The closing
ceremony of the Canonical Visitation to the Polish Province dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin Mary of the Annunciation took place on 22 and 23 October. Due to
the pandemic, the Visitation had been cancelled on the dates originally
planned. And, for various reasons, it was unfortunately not possible to visit
the Hospital in Nazareth and the three Brothers serving in Minsk (Belarus).
However, it was possible to visit the Community and the wonderful service run
by the Brothers in Drohobycz (Ukraine). The Polish Province also collaborates
at the general level of the Order by providing several Brothers in Rome (the
Vatican Pharmacy Community) and one Brother in the European Novitiate in
Brescia. At the General Curia we are very grateful to the Polish Brothers for
their generosity and willingness to help.
It is a very
lively Province where a multitude of activities and projects of a high
charismatic value are being performed. This is possible thanks to a good group
of Brothers and Co-workers who practise the Charism of Hospitality with great
commitment, working with a heartfelt attitude of service. The Province has a
varied range of centres: general hospitals, social care centres for people with
intellectual disabilities and others with mental health problems, homes for the
elderly, hospices for palliative care.... It provides home care services,
outpatient services, day centres and laboratories, as well as well-known and
prestigious pharmacies and herbalist outlets that offer a warm welcome and
guidance to the people.
We thank God
for this wonderful presence of the Order, which is doing so much good for so
many people in the name of the charism and spirituality of St John of God.