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| POLAND |
| FROM THE HEART |
- The retreat Meditatio Poznan 2006 took place in Poznan, one of the
oldest towns in Poland, the cradle of Polish Christianity. It was held
between May 1-3. 160 mediators came from all over Poland to
participate in this prayful gathering with Fr. Laurence.
In three days the participants learnt the wisdom of the ancient
tradition of the Christian meditative prayer as taught by the Desert
Fathers. The talks were interleaved with periods of meditation. There
was an ample time for sharing and for some entertainment. Two
participants gave a wonderful concert on the second night.
A great achievement of the organizers was the participation of the
local Archbishop, who presided over the opening mass. The meeting of
Fr. Laurence with the Bishop resulted in Bishop's consent to opening a
WCCM Meditation Center in Poznan, a first such Centre in Poland.
The Christian Meditation has a long history in Poland. It was pioneered
by Fr. Jan Bereza OSB 20 years ago and survived different up and downs
in the turbulent Polish Church history of the recent years. In the
Benedictine monastery in Lubin Fr. Jan established a Center for
Meditation and Interreligious Dialogue which runs regular retreats.
Thanks to Fr. Jan's perseverance many people over the last 20 years
were able to learn the practice of the meditative prayer in John Main's
tradition. Upon the invitation of Fr. Jan Fr. Laurence visited Poland in
1999 for the first time.
Currently there are meditating groups in many major Polish cities. The
Meditatio bulletin, issued monthly by Fr. Jan, reports the stories of
those who through their practice of meditation found a new beginning
and meaning in their relationship with God.
Andrzej Ziolkowski
July 2006