Gorzkie żale

Gorzkie żale (Polish pronunciation: [ˈɡɔʂkʲe ˈʐalɛ] Lenten (or Bitter Lamentations) is a Catholic devotion containing many hymns that developed out of Poland in the 18th century.

The Gorzkie Żale devotion originated in the early 18th century in Holy Cross Church in Warsaw, Poland.

Lawrence Benik, CM published a booklet in Polish titled: “Snopek Myrry z Ogroda Gethsemańskiego albo żałosne Gorzkiej Męki Syna Bożego [...] rospamiętywanie,” translated, "A bundle of Myrrh from the Garden of Gethsemane, or the lamentation over the Bitter Passion of the Son of God".

Myrrh was one of the gifts the Three Wise Men brought to newborn Jesus as the announcement of the passion and the redemptive death of Christ.

Then, with passing time, a title derived from the first words of the initial song (Gorzkie Żale przybywajcie, serca nasze przenikajcie) was used more frequently.

Though the title eventually changed to simply "Gorzkie Żale," the original old-Polish language of the devotion was preserved.

Bartholomew Tarlo CM, priest of Holy Cross Parish and first Visitor of Province of Poland acknowledged the importance of this devotion, which featured melodies on the Passion of Christ.

The devotion usually starts with the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by the sung introductory hymn: "Pobudka do rozmyślania męki Pańskiej" (English: "A wake-up call to begin meditating Our Lord's Passion").

In 2007 there were numerous events in Vincentian locations in Poland, especially in Holy Cross Church in Warsaw, commemorating 300 years of this Lenten devotion.