CZARNA MADONNO

There is now a part of Bury that will be forever Jasna Góra.  On a regular basis we sing that lovely hymn in honour of Our Lady of Częestochowa.  Here is a little video of us singing it at the end of Mass this morning.  A full transcript of the English version appears below.

On this earth our souls are restless

'til they find that special place

Where there reigns the Queen of Poland

Bearing scars upon her face

Sad but gentle as she gazes

almost begging one and all

that they ask for her protection with this call.

Madonna, Black Madonna

Hear your children, Lady of Grace.

O hide us, Black Madonna

in your gentle loving embrace.

In her arms you'll find protection

and her peace does not depart

For her children will find love

in her Immaculate Heart.

She is always there to help you

when you give your heart to her

and invoke your Blessed Mother's name with love.

Madonna, Black Madonna

Hear your children, Lady of Grace.

O hide us, Black Madonna

in your gentle loving embrace.

When the cares of life oppress us

We can flee to her to hide

To our Blessed Mother Mary

for she calls us to her side

So we ask you Queen of Poland

turn your eyes of love to us

hear the prayers your children offer now with joy.

Madonna, Black Madonna

Hear your children, Lady of Grace.

O hide us, Black Madonna

in your gentle loving embrace.

VESTMENTS

No trip to Poland would be complete without a visit to the vestment suppliers.  The cost of vestments and church items is so much cheaper (and usually better quality) than in England.    Here's a few pictures of the latest additions.

A NEW CASSOCK

AS THE ONE I CURRENTLY HAVE

APPEARS TO HAVE 'SHRUNK' IN THE WASH!!!

A NEW COTTA - A THIRD OF THE PRICE YOU WOULD PAY IN ENGLAND!!!

A STOLE

A SAINT JOHN PAUL II STOLE

A BEAUTIFUL MARIAN CHASUBLE (BACK VIEW)

THIS CAME TO ME COURTESY OF A VERY KIND BENEFACTOR

THANK YOU VERY MUCH OR AS THE POLISH PEOPLE WOUL SAY

BÓG ZAPŁAĆ - GOD REWARD YOU

FRONT VIEW

FIRST MASS

On Monday I had the privilege of being the Assistant Priest for Father Mateusz First Mass in the Extraordinary Form (Latin, Tridentine).  This was celebrated in a neighbouring parish thanks to the kindness of the Parish Priest.  The Mass was a Votive Mass of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

 

SELFIES

Just a few random selfies taken on our trip

Little Michael and Big Michael who were with us last summer

Kamil (on the left) will visit our parish in August

Michael who will enter seminary this year

OH HAPPY BAND OF PILGRIMS

FIRST MASS

On the Sunday morning Fr. Philp and I went to concelebrate at the 9:00am Mass in the local parish church in Rogów.  This Mass was offered for all the people of our parish - as is my privilege and duty to do each Sunday.  It was a lovely celebration and I was much encouraged by the devotion of the people.  A full to overflowing church of old people, teenagers, young families and children. 

Fr. Mateusz was to offer his First Mass at 11:00am in the church where he had been baptised and where his family attend each week.

The celebration began with in the family home where the Parish Priest blessed the vestments Mateusz was to wear and them vested as a priest Mateusz knelt to receive the blessing of his mother and father before beginning the procession to the church.  This simple yet moving ceremony in the family home reminded me that it is from the home and the family that good vocations come.

Fr Mateusz nephews gather at the family home  ready for the procession

They are joined by their fellow altar servers and First Communion Children

FATHER MATEUSZ!!!

Priests, people and cameraman gather for the procession

And a brass band!!!

 At the end of Mass it is the tradition that the newly ordained gives his First Blessing to family and friends.  It is also customary to kiss the hands of the newly ordained as a sign that they are consecrated to God and it is those hands that will give us the Body and Blood of the Lord

Here are some of the pictures of the blessings.  In blessing me the blessing was extended to the whole of our parish, but Father Mateusz will be with us in July to celebrate Mass and to give us his blessing.

A blessing for priests

A blessing for priests

A blessing for his sister and niece

A blessing for his brother in law

A blessing for family members

Priest and servers prepare for the procession at the end of Mass

A blessing for seminarian and our future priests

Please Father, can I have one?!!!!

A car was provided to take Father Mateusz to the reception

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

OFF TO POLAND

With an early start on the 18th May myself and two parishioners headed to Manchester Airport to take a flight to Krakow.  This was part of the first leg of a journey to Katowice and Rogow for the ordination to the Sacred Priesthood of Deacon Mateusz Klimek and his fifteen classmates.

Having arrived without incident at Krakow airport we met up with Fr Philip Baptist, Parish Priest of Our Lady of the Souls, Kensal Rise, London.  From here the four of us made our onward journey to central Krakow and our hotel for a two night stay.

Krakow is a very beautiful city and has much to commend it to the visitor.  If you have never been then it is well worth a visit.

Krakow is also the Archdiocese of which Cardinal Wojtyla was the bishop before being elected Pope John Paul II in 1978. 

A statue of St John Paul II stands opposite the entrance of the

Cathedral in the grounds of the Wawel Castle

The entrance to the Cathedral that contains the relics of

St Stanislaus, one time Bishop of Krakow

A view of the courtyard inside the Wawel Castle

 Here is the famous window above the entrance to the Diocesan Curia where Pope John Paul on his visits to his native Poland would stand to give the gathered crowds his blessing.  The crowds showed there appreciation for Poland's famous son by singing 'Sto lat, Sto lat.'  The Holy Father asked the crowds if they really wanted the Pope to live for 100 years and the song says.  They cheered and shouted 'Yes.'  The Holy Father replied 'Well you had better go home and stop singing so that I can get some rest!'

Here is the chapel inside the Curia where John Paul II

was ordained to the Priesthood.

WELCOME BACK

It is a long time since I last wrote a post for this blog.  As always when we go to confession we are resolved to do better in the future.  This I hope to do and will try and keep the blog a little more current.

A lot has happened since the last post and it doesn't seem feasible to try and catch up in one post on the last five months or so.

As Julie Andrews reminds us 'the beginning is a very good place to start.'  So I will begin by recalling my recent trip to Poland for the Ordination of Mateusz Klimek and his fifteen classmates.