‘ADVENTure’ in a big city
WITOLD DUDZIŃSKI
The purpose of ‘ADVENTure’. Retreats in a big city’, beginning on 5 December 2014 is going out with the Gospel – to which pope Francis calls – outside walls of churches
Organizers of ‘ADVENTure’ – archdiocese of Warsaw and portal Stacja7.pl and priests participating in them – using modern communication means, want to show the beauty and the meaning of Advent, that is, time for preparation for Christ’s arrival. The purpose is noble: bringing people to the Church, who have gone away from it or are avoiding it.
Every day, from 5 December till Christmas, on portal Stacja7.pl there appear short films – concerning one of five threads of the retreats – making it possible through social media as well. The Advent is to be shown through the prism of the person of: St. John the Baptist, Mary, St. Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah and the Sages from the East, presented by people known by media, among the others, journalists Marek Zając, Marek Nowicki with his wife Małgorzata, a Bible scholar- s. Judyta Pudełko, a musician Darek Malejonka. The last episode, crowning the Advent and inviting for Christmas will be presided over by cardinal Kazimierz Nycz.
The retreats will take place also ‘in the walls’ of the Warsaw church of St. Anna at Krakowskie Przedmieście – from 15 to 21 December.
The retreats are organized in the poetics of everyday life of a big city. A station – organizers of the retreats emphasize – is a moment when we stop, but it is also possible to set off into a good direction from the station. John the Baptist, an Advent prophet, led inhabitants of Jerusalem (Great City) to Jordan and called there: ‘Prepare the way for Lord, make paths straight for Him’.
In ‘ADVENTure’ every episode has got the name of a station. 21 stations were planned within 5 threads of the retreats. Lines converge at the Centre station, which is the purpose of the Advent – that is, at Christmas.
AA
„Niedziela” 49/2014