Poland, England, France

Poland: kick-off to education Week On September 3, for the inauguration of the new school-year in Poland, Msgr. Wiktor Skworc, Archbishop of Katowice, described school years "as the years Jesus spent in Nazareth" underlining that while it’s important that youth be the recipients of learning, they must also be "educated" regardless of the subject taught. Teachers "have the responsibility of acting as mentors and guides in spiritual matters, and as witnesses of the truth", he said. Next September 16 through 22 the Polish Church will celebrate Education Week. The pastoral letter published for the occasion by the episcopate describes the Church as the "dwelling place of life, faith and love". The "formation of consciences and hearts acquires "a special importance", the bishops underlined. They added that it is within the family, "in that atmosphere of conjugal and family love, that individual formation, namely the shaping of the human soul, takes place". "Parents’ spiritual witness is thus particularly relevant in children’s education". In their letter the bishops highlight the increasing importance of school catechesis, which for the past 20 years "has been contributing to school formation programs, enriching the educational landscape with new content". During the month of August, before the school year begins, Polish dioceses organized meetings with catechists, described by the president of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, Msgr. Jozef Michalik as "testimonies that carry out their service in the name of the Church". Over 1100 catechists serve in the archdiocese of Warsaw, for whom has been inaugurated a dedicated website and for whom the archdiocese will hold spiritual exercises and retreats.England: people to pray in public at 3pm on FridayStopping for a moment’s break at 03.00 pm on the first Friday of the month to publicly pray and give thanks, while meditating on the sacrifice made by Jesus on the Cross for the love of us, maybe even making one’s mobile phone ring at 02.55 pm. The invitation to the Catholics of England and Wales comes from mgr. Kieran Conry, bishop of Arundel and Brighton, director of the evangelisation section of the Bishops Conference of England and Wales, in the run-up to "Home Mission Sunday", that is celebrated on 16th September. In a release posted on the Bishops Conference’s website, mgr. Conry says that "next Sunday we will reflect on the role of the mission in the Church" and calls the "devotees to stop" and "maybe close their eyes and bow their heads". An important commitment within the context of the Year of Faith, that will be starting on 11th October. "It’s up to you to make up your own prayer", bishop Conry said, "or you may want to say a little prayer": "The actual words that will be used are not so important as the fact of being with Jesus right then. So you will not only make your relationship with Him deeper, but you will silently and confidently show your faith to those around you".France: with non believing baptized "Among other things I would like to addressed the question of what I describe as ‘non believing faithful. Not only non-practising Catholics. Today, 70% of those who contact us in the parish for the sacraments are baptised, but in reality they don’t know Jesus and they do not adhere to faith. Often they don’t even believe in God or in Jesus". In an interview published on the website of the French Bishops’ Conference (www.eglise.catholique.fr), Msgr. Yves Le Saux, bishop of Le Mans, member of the French delegation at the Bishops’ Synod on the new evangelization (Rome, October 7-28) drew a balance of one of the themes he will address in the meeting, which he described as an "important collegial gathering". Referring to his own participation, which is both a calling and a grace", Msgr. Le Saux underlined the importance of identifying the "catechumenal paths for those who have already been baptized" and of addressing the impact of the new evangelization "on preaching, speaking and living as priests, bishops, and lay people". Jesus said: "He is the Saviour of the human race" and it is "what we have to clearly speak of. Conversely, it’s not evangelization but friendly humanism". In addition to a meeting of all the pastoral animation groups in view of the opening of the Year of the Faith and of the 50th anniversary since the opening of the Second Vatican Council, the diocese of Le Mans with the "Festival de la Mission" (October 2013) attended among others by Msgr. Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for the new evangelization, and cardinal André Vingt-Trois, archbishop of Paris, president of the French Bishops’ Conference.