Kiabakari Snippets

Apology

2016-10-25T19:12:00.000+03:00

I wish to apologize to all readers of my blog for keeping silent for so long. The Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy with the duties arising from it, along with development works in Kiabakari and my pastoral and spiritual duties as the Missionary of Mercy have contributed to my inability to continue with the regular service in this blog.

I do hope though that with the end of the development projects at the end of the next month together with the closure of the Jubilee Year I will be able again to share with you what is important in my life and service as a priest and a missionary in Tanzania - on more regular basis.

I pray always for you, and in particular in this extraordinary time of grace and Lord's Mercy. May He be your never ending reward.

Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo!

April 18, 1940

2016-04-18T20:55:00.000+03:00

My phone reminded me today that on this day my Grandfather (My Mother's Father), Lt. Adam Jakubiec, was executed by Russians in the Katyń Forest.

Although we do not know the exact date of his execution, 18th day of April each year - based on his last letter written to his wife - my Grandma - I accept as the official date to celebrate in a special way the gift of his life.

I wrote a piece in May 2010 on this topic (one month after the tragic event of Smoleńsk tragedy), so I would like to refer you to that post: http://kiabakarisnippets.blogspot.com/2010/05/one-month-and-seventy-years.html

Please, say a prayer for the repose of the soul of my Grandfather.

I have still one thing to do - to go to Katyń Forest myself and to celebrate a Holy Mass for his and all those slaughtered there seventy six years ago... I truly ask the Lord for the grace of this journey to the grave of my Grandfather.

May he and all his compatriots buried in Katyń Forest and elsewhere in Russia - rest in eternal peace!

Świeta Mariam od Jezusa Ukrzyżowanego

2016-04-17T19:08:00.000+03:00

Upcoming Film On Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati - Patron Saint of Kiabakari Parish

2016-04-17T16:07:00.003+03:00

Happy 115th Birthday, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati!

2016-04-06T09:50:00.000+03:00

Crucem Tuam Adoramus Domine...

2016-03-25T06:32:00.001+03:00

Radio Vatican - My Interview

2016-03-13T21:46:00.000+03:00

I am grateful to Fr. Richard Mjigwa of Radio Vatican (Idhaa ya Kiswahili) for broadcasting yesterday and posting online...
Posted by Divine Mercy Shrine - Kiabakari on Sunday, March 13, 2016

A Documentary To Have In Your Media Library

2016-03-13T18:05:00.000+03:00

A Miracle Of The Jubilee Year Of Mercy

2016-03-12T06:44:00.000+03:00

A true miracle of The Jubilee Year of Mercy. We have been trying to complete the construction and furbishment of the primary school in my mission in Kiabakari for the past ten years. And it looks like the Merciful Father heard our pleas and in the tenth year of the struggle we may be able finally, God willing, to complete the task.

To the contrary - the eye/dental clinic project came up as an instant idea late last year during the voluntary service of Klinika Okulus and Fundacja Dzieci Afryki eye specialists in our health center in Kiabakari. This time we did not have to wait many years for the idea to become reality - the project submitted by Fundacja Kiabakari with cooperation with Iwona Filipecka and her Klinika Okulus team - along with the school one has passed the scrutiny.

I am very grateful to Merciful Father for these Jubilee gifts. This is a genuine act of Divine Mercy 'in action' impacting powerfully the education and healthcare areas of our committment in Kiabakari.

I am very grateful to Fundacja Kiabakari with its CEO Bożena Koczur and our partners who worked professionally and in a very short timeframe to prepare these projects.

I am very grateful to Polish Ministry for Foreign Affairs for their trust in our professionalism, transparency and dedication for those in need in this part of the world. I thank them personally for their continuous support of the worthy cause which is Kiabakari and its educational and healthcare institutions.

Out of six projects approved for Tanzania for this year, two will be implemented in Kiabakari.

