Poland, inauguration of the Centenary of the Transit in the Province of Our Lady of the Angels

On Sunday, February 22, in the Church of the Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi in Krakow-Bronowice, Poland, the Province of St. Mary of the Angels solemnly celebrated the conclusion of the Canonical Visitation and the inauguration of the Jubilee Year of Easter of St. Francis of Assisi. 

The solemn Eucharistic celebration, presided over by the Minister Provincial Br. Krzysztof Bobak represented the crucial moment of the day, designed as a thanksgiving to the good Lord. During the Holy Mass, which was attended by the friars representing the convents of the entire Province, the jubilee candles were blessed and then brought to their fraternities as a sign of unity, prayer and responsibility for the Province and for the entire Order of Friars Minor. 

With reference to the Jubilee Year, the thought of the Holy Father Leo XIV was emphasised, who wrote: the Poverello, the Poor man of Assisi, constantly guides the Church to the sources of the Gospel, teaching simplicity of heart, brotherhood without boundaries and the joy that comes from total abandonment to God. 

For the Franciscan Family, this is a moment of special grace, an invitation to look with new eyes at the charism of the Seraphic Father and to renew the spirit of the Gospel within themselves. The Minister Provincial emphasised that the particular candle delivered to the communities is not only a symbol of gratitude but also a sign of deep reflection and realism. In a world that is experiencing secularisation and a crisis of trust in the Church, credibility is born of simplicity, transparency, and authentic brotherhood. A small community that prays together, that forgives each other and that cares for the poor shines with a very intense light. 

The Eucharist that concluded the canonical visitation of the Province also became an occasion for spiritual preparation for the next Provincial Chapter, which will be held next May: an extraordinary occasion of grace and listening to the Holy Spirit!