During its meeting on 14 October 2017 in Lublin the Polish Episcopal Conference issued a new instruction on church music which has been being introduced in the Polish dioceses since that day. It is worthwhile to mention that the former and the first Instruction of the Polish Episcopate on Liturgical Music after the 2nd Vatican Council was issued in 1979, be the result of the conciliar revival of liturgy and music incorporated in it. This first instruction was approved in the context of post-conciliar reform, and from the time perspective it proved its expediency although in certain points it was certainly not uniformly and fully observed whereas in others somewhat outdated. The new Instruction of the Polish Episcopal Conference on Church Music was preconditioned by the church musicians from all over Poland who are the members of the Association of Church Musicians, and was later perfected by the Sub-Commission of Church Music of the Polish Episcopal Conference. To produce the Instruction in its final form the voices of the bishops responsible for the liturgy and music in the Polish dioceses were carefully considered. Preparation of the new Instruction lasted over 5 years and it is history which will judge whether all the matters were properly dealt with. We can say with absolute certainty that no instruction is able to resolve all the problems which occur in the daily preparation of liturgy and liturgical music. However, the instruction has surely every chance to re-settle certain matters of the entire Polish Church which is what probably the bishops were counting on while approving this document. The new Instruction consists of 12 chapters, introduction and summary. It encompass 66 points with numerous sub-points. The successive chapters are: I. General Rules; II. Musical Functions in Liturgy; III. Music in the Liturgy of the Holy Mass; IV. Music in Liturgical Year; V. Singing the Liturgy of the Hours; VI. Music in the Liturgy of the Holy Sacraments and Sacramentals and during Services; VII. Music in Liturgy Broadcast by Media; VIII. Instrumental Music; IX. Songbooks and Supporting Materials; X. Concerts of Religious Music; XI. Musical Education and Formation; XII. Commissions of Sacred Music and Other Supporting Organizations. All of these issues are thoroughly discussed in the Instruction with a very important note at the end, in which we can read: “[…] the bishops encourage the Polish Association of Church Musicians to prepare a detailed commentary to this Instruction, amongst those the most desirable ones seem to all explanations and focus on all the aspects of the pastoral care of the Church for sacred music” (Instruction of the Polish Episcopal Conference on Church Music, no. 64). The above mentioned note seem particularly important due to the fact that it is impossible to include everything in one document so as to make it substantive and concise. Therefore the Polish Association of Church Musicians, which initiated this new norm in the Polish Church, is about to add the required commentary. It seems a good and proper way of procedure. This article presents the New Instruction in its entirety so as to demonstrate its tremendous role. It also discusses the problems included in the said document. The choice of the subject and its rendition in the jubilee book of Rev. Professor Antoni Reginek PhD Habilitatus stem from the fact that the jubilee celebrator is one of the creators of the Instruction – first as the Chairman of the Polish Association of Church Musicians, then as a Consultant of the Sub-Commission for Church Music – thus it seems perfectly logical that the topic is meaningful and important to him. The author’s wish is to make this article a peculiar kind of tribute paid to the Reverend Professor himself and the token of immense gratitude for Rev. Reginek’s knowledgeability, benevolence and inestimable, friendly and long-lasting cooperation to be hopefully continued in the future.

Musical tradition of a whole church is invalueable, dominanting over other artistic forms, mainly because church singing is connected withwords (lyrics) and is an integral part of a solemn liturgy. Sacral music has evaluated togerher with the whole Roman Catholic Church for over two thousand years. To enhance the effectiveness of prayers and liturgic activitives an emotional state of its faithful is essential and a perfect goal to achieve it is to choose a suitable music. Polish dictionary defines culture as a whole achievement of humanity created in historic development or in one particular epoch. In modern ethnology and anthropology as a main factor making a culture is human activity in a general context. Ecclesial song appeared in Poland onlywhen chorale stopped being considered as an elite phenomenon. It was then that the lower classes started to participate actively in a church mess and ecclesial music gained a huge popularity. Singing in Polish slowly and with diffuculty made its way to a liturgy. Parishes, running different forms of cultural education, should provide for their believers’ needs, by professional preperations for liturgy where music andsinging is an integral and inseperable part.

