*Written in the late 1980s when a move was afoot for establish a reconciliation centre in eastern Poland, at Jaroslav. Unfortunately the project did not complete.* Poland has, for centuries, been the crossroads of Europe. Literally. The powerful armies of Europe have trampled Polish soil for eight centuries. In the early 13th century, the legendary Genghis Khan and his Tartar hordes overran Poland. Nearly 200 years later it was the Teutonic Knights from the West. In 1655, the Swedish forces of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden came within an ace of conquering the whole of Poland. They were turned back at the town of Czestochowa, and the Poles believed they had been saved by the direct intervention of the Virgin Mary (`The Black Madonna'). At the end of the 18th century, Poland was partitioned between Russia, Prussia and Austria - a state of affairs lasting until the end of World War I. For a few brief years she enjoyed sovereignty over her affairs, until her occupation by German and Soviet forces during World War II. The story of her struggle for freedom since then is well known. Ugo Bassi once wrote: "Whoso suffers the most hath most to give." By this measure, we can be sure we have much to receive from the Poles. And one gift to the world is coming into being in the shape of a Benedictine convent in Poland's south-eastern corner, being prepared as a Centre for Reconciliation. This convent and church were built in the 17th century on a hill in the town of Jaroslaw, some 30 kms from the present Soviet border. In 1782, the Austrian army took over the facilities as a military base, and the site has not been used by the Benedictines since. The church became a stable for army horses. In the 1940's the occupying German forces used the place, and for many of the post-War years some out-buildings have been used as a school. With its circular garden surrounded by a wall with eight towers, this tranquil spot has been witness to intense suffering. In front of one part of the wall is a simple altar and cross erected in memory of the many Jews shot on this spot during World War II. On an outside wall of the convent is engraved a map of the region, with marks showing where atrocities were committed in the 1940's. This is a place where one smells the breath of history. So where did the vision of a `Centre for Reconciliation' come from? Bishop Tokarczuk, bishop of Przemysl, the local diocese, sent six members of his diocesan cultural council to Caux (the Moral Re-Armament centre in Switzerland). They brought back reports of how Caux had been used by God in the rebuilding of war-torn relationships in Western Europe after the Second World War. Some months later, the Bishop made his offer: would a Polish group of Moral Re-Armament be willing to take on this disused convent and use it in the task of healing the hurts of Central and Eastern Europe? He spoke of the need to meet the outcry of bottled-up hatred that could be expected when the pressure of the Communist regime was removed. The area around Jaroslaw, indeed, was densely populated before 1939. Its original population were either slaughtered or deported in the aftermath of Polish-Ukrainian guerrilla warfare during and especially after World War II. Ties between Poland and the Ukraine go far back, and have not always been antagonistic. Ukraine was once part of the Polish-Lithuanian Union which in the 15th century spread from the Baltic to the Black Sea. In 1920 Poland and Ukraine fought arm in arm against Soviet aggression. But as the shadows of half-forgotten wrongdoings still loom large there is much need to heal old wounds. Two of the people behind the moves leading up to the Bishop's offer are Wieslaw and Marzena Kecik. They helped to found Rural Solidarity in Poland. "The West," says Wieslaw, "easily talks about the East in terms of markets. It is not in the economic field that the biggest change has taken place. The main change is linked with fear. Earlier the fear was to lose ones job...or anything else the State could take away. Now we fear to face ourselves and to ask: Was I true to myself then? What did I do or not dare to do?' It is easy to start despising oneself and it is difficult to accept that we carry the responsibility for what went wrong. Wishing to take revenge and putting the blame on others is often born there. The main question we in the East must face is: What was God's purpose in allowing our history?' Through this question we will find our destiny. After years of passive resistance we need to re-learn responsibility." Speaking of the convent, Marzena says: "My longing is that this will be a place for each broken heart, each heart full of problems - a place in which such people can feel they can come and share, pray, think, look at nature, just to be." In February, a legal body of Moral Re-Armament in Poland was constituted, capable of taking on and stewarding the convent. A member of the new council of management says: "Listening to the Lord will be the basis of our common commitment in this place, to help people find what God wants for them, now and for ever." The convent is in need of enormous renovation. The Poles view this task with equanimity. They see the job of restoring it as part of the process of healing. Some have already moved in and started work, cleaning up the gardens, planting flowers and vegetables, and putting the second largest building (an accommodation block) into working order. A caretaker is installed and sees it as his lifework. A Warsaw architect has offered her services. The Keciks themselves will move to Jaroslaw in August. The needs are of course enormous. The electrical, heating and drainage systems need overhauling or replacement. There is hardly a single item of furniture, few mattresses, sheets or blankets, little crockery or cooking utensils. The scope for help from inside and outside Poland is extensive. Some necessary equipment is not available inside the country. It will cost an estimated £30-40,000 to complete the first phase of the building alterations. Voluntary help will also make a major contribution to the whole project. "This place," says Wieslaw Kecik, "must stay in keeping with the surrounding area, and that means poor materially, but rich spiritually." In Poland there is a saying: 'There are two ways of dealing with a crisis - the normal way and the miraculous way. The normal is when the Virgin Mary arranges it. The miraculous is when the Poles themselves solve the problem.' The Poles' sense of humour is going to stand them in good stead. They have it in abundance, together with a great deal of courage. "Poland," said one of those involved in the Jaroslaw venture, "is as destroyed as these convent buildings.... We have a sense of urgency for these buildings, for we sense that as we restore them our nation and people will be restored too."