Poland – Conclusion of Extraordinary Visitation to North-west Poland Province

23 December 2021
Photo: Fr. Rafał Krysiak, SDB

(ANS - Piła) - On 18 December 1859 in Turin, Don Bosco founded the Pious Society of Saint Francis de Sales. 162 years later, the Extraordinary Visitation of the Pila Province ended in Piła, held from 28 August to 18 December 2021 by Fr Václav Klement SDB, Extraordinary Visitor "ad nutum" and "pro tempore". This significant date may mark the beginning of the renewal of the Salesian presence in the north-west of Poland, Georgia, Russia, and Sweden.

The visit’s conclusion took place in Piła and began with Mass in the Church of St John Bosco, which was attended by the Provincial Council and the Rectors of the local communities of Poland and Sweden. During his homily, Fr Klement said: “Don Bosco is alive here. He is alive in every Salesian.”

So, with reference to the Gospel of the day, he underlined the figure of Saint Joseph who “does not speak - he experiences. St. Joseph is extremely courageous and determined to receive Mary, without any guarantee, only in deep faith. And this is a very significant virtue for us today in the Piła Province: to follow the Lord Jesus with courage.”

He also noted that “there are fewer Salesians; we are older and the gap between Salesians and young people is greater.” But he also observed: “This is not a tragedy - it is a vocation, a vocation from God. Let us pray to Saint Joseph so that every Salesian will be more courageous in following the Lord Jesus. And let us pray for a greater faith for every Salesian and for our own lay animators, teachers, volunteers, all the workers who are with us in schools, parishes, youth centers, and wherever we are in this Province.”

Fr Klement also stressed that “courage is very necessary in our time. Courage is the fruit of faith. Let us pray, not only personally, but also as a community, so that we can ask for the gift of the vision that God wants for the PLN Province at this moment.”

The conclusion of the Visit took place in the auditorium of the Salesian Lyceum in Piła. The participants looked at the Rector Major's message and at the photos from the last months of the visit. In his speech, Fr Klement explained the meaning of the protocols left in religious houses: to the Rectors of the communities, he indicated the need for projects that define the vision of the future of presences in the Province.

Referring to over seventy pages of final minutes, Fr Klement noted: “It is important to know what we do, where, how and why we do it.” He added that the final report is “so that the confreres love and know the Province more.”

At the end of the meeting, Fr ​​Klement answered questions put to him by the members of the General Council. One of these concerned the gap between generations of Salesians and how differences can be harmonized. Fr Klement said that “the young confreres should be more at the center of the Province so that they are listened to.” In response to today's challenges, he recommended putting families at the center. And in the context of the question about aid for the development of the Salesian Family in the territory of the Piła Province, he said that “without the Salesian Family there is no future for the charism. We need Salesians with a passion for the formation of the laity.”

During his stay in the Piła Province, Fr Klement visited 49 locations where the Salesians work and he spoke to 260 confreres. In addition to the Polish houses, he visited the presences in Sweden (28 August-4 September) and Georgia (5-8 September). Due to the pandemic-related restrictions, the Visitor held online conversations with communities working in the Russian Federation (November 29 - December 2).

During the visit, Fr Klement was able to meet the following bishops: Cardinal Anders Arborelius (Stockholm), the Primate of Poland, Archbishop Wojciech Polak (Gniezno), the Latin bishop Giuseppe Passotto (Tbilisi) and the apostolic nuncio to Georgia, Archbishop José A. Bettencourt.

In each local community, a report was left based on the voices of the religious, members of the Salesian Family, lay people and young people, and three or four points of final recommendations (for the next 6 years).

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