The reality of a vocation presupposes the existence of a person calling and being called, as well as a positive response in the form of accepting the call and taking up the consequences that follow. Jesus Christ, being at the same time the Son of God, in his humanity, experienced the reality of vocation on the part of God. The data for its knowledge are contained in the prophetic writings of the Old Testament, especially in the Songs of the Servant of the Lord, which, when subjected to a canonical approach in the reading of Scripture, provide an eloquent key in reading the realisation of Jesus’ mission in the New Testament. At the same time, the New Testament texts contain testimonies in which it is Jesus himself who calls specific people, but with varying results: immediate following, refusal to take up the call or the imposition of preconditions. Also in the very people called, who immediately responded to the call, there was infidelity and abandonment of Jesus in the hour of the trial of the cross. It is significant that after his resurrection, the Lord Jesus called them again and confirmed their apostolic mission.

The aim of this article is to present the culture of vocations, i.e. such a view of a person that enables a given person to discover and implement the unique vocation that God in His love proposes to that person. In the introductory part of the text, the basic concepts of the pastoral care of vocations will be presented. The main part is the analysis of vocational culture. It is about a culture that helps pupils to understand and accept the gift of humanity received from God and to grow up to holiness, that is, to such a measure of maturity in being a human being that is God's desire and which is a condition for discovering and implementing a specific vocation, that is, the vocation to be a spouse and parent, priest or consecrated person. The last part of this article describes such a lifestyle of the pupils in relation to the body, human sexuality, sexuality, moral, spiritual, religious and social spheres, which makes it possible to build a holy humanity in oneself, and thus become someone capable of faithfully fulfilling one's particular vocation.

The issues related to the formation of candidates for the priesthood and the permanent formation of priests are still topical and probably will not cease to be so. The lack of internal integration of the person called is the cause of priestly crises, which affect not only the spiritual but also the emotional-cognitive, relational and even somatic sphere. The problems of the following article focus on some of the causes that hinder the process of personality integration. In order to search for these causes, the context of the psychological functioning of priests was presented, the tendencies revealed in the attitude to psychological examinations in the seminary in alumni, which indicate numerous dissimulations. Incorrect (inconsistent with the truth) self-perception becomes the cause of compensatory behavior, which, in time, can become the cause of crises, diseases or mental disorders.

Pope Francis has spoken many times about the priesthood and his vision of the priest in the new millennium. The essence of the priesthood does not change, but the style, the manner of holding office and the methods of conduct must change according to the new circumstances of life. The figure of the priest and his ministry are always called to "redefine themselves", to be transformed and in some way "converted", according to the spiritual and theological development of the Church, and taking into account the signs of the times present in the concrete life of the People of God. This article is an attempt to capture the most important features of the priest emphasized by Pope Francis, which seem important in the new era of intense changes.

The article deals with the important and current issue of crises and departures from the priesthood, which are caused by immaturity at the human level. Personal problems of candidates for the priesthood, unresolved in the seminary, follow them for many years, becoming a source of great suffering. Paying attention to the proper basic formation of candidates for the priesthood in its emotional dimension is one of the important answers to the above difficulties. The actions taken will be effective in the priestly life, if it does not lack a deep spiritual life, friendly interpersonal relationships, or even psychotherapy as a tool for personal development.

From the biblical point of view as well as for what the teachings of the Church state the notion of vocation appears to be a key category for the understanding and determining the place of man in the world and for making him meaningful. However, it seems that, currently this category is confronted with a period of crisis, which is reflected in a scarce number of references made to it in theology and spiritual life. It happens quite often that other categories are substituted for it like for instance “professionalism” which is one of the most fashionable categories of this sort these days. On the other hand, man discovers today a craving for the spirit understood as a search for a more profound meaning of his mission in the world. It is certainly inspired by the Holy Spirit and the very historical events and phenomena which we can observe today and which confirm the fact that it is about the craving for the Holy Spirit who turns people towards God. The renewed reference to the category of vocation may contribute to the stimulation of a new spiritual zeal in man and to an active participation in the course of history.

