KAROL WOJTYLA SCHOOL OF MISSION (MŠKW)

We are an international civic association and our vision is:

Vision

Helping people to get to know the beauty of true love

Mission

To illuminate the teachings of the Catholic Church on love and sexuality through active education, prayer and community experience

Motto

Come to know your value!

THE MISSION of the MŠKW

According to the example of the life and work of Karol Wojtyla, we try to:

  • provide formative experiences of people of different professions, ages, and family statuses and thus contribute to the development of culture and society;

  • create an international community of persons making a concrete contribution to relieving human misery (spiritual, moral, and material).

MEMBERS AND PARTNERS of the MŠKW

Members and fellow workers of the MŠKW are graduates and students of the International Theological Institute in Gaming and Trumau (Austria), and the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family Studies in Rome, as well as of programs organized by the Karol Wojtyla Academy in Slovakia: the Family Pastoral Care Diploma and Master‘s Program in Theology of Marriage and Family in Košice. In addition, we work with international lecturers and graduates from our own projects.

The international character of the MŠKW helps to create a wider-ranging community and foster cooperation with people and organizations abroad with similar aims.

THE PILLARS of the MŠKW

null

FORMATION

By helping to form true human values, contributing to developming today's culture and society.

null

EDUCATION

Bringing the Truth about man closer to people in comprehensible language.

Bringing the teachings of the Church in its fullness to people of different professions, ages and family statuses in an understandable language, with a focus on the anthropology of man according to the example of Karol Wojtyla, St. John Paul II.

MORE...
null

PRAYER

Common prayer works miracles!

The basis of every human relationship is a relati-onship with the One who is the source of true, pure love. In order to be able to love and be a gift to others, we must first learn to receive God's love and allow ourselves to be transformed by it.

MORE...
null

COMMUNITY

Creating a community that contributes
to relieving human misery in specific ways.

Creating an international community of people who make a specific contribution to relieving human misery: spiritual,
moral, and material.

MORE...

HISTORY AND PRESENT of the MŠKW

History of MŠKW

We are a community of people touched by the Church's teaching on human love and anthropology during our studies. This experience has simply led us to start bringing this teaching to others. Our mission started informally in 2009 by organizing study groups, summer schools, and weekend retreats, when we studied human love on the basis of St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body. In this way we have become active not only in Slovakia, but also in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Austria, Russia, and Ukraine.

We started the project by organizing weekend retreats, first in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia. This has been a success for eight years now, the result of interest from young adults and students who wish to discover the idea of the purity and beauty of human love according to the teachings of St. John Paul II. These regular weekend retreats inspired many participants to further develop their education in this field, in Slovakia and abroad.

The increasing interest in these weekend retreats has contributed significantly to the foundation of the Karol Wojtyla School of Mission (MŠKW). It has been active as a non-governmental organization since October 2016.

Our journey and specific experience with the teachings of St. John Paul II

2023, 1 October - Slovakia

Opening of the KaWe Centre in Bratislava

2023, January - Slovakia

First course of the Introduction to the Theology of the Body for students at Svoradov, University Campus in Bratislava

2021/2022 - International applicants

Theology of the Body online course for students from different countries (conducted in English)

2021/2022 - International applicants

Love and Responsibility online course for students from different countries (conducted in English)

2019/2020 - Slovakia

First year of Love and Responsibility course (3 weekend retreats for the graduates of the Theology of the Body course of formation)

2018 - Kazakhstan

Theology of the Body retreats for youth, lectures for youth from all around the Kazakhstan at the Youth Festival in Ozernoe.

2018/2020 - Slovakia, Ukraine, Austria, Czech Republic

Lectures and talks based on TOB on different forums - formation classes, seminars, conferences, spiritual retreats, in high schools and colleges.

2017/2020 Košice, Slovakia

In cooperation with the Faculty of Theology of the Catholic University in Košice, we have started to organize the semester programmes: 1. Love, sexuality and the meaning of life in the teaching of the Church, 2. Human love in the book of Karol Wojtyla – Love and Responsibility, 3. Human love in the catechesis of John Paul II. – Theology of the Body. .

2016/2020 - Slovakia

In 2016 a first Theology of the Body study group was established. Until today there is already 7 groups in Slovakia - Bratislava, Nitra, Levoča, Košice, Prešov.

October 2016 - Slovakia

The foundation of the Karol Wojtyla School of Mission.

2015/2020 - Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy

Continuous academy formation of people in the team, lecturers, fellow workers of the Karol Wojtyla School of Mission (Brno/Czech Republic - Studies on marriage and the family; Trumau/Austria - the International Theological Institute; Rome/Italy - the JP II Institiute, Košice/Slovakia - the Karol Wojtyla Academy - the Family Pastoral Care Diploma and Master‘s Program in Theology of Marriage and Family.

