Brian in Krakow to Work - Part II

I am typing this while sitting on the main Market Square enjoying a caffe latte and the sun. Of the four weekends I have been here one has been gorgeous, one cold and rainy, one bitter cold and windy and this one. It is around 50 degrees but the sun is helping to bring out the people in droves. Let me try to paint a picture.

During this past week we noticed that more and more of the cafes were receiving their spring shipments of tables, chairs and umbrellas. Each new day found a few more restaurants w/ their furniture waiting to be unfolded like the buttercup blossoms I saw today in the Planty. It was like the anticipation one has for the first day of snow good enough to go skiing. I kept hoping that my last weekend here would be the weekend to get back out in the square before I had to return home.

So here I am on Sunday sitting at one of the few tables that was available at this hour. I estimate that only a quarter of the cafes have put out their umbrellas and tables so seats are at a premium. I was not able to find a table at my favorite side of the square (the north) as that side had the direct sun. In fact, some of the umbrellas were up to deflect some of it. But I did find this spot facing the “head” (BTW…that head is of St. John the Baptist and the original marble carving of him is in a basilica in Rome.) For those who have been here you know where I am sitting. For the rest of you here I am across from this artwork:
So let me bring you up to date.

Yesterday I met up with my church friends Sue and Jacek Mleczko for a day of sightseeing outside of town. We began by driving out to the Klasztor Kamedułów w Bielanach or Bielany Monastery which was built c. 1602. This is a monastery of 10 men that admits women visitors on only 12 specific days of the year. As this was not one of them, Sue had to wait outside the main door as Jacek and I toured the compound.

This order of Carmeldolite monks is a hermetic order where only a few speak to people from the “outside”. They are quite self-sufficient as they have a garden and build much of what they need to subsist. They even go without electricity in their quarters but Sue did buy a postcard of one monk wielding a string trimmer, but it was fueled by gasoline.

Once through the door there is not much to see. We were greeted by a courtyard with the church in front of us. A look at the buildings that encircle it show the centuries of age they are. We next walked through the large doors to enter the sanctuary which was a lot more austere then I had imagined. There was no way near the amount of gilding that the churches in town had but as Jacek pointed out it was way more then most churches in the States. There were chapels all along the left and the right. Then in front of them were pews of just 8 feet in width. That left about 80 percent of the sanctuary floor vacant as a dance floor on New Year's morning. There were no signs of any folding chairs so I cannot explain why the floor was so bare. They do offer daily Mass and several Masses on each holy day of obligation.

We took the obligatory photos and left through the same door. Once outside the compound we found that the doorman had brought out a selection of postcards which Sue made some purchases from. While she was waiting on us she read up on the history of the Kamedułów religious order and learned that there are only 10 of these in the world of which two are in Poland. She also told me about the visit in 2002 by Pope John Paul II. One of the postcards showed the Pope in his “papa mobile”.

We walked away slowly wondering what would make a man decide to give up the comforts of the world and live in utter seclusion for the rest of his life. It’s just too easy to say that he has a very deep love of God. There must be more.

We next drove over to the Tyniec Abbey to see another monastery. (http://www.krakow-info.com/1tyniec.htm) This one is also located on the Wisula River but is more of a tourist attraction as it has a café, bookstore and gift shop. You sometimes hear about monastic orders that have businesses that generate income to sustain the order. The Trappist monks in Belgium who produce ale come to mind. Well these men sell many products such as candy, wine, bread, books, candles, relishes, etc. Not all of it is made there but some is.

This Benedictine abbey, originally started in the 11th C., is located on a bend in the river where there is a high outcropping of stone. Seen from the other side it seems to rise from the rock. We first entered the sanctuary and were greeted by a pulpit ablaze with black and gold. In the choir area we could see about 18 monks praying and in the pews about that many people sitting in quiet solitude. Some were even reading their bibles. So we sat down and waited to see what was going to occur. When I said it was quiet I meant that it was very quiet. In fact, and I thought of this while I was there, you truly would have been able to hear a pin drop. I have never heard such quiet in a church. Usually there is someone coughing, or turning pages in their book or some child banging on the pew. Well there was none of that. It was as quiet as a morgue. But soon the monks began to stir and one approached the altar, bowed and then began to chant. He was answered by some others. They chanted back and forth for only a few minutes then they individually approached the altar, bowed, and walked out of the choir area. After that most of the people in the pews left the sanctuary. I later asked Sue and Jacek what that was about but they were not sure.

We next wandered over to the stone wall of the abbey and took in a view of the river which wove serpentine-like around the rock outcroppings. We made the obligatory stop at the gift shop where we bought some items and then we stopped by the restaurant but there were no available tables.

We then left the abbey and drove to the Rome Rooster for a late lunch. Interesting name you may say. There is a legend that a Polish man sold his soul to the devil in exchange for never returning to Rome. When the devil found him in this bar called Rome the man jumped on his rooster and flew all the way to the moon. Supposedly the first man on the moon.

After lunch we returned to Krakow and to the home of Sue and Jacek. Their live on the property of the nursery they own. I walked around and saw that it was quite like any small nursery in the U.S. There was a gazebo surrounded by a pond and pavers marking the paths. I recognized English ivy, rhododendrons, conifers, tulips, pansies, and even railroad ties lining the beds.

Soon after dusk we took their daughter to a baby sitting job and then we drove over to the Sanctuary of Devine Mercy in Lagiewniki. This was the church that employed Pope John Paul II when he was just known as Karol Wojtyla. It is currently a site for pilgrimages to Blessed Sister Faustyna. She saw a vision of Christ in red, white and blue and had a painting commissioned to recreate her vision. So many people flock here that the church built a tremendous sanctuary and surrounding campus to handle them all. Not to be sacrilegious but it was a bit like Graceland with the “you are here” maps and the gift shops.

As the evening wore on Sue and Jacek took me back to the hotel where we bid “do widzenia” I look forward to seeing them again in the fall.

I am on the last week of my month adventure of work and play in Krakow. Check back again in a few weeks for my final posting.