The first stop was in Cologne where three Polish Salesians - Fr Adam Nyk as parish priest, Fr Janusz Kasza and Fr Piotr Szeląg as assistant pastors - work in the Italian Catholic Mission.
A special moment was the visit to the construction site of the Mission's new headquarters in the presence of the Salesian Provincial of Germany, Fr Reinhard Gesing, the contact person for foreign missions in Cologne, Mr. Ingbert Muhe, other representatives of the Curia and the architects following the work. Worth several million euros, the project is already well underway. For the autumn, the opening of the structure is expected, which will be a reference point for about 50,000 Italian emigrants in the area of Cologne and its surroundings.
The trip's second stage was the visit to the community of Rosenheim in Bavaria where there is also a community of Polish Salesians. Fr Paweł Walkowiak is parish priest of the Italian Mission, Fr Ignacy Zając (parish priest) and Fr Mirosław Łubiarz (assistant pastor) assist the Polish Mission, while Fr Jan Domaradzki follows the pastoral care of the Germans in the Aschau am Inn area.
From the activities in the colorful framework of pastoral care in Germany it is clear that even in times of pandemics it is possible to cooperate between Germans, Poles and Italians, not only following the traditional parish forms, but also looking for new ideas and courageous projects for the future. In this context, the visit of the Provincial is always a stimulus, an encouragement and an occasion of thanksgiving.
Fr Adam Nyk, SDB
