Under the title “Dona nobis pacem – Grant us peace!”, the 1st International Congress of the Pueri Cantores Hungarian Federation was held in Gödöllő, co-organized with the Norbertine Abbey of Gödöllő between July 10th and 13th 2026. The 14 Hungarian and three foreign choirs traveled to the city not merely for the sake of singing together, but for shared prayer. It was deeply moving to witness around 400 school children singing the usual Friday afternoon Vespers at 5:30 PM with true devotion, clear, ringing voices, and radiant eyes.

The opening Holy Mass was pontificated by Zsolt Marton, Bishop of Vác, with the concelebration of Péter Piusz Balogh O. Praem. In his sermon, he emphasized, among other things, that the singing of young people, when performed in a community, proclaims the glory of the Heavenly Father, thereby sanctifying us.

The gala concert began at 7:00 PM. Among the guests in attendance were Bishop Zsolt Marton; Elisabeth von Waldstein, President of the International Federation Pueri Cantores, along with her deputy and the federation’s manager; Member of Parliament Endre Márton László; Dr. György Gémesi, Mayor of Gödöllő; Gyula Porga, Mayor of Veszprém; as well as the leaders of the Ars Sacra Foundation, KÓTA (Association of Hungarian Choirs, Orchestras and Folk Ensembles), the Hungarian Kodály Society, and other organizations. Occupying almost the entire nave, the combined choir performed works by Márton Levente Horváth, Zoltán Kodály, Henryk Jan Botor, Franz Liszt, Felix Mendelssohn, Szilveszter Rostetter, and Georg Friedrich Händel, under the direction of various conductors. The Gödöllő Symphony Orchestra, led by artistic director Márton Rácz, also participated. The core of the program consisted entirely of pleas for peace; the closing prayer was the Hallelujah Chorus from Händel’s Messiah, conducted by Elisabeth von Waldstein.

Between the musical performances, solemn welcoming speeches were delivered by Péter Piusz Balogh O.Praem.; Mayor Dr. György Gémesi; Father László Varga, conductor of the Vác Cathedral and spiritual director of the PCHF; Ms. Elisabeth, President of the International Federation; and Szilveszter Rostetter, President of the PCHF. On behalf of the presidency, Szilveszter Rostetter ceremonially inducted the Magnificat Children’s Choir from Šahy (Ipolyság), Slovakia, as an honorary member of the federation, presenting the official certificate to conductor Andrea Wollent.

The following day, on Saturday morning at 11:00 AM, we attended a Prayer for Peace led by Father László Varga, where the three prayer sections were followed by musical interludes.

The service began with Tamás Barnabás Bánó’s canon Da pacem Domine, after which Father László Varga quoted St. Augustine: he who sings well prays twice. Between the prayers recited together, the musical selections included Mendelssohn’s Grant Us Peace (Verleih uns Frieden), Kodály’s Pange lingua, and the anthem of the congress, Márton Levente Horváth’s Dona nobis pacem. Szilveszter Rostetter contributed on the organ.

In the afternoon, the choirs marched under their own flags to the square in front of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Gödöllő. There, they performed a flash mob, singing Kodály’s Diákdal (Student Song) followed by Pittoni’s Psalm 150, symbolically proclaiming the glory of God to the entire world.

The choirs that also undertook to present an independent program gave choral concerts at the Church of the Holy Trinity and the Royal Palace. At 4:00 PM in the Palace Chapel, the three choirs from Veszprém – the VVV Vocal Ensemble, the Padányi Chamber Choir, and the Padányi Schola – presented their program under the direction of Ágnes Erdélyi, Erika Hutvágner, and Cecília Zsilinszky respectively, drawing a large audience. At 6:00 PM in the Palace Ballroom, the performance by the Magnificat Children’s Choir (conductor Andrea Wollent), the Children’s Choir of the Graz Central Parish Church (conductor Michael Schadler), and the Cantores maiores Cantorate of the St. Angela Grammar School (conductor Kinga Sirákné Kemény) met with great success.

At the Church of the Holy Trinity, the Cantate Choir from Várpalota (cond. Viktória Kutenicsné Izer), the Benjámin Rajeczky Youth Choir from Budapest (cond. Attila Fábián), and the St. Maurus Mixed Choir from Pécs (cond. Ágnes Tumpekné Kuti) sang at 4:30 PM. At 7:00 PM, the Vox Mirabilis Chamber Choir from Székesfehérvár led by Katica Zemlényi, and the Polish Pueri Cantores Cracoviensis choir conducted by Wiesław Delimat, performed. Wiesław Delimat holds everlasting merit in the establishment of the Hungarian federation: 15 years ago, he introduced Hungarian church musicians to the spirit of Pueri Cantores and suggested that Hungary join.

Each concert was a musical devotion in itself.

On Sunday morning, a Conductors’ Round Table was held in the Norbertine Auditorium, featuring engaging presentations for the conductors and moderated by Katica Zemlényi.

Elisabeth von Waldstein presented the network of the International Federation Pueri Cantores, while Szilveszter Rostetter spoke about the formation of the Hungarian federation, which is the result of a fifteen-year process following the initiative of Poland’s Wiesław Delimat. Márk Érszegi, Director of the Academy of Hungary in Rome, spoke on the role of the Hungarian Church in the world, and Domonkos Farkas presented Gregorian chant as our liturgical mother tongue. Ágnes Dobszay addressed the deplorable state of church music education in Hungary, while Dr. Zsuzsanna Mindszenty, Co-President of KÓTA, and Gábor Eckhardt, President of the Hungarian Kodály Society, gave colorful presentations on the history, present, and future of their respective organizations. The lineup concluded with Anna Isola, Veszprém office manager of the Hungarian Development Promotion Office, who outlined the operation of the UNESCO City of Music network.

At 5:00 PM, a Latin Vespers took place, followed by a Holy Mass at 6:00 PM pontificated by Father Gábor Imre Lukács O. Praem. In addition to Gregorian chants, Joseph Haydn’s Kleine Orgelsolomesse (Little Organ Mass) was performed, conducted by Father László Varga and featuring the combined choir and the Gödöllő Symphony Orchestra. The solo in the Benedictus was sung by Cecília Zsilinszky, Vice-President of the Pueri Cantores Hungarian Federation. Pittoni’s Psalm 150, Márton Levente Horváth’s piece, and Mozart’s final sacred choral work, the Ave Verum Corpus, were performed once again.

On Monday, the closing day, the participants made a pilgrimage to Máriabesnyő, where Father László Varga blessed the young singers and everyone present, who – in accordance with the Pueri Cantores tradition – are messengers of peace. The closing song was the Dona nobis pacem canon.

The young people returned to their homes tired in body, yet strengthened in faith and love.