As in Jasnagora

The EU’s enlargement to Poland brought tens of thousands Poles to Scotland. In the diocese of Aberdeen, where the percentage of Catholics is only 3% of the overall population, this flow increased three-fold the number of faithful, thus changing the asset of the local Church. The bishop of Aberdeen, Mons. Peter Moran, learned some Polish and 20% of his priests now speak this language. In the rest of Scotland, where Catholics amount to 15% of the overall population, the impact has been less strong. Mass is said in the Polish language in most of the Scottish Churches. At least ten thousand Poles live in the city of Aberdeen and five-thousand live in Inverness.A SHARED PILGRIMAGE. In Pluscarden there is a Benedictine monastery from the diocese of Aberdeen as in Jasnagora, Poland. At the end of August, for the second time this year, four-hundred faithful went on pilgrimage for ten kilometers towards this Marian sanctuary, the most important in the Scottish isles: three-hundred Poles and one-hundred Scots. This marked the acknowledged integration of Catholic Poles in the Scottish community. “I launched the idea of this pilgrimage which allows Poles who live in this country to celebrate the most important date of their Marian calendar in a Scottish sanctuary. I considered it would be a concrete way of making them feel that they can maintain their faith of origin although they have to integrate it within the traditions of the land which received them”, explained Mons. PETER MORAN , bishop of the diocese of Aberdeen. This diocese is a significant example of the major move of tens of thousands of Poles to England and Scotland. Considering that the number of Catholic faithful was very low – in the north-western part of the diocese they represented only 3% of the overall population – the arrival of the Poles led to a remarkable increase in the number of faithful, doubling their number in two of the most important centres, Aberdeen and Inverness. For the local Church it was a “highly emotional and enthusiastic moment”, as Mons.Moran explained. “It was a major and enriching challenge at the same time”.HELP FROM POLAND. Integration, the bishop said, required a great deal of work which continues still today, while there still is the need for more priests. Five priests did in fact arrive from five different dioceses in Poland, following Mons. Moran’s request to Polish bishops. Integration process within local culture followed short. “Scottish society is much more liberal than the Polish one. Here there are no problems with Authorities. These elements pertain to a reality where religion, until a few years ago still was the object of persecution.” “We organized a three-day meeting in the seminary of Glasgow during which we explained that here the Church enjoys the contribution of the laity who read and distribute the Eucharist, that there is no reason to fear civil authorities and that priests have a direct relationship with the faithful precisely because there are only few Catholics”, the bishop claimed. “Many Poles would like to listen to mass recited in their native language. However I think it is important that they maintain their culture integrating it in the local reality. Mass in Polish can take place initially, when they still have little knowledge of English. With time it’s important to achieve a balance whereby the two languages are alternated. In some parishes a part of the celebrations are in English and another in Polish. I myself learned some Polish and the applause I received in saying ‘may you be welcome. I am also your bishop’ in Polish, meant a lot to me”.A TESTIMONY. Also Father Krzysztof Garwolinski, 34, who came to Scotland last year in the diocese of Motherwell, south of Glasgow, considers important the Poles’ integration in the local community. “During his trip to Poland the Pope asked Polish priests to go abroad, to other EU countries. I had already been to Scotland during the summer to replace a few priests and I realized that priests weren’t needed”, he explained. “In my opinion Poles have a major problem with the language and therefore it’s important that the Sacraments and the mass at the beginning be recited in Polish, however it is necessary for them to gradually become integrated as an active part of the community”. “People are very warm and we enjoy being here”, said Father Garwolinski, who is the priest of “Our lady of good aid” Cathedral in Motherwell, a Scottish diocese bordering with the archdiocese of Glasgow where there are approximately 4 thousand Poles. He teaches religion in the schools and English during courses for Polish immigrants. “There’s a lot to be done, not only in the Parish but also in schools and hospitals. We do our best to organize social events, football games and disco-dance evenings where the Polish faithful may meet the local Catholics”.