Around 350 children and young people, singing and playing instruments, gathered at the school in Warsaw and simultaneously at the Shrine of Our Lady, the Teacher of Youth, to participate in the ninth edition of the Piarist Choir Festival from 23 to 25 May 2025.
Thirteen parish or school choirs took part, including for the first time this year a choir from the Piarist presence in Zolochiv, Ukraine, and a choir from the neighbouring parish of Łapsze Niżne, run by the Saletinians in Łapsze Wyżne. Other groups came from Elbląg, Łowicz, Poznań, Bolesławiec, Katowice, the parish and school of Rzeszów, and three works in Kraków, namely the school and the parishes of Rakowice and Wieczysta.
The workshops were led by Gabriela Wąsacz – the largest, focused on vocals –; Agnieszka Orawiec – guitars: classical, acoustic, bass, and ukuleles –; Maja Łoziak – string instruments, namely violins and cellos –; Marzena Gałka – flute and saxophone in the wind instrument section –; Tomasz Orawiec – percussion instruments, that is, djembé and cajón.
The participants also took the opportunity to visit the Polish capital. During the Sunday Mass celebrated by Fr. Rafał Roszer, he highlighted the coincidence of two dates: 25 May, which is celebrated monthly as Calasanctian Day, and 26 May, Mother’s Day in Poland. “We are in the house of our Mother, that is, at the Shrine of Our Lady, in the school of the Teacher of children and young people, where we are united by our holy Father, Saint Joseph Calasanz,” said Fr. Rafał.
F. Jacek Wolan, Sch. P.