The paper presents the issue of the language of music which is a very important element of liturgical celebration. First section of the article is focused on music as one of the most important components of culture and a subtle way of communication. Music has been present in human life from the beginning, during work, play and free time. Surly it was combined from the beginning with dance and words. Originally it served for practical purposes – it helped with group work as a form of communication. Later it became also element of common identity, and with time it was part of the arts.
Next part of the article is concentrated on the role of music in liturgy of the Church. Since the Apostolic Age it has been treated as a gift of the Holy Spirit, like preaching kerygma. Religious music is an art which takes its inspiration from God’s subject, His revelation in the world or different forms of religious life of the community of faith. Today, according to the teachings of II Vatican Council, the liturgy not only should be open for music from its nature, but it should demand it. Liturgical music is not only an ornament of the celebration, but it should be integrated with holy rites.
In the final part of the article, some pastoral proposition are presented which should contribute to rising up of the purpose of liturgical music: God’s glory, sanctifying of faithful and building of the community of the Church.

The author of the article has analyzed protocols (files) of the general chapters as well as protocols from visitations to monasteries of the Canons Regular of the Lateran (CRL) in the Kraków Province between 1781 and 1861. The protocols are currently in the archives of the Pauline Fathers in Częstochowa (ms. 253 and ms. 254), where they were placed after the dissolution of monasteries ordered by the Russian authorities following the January Uprising. This article centers on topics related to music which are present in the documents mentioned above. The author identified the following two topics: A) performance of liturgical music; B) people involved in the music culture: Gregorian chant teachers, organists as well as anonymous figures. Several dozen notes in both manuscripts demonstrate concern of the Canons Regular for the quality of music in their monasteries.

Royal Catholic Teacher Seminars, which first appeared at the beginning of the 19^th century as a result of Prussian educational reform, took on an important mission of training future organists. Therefore in many Silesian parishes of the 19^th and the first half of the 20^th centuries it was a common practice for teachers to be organists at the same time. As it is shown by the experiences of Upper Silesia, teacher seminars were the source of highly qualified church musicians. This resulted from the commitment of very good and skilful music teachers who produced remarkable graduates that later became important figures in Silesian tradition of church music.
Among teacher seminars of Upper Silesia that played the most important role in the field of church music particularly noteworthy are the seminars in Pilchowice and Pyskowice. The seminar in Pilchowice existed from 1867 to 1921. Music teachers there were Theophil Halama, Richard Kügele, Wilhelm Osburg, Viktor Kotalla and Franz Werner. The most famous graduates of this seminar in the field of music were Ryszard Gillar, Karol Hoppe and Karl Bauch.
The seminar in Pyskowice functioned from 1849 to 1922. Its most prominent music teachers were Józef Nachbar, Paul Gaide, Erdmann Emanuel Wittor, Paul Woehl, Hans Cisner and Vinzenz Laska. Among many graduates of this seminar were Max Borowka, Paul Kraus, Wilhelm Masse, Ernst Gratza, Franz Leischner, Erich Lokay and already mentioned Erdmann Emanuel Wittor.

The article deals with the activites of Father Robert Gajda (1890–1952) in Kłodzko land in the years 1917–1924. It is based on heretofore unknown source materials from the priest’s personal file in the record office of the former Grand Deanery of Kłodzko as well as mentions in the local press. Father Gajda started his pastoral activities in the county of Kłodzko in mid 1917, when he became chaplain in Ludwikowice Kłodzkie. There he gained a reputation as a zealous priest loved by his parishioners. In the years 1919–1924 he was chaplain in Stary Wielisław, where he combined his priestly duties with academic studies at the Silesian Conservatory in Wrocław as well as activities as a composer. He created 16 of his first works in Stary Wielisław, the most well-known among them being Missa ”Regina pacis”. Those works were mostly performed in Stary Wielisław, but also in Kłodzko and Lądek-Zdrój. Father Gajda also created an arrangement for choir and orchestra to be performed at the mystery plays of the Lord’s Passion in Gorzanów in 1922. He was also involved in the activities of the Cecilian Society of the County of Kłodzko.

