„Dzień dobry”, „Dobry wieczór”, „Cześć”, „Witaj”.
In our language — which for many sounds like a soft rustle of consonants — all of these greetings work just as well to welcome those arriving in Krakow, at all hours of the day and night, for the General Chapter of the Order.
To say that brothers are coming from many corners of the world is to say very little. This Chapter gathers the provincials — the major superiors of all provinces across the globe — and the world, as we know, is rather large.
From Airport to Priory
So how do citizens of such distant lands find their way to the Krakow priory once they’ve landed? First, after stepping off the plane and passing through the necessary checks, they’re met by waiting brothers. These brothers make regular runs to the airport to greet each new participant. Recognizing one another isn’t difficult — despite linguistic and cultural differences, we share one habit, always the same. One glance is enough to know: that’s a brother.
From there, everything runs under the careful eye of the locals. They know whom to call and which road to take. The journey from the airport to the priory takes, at best, half an hour — just enough time to learn a few basic Polish phrases and exchange some warm words. And if the conversation doesn’t wrap up in the car — and brothers, being brothers, tend to be talkative — it continues naturally in the priory’s refektarz. There, at any hour of day or night, something to eat is waiting. It’s also a perfect moment to learn two useful words: „smacznego”, a wish that the meal will be enjoyed, and „dziękuję”, a simple gesture of gratitude.
Settling In
The final step is showing the guest to the place where he’ll be living for the next few weeks. Some of the provincials, along with the Master, translators, and members of the General Curia, will stay in the priory itself — though as hospitable as it is, it cannot accommodate all Chapter participants. The others will be staying in a nearby hotel and walking each day to the priory for prayers, sessions, and meals.
The author of these notes sincerely hopes that the weather in Krakow will soon improve — so that we may once again enjoy bright, sunny mornings. These short walks between the hotel and the priory would then become not only a daily routine, but also a welcome chance to breathe deeply and admire the Old Town, which last hosted a General Chapter back in 2004.
Communication Office of the General Chapter of Provincial Priors
Krakow, July 17, 2025
Photographs by: @dominikanie.pl
