“Wherever Maria is, you feel good”: A short, meaningful sentence that comes from the heart. The Polish Franciscan Father Andreas succeeded Father Adam as Guardian of the Franciscan Minorites in Mariabuchen in September. In mid-November, the 42-year-old was also appointed Rector ecclesiae of the pilgrimage church by Bishop Franz Jung. But what does that mean in concrete terms? And what impressions was he able to gather in Mariabuchen, one of the most famous pilgrimage destinations in the Spessart, in the three months in office?
“Mariabuchen is a place of prayer and tranquility. People come here consciously. Mariabuchen is visited and we Fathers want to maintain this value.” The Guardian’s words sound determined and honest. His friendly, natural manner exudes warmth and gives the impression that the place of pilgrimage has been given a pastor who fits perfectly into the ranks of the priests.
Born in 1978 in southern Poland
Andrzej Iwanicki was born in 1978 in Tomaszów Mazowiecki in southern Poland. Through the work of his pastor at the time, he experienced an intensive religious community in his home country, and Iwanicki himself was involved through the altar service. His experiences in the church environment strengthened his faith. After graduating from high school in 1997, he decided to join the Franciscan Order of the Province of Mary Immaculate in Warsaw.
He came to Würzburg to learn the German language. Together with the course participants, he met Mariabuchen on an excursion in 2002. With a consistently positive impression: “A pilgrimage church does not come into being by itself, but is always proof that God has left his mark.” Until 2002, the pilgrims from Mariabuchen were in the hands of the Capuchins, who were appointed by the Würzburg Prince-Bishop Christoph Franz von Hutten in 1726. Due to a lack of staff, the convent was dissolved, and the community of the Polish Franciscan Minorites began a new beginning for the place of pilgrimage. This is how the students came to visit: “We wanted to see what we had taken over.”
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In 2004, Father Andreas completed his studies in philosophy and theology in Lodz, and on May 29, 2004 he was ordained a priest. “I had discovered inside my heart what God has intended for me,” said Father Andreas, explaining the decision he made after careful consideration. “When you find your calling and recognize what God has planned for you, you feel safe in his hand. Then you walk this path with God’s grace.”
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Father Andreas found his first place of work in Munich, further stations were Uelzen in the Lüneburg Heath and Ottbergen (Lower Saxony). In 2016 he returned to Poland, the Provincial asked him to manage the monastery publishing house, which had 115 confreres and had its own print shop in Niepokalanów (Marienstadt). The publishing house was founded in 1927 by the Franciscan monk Maximilian Kolbe. With the additional construction of a monastery, a chapel, workshops and its own radio station, an own monastery town was formed. When Kolbe was canonized, who exchanged his life for that of a family father in the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1941, the place became even better known.
In order to further support the tradition of the publishing house and thus Kolbe’s missionary work, Father Andreas took over the management, although the decision was not easy for him, because he “felt very comfortable in Germany”. After four years the path led him back again. This time directly after Mariabuchen. “I have felt connected to Maria from childhood, she is the patroness of my home community. And I have grown dear to my heart.” He sees Mariabuchen as a spiritual center for the region, “the church is not only there as a building, but for the people”.
Most important task: pastoral care
The vocation as rector ecclesiae does not entail any additional tasks, explains the father. He is aware that as the church rector he is the first point of contact. However, the issues are discussed and decided in the well-functioning team of the fathers, with the support of the pilgrimage organization. Father Andreas sees pastoral care as the most important task: “Booking Mary is like an island in the middle of everyday life. People don’t come here by chance, but because they want to. They set off, place themselves under the protection of Mary. We see it too daily in the number of sacrificial candles: Mary booking is a place of prayer. And we want to do everything to develop this with God’s help. “
Background: Franciscan Minorites
The Franciscan Minorites are a religious community in the Roman Catholic Church, founded by St. Francis of Assisi in 1209. The Würzburg Franciscan Monastery is considered to be the oldest Franciscan convent in Germany, which was founded during the saint’s lifetime. The community has been present in Würzburg without interruption for 800 years. The German Order Province has 40 brothers at six locations. Germany has the peculiarity that brothers from other provinces also work here; the pilgrimage site of Mariabuchen belongs to the Warsaw Order Province. Worldwide there are 4,000 brothers whose activities and tasks are primarily in pilgrimage and pastoral care as well as in engagement in the mission of the order. The general government of the Franciscan Minorites is in Rome, the spiritual center in the mother monastery of all Franciscans, the Sacro Convento in Assisi.
(imh)
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