Attracted to East Kilbride.. by its weather!
Welcome to the latest instalment of the Our People series. This week MARK PIRIE speaks to Father Rafal Sobieszuk from St Bride’s RC Church
Folk might not think East Kilbride has much of a summer – but it ended up bringing Father Rafal Sobieszuk to Scotland.
Having grown up in Poland, east of the capital Warsaw, one year he visited South Lanarkshire for a summer holiday.
The 34-year-old ended up being so happy with the firm friends he had made and impressed with the weather he’d enjoyed that he decided to make the move from continental Europe in 2012.
After working in Blantyre, Father Sobieszuk then moved to East Kilbride two years ago and made St Bride’s RC Church his home.
“I came here for summer holidays and never left,” he smiled in an interview with the News.
“I had to come back for studying and meeting the bishops and the like. I had made some friends here and I had been thinking about moving abroad at some point in my life.
“The people who I knew here were asking me to come here – and I just thought that is what I’ll do.”
He continued: “When I came here for the first time it was different. I did find it much cooler than in Poland.
“It was interesting to me the length of daylight. In the summer the days are longer here than in Poland.
“It was a big difference for me and I did like it. It’s a bit sunnier in Scotland than in Poland and you get to enjoy a bit more of the day.”
One aspect Father Sobieszuk quickly got to grips with is the fact that conditions in East Kilbride can be quite, shall we say, unique.
He jokingly adds: “It has it’s own climate – which I quite like to be honest! It’s cooler and brighter during the winter than it is back in Poland.”
St Bride’s RC Church has recently undergone a £2 million refurbishment where they relied on the help of their “good neighbours” in St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School.
Father Sobieszuk is very proud of the good relationship they have developed with the staff and pupils where he is chaplain.
“We are very close to the school,” he said. “I meet a lot of people and celebrate a lot of events with them.
“We meet with students and discuss mass, learn and pray. We have confessions in the high school as well.
“Our church was closed for about seven months and we had to celebrate mass in the school main hall.
“That was a nice experience. There is a lot of co-operation between ourselves and the school. “It’s a big part of our community.” Father Sobieszuk also likes to to bring together the town, with friends from different churches squeezing into the new-look hall.
“There are lots of very important times of year when the hall is packed,” he said.
“There are four Catholic churches in East Kilbride and it goes without saying that we collaborate.”
And he is full of praise for the new town that he now calls home.
“It’s nice,” he added. “I’m in a very good situation here. I like the town.
“It’s quite modern in design and I can’t see any big problems. People are friendly and it’s a prosperous town.”
It has its own climate–which I quite like to be honest! It’s cooler and bright er during the winter than it is in Poland...