The article uses unpublished materials that are kept in the Provincial Archives of the Congregation of the Mission in Krakow, although they come from several houses in the Province. The article is divided into five parts: a) the beginnings of the Krakow province, b) the material basis of its existence (real estate, finances), c) the highest offices (visitors, councilors, financial advisors), d) staff development (number of priests, brothers, student-alumni ), e) educational requirements of candidates for the priesthood and specialized philosophical and theological qualifications of the staff of the Theological Seminary in Krakow. When in 1842 the Russian authorities ordered the liquidation of the Lithuanian Vincentian Province and in 1864 also the Warsaw Province, the continuity of the Vincentian mission in Poland was guaranteed only by the Krakow Province, established in 1865. Over the next 35 years, the Province had two French visitators, Pierre Oudiette and Pierre Soubieille. The author analyzes their contacts with Polish members of the Congregation and draws attention to the problems caused by the clash of two religious mentalities, French and Polish. Although the effects of cooperation with the French monks were not unsatisfactory, when a new appointment was to be made in 1900, the Polish missionaries were not in favor of accepting another Frenchman as a visitator. From then on, Poles became visitators. Under their influence, the intellectual formation of Polish missionaries changed significantly. In the years 1900-1905, many missionaries studied at various faculties of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, as well as at universities in Rome, Vienna and the Biblical School in Jerusalem. Previously, for a long time after the first priests of the Congregation of the Mission arrived in Poland in 1651, in accordance with the French tradition, priests were not encouraged to undertake university studies.
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