Visit to Camparmo 2006
CATHOLIC AGENCY TO SUPPORT EVANGELISATION
source: http://www.caseresources.org/resources/documents/DirectoryCF.pdf
(An annotated list of Evangelisation Resources for the
Catholic Communities of England and Wales)
Koinonia John the Baptist (Koinonia Giovanni Battista)
Koinonia John the Baptist is an international community of charismatic inspiration
founded by Fr Ricardo Argañaraz in 1979 and recognised by the Holy See. Its aim is
to serve the church in promoting the new evangelisation. Members of the Koinonia
can be families, single people, consecrated celibates, young people and priests.
Central to the Community’s life is the “House of Prayer”, by which a family or two
single people living together open up their home to people once a week for prayer and
sharing. Where there are several houses of prayer in a locality, they meet together
twice a month, once in small groups for a deeper experience of prayer and sharing
together and once in a larger open meeting aimed at outreach. Finally, the Community
also has houses known as “Oases” where consecrated celibates live with a Pastor of
the Community. These Oases become natural centres where activities of the
community take place for all members and those interested.
Koinonia John the Baptist uses a variety of methods of evangelisation, some of which
they have developed themselves, such as the well-known Paul, John and Philip
courses. They also use methods pioneered by the Kekako project (see the Training
section of this Directory).
Time of Lent
Dear Brothers and Sisters, 
Lent begins a time marked by a strong conversion commitment to the gift of the Resurrection which the Father has offered us in Jesus. This gift is the work of the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that drives us into the desert for a new evangelizing impulse. Conversion and Resurrection are closely linked together, just like Lent and Easter. The same Spirit which guided Jesus is the one who sets us on this walk, a walk which we are all called to make. One enters into the “desert”, not to remain there, but to receive the gift of mission; one enters into Lent so as to proclaim the victory of the Resurrection. The Church has always taken care to show us penitential ways to which we should give our attention. To these ways I would like to add something specific for our Community. Read the rest of this entry »
HOPe Oxford continues to grow
After almost one year of Tatiana’s, mine and then Sylwia’s faithful prayer in our new House of Prayer (HOPe), God blessed us from one day to an other with new attendees. This happened in the beginning of the year 2007. First a couple joint us, then an other and so after another ten months we grew to thirteen members. We also have frequently quests who come and pray with us, parents or friends of someone who are visiting Oxford and others.
Last Tuesday we decided to add a monthly prayer meeting into our weekly HOPe’s as we all are growing in faith and friendship and have a need to spent more time with our God and each other. Lately it was difficult for us to finish our prayer on time as the Holy Spirit is touching everyone mighty and we all seek for more. Then we spent time and shared what Jesus did in our lives with each other and under this circumstances to finish our HOPe on time was not possible.
Our new monthly meetings will be on a day during the weekend so we will have plenty of time to pray and to spent time together. This of course will also allow us to keep our time schedule in our HOPe.
I am so excited about this what Jesus has prepared for us and to hear more of how He is blessing us at work, with a new work, with healing, with joy, with new friendships, with new homes, with healthy children, with passed exams and many more of which we haven’t had time to share about.
Jesus is truly risen! We are testifying this as we are experiencing this every day.
“Come and see”, says Jesus as we do and visit our House of prayer this Tuesday.
- Marek
Philip Course
Do you feel that you have enough faith, but live without joy? Do you go to church on Sunday, but don’t feel like praying? If so, there’s something missing in your life…
Sign up now for the Philip Course — it’s an uplifting experience filled with insightful teaching, lively singing and group Bible study. It was developed by the Koinonia John the Baptist and it’s based on the Biblical story told in Acts 8:26-32. This is a tale of how one man’s questions about faith are answered in a single life-altering encounter. Through a series of spiritual exercises and inspiring lectures, the course will take you on an unforgettable journey of the soul. This class is for non-believers and believers alike and will change your life and your faith forever!
SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES PARISH / NEW YORK
source: http://www.sfdsnyc.org/Old%20Bulletins/1.7.07%20bulletin.htm
–Koinonia John the Baptist is actually an interesting concept. Here is the concept behind these priests and brothers – koinonia means community – John the Baptist because they go around shouting like John the Baptist, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” They are right; there is nothing more important in life than to bring people to Jesus, our Lord & Savior.
God, if you are there…
God, if you are there,
give me a new life!
– Henryk Krzosek
Henryk comes from Poland where his dramatic story begins….His desire to be admired by others led him to become a delinquent.He passed through hell. He found himself on the street, abandoned, desperate, with only one decision, to take his own life…….
I can’t boast of a happy childhood. Because of my father’s alcoholism we lived a tragedy in our house. In order to maintain me and my two sisters, my mother had to work from morning to night and I, taking advantage if this “liberty”, did what I wanted. I came in contact with the criminal world at a young age and I was ‘fascinated’ by it. I admired the courage of the young thieves and wanted to be as courageous as them, thinking that in this way I would attract the attention of these companions and thus be accepted by them. I thought I had made it. However my cleverness and my courage led me to being arrested and sent to reform school. While my companions enjoyed their liberty, I had to remain shut inside. I had really wanted to become someone in their eyes but… I lost ‘points’ because I had let myself be caught. Finally, after seven years in prison, I decided to start a new life and got to know a girl who soon after became my wife. When our first son was born I wanted to dedicate myself totally to my family. Being already a husband and a father, I found myself in front of a new challenge: what did it mean to take care of my family concretely? No one had ever taught me. I had never had an example. This duty weighed me down, crushed me to the point where more and more often I chose to spend time with my mates instead of my family. Alcohol helped me not to think about my responsibilities. Unfortunately this destroyed my family. When our second son was born, I decided to take myself in hand once again and the chance was given to us to leave for Germany. My imagination began to go wild: the West, money, an appartment, a car. We would be able to start all over again. We had great expectations but, unexpectedly, my wife left to go abroad with our oldest son leaving me in Poland with the other son. Seven months later I left too but soon after my arrival in Hamburg all hope vanished. My wife and I realised that we couldn’t live together anymore. We got divorced.
