Fr. Karol Cetwiński OSB, STM
Benedictine monk, Gregorian chant specialist, and liturgist. Born on August 5, 1991, in Warsaw, Poland, and raised in Grodzisk Mazowiecki. In January 2012, he entered the Benedictine Abbey in Tyniec, where he made his first vows in 2014 and solemn profession in 2017. He was ordained to the priesthood in June 2020.
Education: Theological studies at the Dominican College of Philosophy and Theology in Krakow, where he defended his master’s thesis under the supervision of Prof. Susi Ferfoglia. He participated in liturgical monody studies at the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow. Since 2020, he has been studying Gregorian chant at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome under Prof. Franz Karl Praßl. Since 2022, he has also been studying liturgy at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute of Sant’Anselmo in Rome, where he participates in research projects at the Salvatore Marsili OSB Chair of Liturgical Theology under Prof. Jordi Augustin Pique-Collado OSB.
Abbey responsibilities: Since 2014, he has served as the choirmaster at Tyniec Abbey. He is a member of the liturgical commission and works with the Chronić Dobro Foundation on cultural and liturgical activities. He has held various positions in the abbey, including guest prefect, treasurer, and gardener. Since 2013, he has been working on the Latin Monastic Antiphonary for the Benedictine Abbey in Tyniec, and since 2022, he has been involved in the development of the renewed monastic liturgy of the hours.
Academic and teaching activities: He conducts courses in Gregorian chant both at Tyniec Abbey and during specialized workshops in Poland and abroad. He lectures at Gregorian chant courses in Poznań (2022, 2023, 2024), Wrocław (2024), and Catania, Sicily (2024/2025). He has also presented individual lectures and conferences in several Polish cities. He co-organized international scientific conferences on Gregorian chant in Tyniec (2018, 2020, 2022) and at Wawel Cathedral (2024), as well as the 12th International Congress of Gregorian Chant AISCGre in Tyniec in 2023.
Musical activities: In 2017, he directed the recording of the album “Colors of Chant – 4 Tones” with the Benedictine schola in Tyniec. In 2022, he participated in recording the Office of Readings for Vatican Radio. He has performed with the choir and Gregorian schola from PIMS in concerts in Vienna, Bratislava, and many Italian cities (Tortona, Sassari, Orta, Campobasso, Volturno, and Rome). Since 2024, he has been singing in the Cappella Giulia at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. He leads the monastic schola in Tyniec and sings in the schola of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome. He has conducted the monastic schola during papal vespers at St. Paul’s Basilica in Rome and during Mass with the Pope at St. Sabina’s Basilica in Rome.
In 2006, he completed the first level of music school in accordion. From 2008 to 2011, he sang in the Epifania choir in Warsaw’s Saska Kępa district. Before entering the monastery, he graduated from the 14th High School in Warsaw in 2010 and studied aerospace engineering at the Warsaw University of Technology for one year.