Oblation is one of the key terms of the spirituality of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus founded by the venerable Servant of God, Father Leon Dehon. It influences not only the understanding of the charism of the Institute but is also essential for the apostolate. The main aim of the article is to draw attention to this characteristic feature of the charism included in the current Rule of Life. It influences the experience of their own spirituality by contemporary Dehonians, as well as directs their formation.

Benedict XVI, in the last interview with Peter Seewald, explains what true being in the Church is: it is not “inventing an ideal Church, but the readiness to live and work precisely in the Church, which is plagued by the powers of evil.” The Holy Father develops this idea, conveying how from his point of view the Church changed with the world and vice versa. Pope Francis in the Preparatory Document of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops “Towards a synodal Church: communion, participation and mission” points out that “synodation can be compared to a theatre of three main actors: “synodation can be compared to a theatre of three main actors: Jesus, the crowd (of the world) and the Church (…), but there is a fourth additional actor, called by the Pope the antagonist”, hence the need for discernment. This teaching corresponds to the experience that Benedict XVI left to the world, because combining divine reality with human weakness has been characteristic of the Catholic Church for centuries. St. Augustine in De civitate Dei wrote that on earth humanity will not reach the state of complete belonging to the State of God. However, this does not rule out the process of synodation, but it instills humility.

The Eucharist holds centre stage among all sacraments. As long as the Eucharist constitutes the centre of Christian life, it substantially contributes to its development. In their teaching, Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis explore the subject of the Eucharist and the way it influences those baptised. The Sacrament of the Altar provides the faithful with the necessary food and strength in their pilgrimage towards eternity. The Eucharist underlies Christian life and constitutes the culmination of the entire sacramental economy as it embodies the Saviour Himself. Therefore, the encounter with the Risen Lord is the essence of each Holy Mass. It is thanks to and through the Eucharist that one’s spiritual life progresses. As the so-called Passover of the Week, the Sunday Mass holds a dominant position. The Popes also bring up the subject of sacramental confession which enables the worthy reception of Holy Communion. The Holy Communion in turn takes away petty sins and protects from committing major ones. Eucharistic devotion is yet another aid in the development of Christian life. It manifests itself in various forms of adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Outside of the Holy Mass, the Eucharist reaffirms a person’s commitment to the love of his/her neighbour and to reconciliation.

The author of this article presents the location of the Statute of the Polish Province of the Order of Preachers in the law of the Dominican Order and its history. This document is a normative act for the Polish Dominican province and constitutes its own law. The author, taking up this topic as the first one, indicated in the study detailed source materials. On their basis he proved that the provincial statute came into being as a result of the provincial chapter of 1969. The statute is also grounded in the provisions of the Dominican religious constitutions and in the decisions of the general chapter in River Forest in the USA from 1968. The author of the study, on the basis of an analysis of the changes made to the Statute during the provincial chapters of the last 50 years, has shown three time caesuras that make it possible to indicate the most significant events influencing the provincial law.

Today, technology, computer science and medicine are developing rapidly. Humanity can be proud of these achievements! However, the entire humanities have plunged into a deep crisis, so much so that there is talk of a crisis of philosophy, theology, ethics and literature. This, in turn, gives rise to a crisis of vocations, which is a well-known cause in Poland and Europe. Seminaries and monasteries are closing, and marriages often break up. The author of the article puts forward a thesis – which he then develops and justifies in the further part of the publication – that this crisis is also related to the lack of the cardinal virtue of fortitude. Its manifestation is the courage that is needed to choose a vocation and then pursue it despite the difficulties that arise. The vocation to the priestly, religious, married and single life, which is dedicated to God and people, is extensively discussed.

This article is an afterword to the author’s previously published text entitled Marriage in crisis: is it worth/necessary to save it at „any cost”? – reflections on selected problems of social welfare clients, which presented a purely secular, mainly psychological and therapeutic perspective. Addictions and violence do not bypass sacramental marriages, which, according to the Catholic faith, continue until death. However, it is possible to reconcile psychological, therapeutic recommendations with those of a spiritual nature – which is perfectly illustrated by the activities of many Catholic sobriety ministries. The questions raised by the considerations undertaken here are: What areas – from a spiritual perspective – are worth/should be saved in sacramental marriages affected by addiction and/or violence, both at the stage of living together and at the stage of living apart? How should this be done? What are the costs of such rescue? And ultimately: why rescue?