And altogether, if I am not mistaken, there will be now around ten development and voluntary projects supported so far by the Polish Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Kiabakari.

This is an absolutely invaluable help without which we would not even dream to help the local communities on such a high quality and effective level.

Thank you - on behalf of all in Kiabakari and the area who are recipients of the Polish Aid!

https://www.polskapomoc.gov.pl/Wyniki,konkursu,Polska,pomoc,rozwojowa,2016,2460.html

‪#‎MSZ‬ ‪#‎PolskaPomoc2016‬ ‪#‎FundacjaKiabakari‬ ‪#‎DivineMercyInAction‬‪#‎JubileeYearofMercy‬ ‪#‎gratitude‬ ‪#‎developmentprojects‬ ‪#‎primaryschool‬‪#‎eyedentalclinic‬ ‪#‎KlinikaOkulus‬ ‪#‎FundacjaDzieciAfryki‬

The Role Of Women In The Church - The Thoughts Of The Holy Father

2016-03-07T17:16:00.002+03:00

1% = 100%

2016-03-02T09:37:00.000+03:00

Twój 1% procent podatku dochodowego za 2015 roku przekazany Fundacji Kiabakari (www.kiabakari.org) to 100% pewność, że nasze dzieci otrzymają porządne wykształcenie i będą mogły przygotowywać się do dorosłego życia pełnego nadziei na spełnienie ich marzeń w pięknej, nowoczesnej i dobrze wyposażonej szkole w misji w Kiabakari.

Journey Into The Realm Of Parables Of Mercy

2016-03-01T08:58:00.000+03:00

On Tuesdays I usually have a few hours set aside for the purpose of meditating, writing, translating various texts and preparing upcoming events, homilies, retreats, seminars. It is no exception today as well. Enjoying a quiet morning working on the meditation on the Parable of Mercy - Merciful Father. On days and times like these I choose (if any) accompanying music carefully. On this occasion I have selected German Baroque Cantatas sung beautifully by my favorite Andreas Scholl. Such a perfection combination of music and his delicate voice. Two wings that carry me in tranquility into the Realm of Parables of Mercy. Come, Holy Spirit, lead me in this breathtaking spiritual journey...

Remember! This Friday And Saturday!

2016-02-29T18:45:00.000+03:00

Check with your local Pastor where this event will be celebrated in your area!

A New Facebook Page For Divine Mercy Shrine In Kiabakari

2016-02-26T19:13:00.003+03:00

Welcome to the brand-new Facebook page of the Divine Mercy Shrine in Kiabakari. Click here.

24 Hours For The Lord in Kiabakari - Program

2016-02-25T18:08:00.000+03:00

Get Cleansed And Consecrated Anew In The Ocean Of Divine Mercy In The Sacrament Of Reconciliation

2016-02-22T13:01:00.000+03:00

Azimio La Kwaresima Katika Mwaka Wa Jubilei Ya Huruma ya Mungu

2016-02-21T12:27:00.002+03:00

Ukitaka kufunga Kwaresima ya Mwaka huu wa Huruma ya Mungu vizuri kama Baba Mtakatifu anavyotuasa katika tafakari zake wakati huu na kama unataka kubadilisha kweli sura ya maisha yako na Ukristo wako, timiza yafuatayo anayotushauri Baba Mtakatifu Fransisko:

funga maneno yanayoumiza wengine na tamka maneno yanayojenga na kufariji
funga hisia zako za huzuni na ujaze roho yako hisia za shukrani
funga hasira yako na ujae subira na uvumilivu
funga hisia zako za kukata tamaa na ujae matumaini
funga msongo wa mawazo yako na umtumainie Mungu
funga malalamiko yako na tafakari kwa shukrani kila ulicho nacho
funga changamoto zinazokuletea presha na ukuze maisha yako ya sala
funga hisia za uchungu na za kuonewa na ujaze moyo wako hisia za furaha
funga tabia ya uchoyo na ubinafsi na ujenge tabia ya wema na huruma kwa wengine
funga ubishi wako na ugomvi na upatane na wenzio
funga maneno na unyamaze ili uweze kuwa msikilizaji makini