The Book of Songs of Katowice Archdiocese, published in 2000 by Rev. Professor Antoni Reginek, contains 9 songs of praise to the Holy Trinity in the collection in which they are numbered from 197 to 205. Compared with other collections of church songs, it is placed as the second in row as far as the quantity of such works is concerned. The biggest collection of songs of praise to the Holy Trinity is the Evangelical Book of Songs (Bielsko-Biała 2002) with a number of eleven songs. Following The Book of Songs of Katowice Archdiocese is the book The Way to Heaven (Droga do nieba, Opole 2006) with six songs and The Hymn Book by Rev. Jan Siedlecki (Kraków 2017) with five songs of praise to the Holy Trinity. The texts of the analyzed songs can be divided into three formal genres: antiphonies, hymns, and stanza songs. Their content is bound up by descriptions of the nature of the Holy Trinity (Divinity and Unity), internal relations (creation, origin, and inspiration) and the external action (creation, salvation and devotion). The language of the songs is rich with metaphors and poetics that approximates the mystery of God. Musically, the songs are characterized by the noble simplicity. The melody in majority of them is held in key major and in two cases one can find references to church modes. Four are held in 4/4 meter, and two in duple meter, which reinforces the musical illustration of the Holy Trinity mystery. The ambitus of the songs accommodates to the average human voice capacity and varies from the largest one containing the eleventh (203) to the smallest one in the interval of the sixth (199, 202). The examples of particularly vital songs can be: the Silesian Hymn Te Deum Laudamus or We praise you God (199) and the song The Undivided and Holy Trinity (202). This hymn is known and sung in all parishes of the archdiocese (paradoxically in all churches it is sung in the meter different from 3/4). The second song, apart from the melodic variation placed in the collection (counter-facture to the morning song When the morning stars are awake [549] and the evening hymn All our daily matters [553]) has its original version which functions in the living musical tradition in the Silesian Chełm parish.

The origin of the Eucharistic hymns, including Adoro te devote of Saint Thomas Aquinas was the fruit of the Eucharistic devotion developed in the Middle Ages, which was manifested by the desire to see the Host and the establishment of the Feast of Corpus Christi. Research on the original anthem in Latin has collected three of its versions: Adoro te deuote, latens ueritas; Adoro te devote, latens Deitas; Adoro these supplex latens Deitas. It seems, however, that most of translations have Adoro te devote, latens Deitas as a model. Author of the study found 7 versions of the translations of this hymn. They are preserved in collections of varying provenance, both temporal and territorial.Translations generally differ in the size of the verses. Are used texts included 11-, 12- and 13-syllable. The stanzas are 4-line, with female rhymes, perfect and contiguous: aabb. The number of versions of the hymn Adoro te devote in Polish translation testifies to the great popularity of this hymn among the faithful.

The article presents an analysis of the expressions according to communicatio idiomatum in the texts of the Lenten songs contained in the Liturgical Songbook ‘Niepojęta Trójco’ (‘Mysterious Trinity’) (vol. 1) published by the Dominican Liturgical Centre. Expressions of this kind appear in about 1/3 of the songs and almost all of them have a descending character (properties, states, typically human activities are attributed to the subject identified by the name or the title referring to divinity). It does not seem that the Christological and dogmatic carrying capacity of this kind of expressions was the main purpose of their use by the authors. Rather, it was about the rhetorical attractiveness of their paradoxical character.

The parable of the vineyard (Mk 12,1–12) is an image of God’s dealing with His people. This image is well known form the Old Testament texts, especially from Isaiah’s song (Is 5,1–7). The paper is aimed at investigating the both similarities and differences between the prophetic text and Jesus’ parable. The parallels can be seen in the use of metaphorical language, figures of speech and rhetorical devices. However, Jesus’ parable does not develop in the same way the image present in Isaiah’s song. According to the prophetic text it is the vineyard, which is failed; according to the Gospel the tenants. In Isaiah the vineyard is destroyed, but in the parable it is delivered to new tenants. Isaiah’s message is about God’s punishment of His people, which is definitive; Jesus’ teaching brings hope for God’s salvation in the resurrection of His Son.

