UPDATE ON SCJ'S IN BYELORUSSIA
On October 29, 2000, the first SCJ retreat house founded in Byelorussia at Postawy was blessed by the bishop of the diocese of Witebsk. Participating in these solemn ceremonies were Fr. Zbigniew Bogacz, SCJ, Provincial Superior of the SCJ Polish Province, Fr. Muzio Ventrella, SCJ, from Southern Italian Province in Naples, Fr. Krzysztof Silkowski, SCJ, Pastor of the parish in Postawy, Father Czeslaw Konior, SCJ, and Deacon Czeslaw Kucmierz, SCJ, of the Polish Province, and a number of other SCJs who work in Byelorussia.
The first SCJ retreat house in Byelorussia at Postawy
The retreat house named after the Venerable Servant of God Leo John Dehon, SCJ, was designed to offer retreats, meetings for the clergy, as well as for young adults and young people in Byelorussia. In the days leading up to the dedication, the bishop confirmed 300 adolescents and adults. The parish of The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary was jammed with worshippers and the priests were kept very busy.
In the Church, one could sense the spirit of prayer, peace and joy. The parishioners sang with all their heart and soul in their native Byelorussian. More than 1,500 communions were distributed at the Confirmation Mass.
There were about 2,500 present for the Dedication Mass at the retreat house. Many adolescents and young adults took part in the liturgy. During the Mass a youth choir from the parish sang along with the Orthodox choir from the Academy of Music in Minsk. After the liturgy both choirs presented concerts of religious hymns.
The last few years have witnessed a flowering of religion. Only a few years ago, by and large only the old were at Mass, but now the Church is a meeting place for adolescents and young adults.
Fr. Czeslaw Konior, SCJ, had many positive impressions of the religious life of the local Church during his visit to Postawy and Minsk, the capital of Byelorussia. He was surprised to see people in Minsk praying the daily rosary, as well as how many participated in the prayers for the dead at the Orthodox Cathedral.
The SCJs working in Byelorussia find a great longing among the people for God as well as great interest in the Catholic Church. This can be seen in the numbers who participate in the practice of religion, i.e., catechism, sacrament of reconciliation, and Mass. This is a visible sign of a great hunger for God and Christians values found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