The Nation Of Two Mountains

2016-02-21T12:01:00.000+03:00

Each one of us belongs to the Nation of Two Mountains. Tabor and Moria. Tabor - The Mountain of Tremendous Glory and of Mystical Encounter with the Living God. Moria - The Mountain of the Encounter with the Lord and His Passion. These Two Mountains together and in unison work for our good and our salvation. Reject one and your life steers off balance. Reject both and your life will resemble a flatline of a dead man.

The Weapon Of Mass Destruction

2016-02-20T07:00:00.002+03:00

As I look at the special stole of the Missionary of Mercy we were given by the Holy Father last week, I realize deeper and deeper the meaning and the sheer power of the service of the Missionary of Mercy in the Church in the Jubilee Year of Mercy. This stole first and foremost reminds all of us what we priests have at our disposal since the day of our ordination to priesthood.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a genuine weapon of mass destruction of the Evil One and of the aftermath of the desolation and destruction caused in our souls by the devil. This Sacrament is pure and victorious Divine Mercy "in action" restoring us to the dignity of daughters and sons of the Father of Mercy invited always to live to the fullest Father's Love in the deepest relationship with Him through His Life in us and through us towards others in the sanctifying grace.

Enoughness Instead Of Never Enough

2016-02-20T06:36:00.000+03:00

Most of us have grown up with a capitalist worldview, which makes a virtue and goal out of accumulation, consumption, and collecting. Normally we cannot see this as an unsustainable and unhappy trap because all of our rooms are decorated with this same color. It is the only obvious story line that our children see. "I produce therefore I am" and "I consume therefore I am" might be our answer to Descartes' "I think therefore I am." They are all terribly mistaken.

This foundational way of seeing has blinded us, so that we now tend to falsely assume more is better. The course we are on assures us of a predictable future of strained individualism, severe competition as the resources dwindle for a growing population, and surely perpetual war. Our culture ingrains in us the belief that there isn't enough to go around. This determines much if not most of our politics. In the USA there is never enough for health care, for education, for the arts, for basic infrastructure. The only budget that is never questioned is for war and armaments and military gadgets.

Anything you need more and more of is not working--as the people in addiction recovery love to say. That's exactly why we always need more of it. The fact that we need more and more, and better and better--of almost everything except love--tells us that we are in a finally unworkable situation. But there is an alternative worldview, one that has been deemed necessary and important by most spiritual masters. It isn't a win/lose worldview where only a few win and most lose. It's a win/win worldview, which alone makes community, justice, and peace possible.

E. F. Schumacher said years ago, "Small is beautiful," and many other wise people have come to know that less stuff invariably leaves room for more soul. In fact, possessions and soul seem to operate in inverse proportion to one another. Only through simplicity can we find deep contentment instead of perpetually striving and living unsatisfied. Simple living is the foundational social justice teaching of Jesus, Francis, Gandhi, and all hermits, mystics, prophets, and seers since time immemorial.

The Franciscan alternative orthodoxy asks us to let go, to recognize that there is enough to go around and meet everyone's need but not everyone's greed. A worldview of enoughness will predictably emerge in a person as they move to the level of naked being instead of thinking that more of anything or more frenetic doing can fill up our basic restlessness. Francis did not just tolerate or endure such simplicity, he actually loved it and called it poverty--a word which we often view as a bad thing. Francis dove into poverty and found his freedom there. This is hard for most of us to even comprehend. Thank God, people like Dorothy Day and Wendell Berry have illustrated how this is still possible even in our modern world.