The first marriage of David had been eventful from the very beginning. It reached a dramatic climax when Michal despised her husband because of his dance during transportation of the Ark to Jerusalem. This article examines how an act of devotion (David’s dance) may influence the relationship between spouses.

Christian existence is an implication of Christological orthodoxy and only in this light of the (Christological) truth it is of redemptive significance. Its shape depends on the answer to the question: who is Jesus, in essence? However, it is only possible to recognise Lord through our personal engagement, which is excellently expressed in the closeness to Him, contemplation and consent to His action. As an act of the whole existence, watching the Pierced (Crossed) leads us to recognize the truth about God in Christ, at the same time opening the way to imitate Him. The message of the Gospel is something more than a moral imperative; the obligation does not result here from individual conviction, but the reality – the taste and sense of life – has been changed irreversibly and redemptively. 

Today’s times exhibit the important transformations in Polish christianity. It’s easy to see a leaving from the faith transmitted by the tradition and customs (folk faith). It’s not always the change in direction the faith chosen and consciously experienced. Some catholics do not practise the faith, limiting it to external rites which have more to do with a culture than a real faith (rites Christmas or Easter). It’s true a lof of catholics or other christians (orthodox, lutherans, reformed) limit their faith to piety’s rites without the connecting with their life (their faith is Sunday service only).
In the Catholic Church you may have noticed two trends. First there are misusages in folk piety, many a time deformed theologically.
Second trend, ever more increasing in Poland and other Catholic countries, it’s the charismatic and evangelistic renewal of the Church, often connected with pentecostal experiences. It is associated with the charismatic awakening in the Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council and it fits to the evangelical model of the renewal of the Church and the Papal call to the new evangelization.
New times bring new practices which more than once are more expected and popular than traditional devotions in churches (the rosary, the service in first Tuesday and passion devotions). You can indicate the following pastoral activities: evangelizations, meetings with prayer for healing, worship concerts, charismatic prayers. At the same time you can noted a increased interest in Bible, a reading the word of God everyday and the necessity personal declaration Jesus as the Saviour and the Lord.
This new religious culture converts an image of the Church, religion, faith. The Church becomes nearer to apostolic community. Those spiritual phenomena and practices insist on an appropriate theological, sociological evaluation and quite often psychological too. Anyways this charismatic and evangelistic spirituality contributes to the creating of the conscious and deeper implemented faith.

In the new and uncomfortable situation Christians sometimes adopt two equally ineffective attitudes: liberal modernism and religious integralism. Following Emmanuel Mounier (1905–1950) I start my analysis with a reflection on “the space” of modernism – a situation of a Christian subjected to “the world outside”, a victim of alleged modernity and scientistic rationalism. Next I analyse religious integralism, which is blind acceptance of doctrines and articles of faith without any proof. This attitude approves, to some extent, the status quo and treats it as something irreversible. In my conclusion I present my conviction that the area of personalistic thinking is Christianity rooted in the Paschal mystery of Christ and at the same time involved one, participating in human affairs, open to the question of meaning of human existence.

We are living in a multi-standard culture. These are usually legal provisions. The number of bureaucratic regulations is also great. Each institution is created by numerous legislation processes. There are also, known for centuries, moral norms. Each type of morality has its own structure of norms and behaviour principles. Since the end of the 19^th century situational ethics and moral relativism have been spreading in the western culture. It questions the existence of universal and commonly applicable moral norms. The God’s commandments (Decalogue) are particularly negated. It is often said about selective obeying the Ten Commandments. That is why it is urgently needed to remind the binding power of The Commandments. Of course, the Ten Commandments should be interpreted in the context of the New Testament. Today, at the core of this interpretation, there lies a christological criterion. It means that all of the Ten Commandments (lex naturalis, Decalogue, lex evangelica) are being fulfilled in the two Great Commandments of the love of God and neighbour. A visible example of not complying with the Commandments is the culture of death that exists nowadays. It is a sign of not only atheism but also the destruction of humanity.

The article briefly discusses the situation of Italian youth from a sociological perspective. An analysis of the available literature of the subject was used to outline some of the phenomena among the young people seen in the following dimensions: religiousness, work, school, family. The research based on content analysis of selected italian scientific journals was conducted in 2017. The author tries to answer the question about the echoes of World Youth Day Krakow 2016 which can be observed in scientific studies in Italy. Three detailed research questions were proposed.

