20. Aug 2025

Pozań - Żabno

Photo 1: Pastor Piotr and his wife Theresa hosted me for my stay in Poznań. Piotr is a year older than me and plans to retire next year. Their church is currently in the middle of a building program and Piotr leads a network of chaplains in Poland. In the video you can hear his heart and call to prayer for his country.

Photo 2: The Old Town of Poznań

Photo 3: Most of the day I followed the Warta River. Not always was the path so clear and easy to follow as in this picture. At one point the path wad blocked by an industrial zone. A worker there was kind enough to drive me out of it. Otherwise the 37 kilometer hike would have been even longer.

Photo 4: I arrived in the village of Żabno in the early evening and was greeted with this sun burst through the clouds.

Photo 5: A friend of Pastor Piotr had notified the Catholic Church in Żabno that I would be coming. Otherwise there would not have been anyone at the pilgrim house to let me in. The priest, Brother Andrew, was waiting for me in the church with another man. They had been there several hours thinking I would arrive in the afternoon like most pilgrims. Most pilgrims though come from a different and closer starting point than Poznań. I had combined two stages. When we were getting ready to leave the church, I asked Brother Andrew whether I could sing my pilgrim song and explained that it is song that is sung through the Holy Spirit. He translated what I said to the other man and said I could do it. I did. Then I prayed for the two men, the church, the community and Poland. It was a special moment. Afterwards Brother Andrew wanted to have a picture taken with me, and I had this one taken with my camera. In the background you see a painting of St. James.