On Sunday, February 27, we had the pleasure to host many of you during our Open Day at the Dominican Cloisters in Krakow. As our president, Fr. Łukasz Miśko emphasized, the more God’s light there is in us, the more we will be able to share this light in concrete actions.
In the present situation, we were considering whether to change our plans, but we came to the conclusion that also – and perhaps especially – in these difficult circumstances we need community and unanimous prayer for peace.
– We meet at times that are very unfavorable for such meetings – said Fr. Łukasz Miśko, opening the program. – On the other hand, maybe what we are doing here: talking about the foundations of our faith; about this beauty that saves us, saves us, introduces us to God’s life – this is something that can help us to survive various difficult times, but also be more helpful to those who suffer, go through various difficult experiences.
The program started with Gregorian singing workshops for beginners devoted to Completa (Night Prayer), led by Mateusz Krakowczyk, a cantor from Warsaw. In the St. Thomas Aula, a dozen or so people interested in the subject gathered, ready to expand their knowledge and skills.
The first meeting open to everyone was the liturgical catechesis for Lent, “From ash to fire”, delivered by a longtime collaborator and friend of our Foundation, Fr. dr Krzysztof Porosło. The audience filled the chapter house, and the catechesis was also streamed live and will be available on our YouTube (above).
As always, many people came to visit the basilica with Brother Fabian. After last year’s tour on the secrets of the three Dominican sacristies, this year’s time has come to tell about the interior of the restored Dominican Holy Trinity Basilica. Within an hour, visitors walked from the historic, symbolic vestibule through the nave to the great altar and ended their journey there – at least until the next time.
The afternoon part of the program was opened by a discussion panel “New garments for the Lord. On the challenges of contemporary religious art”, led by Father Dominik Jarczewski, OP. The interview was attended by Mrs. Dorota Hajduk, an painter from the Vera Icon Community, Mr. Jakub Turbasa, an architect, and Fr. Piotr Oleś, a dominican and art historian.
Unfortunately, the lecture of Father Tomasz Gałuszka, initially planned before the panel, was canceled – but we hope that we will have the opportunity to return to the subject of beauty and kitsch at St. Thomas Aquinas soon.
The Open Day ended with a Gregorian prayer, celebrated by all interested parties together with workshop participants. Throughout the day, a shop in cloisters was open, where we presented our publications and products, and our employees and irreplaceable volunteers handed out leaflets to people leaving Sunday Masses in the Dominican Basilica.
During each Open Day, we try to present at least a part of our activity. However, we are also for you for the remaining 364 days of the year – we are currently preparing upcoming events: the March Liturgical Retreat for Families, the August Extraordinary Music Workshop, the September Mysterium fascinans retreat, and a number of other pastoral, publishing and music projects. We invite you to follow us on Facebook and leave us your email address to receive top news.
Below we present the entire photo gallery from this year’s Open Day by Tomasz Bańbur.
