From 24th to 26th May 2025, at the Shrine of Kalwaria Pacławska, situated in the picturesque Eastern Carpathians of Poland, celebrations were held for the 800th anniversary of the composition of the Canticle of Brother Sun by St Francis of Assisi. The entire event was attended by the Provincial Ministers of the ten Polish Franciscan Provinces, together with the friars of the Czech and Slovak entities.
Gathered to give thanks to God for the gift of creation, they published a common message in which they ask for the intercession of our Seraphic Father Francis to help them to constantly recognise the presence of the Creator in every creature and to praise Him together with all of nature. The message reads: "Help us to love the world as You love it... Give us the courage to recognise that we are not the masters of creation, but its sisters and brothers, called to care for it. Inspire us to be humble and persevering men in the reconstruction of the Church and the world, which in so many places is in need of healing and renewal'.
During the three-day celebration, the brothers raised their hymns of praise using the words of St Francis, thanking God for the sun and moon, for water and fire, for the earth, flowers and grass, for those who forgive and bear with patience, and also for bodily death. Prayers were held in the basilica, along the chapel paths, at the chapel near the Polish-Ukrainian border and on the church square, where two jubilee trees were planted: St Francis and St Clare. Each day, provincial ministers and Franciscan bishops celebrated Mass.
The commemorative homilies were delivered by Br Wojciech Kulig OFMConv, president of the Federation of Central-Eastern Europe of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual, Mgr Damian Muskus OFM, auxiliary bishop of Krakow, and Mgr Piotr Kleszcz OFMConv, auxiliary bishop of Łódź. The Jubilee also offered a moment of reflection on integral ecology and the Christian response to environmental and social crises. The invited speakers addressed these issues with great competence: Prof. Zbigniew Wróblewski (Catholic University of Lublin), Br. Stanisław Jaromi OFMConv - philosopher and ecologist, Bishop Damian Muskus OFM - evangelist and author, Agata Chmura - educator at the Natura 2000 Centre in Myczkowce, Grzegorz Hop - tour guide and environmental educator.
The participants also had the opportunity to learn about the natural and spiritual value of the Kalwaria Pacławska region and Pogórze Przemyskie. During the meeting, the jubilee volume was also presented: "Time for Gratitude. For the care of the world - our common home. A guide to the Franciscan jubilee of the 800th anniversary of the Canticle of Brother Sun (1225-2025)".
Amongst the guests of honour were also representatives of the Franciscan herbalist tradition: Br Łukasz Ścieszka, director of the Franciscan Herbalist Shop in Rychwałd, and Br Tomasz Tęgowski, phytotherapist of the Centre for Monastic Medicine ‘Medicina Monasterialis’ in Elbląg. They shared their experience and presented the products of traditional monastic medicine. To crown the celebrations, the ‘Formica’ theatre company of the Franciscan Academic Pastoral of Krakow presented a play prepared especially for the occasion, inspired by the spirituality and gratitude of St Francis for the gift of creation.
