Pielgrzymki osób z upośledzeniem umysłowym, ich rodzin i przyjaciół, uczestników Ruchu "Wiara i Światło"

Pilgrimages and Religious Tourism by Mentally Handicapped Children and Young People Belonging to the Faith and Light Movement

Summary: In 1964 Jean Vanier decided to take over a mental institution at Trosly (France), which was then on the verge of bankrupcy, and to transform it into a community in which he would live along with two patients, Phillipe and Raphael, whom he called "inmates of an institution that generated a great deal of suffering". The new community, which was given the name of l'Arche, "Ark" (the name of its Polish counterpart is likewise Arka), is a place where persons with mental disabilities live side by side with their healthy friends. The community of the Arka consists of a number of smaller component communities, its basic units, in which the mentally ill lead a family life with normal (mostly young) persons in houses they have either purchased freehold or built themselves. Another form of the Ark is the community activity it conducts in its workshops and a variety of other occupational areas. A further category comprises its community farms. The "basic units" and the "workshops" in a particular neighbourhood make up the local Arka community. The term "community" has a double sense: its first meaning is the "basic units" and "workshops", and secondly it also describes the larger community composed of the smaller constituent units. The idea of the Ark soon crossed the borders of France, spreading to many other cultures. It is a community founded originally by Roman Catholics inspired by the Christian ideals. But the movement was soon joined by Anglicans, Presbyterians, and representatives of other Christian churches; and when the concept reached other continents, Moslems and Hindus as well. After a while the movement launched its own periodical, a monthly called Ombres et Lumieres, soon joined by a Polish counterpart, Cienie i Światło (now entitled Cienie i Światło). The Ark now has over 100 communities in over 40 countries. In Poland the first community of the Ark was founded in 1981 at Śledziejowice near Wieliczka, by the Little Sisters of Jesus of St. Charles de Foucault. In 1992 a second house followed at Wieliczka, with a third house in September 1994 at Poznań. Along with the enthusiasm, there also emerged the question, "What do we do next?" This question gave rise to the movement known as Foi et Lumiere, the Polish counterpart of which is known as Wiara i Światło. In distinction to the Ark, whose communities involve a permanent lifestyle, Wiara i Światło consists of groups of people who meet from time to time but live permanently in their own families. This movement's principal aim is to discover the value of people with mental disabilities. The interpersonal relations in it are similar to those in the Ark. The first Wiara i Światło community in Poland was established in the spring of 1978 at Wrocław by Teresa, a lady living in that city. The members of the Wiara i Światło communities use names from the children's books by Tove Janssen to describe themselves. The mentally disabled are called "MUMINKI" (Moomins), and their healthy friends who want to live with them are "PASZCZAKI". In autumn 1983 a "specialist" community for Little Moomins was set up by Father Tadeusz Zaleski-Isakowicz and a group of girls reading Psychology at the Jagiellonian University. There are at present over 1,300 Foi et Lumiere communities in over 70 countries worldwide. 170 of these groups are in Poland. Since 1971 pilgrimages have been an inseparable part of the Foi et Lumiere community lifestyle. Every ten yearsFoi etLumičre communities from all over the world meet on a pilgrimage to Lourdes. Apart from this pilgrimage, they also go on pilgrimages in their own countries and localities, and to other holy places. The first Polish group to take part in the Lourdes pilgrimage, in 1981, consisted of 50 persons. A much larger Polish group attended the 1991 pilgrimage.

Peregrinus Cracoviensis, 1996, z.4, s. 257-274.

Instytut Geografii i Gospodarki Przestrzennej UJ

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