Near those who extend a helping hand ” “

In Poland 2015 is the year of Caritas, refounded by the Bishops’ Conference in 1990, forty years after the dissolution of the organization by the communist regime. Today 43% of Poles describe Caritas as the charity organization which they trust the most. On a national scale, 44 diocesan Caritas engage over 100 thousand volunteers working in 900 centers. Caritas groups are active in 5 thousand parishes and in many schools. The year of Caritas was inaugurated by Pope Francis Sunday, December 14, with the lighting of a Christmas candle and a special blessing for “all those who reaffirm the commitment of solidarity” in Poland. The family at the centre. In 25 years of activity of Polish Caritas “volunteers have distributed over 20 million Christmas candles. That initiative has allowed us to help nearly one million children,” pointed out the director, Fr. Marian Subocz, with the hope that “more people may learn about what Caritas does, and gain awareness of the necessities of the many poor”. In the next 12 months, the priorities of the ecclesial organization will involve the family. “Responding to the appeal of the Synod Fathers, we want to accompany the family, seeking systemic solutions to provide concrete help, that constitutes for each one the first school of love,” said the priest, who announced an international conference devoted to this subject scheduled for the month of October. Dioceses in action. Caritas volunteers distribute almost 2 million hot meals throughout the year, they take care of the homeless and unemployed, the lonely, the disabled, the sick and elderly, families and young people. “The average citizen learns from Caritas when the media give prominence to a specific initiative. Not always, however, is there public awareness of the daily and silent efforts to bring practical help to the needy”, said Monsignor Piotr Sawczuk, auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Siedlce which, first among Polish dioceses, on January 15 celebrated the anniversary of Caritas with the presentation of the commitment in favor of the disabled and the sick. Throughout the year various dioceses will be engaged in specific initiatives, each focusing on one of the many fields of action of the organization. Homeless and terminal patients. “We were unable to help all those who were hungry”, sadly pointed out the Director of Caritas and of the diocese of Opole Fr Arnold Drechsler. “In the streets there still are many poor people and we didn’t have sufficient means to help them”, he said. He pointed out that “these people were not left alone even though we failed to help them overcome their state of poverty: our presence, our helping hand was for them like an anchor they could cling on to”. In his opinion in the coming years Caritas should be involved especially in those areas lacking support, notably the homeless and terminal patients. “There are many organizations that share the money to carry out true initiatives, but there are also tasks for which there is a shortage of aids. This is where Caritas should be primarily committed”, Drechler said. Beyond national borders. The organization chaired by Fr Subocz cooperates with Caritas Europe and Caritas Internationalis. “Only last year we brought aid to Ukraine, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, the Balkans, the Philippines and in some twenty other places”, the prelate said, who urged to step up cooperation with the Fund for European Aid to the most Deprived (FEAD) at national level. “It should be borne in mind that aids cannot be distributed only according to the criteria of average wages since the poor are more numerous, and thus also other criteria should be applied”, he remarked. For their identification the prelate hopes there will be a debate “compliant to the principle of subsidiarity, that may enhance the experience of volunteers and parish priests since they are the ones who know the situation of indigent people better than anyone else” he added. Bridging loneliness. “Material poverty often conceals a loss of the right path”, said the archbishop of Warsaw-Prague, Monsignor Henryk Hoser, a few days ago. “Those asking for help need to be listened to more than anything else – the bishop went on -. In many cases the worst form of poverty is not material. Very often the lack of means of sustenance is caused by alcohol addiction or broken families resulting from past mistakes and by deviating from the path of human development and drifting apart from God, that leads to loss of hope. For this reason, the major task of those providing support is to fill this gap of loneliness with an affectionate presence”.