Congregation of the Mission & Poland & Province of Poland & foreign mission admin | 11 Jul 2010
Annual gathering of missionaries’ families
There are fourteen Confreres from Province of Poland working in missions Ad gentes nowadays - six in Madagascar, two in China and Taiwan, two in Kazakhstan, one in D.R. Congo, one in Papua New Guinea, one in Honduras and one in Puerto Rico. Many years ago parents and families of Confreres missionaries started to reunite once a year to meet each other, meet some of the priests on their holiday, to share and to pray together. This year’s meeting took place at Jasna Gora, Czestochowa in the Marian Sanctuary of Queen of Poland between July 2 and 4.
This location was suggested last year. The gatherings are organized by Office for Foreign Missions (Sekretariat Misyjny) of Vincentian Province of Poland. Daughters of Charity hosted all participants in their house in Czestochowa. Holy Mass celebrated in the chapel Miraculous Shrine of Black Madonna on Saturday, July 3 in the morning and chaired by Fr. Rafal Brukarczyk CM, missionary in Honduras was the main event. All attendants prayed for missionaries and Friends of the Missions who support missionary apostolate of Congregation of the Mission. Traditional evening prayer - Jasna Gora Appeal - sang at the Shrine was dedicated in the same intention.
Fr. Rafal Brukarczyk CM from Honduras and Fr. Maciej Mech CM from Kazakhstan were special guests in the meeting. They came to Poland for holiday. They both shared their joys and concerns from missionary work and presented lives of people whom they preache the Good News of salvation. It was very enriching time for all participants.
It was also noticed, that one of them, Mr. Longin Maszkowski, father of Fr. Marek Maszkowski CM (in Madagascar) was the only one person who took part in all the meetings since his son went to Madagascar over twenty five years ago. Organizers hope, the next year reunion will gather more families than this time and will be as fruitful as this years was.
For text in Polish and more pictures visit website of SEKRETARIAT MISYJNY
