Displaying items by tag: Province of Poland
The Polish Province Held its Triennial Chapter
The triennial provincial chapter of the Polish Province place from 19th to 23rd May 2024 in the ancient Carmelite Monastery in Kraków. The chapter began on the first evening with a hymn to the Holy Spirit and a moment of prayer as the participants gathered together.
In his opening address to the chapter, the Prior General, Míceál O’Neill, prayed that the chapter would be a meeting of minds and hearts so that the friars would see more clearly what they have received from God and what is their calling in Poland today.
Every day during the chapter, the friars were given a conference to help their reflections by a Capuchin, Łukasz Stec OFM Cap, the spiritual director in the seminary. He spoke about Christ’s resurrection as a source of hope for every consecrated person.
During the chapter, the friars worked both in smaller groups and in plenary assembly and examined the future of the Order in Europe and what forms of cooperation that could take place between provinces.
The participants attended a training session regarding safeguarding and the protection of minors given by Mr. Patron dr Michał Poniatowski, assistant professor in the Faculty of Canon Law, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University (Warsaw).
The chapter also discussed synodality and how the Carmelite Family might be developed in Poland with a special focus on how young people could be involved in the life of the Province.
In response to the appeal of Pope Francis, the chapter considered the need to protect the Created World and our care for our common home. Dr. Eng. Michał Kaczmarczyk gave the members some proposals for how the province could use green energy.
Father Piotr Męczyński handed over to the newly confirmed Provincial all the archives he had collected about Father Wincenty Kruszewski from Obory, whose beatification process the province is trying to start.
The participants also discussed various possibilities for how best to use its property. Finally, time was spent discussing the formation programme of the province and, especially, how the ongoing formation could be augmented.
On the final day of the chapter, the retired Archbishop of Krakow, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz celebrated the Eucharist in the Carmelite church of the monastery, also called the “Piasku” – referring to the area of the city it is located in. In his homily, the Cardinal recalled the rich history of Carmel in Poland and the Monastery on the Piasku, founded by Saint Queen Jadwiga, whose 650th anniversary of her birth will be celebrated later this year.
Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, who had been secretary to Pope John Paul II, donated relics to the Province of Saint Pope John Paul II at the beginning of the Eucharist. He also noted that Karol Wojtyła, who was a student and later a priest and shepherd of the archdiocese, was also among the great devotees of this church and of Our Lady of Piasek, the Lady of Krakow. The Cardinal recalled how the later pope often, to the surprise of the faithful and the Carmelites themselves, sat in the confessional in this church during the time he was Archbishop of Krakow and heard the confessions of many people.
The Cardinal drew attention to the ecclesial dimension of the Chapter, “It cannot focus only on itself,” he said. In conclusion, the Cardinal wished: “that the Blessed Virgin Mary, your patroness, will accompany you in all your endeavours on the path of the new time that comes in the Province after the Chapter.”
The guests at the Eucharist also included other religious, including the Sisters of the Institute of Our Lady of Carmel, celebrating the Jubilee Year of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Blessed Mother Maria Teresa Scrilli.