2014 - Russia

Ten days long Theology of the Body seminar in ortodox summer camp in Russia.

since 2013/2020 - Slovakia

Theology of the Body formation courses

2013/2018 - Ukraine

Theology of the Body retreats, seminars, testimonies at different places in Ukraine.

2012 - Austria

The International Theological Institute (ITI), Trumau - the weekend international Theology of the Body retreat "Vocation to love".After this weekend retreat the participants were inspired to start series of TOB retreats also in Slovakia, based on similar retreats which were organized in the Czech Republic in 2010/2012.

2012 - Latvia

One week long theology of the body summer school

2010/2012 - Czech republic

The first series of retreats based on John Paul II's catecheses Theology of the Body (series of 7 weekend retreats with one group of people).

2009/2011 - Bosnia and Herzegovina

Beginning of the first Theology of the Body study groups and Theology of the Body Summer School with youth from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the Ukraine, Russia and Latvia in Medjugorje.

2007/2009 - Austria

Study of the marriage and family program at the International Theological Institute, ITI Gaming.

2006 - Austria

1st International Theology of the Body symposium in Europe (Gaming)

The Karol Wojtyla House of Mission

Since June 2019 we have been renting the Karol Wojtyla Mission House in Košice. 

The house is at the same time an official seat and the office of our organization. It is also a community center for those who have become inspired by the teaching of the Catholic Church and especially with the teaching of the St. Pope John Paul II. The House of Mission breathes with life. More life will come to it with your visit. We will be very delighted to have you among us. Our desire is to build our house in line with the idea: "More we become a gift to one another, more beautiful will be the community formed among us."

Present activities

We give talks, lectures and testimony about the Theology of the Body (catechesis of St. John Paul II on human love and sexuality) at various events – formation retreats, seminars, conferences, spiritual retreats or directly in schools – in grammar schools, universities, not only in Slovakia, but also in the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Austria, Russia, Latvia and other countries.

SLOVAKIA: In 2024/2025, the eleventh year of spiritual retreats is planned in the Diocese of Nitra with the blessing of the local Father Bishop Viliam Judák and Father Bishop Peter Beňo and also in the Diocese of Spiš with the blessing of Father Bishop František Trstenský and Vladyka Jonáš Maximus, which are called Formation Course in Theology of the Body "CALL TO LOVE".

At the same time, we are dedicated to form study groups of the Theology of the Body, organizing of spiritual retreats and lecturing (about the Theology of the Body as well as topics on chastity, marriage, concecrated life, about the meaning and purpose of life, human dignity etc.)

Since 2017, in cooperation with the Faculty of Theology of the Catholic University in Košice, we organize every semester seminar courses Sexuality in the teaching of the Church (12 meetings) (the old name Láska, sexualita a zmysel života v učení Cirkvi) (on human love, sexuality, chastity, marriage, consecrated life and fertility),  Love and Responsibility and Theology of the Body. Seminar courses are held online, in Bratislava, Košice and now also in Žilina.

UKRAINE: Our other activities include missionary work in Ukraine. In addition to spiritual renewal, we focus on humanitarian and material aid to the poor, orphans, injured soldiers, youth, young families or abandoned people.

Our Dream

Our dream is to build the first international MISSION CENTRE of its kind in Slovakia — the KAROL WOJTYLA SCHOOL OF MISSION (MŠKW), which would provide a community background for formation and education of the next generation according to the life and work of Karol Wojtyla, St. John Paul II.

Our wish is that it become a place where people from different countries of the world (mostly Slavic), people of different ages and backgrounds experiences could come together for a systematic education and formative training; a place where we would learn together to use our gifts, talents, knowledge, and personal example to witness the beauty and dignity of the human person, the human body, and love according to God's plan; a place where the Christian East will meet the West; a place in quiet surroundings, where our alumni, students, coworkers, and friends would be able to come and quiet down, pray and create a community.

The main end of the MSKW Missionary Community Centre would be to create a space for the building of an international community of people who will work together to uplift the dignity of the human person and to build a culture of love and life.

Please help us to make this dream come true...

Variable symbol: 0513
IBAN: SK3783300000000019810513
Bank address: Fio banka, a.s., branch of a foreign bank, Nám. SNP 21, 811 01 Bratislava

I wish you and ask for God's abundant blessing on these efforts of yours through the intercession of St. John Paul II."

– Mons. Viliam Judák, Bishop of Nitra

"I am very happy to join those who bless this work because it is very necessary and useful. For the next years of your evangelizing ministry, I extend to you the necessary graces and bless all your collaborators and supporters!"
Mons. Bernard BOBER, Archbishop-Metropolitan of Košice

‘I thank you and all your co-workers of the Mission School for the valuable service you do in favour of education in love, sexuality and the meaning of life.... I wish you and your co-workers the abundance of God's blessing and graces.’

– Mons. Stanislav Zvolenský, Metropolitan Archbishop of Bratislava