On Saturday, 16 June, the Zabrze Circle celebrated the 10th anniversary of its activity, which was connected with the 25th anniversary of the Society’s activity.

1200  pilgrims from 41 Circles and 50 guests from the Czestochowa Caritas and TIS in Lesna participated in an annual pilgrimage of our Society to the “Ecce Homo” sanctuary in Cracow that took place on 9 June.
The largest group (640 people) comprised the occupants of our institutions. Workers, priests and nuns as well as members and supporters of the Society were also present.
The main part of the event was the Holy Mass, celebrated by His Eminence Cardinal Franciszek Macharski. He also preached a sermon, which was a kind of meditation based on two pictures: a portrait of St. Brother Albert by Wyczolkowski and “Ecce Homo” painting by Brother Albert. At the end of the Holy Mass we shared bread with each other.
After the Mass there was a time for meal, artistic performances and conversation with colleagues.
The meeting closed with the Divine Mercy devotions and veneration of the relics of St. Brother Albert. Many Circles, before or after seeing Cracow, visited other places of worship, too.
The Gliwice Circle efficiently organized the meeting, Father Zygmunt Klim was responsible for the program, the Albertine Sisters served a delicious bigos (stewed dish made of sauerkraut and meat), bread rolls and beverages but beautiful weather was a result of St. Brother Albert’s intercession. 

On 2 June, the 15th anniversary of activity of the St. Brother Albert’s hostel for men was celebrated in Mielec. The Thanksgiving Holy Mass was celebrated in the St. Matthew’s Basilica by Father Antoni Mikrut, director of the Tarnow Caritas. Later, at the meeting in the Oborski Palace, awards were given and acknowledgements made. Guests also listened to the old music concert performed by Hortus Musicus band. The celebration closed with a dinner in the hostel combined with reminiscences and common singing.
Special guests were representatives of the Mielec authorities: the Starost, Deputy Mayor, PCPR Director and Krystyna Skowroñska, MP. Other participants of the celebration were members of the Mielec Circle and guests from neighbouring circles (e.g. Father Bronislaw Zolnierczyk, founder of many circles in the Podkarpacie region).
The hostel in Mielec was opened in May 1991 in the building of the former boarding house of the Medical School; there were 14 places then. Now there are 22 ones. The founder of the hostel was Wladyslaw Wydro, who is a chairman of the Mielec Circle up to the present day. 

On Tuesday, 15 May, in the Wroclaw City Council hall took place a conference “Effectiveness and innovation. New ways of social and professional insertion on the example of the assistance method.”
Its aim was to present a new, effective approach to social and professional insertion of the homeless and people facing homelessness, worked out and tested during the realization of the IW Equal project “Back on track.”
Organizer of the conference was the Wroclaw university DWSSP Asesor (one of the project partners). An event was held under the honorary patronage of the Mayor of Wroclaw, Rafal Dutkiewicz. For more information, see the project website.

“The homeless and the unemployed. Unnoticeable people, living somewhere outside  normal life. Specific transparent figures towards other people. They exist though it seems they do not…”
It is a verbal description of the situation presented by participants of the “Back on Track” project, being a commentary on the photographs taken by Wieslaw Jurewicz.
Exhibition opened on 15 May in the Wroclaw Plac Solny presents the homeless and people facing homelessness as well as their guides on the way to a normal life - their accompanying persons.  The exhibition is also to promote this method of social insertion.
Photographs present warm and direct relations between unemployed people and their accompanying persons that are one of the sources of method effectiveness.
The exhibition will last until 29 May. Photos can also be seen at the project website.

The Slupsk Circle has the website: www.albert.slupsk.net At present, 16 Circles of the Society out of 62 has their websites – addresses in the Links section.

The Gorzow Circle of our Society celebrates the 20th anniversary of its activity. It has prepared many interesting events in connection with it. The first one was the yesterday opening of Daniel Adamski’s photo exhibition in Mala Galeria GFT, presenting occupants of the St. Brother Albert’s House. The program of events can be found at the Circle’s website.

Pomorskie Forum na Rzecz Wychodzenia z Bezdomnosci (Pomeranian Forum in Aid of Getting Out of Homelessness) has published two special issues of the „Pomost” magazine, dedicated to homelessness:

• “ Homelessness With No Fear” 2006
• “Homelessness and Health” compendium

The circle of our Society in Zgorzelec (Lower Silesian Voivodship) has just created its website www.bratalbertzgorzelec.neostrada.pl Now, 15 out of 62 Society circles have their websites; addresses are in the Links section.

This name refers to the action of raising funds for the activity of our Society, organized by the “Blizniemu Swemu…” Foundation. Entering www.okruszek.org.pl and clicking on the photo of bread, you can support us thanks to donations of companies that advertise themselves this way. We encourage you to a regular visit at this site.