The ninth edition of the Christmas Wafer Meeting brought around one thousand people from across the county to the I LO hall on Saturday, February 7. The most important part of Saturday’s ceremony was a concelebrated Mass presided over by Rev. Marek Mendyk, auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Legnica. “People with disabilities are marked by a special closeness to God; we can learn spirituality from them,” the newly ordained bishop told IstotneInformacje.pl. “At meetings like this, we learn kindness, love and respect from one another,” he added.
“The point is for those who have difficulty contacting other people in their everyday lives to be able to meet at least once a year. We are especially concerned about people with disabilities who come from small towns in our county,” explains Barbara Kostyra, head of the Social Affairs and Health Department of the County Office, who has organized the annual Christmas Wafer Meetings from the very beginning. “For many people with disabilities, the Wafer Meeting is their first outing beyond the family home. They look forward to it impatiently.”
“The Christmas Wafer Meeting has already become our tradition,” says county governor Cezary Przybylski, the event’s honorary patron. “This year’s edition was successful. Everything indicates that meetings of this kind are needed.” “I often visit Bolesławiec, but this is my first time at this integration meeting,” says MEP Lidia Geringer de Oedenberg. “What I saw here exceeded my expectations, not only organizationally but also spiritually: a beautiful Mass and an atmosphere full of mutual kindness.”
Saturday’s ceremony was an opportunity not only to share a meal and break the Christmas wafer, but also to present the work of people with disabilities. The I LO hall featured artwork by residents of community self-help homes and the “Senior” Day Care Home, participants in Occupational Therapy Workshops, and students of the County Complex of Special Schools and Institutions.
Everyone gathered could also watch an exceptional Nativity play prepared by participants in the Occupational Therapy Workshops. The ceremony was also enhanced by performances by the State Music School choir, children from the “Mały Bolesławiec” Song and Dance Ensemble, and participants in the vocal workshop at the Youth Cultural Centre (for the first time under its new name – Bożeny Out Of Town).
“It is a beautiful event,” says Jadwiga Bobek, head of the Bolesławiec branch of the Society of Friends of Children. However, she notes that she has heard that some people with disabilities do not like the current format of the Christmas Wafer Meeting. Some would prefer meetings where they could integrate with people without disabilities. “The worst thing is that we, the so-called able-bodied, have terrible barriers in our interactions with people with disabilities,” Bobek states. She adds that the format of the Christmas Wafer Meeting may change in the future.
(GA report)