KRAKÓW TO ROGÓW

On Friday we were collected by Fr Mateusz brother in law Sławomir and taken to Rogów, the family village of the Klimek Family.  We were given accommodation in a gueswt house just opposite from the family home.

Saturday morning was the day of the ordination and we set off early - bright eyed and bushy tailed - for the Cathedral in Katowice where the ordination Mass was to take place presided over by Archbishop Wiktor Paweł Skworc, the auxillary bishops of the diocese and a visiting bishop from Zambia.

Before the Mass of  Ordination we were able to look around the cathedral.  Here are a few pictures.

THE BAPTISMAL FONT

THE CHAPEL OF OUR LADY

THE PAPAL THRONE

A VIEW OF THE HIGH ALTAR AND SANCTUARY

The Mass lasted two and a half hours and during a very moving and beautiful ceremony we witnessed the ordination of sixteen young men to the priesthood.  This was accompanied by some lovely singing from the seminary choir.

At the end of the Mass the newly ordained together with their parents were presented to the Archbishop.  From the Cathedral they processed back to the seminary to have lunch with the Archbishop.  The rest of us returned to Rogów via a very fine restaurant.

There was a funny incident in the liturgy.  The commentator told us that the names of the candidates to be ordained would be called out and then when the Archbishop says 'We rely on the help of the Lord and we choose these men, our brothers for service in the presbyteral order' we would reply 'Thanks be to God.' 

However as the name of each candidate was read our the congregation replied ' Bogu niech będę dzięki - Thanks be to God.'  The liturgical purists would have had a heart attack but to me it was a reminder that every vocation is a gift from God for which we must say 'Thanks be to God'

I remember saying to an old priest in seminary 'Father, I bet when you were praying for vocation all those years ago I bet you never thought we would be the answer to your prayers!'

THE CALLING OF THE CANDIDATES

FATHER MATEUSZ VESTED AS A PRIEST

EXCHANGES THE SIGN OF PEACEW WITH THE ARCHBISHOP

THE NEWLY ORDAINED PROCESS TOGETHER WITH THEIR FAMILIES

BACK TO THE SEMINARY FOR LUNCH

AFTER THE ORDINATION MASS WE MET SOME OF MOTHER TERESA'S SISTERS

Here they are pictured with Mirela, Fr Mateusz's sister,

Grzegorz his nephew, Mo McCallion and a strange priest