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Reverend Father Andrzej Halemba | |
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| Diocese | Archdiocese of Katowice |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | April 3, 1980 by Bp Herbert Bednorz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Andrzej Halemba (1954-11-19)November 19, 1954 |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| Alma mater |
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| Motto | Omnia possum in eo qui me confortat (English:There is nothing I cannot do in the One who strengthens me Philippians 4,13) |
Ordination history of Andrzej Halemba | |||||||
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Fr Andrzej Halemba – (born on 19 November 1954 inChełm Śląski,Poland) a PolishCatholicPresbyter, Fidei Donummissionarypriest,translator of theNew Testament and author ofMambwe-English dictionary, former Director of the Missionary Formation Centre inWarsaw and Secretary the Polish Episcopate Commission for Missions; Polish Bishops’ Conference Delegate for Missionary Affairs; founder of the Missionary Museum inBrzęczkowice, Poland. From 2006 to 2020 he worked for the international organisation “Aid to the Church in Need International” (ACN Intl.), located inGermany. First, he was responsible for providing help to theChurch in English and Portuguese-speaking African countries and from 2010 for helping the Church in 23 countries in theMiddle East. In 2020 he launched a worldwide evangelisation project: International Initiative "Our way to God".
He was born on November 19, 1954, inChełm Śląski, son of Eric Halemba and Maria née Ryszka. He has two brothers Bernard and Venantius. He attended elementary school in his hometown, and in 1969 he began his education at theTadeusz Kościuszko High School in Mysłowice. His interests lay in philosophy and anthropology. After passing his final exams in 1973, he joined the Higher SilesianSeminary inCracow.[1] In 1981 he obtained a master's degree inTheology at the Pontifical Academy of Theology in Cracow, where. On April 3, 1980, he was ordained a priest byBishopHerbert Bednorz in the cathedral ofKatowice. He worked with great commitment for the Children of Mary, a group which supports missionaries, when he was a vicar in the parish of St Peter and Paul in Świętochłowice. At that time, he was already very eager to go on missions.[citation needed]
A meeting withHyacinthe Thiandoum, the Senegalese Cardinal fromDakar, that took place in 1979, during the firstpilgrimage ofJohn Paul II to Poland, had a significant impact on Halemba's decision to become amissionary. The young seminarian was fascinated by the Cardinal's directness, openness and great sense of humour. After language preparation over several months, he went toZambia in 1983, where he served for 12 years in the diocese of Mbala (now Kasama),[2] in the Mambwe Mission[3] "Fidei Donum" as a missionary (1983-1993 et 2004–2005).[4]
Fr Halemba's Missionary service of was not confined to pastoral activities alone, but also covered many other areas. Medical treatment was one of the services he provided, despite very limited resources. He had to struggle with difficulties such asmalnutrition, amalaria epidemic, lack of antibiotics andvaccines, highperinatal mortality - with the nearest hospital about 80 km away, it was not always possible to bring the patient there on time.[citation needed]
To overcome the obstacles in saving every human life, the missionaries and the local people have undertaken the construction of a charitable hospital in Mambwe, at the periphery of the diocese and country. Thanks to the administrative assistance ofBishop Adolf Fürstenberg, the financial support of benefactors and the commitment of the local people who contributed with their labour, the hospital in Mambwe was finished in two years. Fr Halemba contributed also to the creation of the first kindergarten and the first high school in the Mambwe Mission.[citation needed]
The Mambwe people were the first of 72 local tribes to accept Catholic missionaries. First,White Fathers stopped in Mambwe Mwela,[5] and bought 200 slaves from Arabs who transported them[citation needed] by the old slave road, Stevenson Road,[6] connecting the North Province with theAtlantic and theIndian Ocean, as described by Stevenson.[7] This is also where the firstChristian settlement and school were established.[citation needed]
However, until that time, the Mambwe people did not have a good translation of theNew Testament in their mother tongue. They were reluctant to use the existing Protestant translation from the late nineteenth century with numerous borrowings derived fromSwahili, outdated linguistic forms, and lots of grammatical inconsistencies. Therefore, a new, more understandable translation was needed, especially for the younger generation. Fr Halemba, assisted by a group of local consultants, took up the challenge and translated the New Testament into the language of the Mambwe people in just two years.[8] Polish missionaries fromFidei Donum printed it out as a gift on the occasion of the jubilee of the centenary of theCatholic Church in Zambia in 1991.[9]
In 1994, he published the Mambwe-English dictionary,[10] on which he has worked for ten years (1984-1994); it contains 17,500 entries and is the most extensive existing dictionary of theBantu language in Zambia. In 2007, he released two important publications: the English-Mambwe Dictionary, based on the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary and containing 21,300 entries, as well as a grammar of the Mambwe language. In addition, Fr Halemba edited and published the work of the African missionary, White Father Marcel Petitclair, theRoman Missal in the Mambwe language. In 2009, Fr Halemba contributed to the publication of the Bible for children in Mambwe,God speaks to His Children,[11] and compiled and completed a three-volume liturgical guide for catechists ("Mambwe LiturgicalLectionaries A, B and C"), also initiated by Fr Marcel Petitclair M. Afr.[12]
