FROM POLAND

A founder of a Hindu religious congregation passed away

Mother Regina JolantaWoroniecka died who had been a nun in the convent of St. Ursula for 28 years in the Roman Curia. In 1969 she went away to Greece for missions where from 1971 she worked among the poor people of Athens. She also arrived in the Polish settlement in Turkey where, despite a threatening danger, she undertook a ‘secret’ pastoral ministry with a Polish priest. In 1971 she left for India to work among poor and leper people.

She undertook evangelization in the form of catechesis in families. Girls were frequently joining her, being interested in the convent life. In 1977 she founded a religious congregation of Servants to God’s Truth, Family Catechists which gained an approval of the Church. At present the congregation has 150 nuns. This religious congregation is still popular with new vocations, now it has 21 candidates. Besides India the nuns have convents in Germany and started work in Poland – in the hospice in Wągrowiec. This convent gained the approval of the Church and was acknowledged on the diocesan law.

The most important charism of the nuns is work among families. The nuns catechize families, lead school clubs for children aged 2-4 and take care of an informal and professional education of women. Moreover, they make women aware of their rights and help them to become independent.

S.Woroniecka died in Poznań-Pokrzywnia, in the provincial infirmary of the convent of St. Ursula of the Roman Curia, at the age of 91 and on the 66th anniversary of her convent vows. The funeral took place on 29 September in Poznań. S. Woroniecka was buried on the local convent graveyard.

Developed by S. Regina Malińska OSU

Prayer vigil of Prayer Groups of St. Father Pio

On 22-23 September this year on PrzeprośnaGórka near Częstochowa and at JasnaGóra there was the Nation-wide PrayerVigil of Prayer Groups of St. Father Pio and supporters associated in the Institute of Apostles of Crucified Jesus. About 2 thousand participants of the prayer vigil were welcomed by the custodian of the sanctuary Father ZbigniewBańkowski. The prayer of the cross road on the slope of PrzeprośnaGórak was led by archbishop Stanisław Nowak who also presided the Eucharist connected with giving vows to service to God in the Institute of the Apostles of Crucified Jesus. The vows were listened to by the Superior General Father Eugeniusz Maria Lorek. In the program of JasnaGóra prayer vigil, there was the Holy Mass which was presided by Father Lorek. The conferences were presented the spiritual life of St. Father Pio. The Holy Mass celebrated on GórkaPrzeprośna on 23 September – on the day of liturgical remembrance of the Saint from Pietrelcina- was a continuation of the ceremony. In the homily Father Lorek said that Father Pio teaches us love to God and human suffering. We can come closer to Jesus through him.

Jolanta Pałasz

INVERTED COMMAS

A just man will remain just even in the hand of a bunch of people; it will bring no harm to him or diminish his value.

There is no such a harm, that might not be forgiven.

Like grass holds volatile sands so that they would be not blown away by storms, the Nation must keep the homeland with the whole soul and the whole heart; get emotionally connected with it and not allow for being disinherited, secure its freedom and place on the world map.

Stefan Cardinal Wyszyński

IN BRIEF

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi–a prominent bible scholar, the chairman of the Papal Council for Culture, received the title of doctor honoriscausa of the Catholic University of Lublin on 27 September. The ceremony inaugurated IV Congress of Christian Culture which on 27-30 September took place at the Catholic University of Lublin under the motto ‘In the search of the man in man. Christian roots of hope’.

A new national pantheon was symbolically opened in the church of St. Peter and Paul in Cracow. It is supposed to be a complement of the Warsaw Church of Divine Providence and continuation of two places of national remembrance in Cracow – Royal Tombs on Wawel and a full Crypt of the Deserved on Skałka.

Military procurators admitted that a different person was in the grave of Anna Walentynowicz. Investigators say officially that further exhumations are needed because there may be more such mistakes.

In the investigation TNS Poland nobody evaluated the government ‘definitely well’. Every fifth surveyed person gave a good evaluation about the team of Tusk. 73 percent evaluated him badly. The work of the prime minister was evaluated by 67 percent of the surveyed in the same way. We evaluate the government and the very prime minister in a worse and worse way.

An economic debate organized by the Law and Justice party lasted four and a half hours. The meeting was attended by 25 leading Polish economists.

The National Judicial Council unanimously gave a consent to dismissing RiszardMilewski, the chairman of the District Court in Gdańsk. It was this judge who had talked to an alleged official of the prime minister’s office about the scandal Amber Gold.

The education minister KrystynaSzumilas has given 1.3 million zlotys for bonuses of the officials in her department, since the moment of her taking over the post.

Channel Religiatvfinishes its own transmission on 1 January 2013. In the existing situation the whole journalistic team will be dismissed from the editorial office. Next year the program will be still emitted on the basis of repeated programs and purchased films in cable stations, on the satellite platform and in the USA.

Young Poles are again starting to leave for abroad. 2.6 million people have left Poland since the year 2007.

(AA)

"Niedziela" 41/2012

Editor: Tygodnik Katolicki "Niedziela", ul. 3 Maja 12, 42-200 Czestochowa, Polska
Editor-in-chief: Fr Jaroslaw Grabowski • E-mail: redakcja@niedziela.pl