Order of St John of Jerusalem of
Rhodes and of Malta
The SMOM Embassy in Antigua and Barbuda has commenced the next phase of construction of the St John Paul II Shrine. Volunteer construction engineers from Poland, working in collaboration with the embassy, were on the island. Together with Ambassador Przemysław Häuser-Schöneich and First Secretary Jakub Potrzebowski, they carried out a site inspection and the necessary measurements and assessments of the dilapidated church, which is ultimately intended to become a sanctuary. The measurements and assessments carried out are essential for drawing up the renovation and construction plan. Containers of building materials and construction equipment will be sent from Poland to Antigua as early as May. The head of the construction team is Mr Krzysztof Seredyński, owner and CEO of the Polish construction company NEXX. The project coordinator on behalf of the diocese in Antigua is Father Lawrence Malama, parish priest of the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Saint John. The main donors to the project are the SMOM Embassy in Antigua and Barbuda and Caritas of the Archdiocese of Poznań. The project is being carried out jointly by the SMOM Embassy and the Diocese of Saint John’s-Basseterre in Antigua.
On Holy Saturday, volunteers from the Order of Malta, in collaboration with the SMOM Embassy, distributed hot meals to people in need throughout Antigua. This was an important gesture of solidarity and support for those in need, enabling them to celebrate Easter with dignity.
SMOM Ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda Przemyslaw Häuser-Schöneich personally participated with a group of volunteers in the distribution of hot meals to the sick, the needy, and the poor. Funded by the embassy, the Soup Kitchen project is one of the most important and ongoing projects carried out by the SMOM embassy. The volunteers pointed out that the meals are prepared in the volunteers' homes, which significantly complicates and limits the scope of the project. The ambassador declared that within a few months he would purchase a container in Poland and send it to Antigua, fully equipped with professional kitchen equipment. This will increase the number of meals prepared and professionalize the operation of the Soup Kitchen. The ambassador expressed his gratitude to Father Lawrence Malama, parish priest of the Holy Family Cathedral in Antigua, for his cooperation and assistance in implementing the Soup Kitchen project.
On March 9, 2026, H.E. David Shoul, Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the Holy See, H.E. Robert Llanos, Bishop of the Diocese of Saint John's–Basseterre, and H.E. Przemyslaw Häuser-Schöneich, Ambassador of SMOM to Antigua and Barbuda, met in Antigua. The topic of the meeting was the implementation of the SMOM embassy's project to build the Shrine of St. John Paul II in Antigua and Barbuda.
On March 4, 2026, a meeting was held in Krakow between Ambassador Przemyslaw Häuser-Schöneich and Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, former long-time personal secretary to Pope John Paul II. During the meeting, the ambassador presented the soup kitchen program implemented by the SMOM embassy in Antigua and Barbuda, thanks to which hundreds of sick and needy people receive free meals and medicines. Cardinal Dziwisz expressed his great appreciation and approval for the activities of the SMOM embassy in Antigua and Barbuda. In addition, the ambassador presented a report on the construction of the Shrine of St. John Paul II in Antigua. A John Paul II Charity Center will be built next to the shrine.
The SMOM Embassy in Antigua and Barbuda is also active in charity work in St. Kitts and Nevis. The Embassy organised the distribution of Christmas parcels to sick people in St. Kitts and Nevis. Volunteers working with the local parish of St. Teresa and SMOM went to the Flamboyant Nursing Home. There, they handed out parcels to patients and sang Christmas carols with them.
Volunteers working with the SMOM embassy and the Holy Family Cathedral parish carried out a Christmas parcel distribution campaign. The parcels were delivered to the homes of people in need and the sick, whose numbers in Antigua and Barbuda have increased significantly in recent times. The parcels contained food, sweets and personal hygiene products. Thanks to these parcels, Christmas Eve dinners were held in many homes in Antigua.
Volunteers working at the SMOM Embassy have begun distributing food parcels to people in need. This activity complements the soup kitchen. The parcels contain, among other things, pasta, rice, tinned meat, tinned fish, garlic, onions, potatoes, flour, instant soups, oatmeal, olive oil, biscuits, tomato paste, and personal hygiene products such as soap, shampoo, and toilet paper. The food parcels distributed by the Embassy are a very important element of support for people who are sick, elderly, or deprived of basic means of subsistence. In addition to food parcels, these people also receive assistance in the form of hot meals delivered to their homes by volunteers.
Polish television TVP1 aired a program entitled “Between Heaven and Earth,” which presented the charitable activities of the SMOM Embassy in Antigua and Barbuda. The guests of the program were Ambassador Przemyslaw Häuser-Schöneich and Bishop Robert A. Llanos of Antigua.