During the years 1993–1994, he studiedmissiology at the former Academy of Catholic Theology (nowCardinal Stefan Wyszyński University) in Warsaw, and concluded his studies with aLicentiate of Theology thesis entitled "Some aspects ofinculturation of the Mambwe people in the light of the exhortation ofPaul VI,Africae terrarum". In 2004, he obtained a doctoral degree in theological sciences with his thesis entitled "Religious and ethical values in the proverbs of the Mambwe, Zambia".[13] In 2005, he published folk tales and proverbs of the Mambwe people in English and Mambwe, which was later published as a two volume book.[14] These have contributed to saving many aspects of the Mambwean tradition from oblivion. Currently two publications are in the pipeline: the second volume of African folk tales (English-Mambwe) and "History and customs of the Mambwe people (Zambia)".[citation needed]
In 1996, he became the director of the Missionary Formation Centre in Warsaw[15] and the secretary of the Polish Episcopate Commission for Missions, and in 1999 he was additionally nominated as Polish Bishops’ Conference Delegate for Missionary Affairs. At that time, he organized many activities and competitions, among others competitions for children, such as "My school friend from Africa" and "Mission Olympics". His mandate to serve at the Polish Episcopate Commission for Missions and Missionary Formation Centre finished in 2003.[citation needed]
During his pastoral and missionary journeys, he has collected many souvenirs such as objects for everyday use, works of art (mainly African, but also Indian and Papuan) and objects of worship. With his multitudinous collection, he founded theCardinal August Hlond Missionary Museum.[16] It was opened on January 12, 2004, in the parish ofOur Lady of Sorrows in Brzęczkowice. Through his work he contributed to the popularisation of the missions and raising awareness of the missionary character of the Church and the awakening of missionary vocations. He returns to Zambia every year and organises the annual meeting of Polish missionaries in Lusaka for years, as well as the Mambwe Cultural Contest - a festival of the traditional language: oratory art, narration of folk tales, poetry, song and dance.[17]
In 2006-2020 Fr Halemba worked in the international organizationAid to the Church in Need (ACN Intl.) located inKönigstein im Taunus,Germany. From 2006 to 2010, he was responsible for helping English and Portuguese-speaking African countries. From 2010 to 2020 he was responsible for helping the Church in theMiddle East (theHoly Land, i.e.Israel andPalestine,Lebanon,Jordan,Syria,Iraq,Iran,Afghanistan,Turkey,Cyprus,Azerbaijan,Georgia,Armenia,Egypt,Ethiopia,Eritrea) and in the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia,Yemen,Oman,Kuwait,Qatar,Bahrain,United Arab Emirates). He co-operates with the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches (R.O.A.C.O.)[18] in frame of theCongregation for Oriental Churches,[19] a committee which unites funding agencies from various countries around the world for the sake of providing better assistance to Christians.[citation needed]
During the genocide ofChristians in the Middle East, he hurried to the rescue of the Church affected by war and persecution,[20] especially in Iraq and Syria. He is the author of the Return to the Roots[21] program (Marshall Plan for the Nineveh Plains),[22][23] which obtained international financial support and enabled the reconstruction of private homes and the infrastructure of the Church in Iraq.[24][25] Thanks to this initiative, nearly half of the expelled Christian families could return to their homes.[26][27] Similarly, in Syria, his charitable and ecumenical actions have helped Christians to survive the worst and keep their hope alive (including Candles for peace in Syria; Rosary for Peace; Console my People; and Peregrination of Our Lady of Sorrows, Consoler of Syrians).[28] His practical ecumenism has led to more effective local cooperation and the strengthening of the Christian community.[29] All of these humanitarian actions,[30][31] diplomatic activities and advocacy for peace have helped to maintain the presence of Christians in their native lands,[32] the cradle of Christian faith in the Middle East.[33] In the framework of his activities, Fr Halemba has promoted several information websites (primarily the Nineveh Reconstruction Committee and the Christians of Syria). He is also the creator of the ACNaid, an advanced digital system for project management and auditing. As a scientist, Fr Halemba conducts research documenting the persecution and genocide of Christians in the Middle East, as well as sociological and ethnographic research.[citation needed]
The missionary ministry of Fr Halemba resulted in the creation of the International Initiative "Our way to God" in 2020. This initiative aims at helping all those who are searching to know God, Christian faith and receive baptism. It sets out to share the Good News about God to each and every person without exception. " Our way to God" initiative led to the launch of a series ofBiblecatechesis, based on the tradition of the Church, intended for Arabic-speakingbaptism candidates.[34] Thisvademecum for thecatechumen, authored by Fr Michel Sakr and Fr Antoine Assaf, was published in the form of a book, audio-book, website page and as an internet application, and it has also been translated in bilingual versions: Arabic-English, Arabic-French,Arabic-German, Arabic-Italian and Arabic-Spanish, Arabic-Polish and Persian-German.[citation needed] On 1 March 2022, he met withGreek Orthodox Patriarch of AntiochJohn X, BishopEphraim Maalouli, and formerMelkite Greek Catholic Church ArchbishopIssam John Darwich in order to review the initiative's efforts in the region.[35]
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