FSE Newsletter no 5

25 November 2009

ITALY: CALENDARS 2009

The results of Calendar 2009 Competition in the Italian association, with the average number of calendars sold per capita:

FRANCE: PANGE LINGUA HYMN

In Vezelay 2009, an absolutely fantastic liturgical song has been sung by the French rovers: hymn Pange Lingua of St Thomas. It was composed by a dominican friar, Frere Jean-Baptiste de la Sainte Famille for the Vezelay 2008. The notes disponible at the request.

You can listen to it at: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xb3gsx_lanimation-au-rassemblement-de-veze_people

POLAND: FIRST NAUTICAL TROOP

On  11 Nov 2009, Marcin Kruk,  the Polish General Scout Commissioner, inaugurated the first Polish nautic troop: 1st Rawa Mazowiecka. It was the first time the scouts wore the new blue uniforms. Rawa Maz. is a city of 16 000 inhabitants, province (department) capital, 80 km south-west from Warsaw. The chief troop is Mateusz Golianek, Táto e-mailová adresa je chránená pred spambotmi. Ak ju chcete vidieť, je potrebné aby ste mali zapnutý JavaScript.

Mateusz is looking for a nautical troop from another country to do a common nautical camp in 2010.

BELARUS: MINSK

On Friday, 20 Nov 2009, Mgr Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, archbishop of Minsk-Mogilev received a Scouts of Europe delegation. There were: Pavel Kudreika, president of the Belarussian association, Ola Harasevich, General Guide Commissioner, Pavel Hrakovich, General Scout Commissioner, Ewa Sankowska, company leader from Lyntupy in the north of the country, Father Jan Pawlik, Polish priest who used to be religious adviser in Poland, now working in Germany, Bremerhaven and Zbigniew Minda, Federal Commissioner. Mgr Kondrusiewicz has strongly encouraged us to work intensively in Belarus, to develop more and to be present in the diocesan pilgrimage of Budslaw in July 2010 and in the diocesan youth day in Ivieniec also in summer 2010 in order to make promotion of our scouting in his archidiocese.

There are 2 m catholics in Belarus on 10 m of the total population. There are 4 dioceses (Minsk, Grodno, Witebsk, Pinsk), 2 seminaries with about 75 candidates (Grodno, Pinsk), more than 200 priests working in the country. The Church in Belarus is using two languages: belarussian and polish. If spoken slowly, belarussian is quite understandable for Polish people (sth like between Spanish and Italian). Please find more info in different languages about the Church in Belarus at www.catholic.by

BELARUS: GRODNO

On Wednesday, 18 Nov 2009, Father Jan Pawlik and Zbigniew Minda, were received by Mgr Aleksander Kaszkiewicz, bishop of Grodno, a city of 350 000 inhabitants, near the border with Poland. From 2 m belarussian catholics, 70% live in the diocese of Grodno. It has the biggest seminar with 60 candidates. The seminar was founded in 1990 by Mgr Kondrusiewicz, the bishop of Grodno at that time, and gave already 100 local priests to the Church in Belarus. Mgr Kaszkiewicz encouraged us to develop in his diocese and invited us to make promotion of our scouting in the diocesan pilgrimage to Trokiele in summer 2010. After the meeting with Mgr Kaszkiewicz, we had a presentation to all the seminarists. Two of them has already participated in our summer camps in Poland. Many of them are interested to do the same. Generally, they all speak 3 languages: belarussian, russian and polish.

LITUANIA: Patrol Leaders Formation

The lituanian association held a Patrol Leaders Weekend in Vilnius, capital of the country, 21-22 Nov 2009. There were more than 40 participants from all the country. Scouts of Europe in Lituania are present mostly in Vilnius, Klaipeda (where Daiva Nakrosiene, General Guide Commissioner, lives) and Kretinga (where Tomas Zymantas, General Scout Commissioner, lives), both cities in the western part of the country, on the Baltic sea. Paralely the National Team met Zbigniew Minda, Federal Commissioner. The ceremony of the recognition of General Scout Commissioner took place.

OUR CHIEFS GALLERY: Pavel Belski from Barysau, Belarus

Pavel, 23 years, has been Scout of Europe, since 2001. He used to be Patrol Leader in Barysau, a city of 150 000 inhabitants. The people of Barysau are proud especially of their football team BATE Barysau, which is the Belarussian Champion and the only Belarussian team which used to play in the Champions League. Pavel participated in the Eurojam 2003 and Euromoot 2007. He launched first Wolfs unit in Belarus and used to be its Akela. Now he is in the army, in the airborne unit. He already made his first parachute jump. You can find him on Facebook. Bravo Pavel, be back soon, we need you to make a good scout troop in Minsk.

FRANCE: MacLaren Eastern Europe Participants

At the date there are 8 candidates from Poland, 3 from Ukraine and 1 from Belarus. Thank you, France, for this pedagogical know-how transfer.

POLAND: Scouting is about families

There is one month left, but in order not to be late, the Polish Scouts of Europe Families send its Christmas greetings to all Scouts of Europe Families.

From the right (standing): Marcin Kruk, General Scout Commissioner (his wife Ola sitting in front of him, both with their two children and soon with the third one); Jarosław Sroka, President (with his wife Anna sitting in front of him, they have 3 children), Tomasz Podkowiński, former National Secretary, now PR responsible (with his wife Monika sitting in front of him, 3 children); Mr Kamiński with her wife Kasia sitting in front of him, who used to be Company Chief in Radom and Assistant of the National Team; Mr Oleszczyk with his wife Anna sitting in front of him, who used to be National Guides Commissioner at time of Eurojam 2003.

On the extreme left: Zbigniew Korba, General Scout Commissioner 2006-09, with his wife Ewa sitting before him, they have 4 children and are expecting the fifth.