On Saturday, January 26, the 19th edition of the Wafer Gathering took place at the I LO sports hall in Bolesławiec. This integrative meeting for people with disabilities was organized by Powiat Bolesławiecki, Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Dzieci w Bolesławcu, the town and municipal governments of Bolesławiec County, and parishes.
The Wafer Gathering began with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Stefan Cichy, and was attended by around 900 residents of our county. The participants exchanged Christmas wishes while sharing the wafer.
In his homily, Bishop Stefan Cichy reminded those present how we should live:
Everyone for everyone. Children must be raised to understand that they are not solitary islands, and that we form a community.
And he addressed the faithful:
We need one another and depend on one another.
There was also an artistic program. The ceremony featured performances by the Cantate Deo choir, the “Bolesławiec” Municipal Brass Band, and two groups from the Stanisław Wyspiański Youth Cultural Center: the “Mały Bolesławiec” Polish Song and Dance Ensemble, led by Anna Idkowiak, and the Iniemamocne 3 vocal group, headed by Marek Łętowski. Christmas and New Year packages were also distributed.
“It is worth organizing this meeting,” emphasizes Bolesławiec County governor Tomasz Gabrysiak. “It should be noted that this is one of the few events organized by all the local governments of Bolesławiec County: the County, the City of Bolesławiec, and the municipalities of Bolesławiec, Nowogrodziec, Osiecznica, Gromadka and Warta Bolesławiecka.”
“We have been doing this for 19 years,” T. Gabrysiak continues. “To a large extent, this event is organized by volunteers, with the support of essentially all institutions operating in the county. Considering the number of people who came to the Wafer Gathering, it is clear that there is a great need for meetings of this kind. County residents want to meet, and that is the most important thing.”
T. Gabrysiak adds:
There should certainly be more meetings like this, and not necessarily on the occasion of Christmas or the New Year. We should consider organizing such an event during the summer.
During his speech, the county governor mentioned the organizers of the first Wafer Gathering: the Bolesławiec branch of the Polish Red Cross, Barbara Kostyra, Anna Guzik and Jadwiga Bobek. He called the last of them “the foundation and mainstay of this event.” He then emphasized:
It is difficult not to mention that the county governor at the time was Piotr Roman, who is also with us today.
He added:
I declare that we will do everything and achieve all the goals that will help you live and function more easily. I think we should organize similar meetings more often, on various occasions. It is worthwhile to meet and talk, especially with people whose lives have not been spared difficulties. Let people with disabilities tell us—the local-government officials—directly what they expect from us and what they need most.
“Participants look forward to the Wafer Gathering all year,” says Jadwiga Bobek, head of the Bolesławiec branch of Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Dzieci. “We do this for them: for people with disabilities and their caregivers. Some of these people do not leave their homes at all.”
She adds:
It makes them happy. They cannot imagine the Wafer Gathering not taking place. As soon as the holidays approach, they ask when the Wafer Gathering will be held.
It is worth emphasizing that dozens of people—volunteers—work to organize the Integrative Wafer Gathering. The local governments throughout Bolesławiec County, Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Dzieci led by Jadwiga Bobek, scouts, soldiers of the 23rd Silesian Artillery Regiment, parishes, local-government units, non-governmental organizations, and the dependable young people from all Bolesławiec secondary schools provide assistance.