After a two-year hiatus because of Covid restrictions, the National and Diocesan directors and their collaborators of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Poland met in Czestochowa at the foot of Jasna Gora Monastery where the icon of the Black Madonna is venerated.
Over 80 participants attended the meeting, including the National Director and his team along with the Diocesan Directors and moderators. Also present for the meetings was the Bishop of Elk, Most Rev. Jerzy Mazur, the chair of the commission of mission of the Episcopal Conference of Poland.
Wednesday, Sept. 15th morning was dedicated to registering the participants and lunch.
The meeting formally opened with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the chaplet to the Divine Mercy of St. Faustina Kowalska. The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to a presentation by Bishop Mazur on the work of the commission for mission of the Polish Episcopal Conference and other interventions. The day was completed with a very moving traditional Marian Prayer service before the icon of the Black Madonna, asking for needed graces for the continued work of the PMS in Poland.
The next day was dedicated to reports from the national secretaries of the four PMS in Poland and was completed with my formal intervention. I greeted all present in the name of the Holy Father, our Cardinal Prefect, our President and the four Secretaries’ General and thanked them for their great dedication and efforts to fostering a missionary spirit and promoting missionary initiatives in Poland.
My discourse included many of the elements that I presented earlier in Anglophone Canada, focusing on the charism left us by Pauline Jaricot. I reminded the participants that, together with all four Societies, we form a global network/family of prayer, formation and charity at the service of the Holy Father in his solicitude for the proclamation of the Gospel in mission lands and the young Churches established there. Quoting canon 791 (C.I.C.), I highlighted the fact that the PMS are an integral part of every local Church and not an extraneous body representing the Holy See in the diocese
Prayer as the foundation of any and all effective mission animation was emphasized and the participants were encouraged to promote authentic prayer in its many forms in the areas of their responsibilities, not only to prepare prayer animation for Mission Sunday, but to encourage prayer for the missions in local Christian communities throughout the year. .
It was also pointed out that the PMS are not charitable organizations that fund projects in mission territories in local Churches that are in economic difficulty, but rather a global network or family of mutual support through prayer, formation and the sharing of material goods. The responsibility of the local Church for its development and for projects was also stressed, insisting that the PMS support, but do not “fund” local Churches, who themselves participate in the network through their prayers and offerings. I also referred to and quoted from the Holy Father’s Message to the PMS prepared for our General Assembly in 2020 and asked the National Director to have it translated into Polish and made available to everyone involved with the PMS in Poland.
The National Director and his team presented many wonderful initiatives for 2022, celebrating the milestone anniversaries of the PMS. One such initiative is a planned Synod for children organised by the National Secretary for the Holy Childhood. There was much enthusiasm and solidarity/communion among the participants.
The meeting formally concluded by the celebration of the Eucharist, presided by the Gen. Sec.
Father Tadeusz Jan Nowak, OMI – Secretary General POPF
