Lagiewniki prepares the Holy Year ” “

“The Holy Year of the Divine mercy is a great gift for the Church and for the world, as well as an important commitment, as it is necessary not only to enshrine that message within personal Christian life but also to live the gift of mercy in our daily lives”, said Fr Franciszek Slusarczyk, rector of the Shrine of the Divine Mercy of Lagiewniki in Krakow, (Poland). The news of the Jubilee year, announced by Pope Francis, is deeply felt in the place where Saint Faustina Kowalska lived and served, through whom the message of the “divine mercy” was disseminated throughout Europe and in the rest of the world. “Sharing the faith”. The archbishop of Krakow, cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, in his invitation to youths worldwide to take part in the WYD 2016, underlined that the city “hopes to share with the pilgrims what it deems most precious: faith in Jesus Christ and in the divine mercy that precisely in Lagiewniki appeared before Saint Faustina Kowalska, promoted throughout by John Paul II as a sign of hope for the suffering of humanity caused by world conflicts”. The Church invited world youths in Krakow so they may rediscover the endless love in Lagiewniki”, said the auxiliary bishop of Krakow Msgr. Damian Muskus, president of the Krakow 2016 WYD organizing Committee, speaking to volunteers who have been working for the positive outcome of this special meeting. “Our main task will be to create for all the young people who will arrive a space for their intimate encounter with Christ”, noted the prelate, who added: “This is the basis on which we shall then build awareness that ‘merciful love is something more than the charitable activity”. Following the wake of Saint Faustina. Every year the shrine of the Divine Mercy in Lagiewniki, a suburb of Krakow, is visited by over 2 million pilgrims from hundreds of world Countries. The Sunday liturgy televised from the Shrine’s chapel, where stands the effigy of Merciful Jesus, and which hosts the tomb of Saint Faustina, is followed by over one million faithful, while the daily radio broadcast of the prayer of the Great Hour of Mercy is followed by over 250 thousand people. “Moreover – explained the spokesperson of the nuns of Our Lady of Mercy, Mother Elzbieta Siepak – constant online access to the chapel images enables world faithful to be connected with the Shrine and pray every hour of the night and of the day”. Ongoing preparations. The Misericordiae Campus in Brzegi, near Krakow, that will host the meeting of the youths with Pope Francis in 2016 extends for 260 hectars. For the organizers of the event over 4 million faithful from world countries will take part in the vigil on Saturday July 30 and in the following Sunday liturgy presided over by the Holy Father. “Such a vast space allows us to easily prepare the various sectors for the pilgrims, and to trace the path of the pope-mobile in complete safety”, said Msgr. Muskus. Today Brzegi is a quiet village of 558 people and 240 houses. They are part of the parish of Grabie, which has just over 1,600 faithful, but it features a famous image of the Madonna on the main altar of the typical wooden church. “The local inhabitants are good and devout people”, said the parish priest, Fr Andrzej Pietrusa, who underlined that “it is possible to rely on the financial support and on the concrete help of the parishioners when work is needed”. For the priest, the WYD 2016 is “an opportunity to share our faith and to experience that we are not alone”. Citizens at work… The people of Brzegi look forward to welcoming the Holy Father and many young people. Some parishioners told SIR that very soon, as soon as the fruit is ripe, they are going to start preparing home-made jams for the guests who will be hosted in their homes. “Brzegi is a small village based on farming. Wheat continues being sown, it is possible also to see horses, cows, rabbits and chickens”, said Malgorzata Krason, mayor of the village for the past 12 years. “In the vicinity there are plenty of wild boars, foxes, deer and roe deer, as well as various species of wild birds”, added the mayor, proud of the possibility of being able to “present our culture and our region”, and “give something of ourselves to the guests”. “All the inhabitants have their own idea on how to welcome the Pope in the best way, then we will see what we can actually do”, said the mayor with a smile, whilst engaged in coordinating the construction of a new motorway junction for Brzegi, and ensuring rail links with nearby Krakow by 2016.