POLAND
Warsaw: A Catholic parish in Croatia has opened a “prayer café” for young people where food and drink can be purchased with Hail Marys and Our Fathers.
“In the Acts of the Apostles, it says the disciples used to come together for a meal after the Eucharist, so we’re following a biblical ideal,” said Salesian Father Damir Stojic. “A lot of kids used to head for neighbouring cafes after Mass here. We came up with this scheme for persuading them to hang out at the church instead.”
The Jedno (sail) café opened recently in a parish hall adjoining Zagreb’s Holy Spirit Church and attracts many of the students and young people attending regular Sunday Youth Mass.
Fr. Stojic said that student helpers had thought up the idea of “paying with prayers”. He said there were plans to keep the café open indefinitely.
He said parish leaders had encouraged parents to donate food and drink for the café, and church officials had supported the idea.
Fr. Stojic added that Jedno could be seen as “continuing a tradition”, since most Salesian parishes worldwide ran cafés at their churches.
“We have to like what young people like; since most of our kids still go to church and this is a coffee culture, it’s the obvious thing to do,” said the priest, who studied at The Catholic University of America in Washington after being ordained in 2002.
“When we provided everything free, the youngsters would come to me, saying ‘Father, how do we pay for this?’ and I used to say, ‘Don’t worry, just come to church and God will pay,’” said the 34-year-old priest.
“Eventually, one of our guys printed up a menu. Of course, some students still prefer other cafés. But those who come here have a comfortable space where they can feel at home without worrying about money,” he said.
Prices at Jedno vary from three Our Fathers for a standard cup of coffee to a more expensive Coca-Cola (five Hail Marys and a Glory Be), while a cappuccino costs four Our Fathers.
Other items offered include fruit drinks, teas and hot chocolate, as well as a range of cakes and cookies. One student organizer, Josip Kosutic, said alcohol is strictly off-limits.
“Older parishioners and other locals are getting interested too,” the student told Croatia’s Catholic information agency, IKA. “When you get something for free, it can be harder to appreciate it. That’s why we thought up this original price list.”

Catholics make up 88 percent of the 4.4 million inhabitants of Croatia.

LOURDES
More than 55,000 people descended into Lourdes for an outdoor mass to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Our Lady’s apparitions and to celebrate the World Day of the Sick.
Catholic News Service reports Bishop of Lourdes and Tarbes Jacques Perrier said Mary did not seek devotion from St. Bernadette Soubirous and Catholics but instead sought devotion to Jesus and the Eucharist.

“In the apparitions at the grotto, Mary led St. Bernadette to Jesus and today intercedes for pilgrims and leads them to Jesus,” Bishop Perrier said.
“At the grotto in the Sanctuaries of Our Lady of Lourdes, a statue of Mary stands on the right side and the altar for the Eucharist is at the centre, because the Eucharist is the centre of devotion.

“The mission of Lourdes is to be a school of prayer, a place where it is easy, natural to pray,” he said.
The Bishop noted that during the apparitions, Mary was preparing the young St. Bernadette to receive her first Communion.
St. Bernadette initially was not allowed to receive her first Communion because she did not know her catechism well enough. The book was in French and St. Bernadette only spoke the local dialect.

The Lourdes jubilee year began on 8 December 2007 on the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

During the Sunday Angelus, Pope Benedict said the message of Lourdes reminds the faithful to pray and do penance. The Pope said he promised to pray for all sick people during his annual Lenten retreat, which began Sunday evening.
POLAND
A “spiritual oasis” which some have billed as  Europe’s only centre dedicated to performing exorcisms is being planned to be built in Poland.
Catholic News Agency reports that Fr. Andrzej Trojanowski, the priest leading the project told the Washington Post that the project was “my task, this is my purpose - I want to help these people”.
Fr Trojanowski, who has worked as an exorcist for four years, said there is group of people who “cannot get relief through any other practices and who need peace.”

Fr. Wieslaw Jankowski, a priest with the Institute for Studies on the Family near Warsaw, who will also serve the new centre said that priests at the institute realised they needed an exorcist on staff after they encountered an increase in people suffering from evil. 

“Typical cases include people who turned away from the Church, embracing New Age therapies, alternative religions, or the occult,” Fr. Jankowski said.
“Internet addicts and yoga devotees were also at risk,” he said.
According to Father Trojanowski, he sees as many as 20 people a week who are under the influence of evil.
Exorcists consider only a small fraction of people to be completely possessed by demons, displaying supernatural strength or revulsion towards sacred objects and speaking in exotic languages.  Such cases require a direct confrontation with demons.