On Saturday, 1 June 2013, the fields by the shores of Lednica Lake (Greater Polish Region) will host the 17th Lednica Youth Meeting with the theme, "In the Name of the Father." The focus is on ‘fatherhood’, both the divine and the human.
According to the organiser and founder of the meeting, Fr Jan Góra, OP, "It will be about fatherhood, because God is our heavenly Father and we all have biological fathers, and also because one day we will all become fathers and mothers. This is an important topic that emphasis the fact that God himself is the source of life". Fr Góra also stressed that, "the theme should engender a lot of interest because every sane person ponders and wonders about his future, what he need to do about it and what he would pass onto his children”.
During this year's meeting, we have also planned the tango performance in honour of Pope Francis. Each person will dance individually, and their dance partner will be the Lord God himself. "Out of this tango we want to create a meditative prayer. This is the greatest gift we can give young people ". The idea of the "Tango Francesco" - as the Lednica dance is already called - came to life on the evening of the 13th of March, just after the conclave that elected the new pope - Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who took the name, Francis.
The highlight of the worship will be the solemn Mass presided over by the Polish Primate, Archbishop Józef Kowalczyk. The homily will be delivered by the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Kraków, Grzegorz Ryś. The organizers are expected a large number of priests to concelebrate at the Mass. As a souvenir, they will receive a red priestly stole with the emblem of Lednica on it which shows the figure of John Paul II leading a girl and a boy through the gate in the shape of a fish - the symbol of the early Christians.
The special guests at this year's vigil by the Third Millennium Gate will be the nuns of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Servants of Mary. The religious order was founded in the mid-nineteenth century by the unmarried catholic layman from the Greater Polish Region - Bl. Edmund Bojanowski. "He did not have a family of his own but he was more of a father to many than those who had families of their own" – says Fr Góra about this year’s patron saint. This was why he asked the sisters to take care of abandoned children and orphans.
During the meeting, each participant will receive as a souvenir, a spoon engraved with the words of the Psalm: "you satisfy the desires of every living thing." It symbolises the care and attention which a father bestows upon the family, and that which the children should reciprocate to their parents.
"The Lednica is not just a prayer of dance and singing. It is also a great celebration of the selfless assistance rendered by volunteers. For many years, the Lednica services have been a school of life and responsibility for many young people." Volunteers maintain order, security, and the infrastructure on the site for more than a hundred thousand people.
The preparation for the next meeting begins immediately after the previous one. The members of the “Lednica Movement” operating from the Dominican convent in Poznań are working on the details of the program and also seeking for sponsors. This year they are also organizing singing workshops. In addition to the workshops, the youths will also be able to have common prayers, study of the Pope’s address and have integration meetings.
This Lednica meeting opens the three-year program which focuses on God - God the Father in 2013, God the Son in 2014 and God the Holy Spirit in 2015. These are in line with the preparations for the two important anniversaries of the year 2016: the 1050th anniversary of the baptism of Poland and the 800th anniversary of the foundation of the Order of Preachers.
For the first time in 1997, the Dominican friar invited the youth to the fields of Lednica - the site where Prince Mieszko I is believed to have been baptised. He is the ruler who started the Christianisation of Poland. Now every year in early June, tens of thousands of young people from Poland and abroad gather there to commemorate this occurrence. John Paul II was the first patron of the meetings who addressed a message to the young people. Benedict XVI continued this custom. Fr Jan Góra announced that he would ask the new Pope to send a message to the youth of Lednica just like his predecessors.
Lednica is much more than just an annual meeting place for young people. At the fields of Lednica, there is also a pastoral centre for the formation of those involved the pastoral care. There are regular series of retreats, both for specific groups (eg in July - Rally of Eagles - for secondary and university students) and as well as groups from schools and parishes who enrol themselves individually.
As participants of the Lednica Movement say, "at Lednica we grow together and mature in Christianity, we learn to live according to the values that we can pass on to the future generations."
