Saturday, July 3, 2010

13

To many, this number is associated with all bad things imaginable (at least in many cultures this is the case, including Poland; though for Tanzanians, especially in our Mara Region, and Zanaki ethnic group in particular, number 7 is the bad number, while in Poland number 7 is a good luck number to the contrary!).
Today is the day we are celebrating 13th Anniversary of the Dedication of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and Saint Gemma Galgani parochial church in Kiabakari. A very special day to me and to all who constitute the family of Kiabakari parish. Although thirteen long years, filled with so many good and bad things have already passed, I become very emotional whenever I come to this day and celebrate it, be it in a solemn or in a more subdued manner.

I still cannot believe how it was possible to achieve this. Three traumatic years of the construction works. I don't want to get into details as it still fresh in me, with wounds and happy memories. Truly, as St. John the Baptist has pointed out: 'He must become greater, I must become less' (John 3:30), it has happened to me during those years. I do not wish anyone, even my greatest enemy, if there is any deserving this title, to go through that trauma. I do not wish. Maybe the time will come, I will share with you, but not yet. What I tell you today is this: do not play with construction of the House of the Lord. Period. This is a mystery and to build for the Lord the House for His Eucharistic Sacrifice, one must be ready to die as a sacrifice while building it. Only those who went through similar experience, will understand. You must die, you must be offered as a sacrifice, you must give up everything, you must go through dark nights and fight the Evil One, you must face insurmountable challenges, stresses and frustrations, you must feel left alone and abandoned by everyone. Otherwise, you won't achieve anything.

Building a church is not the same as building anything else, even for religious purposes. This is a mystery. Mystery of pain, abandonment, sacrifice, suffering, trauma, direct challenge from dark forces, everything will happen to you, if the House of God you are building is destined to be a major factor in God's warfare for the salvation of people.

I've been through this and it changed me forever. I can only say that if not God's protection, if not maternal care of Our Lady, of Saint Joseph and Saint Patrons and prayers of suffering Church in the Purgatory, nothing would be achieved and I would be dead most probably, taking under account all attempts on my life during that time.

The Divine Mercy Shrine in Kiabakari, this our parochial church on top of Divine Mercy Hill is a mystery to me. Even after all those years, even if I was responsible for its becoming. Still, entering it I tremble and feel awe and presence of the Mystery...

In a couple of hours I will offer a Holy Sacrifice in its center to commemorate that day thirteen years ago, when all that trauma of three years of the construction efforts came to a successful end and we handed over the fruit of our work to the Owner, God Almighty and Merciful through a beautiful ceremony of the dedication of this church...

Let me share with you as a final word of this post the thanksgiving note I put in the Dedication Mass liturgical booklet in 1997. Those feelings I expressed in there, are still very much alive in me...

O Lord our God, all this abundance
that we have provided for building Thee

a house for Thy Holy Name comes

from Thy hand and is all Thy own.

I know, my God, that thou triest the heart,
and hast pleasure in uprightness,
in the uprightness of my heart,
I have freely offered all these this things,
and now I have seen Thy people,
who are present here, offering freely
and joyously to Thee…

(1 Chron. 29, 16-17)

Truly, it is rights to give thanks and praise to You, o Lord our God, because it was Your will to choose this stony hill in Kiabakari for Your dwelling. It was Your Grace and blessing which brought us safely to this day of rejoicing.

Our Lady of Graces, Mother of Perpetual Help, accept our thinksgiving for your love, protection, guidance and never ending help. To you we cordially offer as a sign of our gratitude and reverence the tower with the bell dedicated to Your Holy Name.

Beloved Saints and our Patrons - Pier Giorgio, Gemma and Faustina - never did you cease to protect, support and guide us! Together with all the Angels and Saints, who were always with us, may we bless the Lord and exult Him for ever!

O Lord our God, “now I have seen Thy people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to Thee” (1 Chron 29:17). It is you who sent them to help us. It is You who enlightened their hearts and minds in their free generosity, deep concern and fraternal love. We wish to offer to them our cordial thanks, because they reveal the mysterious ways of Your grace which penetrates the depths of human hearts and gently urges them until they fulfill Your will…..

In the first place, O Lord our God, I give thanks and praise to You for His Eminence, Cardinal Franciszek Macharski, the Father of my priesthood and missionary vocation. In him You teach me how to put trust in Merciful Jesus and how to follow Him. O Lord, may today’s solemnity fill his heart with joy and peace, because this day is the triumph of Jesus in whom he trusts so much!

