The parish of Divine Providence in Poznań, Poland, is the new place of pastoral and missionary work of the Redemptorists of the Warsaw Province. On 1 August 2022, the feast of St Alphonsus, founder of the Congregation, their ministry was inaugurated at a Mass presided over by Msgr Gregory Balcerek, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese. The presentation of the new parish priest and superior of the religious community, Fr Piotr Świerczok CSsR, also took place. At the same time, Ms Zofia Wiśniewska from Poznań was received into the ranks of the oblates of the Congregation.
Before the beginning of the Mass, the arriving Redemptorists, led by the Superior of the Warsaw Province, Fr Janusz Sok CSsR, were warmly welcomed by the representatives of the parish community. Particularly strong in their words was the joy of still having priests in the parish and the request that the church continues to be a place open to prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
Bishop Grzegorz Balcerek, recalling the figure and work of St Alphonsus Liguori, warmly welcomed, on behalf of Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki and the whole Archdiocese, the spiritual sons of St Alphonsus, wishing them evangelical fervour and zeal in their pastoral work in the parish, in the newly opened hospital and in the field of parish missions and retreats.
In his homily, Fr Provincial Janusz Sok, C.Ss.R, drew attention to the earlier traces of the Redemptorists’ presence in Wielkopolska Region in the 1920s. They also introduced in 1952 of the image of Our Mother of Perpetual Help to the Poznań parish church (Fara). He thanked his confreres for their missionary dynamism, which made it possible, after many years, to begin a regular presence and work in the capital of Wielkopolska. He also thanked the Archbishop, his collaborators and the Archdiocese for the invitation, the discernment of the place of work and the warm welcome.
At the end of the Mass, a lovely ceremony took place to present the diploma of oblate of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer to Ms Zofia Wisniewska from Poznan. She is a long-time collaborator of Radio Maryja and Television Trwam, as well as co-organiser of the retreats at the Redemptorist retreat centres in Rowy and Bukowina Tatrzańska.
The Divine Providence Parish in Gieburowskiego Street belongs to the deanery of Poznań-Piątkowo, located in the northern part of the city. It has about 9,000 parishioners. The parish church was constructed in the 1980s and dedicated in 2002.
The new redemptorist community in Poznań consists of four fathers.
www.redemptor.pl
