The Conventual Franciscan Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Addiction, in Chęciny, is now twenty years old. Anniversary celebrations for the Center were conducted on Saturday, July 6, 2024. Many of the Center’s patients are now in recovery and have been able to start new lives in town.
“We praise God for the twenty years that the San Damiano Addiction Treatment Center has existed in Chęciny. This place has helped many people who were addicted to drugs or other psychoactive substances restart their lives,” said the Director of the Center, Friar Wojciech SZYMCZAK, at the start of a Mass of Thanksgiving. “These people have regained their dignity. They have returned to society, created families, and are living and working normally in society,” he added.
Friar Marian MICHASIÓW, the Provincial Secretary of the Province of St. Anthony and Bl. James of Strepar in Poland (Cracow) presided over the Mass of Thanksgiving and offered the homily. “During this Mass today, let us glorify God for the victories that have been achieved in the lives of real people,” he said.
Local civil authorities also extended their thanks and congratulations to the friars and their lay collaborators. Renata JANIK, an official of Poland’s Škowicz Province, wrote: “We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to all persons associated with this extremely meritorious and esteemed institution. At the same time, we would like to thank you for your much-needed mission of helping drug addicts. You have performed this service for two decades with total dedication. One cannot overestimate the value of your activities in support of people facing difficult life situations, and your excellent, practical and successful program which has significantly helped those most in need.”
Tomasz DULNY, the Deputy Mayor of Kielce, Poland also spoke: “Your daily hard work, your commitment to the development of the Center, as well as your sensitivity to the needs of other people, yield invaluable results in assisting drug addicts and their families and in helping them integrate into society. On this solemn day, we wish you continued success and renewed commitment as you take on new tasks. May you be strengthened in the therapeutic work you do and in the trust you place in others.”
The Mayor of Chęciny, Robert JAWORSKI, views the San Damiano Center as a symbol of hope and support for thousands of people struggling with addiction. The Center has gained both a regional and national reputation. “The success you have achieved in the last two decades proves the important role you play in treating and supporting drug addicts. Your determination and dedication not only bring measurable therapeutic results, but also give thousands of families hope for a better life as they regain their loved ones,” said the mayor.
The Director of the San Damiano Center, Arleta KEMPKA, read a letter from the founder of the Center, Friar Piotr STANISŁAWCZYK, who is currently serving in Rome as the Secretary General for Formation.
There was a touching moment during the ceremony when a new graduate of the program was awarded a commemorative plaque. The award is given to persons who are living sober, who have demonstrated sustained success in living sober, who maintain ties with the San Damiano Center, and who have asked the community for this privilege and obtained approval from the treatment staff.
Others attending the celebration included members of the District Health Inspectorate, the Municipal Commission for the Resolution of Alcohol Problems, the Cultural and Sports Center, the Provincial Center for the Treatment of Addiction and Co-dependency and representatives from various Friends of Poland Centers.
All those attending watched a show put on by the patient community and afterwards enjoyed a meal the patients had prepared.
The Conventual Franciscan Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Addiction in Chęciny is a rehabilitation center for people addicted to drugs or other psychoactive substances. It includes the San Damiano hostel for addicts and the Rivotorto dispensary for treating addiction. There is also a treatment dispensary and a social-therapeutic center for children and youth which operates at the friary.
The Conventual Franciscans also run a treatment center in Połaniec, Poland, which includes a hostel for alcoholics, a dispensary for treating addiction and another dispensary for treating addiction to psychoactive substances in particular.
For additional information, visit the website of the Franciscan Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Addiction at: https://terapia.franciszkanie.pl/ [Polish language only].
Friar Jan M. SZEWEK
