner is occupied by St Therese of Lisieux, the Patron Saint of missionaries. The map does not show our prayers, but it is as obvious as the Mexican sun that each of us may add up our (so necessary) support.

PS. On the day of the Pilgrimage of Families to St Joseph Shrine in Kalisz, Poland – we are also joining in prayers for healing Fr Darek (Fr Jay’s brother in priesthood from the Institute of the Holy Family) from cancer disease.

m

– is the meeting that has brought me to St. Louis. Close to Omaha, only 1.15 by plane.

St Louis is the only diocese in the United States which hosted Pope John Paul II, apart from the youth meeting in Denver, Co.

It took me a long time to get prepared for that conference. I was most afraid of the Q&A part, questions and answers, scheduled to follow my speech. Of course in English. And indeed, questions were not lacking. The onlything that was lacking was the answer to some of them. English is still a “foreign language” for me.

There were lots of positive emotions and a very warm welcome. At present I feel so exhausted that I keep on writing and falling asleep interchangeably.

From St Louis,

Fr. Jay

– read the inscription on the T-shirt of the Ordinary Bishop of the diocese I’m in right now (has anybody guessed where?). He has completed 18 marathons, and the members of his diocese may meet him each day on the running trails. Today he was running in the comapany of one seminarist and one priest from Poland 😉 . 7 miles.

So the three of us had this convesration about running, faith, and – beyond the third mile, when the seminarist left us – also about faith, challenges, prayer while running and about the necessary time of solitude.

The runners have a world of their own, and the running priests – are a separate subgroup. You can take God on the trails of your city and enfold the place in your prayer.

Yesterday I visited the Museum of Abraham Lincoln, where you can have some glimpse of the President’s life (a lookalike impersonates him each Friday and Saturday of the summer). And today I had the opportunity to get to know the city from its Bishop. History instructs. Illustrations lead. Historia docet, exempla trahunt. Each meeting may bring something valuable to our life.

With warmest memory of All of You,

Fr. Jay from…?