The article presents the results of an analysis of the meanings of the terms "synodality" and "synodal" in the document A Synodal Church in Mission, which is a synthesis report of the first session of the synod on synodality, that is the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (October 28, 2023). The use of the examined terms is characterized by little explicitness, and the actual meanings of synodality found in the document are: (1) one of the dimensions of the nature of the Church, (2) the style of functioning of church communities, (3) the way of functioning of specific institutions in the Church, (4) a theological hermeneutical principle.

Jerome's correspondence with people from various social groups played an important role in his work. In this study, only letters addressed to clergy were analyzed in order to indicate what advice the Doctor of the Church gives them. The conclusions reached point to two types: warnings and encouragements. In this way, Jerome leads the clergy of his time to remove or avoid vices from their lives and to practice virtues. The research also showed that the teaching addressed to clergy contained in Strydonian's letters cannot be considered a complete form of a rule of life.

The presented article concerns the issue of man’s justification before God in John Calvin’s Christianae religionis institutio and in the main works of selected Polish Calvinists. This issue is related to the doctrine of predestination, i.e. the eternal predestination of man by God to salvation or damnation. Justification in Calvinist doctrine is related to Christology and soteriology. It therefore takes place before Jesus Christ, or more precisely, with the mercy flowing from his Cross. According to Calvin, there is also a close connection between justification and sanctification of man. It was noted that the problem of justification was the axis
of considerations at the Council of Trent, whose judgments in this matter were used by Calvin. The works of outstanding Calvinists, such as Mikołaj Rej, Grzegorz from Żarnowiec or Jakub Niemojewski, expanded the analysis of the doctrine of justification and predestination.

This article shows the symbolism of the Cross from the perspective of the liturgy. First, we will refer to the cross as a symbol, presenting its types and the history of its use in the Liturgy. In order to properly understand the meaning of the presence of the cross in the liturgy, it seems strongly justified to first present the sign of the cross itself, its role in the Church of the first Christians and its origin, as well as the multitude of images and symbols that have been created on the basis of the cross in the course of history. Historically, the Cross began to be used in the liturgy as a procession at the end of the 5th century, while its placement on the altar dates back to the 11th century. The first mention of a cross placed directly on the altar table can be dated to the mid-5th century, but this concerns the East Syrian Church and there is no evidence of a similar custom in the Roman Church at that time. this custom will appear in the West later. The cross with the image of the martyred Christ, recalling the Passion of the Lord in the space of the presbytery, both on the altar and near it, is a clear and necessary sign for every believer.

In this article, the author presents a model of the functioning of Polish-speaking pastoral ministry in the Diocese of Brooklyn. This part of the New York metropolitan area is currently the most populated by Poles. The article presents the origins of emigration from Poland to the United States and its subsequent stages. The origins of pastoral ministry provided in the Polish language in the area and its subsequent rapid development are also presented, as evidenced by the establishment of many ethnic parishes at the turn of the 20th century, which were funded by Polish emigrants themselves. The metamorphosis of this pastoral ministry from pre-existing ethnic parishes to multicultural parishes, where the liturgy is celebrated in several different languages, is also shown. This transformation is shown in the context of social and migratory changes. The article also shows that the care for Polish migrants in the Diocese of Brooklyn, despite the changes taking place, has always been and continues to be carried out according to the documents and indications of the Universal Church.

The purpose of the study is to synthetically present the activities of the Social Councils of the Bishops of Katowice Herbert Bednorz (1967-1985), Damian Zimoń (1985-2011) and Wiktor Skwoc (2011-2023). The functioning of these councils will be placed against the theology of the laity and the apostolate of the laity, the historical background of the Council's activities will be outlined, and their composition, mode of functioning, course of work and significant documents will be presented. This structure is dictated by both historical-documentary and theological-pastoral considerations so that in learning about what has been accomplished, inspiration can be found to improve the forms of commitment and future cooperation of clergy and laity for the common good.

From the very beginning of evangelization, Christians, although with varying intensity, have tried to maintain a high level of clarity in preaching. Over the centuries, they have encountered different languages, cultures and nations, which generated new words, expressions, translations, illustrations and examples contained in statements, and new references to the constantly changing reality. These forms persisted and were passed on to subsequent generations, but some of them became communicatively ineffective over time, which is why Christians were constantly looking for new forms, and this process continues to this day. Pope Francis makes similar choices. He is looking for new tangents between the Gospel and people's everyday lives. The article attempts to show the intensity with which the Pope does this and analyzes the process of updating the word of God carried out by the Pope.