Parishioners have bid a fond farewell to an East Kilbride parish priest who coordinated a massive humanitarian aid effort for war-torn Ukraine.
After seven years at the helm of St Bride's Church, Father Rafal Sobieszuk is taking a sabbatical with plans to return home to Poland to spend time with his family.
Fr. Rafal succeeded in sending five articulated lorries filled with 45 tonnes of humanitarian aid worth at least £1m to help devastated Ukranian war refugees get back on their feet.
The appeal, which ran for several months from the beginning of the conflict, saw truckloads of donations reach refugees who have fled the Russian invasion to his homeland in Eastern Poland.
Fr. Rafal also took time to make the journey home to help unload the haul of donations and see for himself the plight of refugees and the dedication of volunteers based in Poland.
Thanking him for all his efforts and good work over the years, the church community held a leaving presentation at St Bride's hall on August 28 where warm words were said about his ministry and kind gifts were given from the parish.
Paying tribute to their former priest, parishioner Anne Marie McMillan said: "You have brought so many back into the church, you are caring for people in need, you'll be missed by many."
Fellow parishioner Linda McCartney told Lanarkshire Live : "Thank you for everything that you have done for the parish, Fr. Rafal.
"You will be missed."
Speaking to the East Kilbride News, for which he wrote a weekly column, Fr. Rafal said: "I have spent a fantastic seven years of my life in St Bride's, East Kilbride.
"I will always have fond memories of this time and place as it will always be very special for me.
"This has been the longest period I have been living in one place so far, not counting my family home.
"Many fantastic things happened here over the last seven years and I simply wanted to say big thank you to so many people who were so generously cooperating with me.
"I enjoyed getting to know the community of East Kilbride and I was happy to work cordially and closely with so many people from my church.
"Among the most wonderful and fond memories, I will miss having a nice view over East Kilbride from the top of my church where sometimes I went for reflective tea break and seeing my church-family every Sunday.
"It was the joy of my heart to see so many parishioners who came to say, ‘thank you’ and ‘goodbye’ to me. I am cordially grateful to my parishioners for this lovely reception.
"May God bless my family of St Bride's in East Kilbride and I do hope to see you again, somehow, somewhere, hopefully soon."
Fr Frances McGachey from Strathaven has now taken over as parish priest of St Bride's.
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