December 2024 / January 2025

On October 7, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary. That day, the Pastoral Centre organises and hosts in St. Charles Borromeo church a rosary for peace in the world whose decades are led by five different language groups of Catholics living in Wrocław.

On October 16, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Saint Hedwig of Silesia, whose patronage includes the diocese of Wrocław. Some Saturday in mid-October, the Diocese of Wrocław organises a walking pilgrimage from St John the Baptist cathedral (in Wrocław) to the tomb of St Hedwig of Silesia (in Trzebnica). 2024 was the 45th annual pilgrimage, and the motto was ‘We are the Church’. Every year, the pilgrimage includes 2-4 bishops, 120 priests, and 8,000 pilgrims. Official information can be found (in Polish) on Facebook and the dedicated website. A few selected pictures can give you an idea of the atmosphere: the photos #204 and #206 of a first article, and the photos #40, #46, #133, and #138 of a second article.

• 06:00 – Pilgrims gather in the cathedral for a brief prayer and are sent out in groups
• 07:00 – The last group of pilgrims leaves the cathedral and starts walking
• 07:00-16:00 – Four 7-km segments with 30-minute breaks between two consecutive segments (segment 1, break 1 at around 8:30 in Krzyżanowice, segment 2, break 2 at around 11:00 in Malina (buy your train ticket for the return there; pay in cash), segment 3, break 3 in Wysoki Kościół or Brochocin, segment 4)
• 16:00 – The last group of pilgrims arrives in the Shrine of St Hedwig of Silesia
• 16:30-18:30 – Solemn Mass in the field of the Shrine of St Hedwig of Silesia
• 19:02-19:48 – Pilgrims return to Wrocław Główny (Dworzec Główny) by train

Every year, a contingent of English speakers walk the pilgrimage along with the parish Group 13 (Czarna Trzynastka) carrying the flag of their country (see our 2024 post on Facebook). We welcome to join us every year! If you come, remember to bring:

• warm clothes for the cold temperatures of the morning and evening
• waterproof clothes in case it rains during the pilgrimage or Mass
• a hat and sunglasses (it may be sunny and warm by mid-day)
• water and food for the day (the paths are far from shops)
• toilet paper and a hand sanitizer (we’ll be thousands of people walking in open countryside; there are portable toilets at breaks 1 and 2 for women but breaks last 30 minutes and the queuing time is long; there are no portable toilets at break 3; there are real toilets in the Shrine)
• cash to buy your train ticket for the return to Wrocław (maximum 20zł)
• cash for the collection at Mass (free-will offering)
• cash to contribute to the organisation fees (free-will offering)
• a flag of your country (you can print it and fasten it to a wooden stick)

In October, the parish already has the book for reserving Mass intentions in the next civil year. This means that starting in October, you can sign up to have a Mass offered for your intentions next year. St Charles is a very busy parish, with many people requesting Mass intentions, so the reservation book fills up quickly. It is normally not possible to reserve a Mass a week or a few days ahead of your preferred date, because parishioners are already requesting dates NOW for next year. (On the other hand, English-language Masses are usually among the last to be reserved.) If you definitely would like to have a Mass offered for the repose of the soul of a departed loved one on the anniversary of their death, or you would like a Mass offered on the anniversary of a birthday or wedding next year – especially if it’s going to be a Polish-language Mass – the smartest thing to do is write down your dates now, collect the donation you’d like to give as a Mass stipend (cash only), and go to the sacristy and reserve your Mass intentions for next year before the book fills up.

November 1: All Saints’ Day, a Holy Day of Obligation (see what it means in the ‘Other‘ section below) to pray for our departed family, friends and benefactors. Mass is at 16:00 as usual. That day, the relics held in our parish are displayed before the altar.

It is the custom in Poland to write down the names of your departed family, friends and benefactors during the month of October, and turn in the special forms at Church. During November, the souls are prayed for at daily Masses. In the Pastoral Centre, we use yellow forms (the white ones are for Polish Masses). You find the yellow forms near the bulletins in the second half of October when you enter the church. Write down the FIRST names of your departed on the yellow papers. Write very clearly, as the names are read aloud at the start of Mass on November 1.

Ideally, you should turn in these forms at Mass on the last Sunday of October. You can just drop them in the collection basket at Mass, or take them to the sacristy and hand them over to the sacristan, Fr Szymon, or someone else who serves at the English Mass.

If you wish to make a donation (Mass stipend) when you turn in your form, get an envelope and put your form and donation into the envelope. Seal the envelope and on the outside, write: “Msza angielska, 1 listopada – Wypominki.” Put it in the collection basket at Mass or give it to someone in the sacristy.

Since the names will be read right at the beginning of Mass on November 1, the last possible moment to turn in your yellow form is several minutes before the start of Mass on November 1, especially if we may have to ask you how to pronounce the names on your list.

Did we say, P R I N T N E A T L Y so we can read the names?

On Saturday, November 2, 2024 at 19:30 in a southern district of Wrocław called Oporów, Fr Szymon will lead us in the Rosary in English at the Monument to the Polish Army Soldiers in Wrocław. We will pray for all the departed, especially soldiers and victims of war.

We will meet at 19:30 at the base of the main, wide, straight ascent (not the curved side path) to the monument, and go to the top of the hill to pray. Bring candles if you’d like to leave them on the graves of the soldiers at the top of the hill.

It’s easy to get to the monument by public transport from all over the city using trams 4, 11 and 20 or buses 107, 119, 125, 127, 132, 134, 143 and get off at the Oporów stop. You’ll be virtually at the foot of the monument hill. You can also take tram 5 or bus A to the Grabiszyńska (Cmentarz) stop and walk to the monument. There’s a parking lot right next to where all the buses stop at the Oporów stop, so it’s easy to come by car or public transport. There are also special buses to Grabiszyńska cemetery already in operation now to take people to the cemetery to pray for the dead and decorate the graves through next weekend.