In the five provinces of the Order of Friars Minor in Poland the Franciscan youth ministry is realized in different forms and according to various concepts arising from the historical conditions as well as from reading the signs of our times in the Church. Each of the provinces realizes its own project of pastoral activity among young people. This article presents short characteristics of the Franciscan youth groups gathering mainly young people attending high schools. After presentation of the groups, taking into account the selected conclusions and postulates that appear in the Order’s document of 2002 entitled “Directions of Ministry of Vocations. Come and See”, and referring to The Preparatory Document for the 15th Ordinary General Assembly of Synod of Bishops on “Youth, Faith and Vocational Discernment” the most important tasks and challenges these groups are facing have been described.

Pope Francis, concerned about the future of the young people has summoned the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops devoted to the young people that will be held in October 2018. In the Preparatory Document he has invited, among others, the consecrated people to work with him and try to answer the important questions: How to help young people to meet Jesus? How to help them to develop their faith and discern their vocation?
It seems that nuns, friars and monks may support the pastoral activity of the Holy Father by sharing the wealth of their community life. In this thesis, apart from the wealth of charisms and the heritage of the saint founders of religious congregations and orders the liturgical life of monasteries and convents has been especially underlined. New appreciation of the monastic liturgy by the ongoing formation as well as opening the liturgy, usually locked in monastic enclosure, to the young people, is a precious contribution to the evangelization.
Therefore the author of the thesis focuses on silence, praying the Liturgy of Hours, the Holy Mass of the communities, the liturgical books and calendars and the ceremonies that accompany entering particular stages of monastic formation. It all constitutes the wealth, which the consecrated people living in cloisters, following the example of Mary of Bethany, want to present anew to the young people in the evangelic way. They want to do all of that in order for the young people to be able to recognize the God in the beauty of monastic liturgy, to believe in Him more deeply, and o discern where He wants to send them.

At the beginning of this article, we stated that the sanctuary is not only a hieron, or temple as such, a temple like many others, but it is naos, or place of God’s special presence, a place specially chosen by him and for this reason exceptional for us. If today we are remembering these elementary matters that should characterize every temple, we do it because we need to draw patterns from the sanctuaries. „While the reform of the Liturgy desired by the Second Vatican Council, can be considered already in progress, the pastoral promotion of the Liturgy constitutes a permanent commitment to draw ever more abundantly from the riches of the Liturgy that vital force which spreads from Christ to the members of his Body which is the Church” (John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Vicesimus quintus annus, No. 10).
We wanted to not only recall the theology of the sanctuary, but also to draw the attention of the readers to the fact that there is still a great work to do in the field of well-understood and organized liturgical pastoral care – especially with regard to sanctuaries. Much in this area – as we have tried to show in the course of this study – is to be done. In this work, however, we count on a model and appealing example of our sanctuaries. If sanctuaries are to play an important role in the life of the Church, they should be properly organized in terms of the personal, local, and liturgical.
Let us wish that they are really organized and that they can radiate to the whole Church through the pilgrims who come to them. Veneration in our shrines must be revived and aroused. In the case of some sanctuaries, the pilgrimages organized for them have already disappeared. And sanctuaries fulfill their function only when they attract pilgrims. Therefore, the conviction that veneration in sanctuaries should be enlivened by organizing pilgrimages to them on various occasions is of particular importance.

The jitters as a fear of public speach is spreading over many people – including the preachers.
This article is based mainly on the rhetoric and homiletic publications of German author Albert Damblon. The problem of the jitters isn’t noted in the contemporary Polish homiletics.
The author of the article has talked over the term, signs and reasons causing that the jitters occurs – and then has presented different ways to counteract it. The preacher should accept this form of anxiety and use it in a creative way. The main way to counter the effects of jitters is the careful preparation of homily, sermon, conference. Very important is also the spiritual preparation that includes prayer and meditation. The jitters has also its theological dimension. So turning to the hearers with true love and carying about their spiritual welfare the preacher will draw the light and power from Divine Spirit – allowing him to improve the Divine Word ministry and overcome the jitters.