Oxford – and that’s how it all started
That´s none of your business! Just follow me!
(Jn 21, 22)
The sun rose with words in my heart that confirmed that Jesus knew my thoughts and had called me into a new life with Him. It happened at the meeting with people interested in joining KOINONIA, it was May 27, 2000.
There are words that touch your heart and even though you don’t understand them, you know for sure they are for you and just you and to say “Yes, Lord” means to leave everything behind and walk with faith. I kept nagging the Lord with the questions, “How do you want me to do it Lord?” “What should I do?” “Will I know how to do it?” But His reply didn´t change: “You just follow me. I am your Lord, your God, who is teaching you to be successful, who leads you along the way you are supposed to follow” (Is 48, 17). “From now on I shall announce to you new things and hidden things of which you don´t know. They are being created now…” (Is 48, 6-7).
FR. JOHN MURRAY / NATIVITY PARISH – BELFAST
source: http://www.nativityparish.info/colineaster05/easter1.htm
…Some years ago I came into contact with a community of wonderful people in Italy who were excited and joyful about their following of the Lord. Although the community was made up of many lay people they were also attracting lots of vocations to the religious life at a time in Europe when few were entering. It is a new style of religious life for a new age. Whenever members of the community would meet – whether in the morning or later in the day -they would greet each other with a beautiful greeting ‘CHRIST IS RISEN’, and the person greeted would reply ‘and we with Him.’ The Koinonia John the Baptist now has a branch in Belfast and its members do exactly the same.
But you don’t have to wait until you meet them. Today in March 2005 Jesus Christ is risen— and we with Him. ALLELUIA!
Fr. John Murray
We would like to tell you a story about a seed.
Psalm 65: 9-10 says “You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it;…you water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.” By 1999 God had prepared the soil so that it was ready for a seed to be planted in Portishead, near Bristol in the South West of England.
Agnieszka and Michael, who fell in love in England and got married in Poland , also fell in love with Koinonia John The Baptist, becoming members of the community in Wroclaw , Poland . After a year and a half of being formed in Wroclaw , they left for the promised land of England in February 1999 taking with them their House of Prayer (HOPE). The first years were a testing desert time, with only one faithful member, Jane, being added to their number. However the seed was dormant in the ground, awaiting the right time to germinate.
In 2002, the germination of the seed coincided with Agnieszka and Michael’s first child, Janina. Around this time God started sending more people regularly to HOPE, there was a Philip Course and the first Agapitos were held. By 2004 Mary, Karen, Severine, Elizabeth and Marie had committed themselves to Koinonia, with the community growing to 8 members and 3 children, with 4 HOPEs. This again coincided with the multiplication of children – Gabriella and Marysia.
One of God’s key promises for the community was from Isaiah “for my house of prayer shall be called a house of prayer for all nations”. This has been amazingly fulfilled. Within the 8 members, the English, Polish, Zimbabwean, Philippino, Canadian, French and Irish nations are represented, not to mention many other nationalities that have visited the HOPE. The community is also extremely diverse in terms of culture, class and age. This diversity has meant that the community has grown into a place of love and friendship, with people being accepted no matter what their background. Out of this acceptance have come God’s gifts of friendship and faithfulness. It is only Jesus that can make true community out of people with such differences, humanly it is impossible. And so, despite being small in numbers the community is bonded together, strong in the Lord.
This unity is manifested in organising events such as an evangelisation day called “Hope For The Future”, being asked to lead worship at a Diocesan charismatic Day of Renewal and a recent Philip Course. Later this year the community has been asked to lead worship at an evangelisation day in Glastonbury , which despite a Christian history is now a centre for the New Age and pagans.
The Lord has given Koinonia England a strong desire for families and children. This is realised through a House Of Prayer for mums and young children, as well as starting children’s ministry during Koinonia days.
God is now fertilising the plant and helping it grow and strengthen through the cooperation with Koinonia Belfast. His faithfulness is shown again in fulfilling His promise from Judges 1:2-3 in which He spoke about two brothers helping each other to conquer the promised land. We are very thankful to Kathleen and Vernon who support us so much by coming from Ireland to our Koinonia day every month.
The story of the seed does not end here. In fact it is still only a small seedling, which with God’s blessing can grow into the large well-rooted plant that is an oasis with an internal community. Here in the community, we have seen God at work in fulfilling promises and we believe that He will fulfil Zechariah 8:12 “For there shall be a sowing of peace; the vine shall yield its fruit, the ground shall give its produce, and the skies shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.”
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Celebrating PENTECOST with Father Jan
| May 10, 2008 | to | May 11, 2008 |
Saturday:
We have booked a room in Oxford – Summertown starting 11am ending 7pm
Prayer – Holy Mass with member vows and Agape
Sunday:
Father Jan will celebrate Holy Mass at the Polish Parish at 11.15am
Thereafter Agape in Marek and Tatiana’s garden