Please note that the meeting point – the base of the main ascent to the monument – is strictly between the Grabiszyńska (Cmentarz II) and Oporów tram stops. It is closer to Oporów than Grabiszyńska (Cmentarz II).

Praying for the dead is an indulgenced act. If you meet the conditions for receiving an indulgence, praying in the cemetery with us on November 2 will release one soul from Purgatory. You can read more about indulgences on our website and in a special announcement below about the indulgence that’s possible between November 1-8 every year.

For English-language information about the monument, you can read this article.

If you visit a cemetery and devoutly pray (even only mentally) for the souls of the departed on any (or every) day from November 1-8, you can receive a plenary indulgence for a soul in Purgatory, releasing that soul from Purgatory. You can do this for particular souls (relatives, friends, benefactors who have died, for example) or you can just leave it to God to choose a soul to be released from Purgatory.

You can gain the same indulgence particularly on November 1 or 2 by visiting a church and praying one Our Father and the Creed, with the intention of offering this prayer for a soul in Purgatory.

To acquire a plenary indulgence it is necessary also to fulfill the following three conditions:

1. sacramental Confession,
2. Eucharistic Communion, and
3. prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father.

At the same time, we have to be detached from (reject the desire for) sin.

It is good if confession and especially receiving Holy Communion and prayer for the Pope’s intentions are done on the same day that you visit the cemetery, but it’s enough if you do everything within a few days of the indulgenced act (so, for example, having confession and communion and praying for the Holy Father on Sunday, then going to the cemetery a day or two later and praying for the dead.)

As long as you remain in a state of grace (no serious sin), one confession will suffice for several plenary indulgences, but a separate Holy Communion and separate prayers for the Holy Father are required each time you do the indulgenced act. (For example, going to Mass each day from November 1-8, receiving communion and praying for the Holy Father and visiting a cemetery and praying for the dead the same day.) To pray for the Holy Father, it is enough to pray an Our Father and a Hail Mary, devotedly.

A plenary indulgence can be acquired only once in the course of the day.

November 1-8 is a very special opportunity to release suffering souls from Purgatory! They need our help, and they will definitely pray for us in return, when they are finally face-to-face with God.

For more about indulgences – what they are, and why we have them – read the article on our website.

The Men of Saint Joseph is a group of men who gather to support one another in practicing their Christian faith from a specifically masculine perspective. All men are invited to join the Men of Saint Joseph, even if you have not attended a meeting before.

We go from the church to one of our parish rooms, usually the parish café. It’s a great time to meet old friends, catch up with people, meet people you only see at Mass, and put names to the faces you see at Church. Tea, coffee, and cookies are provided (free-will donation to cover costs if you want, but not necessary). We hope to see lots of new faces! Children are welcome!

We go from the church to one of our parish rooms, usually the parish café. Volunteers bring a large variety of board games and decks of cards. The games range from very simple, requiring little use of English, to sophisticated strategy games or just fun party-type games. There’s truly something for everyone. Organizers are happy to teach others the rules of play, and it’s lots of fun for everyone. Feel free to invite your English-speaking friends to come and play!

The Women of Saint Gianna is a group of women who gather to support one another in practicing their Christian faith from a specifically woman’s perspective. All women are invited to join the Women of Saint Gianna, even if you have not attended a meeting before.

When a day is a Holy Day of Obligation in a given country, every Catholic living in that country needs to attend Mass that day, even if they are travelling abroad that day. So if they are travelling on such a day, they have to make sure to find a Catholic church and attend Mass that day. Failure to attend Mass on a Holy Day of Obligation needs to be confessed in the Sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion again.

In Poland, the Holy Days of Obligation are Christmas (attend Mass on December 24 evening or on December 25 or both), January 1 (The Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God), January 6 (The Epiphany of the Lord), Corpus Christi, August 15 (The Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary), and November 1 (All Saints).

There are dates open still for people to sign up to take home the image of Our Lady of Grace, now in the thirtieth year since the crowning of the image. Go to the sacristy to sign up. You can take the image any week that’s free, or choose a week that’s special to you (anniversary, birthday, Marian feast, etc.). If you’ve already done it and appreciated the experience, feel free to sign up again.

The Pastoral Centre is organizing a course of adult instruction in the faith. Instruction is possible for baptized Catholics who have not finished their sacraments of initiation (so baptized in the Catholic Church, but you have not had First Communion and/or Confirmation yet). It is necessary for Catholics to finish their Sacraments of Initiation before they can take up an adult vocation within the Church (being a godparent, marriage, religious orders, priesthood). English-speaking Catholics (foreign or Poles connected to the Pastoral Centre) who have not finished the sacraments of initiation should definitely take this opportunity to have an adult formation in the faith in preparation for their life as an adult in the Church. Enrollment for the year 2024-2025 is now closed. If we have a course in 2025-2026, it will be advertised in September 2025 on our Facebook page and here.

Non-Catholics who are interested in exploring the Catholic Faith or who have already decided that they would like to become Catholic have a separate course. It is necessary to speak English well enough to follow the classes (all will be taught by a native-speaker of English), be able and willing to do the reading necessary, and commit to as much as 18 months of instruction (depending on a person’s background). There will also be regular meetings with Fr Szymon, who supervises instruction in the sacraments for English-speakers in this diocese. Anyone who was baptized in another Christian communion (non-Catholic Christians), people from other religions, or people of no religion are welcome to attend, and there is no obligation to convert. You will not be pressurized in any way – simply welcome. Enrollment for the year 2024-2025 is now closed. If we have a course in 2025-2026, it will be advertised in September 2025 on our Facebook page and here.