FAITH LIFE

Faith Life | | Retreat 2006 | | Visit of The Pope Benedict XVI in Krakow

Patron’s Day, 2005 October 16 is a significant date in the life of Pope John Paul II as it is the anniversary of his election as the 263rd successor of Peter. Pope John Paul II, the Patron of the school, invites students to be faithful to the teaching of the Church.
Patron’s Day, 2005 Here we see a picture of the concert dedicated to the memory of the Holy Father, John Paul II, on the anniversary of the Pontificate.
Religious education plays a central and fundamental part of the curriculum in the Catholic school. It is never simply one subject among many, but the foundation of the entire educational process, providing students with a systematic study of the mystery of Jesus Christ, the teaching of the Church and its application in daily life.

	As with any Catholic School, our Faith Life centres around the Liturgy of the Eucharist – the Mass. It is the “source and summit” of our Catholic faith. The Eucharist is celebrated to mark important religious, state and school events.
	1 September 2005 His Excellence Bishop Kazimierz Górny joined the John Paul II community for the celebration to mark the beginning of the 2005/06 school year.
	Patron’s Day, 2005. Mass was celebrated by Bishop Edward Bialoglowski, Fr Czeslaw Drazek, SJ – editor of the Polish edition of the Vatican’s L’Osservatore Romano newspaper and Rev. Waclaw Sopel.

18 November 2005 - Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament The chapel is of crucial importance for our school since it allows each of us to pray in a place of peace and solitude. Students can come before and after school to spend a few moments with the Lord.
Retreat Days Retreat days, for students of all ages, are an important part of religious education at the John Paul II secondary school. The twice-yearly retreats allow students to reflect upon their relationship with Jesus Christ.
The religious retreat programme is very strong and each year group has its own schedule. Year 11 students, for example, spend a day at Kalkow and take a three-day trip to the Retreat Centre at Myczkowce.

	Grodek, the picturesque village in the south of Poland, lies on the River Dunajec and this is the retreat destination, for both Year 12 students and teachers, where three days are spent in prayer.
	Teachers at the Retreat Centre in Grodek. St. Augustine once said, “He who sings, prays twice.” Music is a vital part of our liturgies and is truly our prayer in song.
	Students and teachers participate in the spiritual adoption of an unborn child by saying a special prayer daily for the baby to be protected from abortion. We know that God wants us to pray, and we know through our faith that He answers all our prayers.

22 December 2005. School carol concert just before the Christmas break. The carol concert, performed by our students, offered an opportunity to remember the true meaning of Christmas through music. It also provided an entertaining and uplifting time.
At Christmas time the whole community of John Paul II School gets together in the evening for “Oplatek” where we all share the sacred wafers, like those used for Holy Communion, exchanging greetings and joyful wishes. With the breaking of this bread, Jesus is born for us this evening, around the table, under our roof, in our hearts.
9 September 2006. Our students served God by serving the handicapped during the Olympic Games “Let’s stay together”. “Faith without works is dead". Our students are willing to give of their time and talent for the benefit of others. They are members of a charity called “Caritas” the co-ordinator of which is Ms. Magdalena Walicka.

	Our graduates - the Missionaries of the Holy Family. Following a vocational calling is extremely important to all Catholics. To date, ten graduates of our school (5 males and 5 females) have heard a call from God to dedicate their lives to the service of God as a priest or sister.
	Czestochowa is the religious heart of Poland. The climax of the Pilgrimage of the Family of John Paul II Schools is the Mass at the foot of Jasna Gora held in a field outside the church, and prayer in the chapel of the Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Czestochowa.
	V Pilgrimage of the Family of John Paul II Schools from all over Poland visit the Jasna Gora Shrine in Czestochowa. All Year 8 students in the lower secondary school participate in a pilgrimage which helps them to deepen their dedication to Mary and follow the example of the servant of God, John Paul II.

