austra L asia 1171
Blessed Bronislaw Markiewicz CSMA - a gift for Australia and PNG
WARSAW: 18th June 2005 -- The beatification Sunday 19th June in Warsaw, of Fr Bronislaw Markiewicz, is a gift, let it first be acknowledged, to the Polish Congregation known as the Michaelites, named after the full title he gave to it: The Congregation of St Michael the Archangel. But the nature of the Spirit's great charisms is to be a gift to the universal Church in some way or another. The Michaelites have a foundation in Sydney and several in Papua New Guinea. The gift has been mutual. The Michaelite charism of work and temperance directed to the good of the young and the poor is good for Sydney and Mt Hagen PNG and everywhere else they are called to, and the fact that four novices have already come from PNG means the gift flows in the other direction too.
What a pity that English does not have a word that quite defines a three-way gift - for this is true, too, of the Michaelite presence in a region that also has a Salesian presence. The Michaelites are members of the Salesian Family. Fr Markiewicz began his religious life as a Salesian (he was already a priest), but in due course and on a path that humanly speaking was difficult both for the Salesians and Fr Markiewicz through human misunderstanding, the Holy Spirit made sense of yet another human mess. It was never really a face-off between two saints, Mchael Rua and Bronislaw Markiewicz. The Saint of saints, the Holy Spirit, was the third factor and referee in the game! Everyone has benefitted from the outcome, from the flourishing of holiness.
The Michaelites now have a major Sydney parish, that of North Sydney, and several communities in PNG. In Sydney the Cardinal has signed a contract which officially accepts their pastoral contribution for the next 25 years. In PNG they are in Mt Hagen and in two parishes in the diocese of Wabag. Fr Ziggy Kruczek of Mt Hagen was recently appointed the Rector of the Seminary there.
On Sunday the Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chavez, will be in Warsaw for the beatification. Initially the event was scheduled to be in Rome with Pope JohnPaul II, but the Spirit intervened once again. Sunday's beatification will be the second in the current pontificate of Benedict XVI and the first outside the Vatican. Cardinal Glemp will be the beatifying prelate, if that is the correct way to put it!
VOCABULARY
face-off: actually an ice-hockey term when the opposing sides face each other at the beginning of the game. The referee breaks this by dropping the puck!
Blessed Bronislaw Markiewicz CSMA - a gift for Australia and PNG
WARSAW: 18th June 2005 -- The beatification Sunday 19th June in Warsaw, of Fr Bronislaw Markiewicz, is a gift, let it first be acknowledged, to the Polish Congregation known as the Michaelites, named after the full title he gave to it: The Congregation of St Michael the Archangel. But the nature of the Spirit's great charisms is to be a gift to the universal Church in some way or another. The Michaelites have a foundation in Sydney and several in Papua New Guinea. The gift has been mutual. The Michaelite charism of work and temperance directed to the good of the young and the poor is good for Sydney and Mt Hagen PNG and everywhere else they are called to, and the fact that four novices have already come from PNG means the gift flows in the other direction too.
What a pity that English does not have a word that quite defines a three-way gift - for this is true, too, of the Michaelite presence in a region that also has a Salesian presence. The Michaelites are members of the Salesian Family. Fr Markiewicz began his religious life as a Salesian (he was already a priest), but in due course and on a path that humanly speaking was difficult both for the Salesians and Fr Markiewicz through human misunderstanding, the Holy Spirit made sense of yet another human mess. It was never really a face-off between two saints, Mchael Rua and Bronislaw Markiewicz. The Saint of saints, the Holy Spirit, was the third factor and referee in the game! Everyone has benefitted from the outcome, from the flourishing of holiness.
The Michaelites now have a major Sydney parish, that of North Sydney, and several communities in PNG. In Sydney the Cardinal has signed a contract which officially accepts their pastoral contribution for the next 25 years. In PNG they are in Mt Hagen and in two parishes in the diocese of Wabag. Fr Ziggy Kruczek of Mt Hagen was recently appointed the Rector of the Seminary there.
On Sunday the Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chavez, will be in Warsaw for the beatification. Initially the event was scheduled to be in Rome with Pope JohnPaul II, but the Spirit intervened once again. Sunday's beatification will be the second in the current pontificate of Benedict XVI and the first outside the Vatican. Cardinal Glemp will be the beatifying prelate, if that is the correct way to put it!
VOCABULARY
face-off: actually an ice-hockey term when the opposing sides face each other at the beginning of the game. The referee breaks this by dropping the puck!
