A parish in Poland requires users of its newly reopened car park to pay in prayers, rather than money. The Church of St. Martin and St. Vincent the Martyr in the city of Poznań opened the recently renovated car park with a prayer-based price list. “As you know, we’ve renovated the parking area in front of the church,” Rector, Father Pawel Kaczmarek, explained to parishioners in a social-media post. “Unfortunately, given the huge interest in this beautiful parking lot, we’re having to introduce fees at the rates displayed on signs at the entrance.” “This is not an April Fool’s joke — you’ll have to pray to park!” “It’s A Currency Everyone Can Afford” Father Kaczmarek told the Polsat TV network that he and fellow clergy had come up with the idea as “something practical to encourage drivers to pray for each other.” “It’s a currency everyone can afford”. As in any car park, the fees will rise according to the length of stay.
A quick drop-off requires just a “short spontaneous prayer” while a one-hour slot will cost a recital of the Lord’s Prayer. A second hour will require an additional Hail Mary, and a third, one decade of the rosary. Four hours at the lot will cost a litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary on behalf of the parish, while the price for a whole day will be one mystery of the rosary for all drivers and pedestrians. A notice stipulates that parking will be free for those attending masses, liturgies and parish meetings, since “grace has no parking meter.” No fines will be issued “since consciences function round the clock.” The notice also warns that the area will not be guarded. “Responsibility for parked cars rests with the driver and their guardian angel.” Father Kaczmarek said the parish wanted something practical that would also encourage drivers to pray for others. The unusual payment system has been welcomed by some local residents. “It’s genuinely a brilliant idea,” one woman told Polsat News. Another called it “a very good idea,” adding: “You can never have too much prayer, so it’s a lovely initiative.”
Poland’s dominant Roman Catholic Church has long urged improved driving safety and responsibility in their nation. It had Europe’s worst accident fatality rate in the 1990s when communist-era road conditions failed to match a massive increase in car sales. Priests in western Poland have even stood alongside police during speeding checks. They handed out prayer cards to drivers when they were pulled over.
Source: Vision Christian Media
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