Gdańsk Dominicans Begin Celebrations of 800th Anniversary

The Dominican Priory of St. Nicholas in Gdańsk has started autumn commemorations marking the anniversary of its foundation. The celebrations lead up to a jubilee year in 2027.

The priory recently held a retreat from Sept. 14 to 21 in Caleruega, Spain, the birthplace of St. Dominic. Participants attended daily Mass and conferences on Dominican spirituality while visiting sites including Gumiel de Izán, Burgos, Palencia, Osma, Santo Domingo de Silos, Peñafiel, and Segovia. The retreat included meetings with Dominican friars and nuns to study the spiritual heritage of the Order.

The Master of the Order, Brother Gerard Francisco Timoner, will visit the community on Oct. 18 to join the opening celebrations. He is scheduled to preach at the 11:30 a.m. Mass that day.

The Dominican community is linked to the missionary work of St. Hyacinth of Poland. Friars are believed to have arrived in Gdańsk in the autumn of 1226, and Duke Świętopełk of Pomerania formally established the community by entrusting them with St. Nicholas’ Church on Jan. 22, 1227.