Francis was known in his lifetime as the joyful beggar. He communicated happiness, freedom, humor, and joy to everyone around him. Francis and his followers wore ropes for belts to indicate they had no money (at the time, leather belts were used to carry money). Francis wanted people to see that humans could be happy even without money. I have met some poor people and some homeless people who prove to me that this can still be true, although I don't think we need to make it our goal as Francis and Clare did. But we can indeed be happy in mutual interdependence with nature, with the kindness of others, and with our own hard work and creativity, while living in the natural rhythms of life.

Francis knew that just climbing ladders to nowhere would never make us happy nor create peace and justice on this earth. Too many have to stay at the bottom of the ladder so I can be at the top. It is a zero sum victory. I suspect simplicity and a worldview of enoughness will forever be an alternative orthodoxy, if not downright heretical, in most of the "developing" world.

Fr. Richard Rohr

Polish Taxpayers / Friends Of Kiabakari - With Your 1% Of 2016 Tax We Can Finish The School In Kiabakari

2016-02-17T18:32:00.000+03:00

My dear Friends of Kiabakari, we have been toiling hard to complete the construction of the primary school in my mission for the past nine years. With your generous 1% of 2016 tax we can finish this job once and for all!

Come on! Let's do it! We can make it happen!

Please, Polish speakers - Listen to the radio spot prepared for Foundation Kiabakari for the sake of "2016 1% of tax campaign".

If you can not see this chirbit, listen to it here http://chirb.it/3LBK7B

Check this out on Chirbit

Surprise!

2016-01-12T14:38:00.001+03:00

Four Rights

2016-01-10T15:18:00.000+03:00

The last day of the Nativity Season - the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord - helps us to focus on our own Baptism and its value, meaning and the newness of life it brings.

In particular I think about the four basic rights flowing out of the Holy Baptism. These rights we tend to neglect or forget. And that is why we live sometimes like we live - in contradiction to our dignity we received in the Baptism.

First right - the right to call God - Father. The sanctifying grace we receive in the Baptism fills us with Divine Life and make us one with God and the family of His children. We no longer pray to the Creator, to God Almighty, to 'Rex Tremendae Maiestatis". Since the moment of our Baptism we pray with confidence and inner joy and pride to our Father, who loves us and His mercy is infinite.

Second right - the right to approach the altar and receive the Most Holy Eucharist. The Life of the Father in us in sanctifying grace is strengthened and elevated even higher - when we unite ourselves with Living Jesus in Eucharist. And Jesus in Eucharist is the Guarantor that f we stay in unity with Him, our earthly journey will reach eventually the House of the Father in Heaven.

Third right - the right to be part of the living community of the faithful and to be taken care of by the community. We, the baptized, have our obligation to the community of the Church as its living members. But at the same time we have the right to be looked after the community - in good and bad times. No one in any stage of one's life must ever feel lonely, sidelined, excluded in the community of the baptized. Even when the one's house falls down because of the flood or heavy rains as we see sometimes in our communities here in Africa - everybody should come to help as much as they can to make the affected feel loved and taken care of.

Fourth right - the inheritance right. The right to Heaven. The right to the housing prepared for each and every one of us by Jesus in Father's House in Heaven. This is not a place that we will be rented or made to pay for it. This will be our place forever. Wonderful place. The moment of death for the baptized is no longer a reality which scares us. It is only a passage to eternal life in happiness where everyone is assured of one's own dwelling for eternity.

The problem is - when I commit a grave sin, I lose all these rights. In the Year of Mercy we should reflect upon the majesty of our dignity as Children of God, baptized in the name of the Triune God. We should return to the total faithfulness to our Baptismal Vows through genuine penance and reconciliation.

May God our Father help us to rediscover the value of our Baptism today and to help us to defend the dignity of being a child of God who enjoys the fullness of these four rights.

Kiabakubek

2016-01-09T20:09:00.000+03:00

Plenary Indulgence Of The Jubilee Year Of Mercy

2016-01-09T13:25:00.002+03:00