Vincentian Priests and Brothers

May 1 and 2 each year, are days of joy and entertainment  filled with songs heard from everywhere and crowds of young people from all parts of Poland, from Vincentian parishes and many otherpalces,  seen all around the Stradom House in Kraków. On these days VINCENTIANA - Festival of Religious Song for young performers takes place here. This year it celebrates 25th edition.      It’s theme this year are words from the Letter to Romans: “I am not ashamed of the gospel” (1:16)

The idea of VINCENTIANA - Religious Song Festival sprang up in 1984 in the Vincentian seminary in Kraków. Seminarians wanted to start song contest based on Vincentian themes to help read and animate heritage left by St. Vicnet de Paul, founder of the Congregation . First release took place in December 1984 and was limited to seminary students only. Another religious song show was organized in 1986 and it was the first time when non-seminary performers participated turning the event from small inside seminary performance to few day long VINCENTIANA - Religious Song Festival. Common prayer and Eucharist are in the center of the event attached by the song contest.

Vincentiana Festival is a kind of gathering in order to worship God in prayer, music performances.  Competition is very important part of the event but not aimed at winning it just for victory but it is more focused on common entertainement, mutual assistance and evaluation of participants skills, not only the musical ones. God is the foundatation of the gathering according to Christ’s words: “who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.” (Luke 6: 47b-48).

Participants come from many parishes and communities from all over Poland. Theot number increases year by year. Most of them returns in anotehr year remembering the unique atmosphere, being thnakful for Vincentian hospitality and chance to meet new people. The Festival helps young people to meet and share their faith and their joy of being Christians and gives chance to show them charism of St. Vincent de Paul. Some of the particapants from previous editions returned to this place to follow the Vincentina way of life as candidates for priesthood.

More to read and see visiting VINCENTIANA official website (in Polish)