Society
Of The Divine Word

First Day: Faith and Festival
The celebrations opened with Holy Mass at the parish church, presided over by Bishop Jacek Jezierski of Elbląg. In his homily, Bishop Jezierski highlighted that thanks to the SVD, Poland had become an important base for the Church’s universal mission and had helped many local Churches achieve independence—one of the central goals of missionary work.

The Mass was enriched by music from a group of African students in Warsaw’s SVD pastoral ministry, led by Fr. Eric Hounake, SVD, from Togo.

The afternoon turned festive on the grounds of the Mission Seminary, where attractions included international foods, cultural performances, and activities for families. Guests sampled Indonesian dishes, Chinese dumplings, Ghanaian peanut soup, and Mexican specialties, while local housewives offered traditional Polish fare. Music and dance filled the stage, highlighted by the mariachi group Los Amigos and a special “mission fashion” show presenting costumes from Africa, Asia, and South America. The evening closed with the much-anticipated reunion concert of Querido Matías, an SVD band formed years ago by clerics returning from Latin America.

Second Day: Thanksgiving and Reflection
The following morning, Cardinal Ladislav Német, SVD, Archbishop of Belgrade and graduate of the Pieniężno seminary, presided at a solemn Mass in the seminary church. Concelebrants included Archbishop Józef Górzyński, Bishop Jerzy Mazur, SVD, and many priests, sisters, local authorities, and friends of the Society.

In his homily, Cardinal Német reminded the faithful that the mission of the SVD remains unchanged: “to courageously read the signs of the times, discover new paths, build bridges, bear witness to the Gospel, and bring hope in a world of change and uncertainty.”

A jubilee session followed in the seminary hall, featuring talks on the founder St. Arnold Janssen, the missionary nature of the Church today, and the work of the Mission and Ethnographic Museum. Cardinal Német was also awarded honorary citizenship of Pieniężno, becoming only the third person in the town’s history to receive this distinction.

A Celebration of Mission
The two-day commemoration highlighted the richness of the SVD’s missionary spirit in Poland: rooted in prayer, expressed in cultural diversity, and committed to building bridges of faith and service for the future.