The Polish Catholic Mission of England & Wales has welcomed a call by the Polish bishops for Poles abroad to integrate into their local parishes.
In a letter to be read out this weekend at Polish Masses, the Warsaw-based Bishops Conference warns there are now insufficient Polish clergy to "reach all the places where Poles are found" and they say Catholics should make up for the shortage by attending local churches instead: "Respect the country which has accepted you, given you work and a chance to develop. Mature patriotism has nothing to do with nationalism, or with closing oneself off from other cultures and traditions".
In England and Wales the London-based Polish Catholic Mission, or PMK, currently operates more than 220 parishes and pastoral centres. Its Rector, Mgr Stefan Wylezek told The Tablet the bishops’ message was positive: ”We are not a ghetto. I am so glad the Polish bishops are saying please join in with local parishes. I am not jealous of anyone going to an English parish.”
His comments are echoed by the Polish chaplain in Nottingham, Fr Christopher Kawczynski, who says positive interaction with diocesan clergy at deanery meetings is a good example of greater integration. He acknowledges there is still a separateness when it comes to preparing children, in Polish, for the sacraments; currently a bishop will come from Poland for confirmation services, but he is hoping to have bi-lingual confirmation next year, with Bishop Patrick McKinney presiding. Swopping between Polish and English is already something he experiences when conducting marriages and funerals.
But another Polish chaplain, who didn’t want to be named, gave the bishops’ letter a more guarded response and said he had no idea how it would be received by his parishioners, merely noting: “I’ll find out after I’ve read it.” He told The Tablet that Polish language chaplaincies offer people a sense of space: “People can grow in faith whilst living in a foreign country. Far from home, they can feel cut off from their family and can loose their values. Worshipping in Polish protects them from going on the wrong path. It is a problem when they don’t understand the priest.”
In a previous 2007 pastoral letter, the Polish Bishops Conference urged Poles to stick to the PMK's priests and parishes, rather than attending British churches.
PICTURE: Pilgrims hold the Polish flag in St Peter's square ©CNS
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