Elgin: English classes for beginners

Our community, Joanna Mos›,  Marzena Kudlinska, Brygida Jalowa,  with Bishop Peter Moran, Bishop of the diocese of Aberdeen

Parents and Toddlers group in Inverness

Playtime for the children

Polish - Scottish Traditional Christmas Eve Dinner, Aberdeen

Inverness is a town in the Highlands of Scotland. It is near Loch Ness, which attracts many tourists because of the famous monster, Nessie. Scotland is mainly a Protestant country. The Church of Scotland is in the majority. Only between 3 and 5% of the population is Catholic.     

In September 2007 three rscj from the province of Poland came to Inverness. We came to respond to new needs in this area. You could ask, “Why a Polish community of rscj in Scotland?”  The answer is very simple. In recent years there has been a huge increase in the numbers of Polish immigrants in Scotland, with some estimates giving up to 10,000 in the Inverness area. Some come for a short time, with plans to return to Poland. Others have the intention of settling, perhaps forever. As with all immigrants, they are faced with problems such as the language, and adjusting to a very different reality.

One effect of the rapid increase in numbers of Polish people was seen in the numbers attending church services. This posed a problem, as there are so few priests and sisters. Thus, the main purpose of our mission here is pastoral work, not only with Polish people, but with Scots as well. Another important purpose is to help Polish people in Scotland to integrate into daily life and also in the Catholic Church here. Catholics very often live at great distances from the church and each priest has to look after more than one parish.

Our mission is not limited to Inverness, we try to collaborate in the whole diocese of Aberdeen. There are only about 40 priests and 15 sisters in the diocese. We want to listen to all the needs of people and through different activities try to answer on them. We would like to create a space for meeting and dialogue between cultures. This space is also needed for mutual Polish and Scottish acceptance and support.

The ways of our involvement in this area are various:

• catechism classes for children and adults
• preparation for the sacraments
• English classes for the beginners
• work with families, a group for parents and toddlers
• taking part in ecumenical dialogue, ecumenical meetings, Taize prayer
• counselling help for people in need of it
• collaboration with Primary Schools in Inverness, Banff and Elgin
• collaboration with NGO, especially in Citizen Bureau Advice

We try to be open to the many needs of people. It can often be difficult to be sure about what tomorrow will bring! One phone call from somebody in need can change my plan for the entire day.

I have met many of friendly people here in Inverness, both Scottish and Polish. They often show their gratitude and happiness for our coming here. I can feel deeply these words from Mathew: “The harvest is great, but there are few workers to gather in…”

Every day is like starting the adventure with Jesus for me. His Heart is my guide and leads me to others, to listen and to show His love and tenderness. Very often in my personal prayer I thank God for being here and for people that I meet day after day. It is a real gift for me, one that I couldn’t even have dreamt about.

Joanna Mos› rscj