In the last days of August, in the convents of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy which run Youth Education Centers operate (Krakow, Kalisz and Wroclaw), student dormitories, community centers or kindergartens, like in other educational institutions in Poland, preparations for the new school year are under way. Here, the opening of the school year is always accompanied by a Holy Mass, during which the teachers and the pupils and students ask God for His blessing and the graces needed during the next ten months, so that they may become more than just a period of effective learning, but also a time of fruitful spiritual growth.