Jasna Gora has been attracting pilgrims for six centuries. It is a joy to walk to the house of the Mother, enjoy her presence, find shelter with her and listen to her advice. The Shrine of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa has been a pilgrimage destination for Christians from Rzeszow for 29 years. Some of our students also participate and pilgrims set off on a 300 kilometre-long spiritual and reflective journey on 4 July to arrive, on foot, at Czestochowa 10 days later.

by Anna Bak

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RETREAT 2006

This year, as usual, we went on a religious retreat to the Caritas Centre at Myczkowce, a picturesque village in the Bieszczady Mountains. We set off from the schoolyard on 14 March at 2 p.m. to arrive at Myczkowce three hours later. There, we spent three days in prayer and meditation.

After the arrival we had some time to relax before attending a spirit-elevating Mass and then a Vigil. We sang and prayed giving thanks to God for all His blessings. The celebration was over at about 10 p.m. and then we went straight to bed.

The second day was even deeper and more fruitful spiritually. We began with Mattins, divided into a few parts, each of them consisting in singing beautiful psalms praising our Lord. Then we had some free time for play and doing various sports activities together. Later we heard a Mass during which we listened to an impressive homily given by a brilliant, inspired preacher. He brought us closer to understanding eternal truths and principles that every ardent Catholic should follow. He also made us aware of all dangers and temptations of the materialistic world which we should beware of. The words of his sermon, sometimes metaphorical and always impressive and appropriate for his teenage audience, moved and riveted the attention of the whole congregation. In the evening we attended a heartrending Road of the Cross that made us quiet and full of pensiveness. Last, in contemplation we said the Rosary in the evening. On the last day after Mattins we adored the Blessed Sacrament during a solemn, final Mass completing our Retreat. Then, after a late lunch we went back to Rzeszow.

This year’s retreat was really beneficial in every respect . During the three days we strengthened our faith and became better, more sensitive people. It was an unforgettable time and we are all enthusiastic at the prospect of going on a Myczkowce Retreat again this year.

by Benjamin Bukowski

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VISIT OF THE POPE BENEDICT XVI IN KRAKOW “BE STRONG IN THE FAITH”

The Pope was in Poland from 25 to 28 May 2006. Initially, he was in Warsaw where he received a very warm welcome. Few people thought that so many would go to pay their respects to him. Later, he went to Cracow where young people were waiting for him at Blonia Park and others near the “Pope’s window” on Franciszkanska Street. The crowd wanted to see Pope Benedict XVI at the window as they had previously seen John Paul II. Young people were cheering all the time and Benedict was unable to speak for their voices. Many students from our school were also there and we all have warm memories of this day.

The meeting with the Pope was at 6 p.m. but we arrived at Blonia at midday. After standing in a long queue and throwing stones with our names so that the centre of John Paul II could be established we could spread our mattresses on the grass. We tried to sleep but everyone was so enthusiastic that we couldn’t rest and we were all moving, speaking or singing.

The atmosphere was electrifying- so many young people in one place to meet one person – it was an incredible thing! Before the Pope arrived we prayed together and cheered in his honour.

Then, Benedict XVI appeared and everybody started shouting, jumping and waving flags. This was a particularly emotional moment and some people were almost moved to tears. The reward for us was the smile on the Holy Father’s face. Then, he started speaking to us, surprisingly, in Polish. From the many words he spoke to us here are just a few about his mission for us: “Jesus encourages us to build on the rock. Building on the rock means first of all, to build on Christ and with Christ. Building on Christ means basing all your desires, ambitious, dreams and plans on his will”.

After the Pope left, a candlelit mass was held in the darkness and then we had a concert which should have finished late at night. Unfortunately, it began to rain and we were forced to leave the concert and sleep at school. After a few problems with nuns and students getting lost all the time in the crowd we finally reached our destination.

The next day we returned once again to Blonia for our last meeting with the Holy Father, Benedict XVI. After the Mass we all went to the train and eventually arrived in Rzeszów at 8 p.m. At the same time, the Pope was in Auschwitz praying and meeting ex-prisoners.

In our opinion the meeting with the Pope was an essential experience in our lives which we will never forget and we hope that Benedict XVI will come back to us one day.

by Patrycja Piekos, Aleksandra Tomaka & Joanna Ulan

For more information about the Pope Benedict XVI visit to Poland look at:
http://www.b16.pl/index_en.html
http://sunday.niedziela.pl/artykul.php?dz=swiat&id_art=00054

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