International Sacred Heart Youth Meeting: “Witnesses of Love”

On July 21-26, 2016,

75 persons (RSCJs and young people)

came together in Tarnów, Poland for

“The Witnesses of Love,”

the International Sacred Heart Youth Meeting

before the World Youth Day.

Thursday the 21^st was a warm day, not only because of the weather, but more because of the joy of receiving our Sisters and the young people with them. The gathering began with a dance to the Holy Spirit, some games and presentations prepared by the young people from Poland.

Some of the highlights of these days together included:

daily morning and evening prayers, prepared by each of the delegations
country and culture presentations
the pilgrimage to the sanctuary of St. Stanislaus
singing and dancing with Christian music, led by a group called Siewcy Lednicy
participation in the Diocesan Day of Community in Stary Sacz and the Diocesan Youth Festival, where almost 5000 youth from different countries prayed together
Eucharistic celebrations, with music prepared by Iwona Siewkowska rscj, with the participation of the different groups (like readings in French, Russian, or English; offering of the bread and wine by the Chadian youth)

Five workshops led by Polish RSCJ were made available to the young people. They participated in two workshops of their chose: one in the morning and another one in the evening.

Praying with icons by Maria Głowacka
Music workshop by Iwona Siewkowska
Making friendship bracelets by Beata Florek
Theatre workshop by Irina Bobkova
Hebrew and liturgical dance by Anna Musiał

On Sunday afternoon, our Sisters from the Province of Ireland-Scotland, organized the session that invited participants to share in groups what they had experienced during the last four days. The gathering ended in the evening with a fiesta led by the delegation from Spain. With great joy we celebrated this grace-filled opportunity for us to meet and talk, pray and play together, and share and support each other.

Some participants of "Witnesses of Love," the International Sacred Heart Youth Meeting

Among the RSCJs who came from the different provinces were Murielle Pitti and Amelie Jarrouse (BFN), Teresa Gomá and Olaya Mayans (ESP), Siobhan Burke and Janet Hopper (ENW), María Zhang and Wei Li (KOC), and Carmel Flynn and Kathleen Cronin (IRS). The group from Chad was accompanied by our own Agnieszka Włodarczyk (POL).

We thank all these RSCJ and all our Sisters here in Poland who supported us in many different ways!

Alicja Banach rscj

September 6, 2016

Section |International News