Oświęcim, Poland - September 2022 - On the weekend of September 24-25, the Salesians in Oświęcim celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Salesian Parish, the 25th anniversary of the rededication and the establishment of the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians. On Saturday, Sept. 24, after the evening Mass presided over by Fr. Marcin Kazanowski, Provincial of the Krakow Province (PLS), the Holy Rosary was prayed in St. Hyacinth Square with the faithful of Divine Mercy Parish in Oświęcim-Zasole. Then, in the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians, the hymn "Akathistos" to the Mother of God of Czestochowa was sung, with opera singer Jan Paweł Nowacki and the participation of the choristers of the "Schola Canticum." On Sunday, September 25, the jubilee celebrations began with a solemn Mass presided over by Msgr. Roman Pindel, ordinary of the Diocese of Bielsko-Żywiec, who blessed a new wooden baptismal font. Afterward, participants went to the Salesian gardens for the planned parish party with music, the presentation of awards to some parishioners, games, and entertainment for children and youth. The festivities were a time of joyful gathering among parishioners, conversations, and shared memories with priests who have worked in the parish in past years. The Salesian orchestra "Fausystem" and the Śleszowice Orchestra performed during the celebration.

Text: Małgorzata Potaczek