The winter school break in Poland has come to an end, making it a good moment to summarize the event “Winter Holidays with the Redemptorists 2026.”
This year, we organized three vocation retreats for young men: in Kraków, Lubaszowa, and Bardo. Altogether, eighty young people from across Poland and beyond took part. Six participants traveled from the Polish Catholic Mission in Stuttgart to Bardo together with Father Rafał Nowak.
In Kraków, 20 young men participated in the retreat. It was led by Fr. Wacław Zyskowski, CSsR, the Prefect of our Major Seminary, and we were also accompanied by our seminarians. In Lubaszowa, 30 participants from Laser Poland and Toruń attended. This retreat was led by Fr. Przemysław Ilski, CSsR, a missionary from Poznań, and our novices were also present to accompany the group. The final meeting, held in Bardo, brought together young people from the Lublin region, Podkarpacie, Silesia, and even Stuttgart (Germany). Fr. Rafał Nowak led this series of retreats there.
We would like to thank all the confreres who were involved in organizing these retreats and who helped young people from their parishes take part in this vocational experience. It was a good and fruitful time for everyone. As one participant wrote: “The retreat in Kraków was very valuable and fruitful for me… I will remember it for a long time and will definitely return.”
You can find more information on our website: www.barka.redemptor.pl.
The Youth and Vocation Ministry of the Polish Redemptorists operates in individual parishes and, at the provincial level, as the Centre for Youth Ministry and Redemptorist Vocations in Tuchów. For many years, the Centre has organized vocational retreats for young men during the winter and summer holidays, as well as regional vocational weekends in various locations and Redemptorist Youth Days. A large number of young people, both girls and boys, participate in the formation programs and retreats of the Light-Life Movement.
The Centre also animates prayer for vocations in parishes and communities. Over the past year, monthly days of prayer for vocations at the Shrine of Our Lady in Tuchów have grown in popularity. Several times a year, the Centre collaborates with Redemptorist Radio Maryja and TV Trwam to prepare programs dedicated to young people and vocations.
For the past three years, at the turn of June and July, the Centre has organized and animated a two-day walking pilgrimage from various locations to Tuchów, praying for the intentions of young people and vocations. In 2025, approximately 1,300 people participated in the pilgrimage.
Fr. Artur Pruś, CSsR.
Youth and Vocational Redemptorist Ministry in the Province of Warsaw
