Liturgical prayer, spiritual teachings and a solid dose of reliable knowledge provided in an accessible way – this is how Tomasz Piegsa, a longtime participant, says about Mysterium fascinans retreats. Although outside the window the holiday sun is still scorching weary pilgrims and tourists, September is inexorably approaching. And if September, then another edition of the Mysterium fascinans retreat.
Year-on-year – 15 years already
– The retreat has been held since 2008, says Michał Wsiołkowski, project coordinator, traditionally, every year in September. The idea was born from the initiative of Krzysztof Poros, who started their organization as a cleric of the Krakow seminar. So far, meetings have been held in retreat centers in Skomielna Czarna, Bystra, Zembrzyce, and for several years, liturgy enthusiasts have been invited to the building of the Higher Theological Seminary in Krakow, at the foot of Wawel Castle.
– Earlier editions covered topics such as the history of the liturgy, the Constitution on the Holy Liturgy “Sacrosanctum concilium”, individual groups of sacraments, liturgical spirituality or the Liturgy of the Hours. The last two topics aroused particular interest: “Architecture and art of the Christian church” and “Liturgical nut to crack” – in the last year we focused on topics that raise the most doubts in current discussions.
“Why do I need this liturgy?”
– As St. Leo the Great, “what was visible in our Savior passed into his sacraments”. The liturgical life of the community of believers, celebrating both the sacraments and the sacramentals as well as the liturgy of the hours, is precisely experiencing the presence of Christ in a concrete, tangible everyday life – notes Father Łukasz Miśko, president of the foundation organizing the retreat, who emphasizes how important the liturgy is in our lives today.< /p>
– In this sense, the liturgy in its various forms is also the basic, first theology (theologia prima) – the space in which we learn who God is and how He wants to reveal His love in our lives. Celebrating the liturgy also gradually shapes in us the ability to adore, to adore the Creator with every act of our freedom – the ability violated in us by sin and the resulting turning towards ourselves. Liturgy is the best school of looking at God and seeing yourself through His eyes, she adds.
– Liturgy is a divine-human reality and this multi-faceted, human element requires constant reflection: knowledge of the history of liturgical prayer, sensitivity to the language of symbols that the liturgy “speaks”, and finally awareness of the challenges that modernity poses to liturgical formation – these are the reasons why the theme of the liturgy should be one of the most important topics of the spiritual life of the community of believers, Father Miśko argues.
Even in a pandemic
2020 is a moment when everyone stopped for a moment. Even at that time, when the restrictions did not allow participants to gather in the building of the Krakow seminar, the foundation organized an online retreat. With Masses at the end in Warsaw and Krakow.
– Many projects run by our Foundation, such as music workshops or a cantors’ school, require live work, but during the pandemic – like many other institutions – we have learned that online work tools can also work remotely – says the Dominican.
– Although, of course, over time, all our supporters and project participants began to miss meetings and “live” presence. The Foundation implemented a large number of online programs: a concert of music by Fr. Dawid Kusz OP “Jutrznia paschalna”, a seminar on David Fagerberg’s book “Consecrating the World”, as well as the Mysterium fascinans 2020 retreat. Just like during the pandemic, our the goal was to help the faithful be rooted in the live liturgy of the Church in circumstances of limited access to public, community celebrations, so now we want through our projects to help the faithful return and rediscover the power and beauty of the liturgy, especially the one celebrated live.
This is one of the best organized retreats
Retreats are primarily people who each year decide on a joint path of discovering the meanders of the liturgical world. Each of them is delighted with something different during this time.
– This is one of the best organized retreats! – this is what Barbara Batis, a participant of the retreat, says about Mysterium Fascinans. – Each participant is taken care of from the smallest detail, which is the bow that fastens the leash, through accommodation proposals (…), competent speakers, aesthetically presented materials. Interesting people who are happy to talk to participants during breaks are invited. Meeting clergy and representatives of various communities as participants is certainly also a great value. Personally, I am very attracted to the extraordinary attention to the liturgy, again attention to detail – it is good to be able to participate in services, the liturgy of the hours, when it is not done sloppily, on time or carelessly. For me, this is a model of what the liturgy should look like. These retreats do not exhaust their topics, but they are often an inspiration for searching, conversations, meetings in communities.
– The next date of the next retreat is always given and is immediately entered in the calendar – I don’t need to know the topic, because I know it will be good, interesting and on the level. And the great atmosphere of these retreats: you breathe the liturgy here, she adds.
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Nothing is overemphasized and God is the most important
The Mysterium fascinans retreat is a space for everyone. There is no division between laity, priests and religious. Here everyone, in the same way, has the opportunity to share, deepen and discover.
– People from different places and all states come to the retreat: laity, consecrated and clergy, says Monika Lipińska, who has been participating in the retreat since 2012. It is a moving experience to pray and be with people for whom God is important, the diligence of the liturgy is important, thanks to which we give glory to Him, and the theory is important thanks to which we can better understand, celebrate and participate in the liturgy. All these elements are in balance here, nothing is neglected or overemphasized, and the most important is God, from whom we receive everything, for whom we celebrate the liturgy and for whom we come to these retreats.
Balancing intellectual, spiritual and social
The program of the retreat includes not only prayer and celebrations, but also workshops, discussions, panels and lectures. All this makes the participants enter the world of the liturgy both spiritually and intellectually.
– The great value of this retreat for me is the balance of the intellectual, spiritual and social spheres, notes Katarzyna Malska, who has been participating in the retreat for five years.
– Time couldn’t be better arranged for the program on offer – Holy Mass, Adoration, breviary, confession, lectures and informal talks behind the scenes. Mysterium fascinans brings together participants of all ages, with different education, lay people, religious and clergy. No glass separates them from each other, you can talk to everyone. The invited speakers are experts in their field – praises Katarzyna.
I was delighted to discover that I was praying the Holy Mass
The Mysterium fascinas retreat is a space of discovery and experience. Everyone discovers and experiences something completely different in the liturgy.
– I was delighted to discover that I was praying at the Holy Mass, and not at the Holy Mass, as I thought before – reveals Marieta Szymkowiak, a participant. In addition, I have never participated in a retreat before, where each of the speakers had knowledge and was able to pass it on. The desire for prayer and knowledge made me write down the dates of the next retreats in my calendar.
On September 9 in Krakow
– This year’s edition, in addition to the opportunity to immerse yourself in the rhythm of the beautifully performed liturgical prayer of the Church, will be an opportunity to look at the subject of renewal in grace, invites the Dominican Father Łukasz.
– The sacraments of Christian initiation are – at least in principle – an opportunity for the whole family and parish community to re-choose the perspective of faith and more intentional cooperation with God’s grace. During this year’s retreat, we want to look for theological inspirations and share good practices in the field of catechesis, preparation for the sacraments in families and parishes, as well as allow for an in-depth reflection on the impact of these sacraments on the life of a Christian, enabling renewal in grace for each participant – he adds.
This year’s retreat begins on Friday, September 9 – registration will last until the last minute or until the pool of free places is exhausted, at www.mf.org.pl.
