Bishop Jan Piotrowski, a lifelong missionary and one of the bishops who consecrated Archbishop Henryk Mieczysław Jagodziński at his episcopal ordination, arrived in South Africa on Friday, 3 July, bringing a message of missionary solidarity and the Church’s universal communion.

The Bishop of Kielce and President of the Commission for Missions of the Polish Bishops’ Conference began his visit at the headquarters of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC), Khanya House in Pretoria, where he was welcomed by the SACBC Secretary General, Fr Hugh O’Connor.

In an interview with the SACBC communication office, Archbishop Jagodziński recalls a bond that goes beyond their shared homeland.

“I am originally from the Diocese of Kielce,” the Nuncio says. “Bishop Jan Piotrowski was one of the consecrators at my episcopal ordination.”

Archbishop Jagodziński explains that Bishop Piotrowski’s visit is centred on accompanying Polish missionaries serving in Southern Africa. Around twenty Polish priests, women religious, and lay missionaries are currently carrying out their ministry in South Africa. During his stay, bishop Piotrowski is also due to celebrate Mass with the Polish Catholic community in Johannesburg before presiding over the Eucharist for Polish missionaries at the Apostolic Nunciature in Pretoria.

In the Friday, 3 July interview, Bishop Piotrowski reflects on a priestly vocation that has been shaped by more than four decades of missionary service.

Today, as President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference’s Commission for Missions, he accompanies missionaries sent from Poland to every continent. He notes that approximately 1,620 Polish missionaries are currently serving in ninety-nine countries around the world, witnessing to the Church’s missionary vocation through pastoral ministry, education, healthcare, and charitable outreach.

Mission, however, is not merely a responsibility he promotes—it is the path that has defined his own priesthood.

As a young diocesan priest, he served as a Fidei Donum missionary in the Republic of the Congo before spending three years ministering on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. Later, he served for ten years as National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Poland, encouraging missionary formation and supporting the Church’s evangelising mission across the globe.

“My life as a diocesan priest has always been united with missionary work,” Bishop Piotrowski says.

Although many Polish missionaries are currently in Poland for their annual national missionary gathering and summer holidays, he explains that the visit remains an important opportunity to strengthen the bonds between the Church in Poland and the local Churches of Southern Africa, while accompanying those missionaries who continue their ministry in the region.

Reflecting on his first encounters in South Africa, Bishop Piotrowski speaks warmly of a local Church marked by a rich history and a vibrant commitment to proclaiming the Gospel.

“The Church in this country has its own story and a dynamic work of evangelisation,” he says.

Bishop Piotrowski’s visit offers a tangible reminder that the Church’s missionary identity transcends borders and cultures. Through the exchange of faith, missionary experience, and pastoral support, local Churches continue to enrich one another, giving concrete expression to the synodal journey of walking together in communion, participation, and mission