The place of the conference was chosen perfectly: a city on the border between Germany and Poland. Once the Goerlitz and Zgorzelec (Zgorzelec is the name of Polish part) was one organism and since the end of WW 2 has been divided between Germany and Poland. The border line is a river and goes just in middle of urban area. Now, when both countries belong to the European Union, the border is not an obstacle. However, the differences are obvious at the first sight: language, currency or time of work of shops and offices. All this diversity is visible, can be experienced and compared within minutes.
Although the parts are different, the signs of bitter antagonism, common for past decades, have disappeared. The infiltration of cultures may be a phenomenon for visitors, whereas for the locals it is everyday life that covers business, education or leisure time. Also Churches: protestant, catholic and orthodox stay side by side in peaceful coexistence. All this suits very well the name "UNIFY" – in a place like this a metaphor has a literal sense.
A very good approach was dinner with local families. Three of us – a Lithuanian, Polish and Ukrainian visited a local German family: a charming couple with two charming children. That’s amazing, but English language was not in use at all. German, Polish, Russian Sorbian were sufficient to discuss even complicated topics. That was a unique, extremely nice experience , which tells volumes about contemporary borderlands in Europe and above all reflected the spirit of "UNIFY".
Another important part of the programme was tangibility in contacts with representatives of various religions. Leaving the conference venue and sharing some time with the communities was refreshing and valuable for spiritual feelings.
Ecumenical and also education value had the workshops. I was present at the one on Icons and regard it as absolutely necessary for keeping the quality of the event high. Father Ievgenii, an Orthodox priest from Ukraine is also an expert of sacral art and occurred to be an excellent guide, who introduced the people to world of Icons. In the Orthodox tradition, Icons are not a just pictures, they are like. per attendants – persons that listen, help and advice. They are emotionally neutral images that cheer you up when you are depressed or take you down a peg or two where you are to self-confident or your mood is euphoric. Certainly this is a matter of faith and not all Christians share this approach, however, discovering this world is fascinating by all means. Without doubts this was a precious, inspiring contribution to this event and set directions. We are going to continue with exploring the world of Icons. You can also try to write (icons are written not painted) your icon. The next opportunity is in October 2014 in Volozhin, where Belarus, where the next Catch the Vision conference is held.
A special, emotional mood was associated with the evening of prayers. The shadow of dramatic events in Ukraine or Syria was overwhelming. All that did not allow to forget that Goerlitz -Zgorzelec, though encouraging as a sign of changes is not representative for all Europe or the world. On the other side we have a sign that the UNIFY is not a completed project and there are opened directions it can move to.
Photos by nathanaelvolke.de