Among those hearts who were touched most deeply, I wish to offer a special word of gratitude to the Rt. Rev. Bishop Justin Samba, the Father of Musoma Diocese, for his wise decision to develop Kiabakari Centre (a part of Zanaki Parish) into an independent parish. May God reward your discernment, encouragement, support, prayers, paternal love and deep concern we experienced all the time.

Special thanks go to Mrs. Luciana Fassati, the sister of Pier Giorgio, and to her Family for their holy inspiration to dedicate this church to God as a sign of gratitude for this new Saint in the Holy Church, for their material and spiritual assistance and for necessary technical plans and details which were provided by Mr. Roberto de Luca, the architect of the church.

I am especially indebted to His Grace Archbishop Francesco Cuccarese and to the People of God in Pescara, Italy, for their substantial, generous contribution and for their concern, support and prayers without which we would not be able to complete the work. May the Lord be your reward here and in eternity!

I wish to extend a very special message of love and gratitude to all friends of this parish, who in many ways offered their contribution, both material and spiritual. Among them I wish to thank particularly: Missionary Sisters of St. Peter Claver; Rev. Fr. Jozef Jonczyk, my home parish priest, together with assistant parish priests, mission’s support group and all the faithful of St. Kazimierz Parish in Kraków; my classmates, especially Rev. Fathers W. Kudłacik and M. Hajdyła; Rev. Sisters of the Congregation of Little Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary Conceived Immaculate; Fathers - Rev J. Lenda, Rev. A Dużyk, Rev. Z. Kosek, Rev. J. Zając, Rev. E. Staniek, Rev. E. Dziubek, Rev. A Waksmański, Rev. J. Krzyżowski, Rev. H. Zątek, Rev. R. Gaweł, Rev. J. Łędzki, Rev. R. Jończyk, Rev. Sz. Górny and many others in Poland; good friends in Ireland, especially Mons. Francis Donnelly and all parishioners of Drogheda, Rev. Fathers Thomas Daly and Eugene Sweeney and their families, also the Burns, a very special family to me; and others who always care and show concern.

I am deeply grateful to those who played an important role in the process of deciding and of the construction of the church. Because they wish to remain anonymous, may God himself reward their enormous support, concern and help!

I offer my sincere thanks to those who were always close and helpful during times of hardship and hard work, who supported me with their faithfull and quiet service, Mama Sarah and Mama Vero.

Special work of appreciation goes to seminarian Ansbert M. Ngurumo, who since July 1994 has been always on the run - choir, altar boys, religious instructions, domestic work. Today’s solemnity is your reward. Let your heart rejoice!

I am very grateful to those who by their work made this church look beautiful; Mr Charles Almas, who made all furniture for the church; Mr Florian Ludovick and Mr. Alex Ndibalema, who masterminded and beautifully painted Stations of the Way of Cross; Mr Deo Kafwa, Marketing Manager of Nyumba ya Sanaa, Dar es Salaam, who supervised the wood carvings; also Mr. Ole Meikooi Obeid, professional gardener, whose patient work turns slowly our stony hill into a flourishing garden.

I wish to thank most cordially our parishioners who took active part in various preparations of today’s solemnity. In the first place my deepest gratitude goes to the group of faithful who piously fasted and prayed to our Merciful Jesus each Friday since January 1994 for the intention of a successful completion of the work. Truly, your fasting and prayers made it happen! Sincere thanks to members of High Committee of all preparations: Mr. A.B. Ntumba, Mr A Kabuche, Mr. K. Rusobya, Mr. J. Bukindu, Mr D. Busumabu and many others who worked hard in different preparatory groups. I wish to thank also those who contributed significantly towards the necessary expenses of the feast.

To all those I do not mention here by name, but who are deep in our grateful hearts; to those one can depend on any time; and to you, dear friends, who are today with us, I wish to say on behalf of all of us in Kiabakari: Thank you and God bless You!

Finally, to my beloved parents, Wiesław and Maria Kościelniak, I would like to say: today’s event, so meaningful to me, I wish to dedicate to You. There are no words in any human language which could possibly express what my heart feels and how deeply I am grateful to you. Here, on this occasion, I will only thank you for your gift of this book and the invitation cards which you printed using Your own scarce funds and for being with me always with your love, prayers, words of encouragement and consolation. I am proud of you!

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