On Saturday, November 15, 2025, a symposium was conducted on “The Canticle of Brother Sun [also known as the Canticle of the Creatures] by St. Francis of Assisi in Theology and Art: An Interdisciplinary Approach.” The event was organized by the Conventual Franciscan Academic Society and took place at the St. Francis Friary in Cracow.
The President of the Conventual Franciscan Academic Society, Friar Zbigniew WÓJCIK, stated that the event had a single goal: “to further explore and appreciate the theological and artistic richness of this profound work by St. Francis and its significance for Christian spirituality.” He continued, “St Francis of Assisi wrote the Canticle of Brother Sun in the last months before his death. The 2025 Jubilee Year is an opportunity for all Christians connected with Franciscan spirituality to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the composition of that beautiful and profound work. St. Francis not only points to man’s connection with God, he also shows the world around us as being a beautiful and good place, a place that reflects the goodness of the Creator Himself. Thus, St. Francis gives his followers a clear and profound message about who man is before God and what the world around him is. This message is one of the fundamental characteristics of Franciscan spirituality.”
The symposium was divided into two parts. Each part concluded with a discussion. The first part was presided over by Friar Marek FIAŁKOWSKI. During the course of the first part, Friar Andrzej ZAJĄC lectured on “The Literary Aspects of the Canticle of Brother Sun.” Friar Piotr R. GRYZIEC spoke about “The Biblical References in the Canticle of Brother Sun by St. Francis of Assisi”; and Friar Zdzisław J. KIJAS lectured on “The Blossoming of Faith, Hope, and Love: St. Francis’s Journey toward the Canticle of Brother Sun.”
The second part of the symposium was chaired by Friar Łukasz GORA. During the course of the second part, Friar Jerzy BRUSIŁO lectured on the question: “Is the Canticle of Brother Sun an Ecological Work?” Finally, Friar Rafał ANTOSZCZUK lectured on “The Canticle of the Sun as Reflected in Frescoes by Stanisław WYSPIAŃSKI,” which are located inside the Conventual Franciscan basilica in Cracow.
The symposium concluded with a musical performance by the Fioretti Seminarians’ Ensemble. In the afternoon, the general assembly of the Conventual Franciscan Academic Society took place in the Chapter hall of the friary. During the symposium, the friars also established the preliminary program for next year’s symposium. That one will also be held in November and its theme will be linked to the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi.
Friar Jan Maria SZEWEK
