The year 2021 was a Jubilee Year for the Congregation of the Carmelite Sisters of the Child Jesus. Exactly 100 years ago, on December 31, the Religious Institute was born, founded by the Servant of God Fr. Anzelm Gądek OCD and the Servant of God, Sr. Teresa Kierocińska. Currently, the Congregation has about 450 sisters who live and serve in 11 countries. Father General (Miguel Marquez Calle) took part in the Jubilee celebrations in Sosnowiec on December 31. During the Holy Mass at which presided the Local Ordinary, Bishop Grzegorz Kaszak, Fr. General gave the commemorative homily.
Present in Poland from 27th December 2021 to 2nd January 2022, Fr. General also visited some communities of our friars and nuns. On December 27, Fr. General met the permanent community and student residence in Poznań, and then the community in Zwola. The next day he visited two communities of friars in Warsaw (Provincial Curia and Solec) and a community of nuns. On December 29-30, Fr. General met two communities of Krakow: the formation community in Krakow-Centre and the community of the Provincial Curia. In addition, he visited both monasteries of nuns in Krakow: Wesoła and Łobzów. Finally, he visited Czerna and the community of Carmelite missionary sisters in Krakow.
After the celebrations in Sosnowiec, Fr. General went to Przemyśl, visiting along the way the Discalced Carmelites of Tarnów and Rzeszów. On New Year’s Day, Fr. General gave the homily during the solemn Eucharist in the church of the friars in Przemyśl, visited the nuns and at lunch met the Bishop of the Diocese of Przemyśl of the Latins, Adam Szal. In the afternoon he continued his journey to the convent of the friars in Lublin, also visiting the community of nuns in Dys.
The entire visit – short, but very intense – was an opportunity to get to know a little more closely the various Carmelite communities in Poland, their joys and their concerns.
