Missionary Association “WSCHÓD” (Zespół Misyjny „WSCHÓD”) exists since 1991 and works within redemptorists’s Province of Warsaw. The headquarters is located in Tuchów, where Major Seminary of the Province has its seat. Aside from religious, the members of the Team are lay people of different age and professions like: teachers, doctors, nurses, drivers, students of colleges and high schools. The Team mainly consists of lay people.
Two students of the Major Seminary in Tuchów: Grzegorz Ruksztełło CSsR and Dariusz Paszyński CSsR were those who initiated the Missionary Group “East”. Now Fr. Grzegorz works in Russia and Fr. Dariusz is the vicar of the provincial of the Province of Warsaw.
Fr. Grzegorz’s family came from Lithuania, so he knew really well the situation in that area. Following the charism of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, which is preaching the Gospel to most abandoned and poor, he led retreat in Widze (northern Belarus) in 1990. It became an impulse to organize similar retreat in the next year, but this time together with lay people. After coming back the process of forming formal group had started. Over the years the group has turned into the Youth Missionary Group “East”, but when adults started joining, the group was renamed to Missionary Group “East”.
Helping catholic parishes on the terrain of former Soviet Union is the Group’s main goal. It’s realized especially by organizing, supporting and leading retreats mainly for children and youth. They usually last one week and are led in Light-Life retreats style.