Abstract

On August 17, 2000, the pilgrim missionary, Fr Wiesław Kaczmarczyk (1933-2000), died in the currents of the Rio Negro river in the Venezuelan Amazon. He worked in the missions for 27 years (1973-2000). He visited the Indian villages (22) from the Venezuelan and Columbian side, from Maroa to Cucui in Brazil. At first its headquarters were in San Carlos, then in Maroa. Fr Kaczmarczyk worked in the parish and at the same time dealt with social issues "from the ground up": school, crafts, sport, culture. He brought young people from distant Indian villages to the Salesian center of La Esmeralda for study. For the older ones he offered the craft school and work on the spot. By the end of his life he was running 24 workshops, which stretched along the Rio Negro River. It is difficult to say what was the cause of his death. They found him dead in the river, a few days after his death.
Fr Wiesław Kaczmarczyk left quite a rich correspondence, around 100 letters. First of all, he wrote to his parents, relatives and confreres. It may be that his letters were more numerous, but they have been destroyed. Currently both his letters and photos are in the family of Fr Wiesław, in Oświęcim. A part of this correspondence I have put in the book "I have come to serve them" (Łódź 1980). In 1999, an interview of Rafał Zdzierel with Fr Kaczmarczyk was published in the Weekly of Piła entitled: "From the distant country". After the death of Don Wiesław in a Venezuelan magazine "La Iglesia en Amazonas" a memoir "Premio a sus 40 annos" written by M.S. Esperanza Perez G. Even the missionary magazine : Salesian Missions" recalled Fr Wiesław by printing the obituary made by the director Fr B. Kant and another letter from Fr Dariusz Łodzian from Venezuela spoke of the circumstances of Fr Wiesław's death. Yes and also kept a recording tape, which I had recorded in Ląd, when I went to see Fr Wiesław in 1978.
In the article "Missionary work of Fr Wiesław Kaczmarczyk - the pilgrim missionary in the Venezuelan Amazonia in the light of his correspondence" I wish to demonstrate not only the style of Fr Wiesław's missionary work, but also the beauty of his letters, so I do not want to replace him by speaking of him, but I quote the large fragments of his letters.