Catholic Voice

 

Poland is the 9th largest country in Europe with 125,000 square miles of land and which has a population of 38 million people. It is the most populous State in the European Union and up to now has had one of the largest birth rates in Europe. It has the second largest number of lakes in the world after Finland, and some of the longest rivers, like the Vistula which is 651 miles long, the Oder which is 531 miles long and the Warta which is 502 miles long. Poland also has 21 mountains over 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) in elevation, all in the High Tatras range in southern Poland. The Polish Tatras, which consist of the High Tatras and the Western Tatras, is the highest mountain group of Poland and of the entire Carpathian range. The Polish Coast line is almost 350 miles long and entirely on the Baltic sea. To say that it is a beautiful country is an understatement, it is borderline paradise. It even has its own desert called the Błędów Desert and that is 12 square miles in size and is the only one of five natural deserts in Europe. It is located in the south of Poland in the Silesian region. 

 Since 966, Poland was a Catholic country officially, that is all of Poland was baptised by decree of Mieszko I who was Poland’s first ruler. This event became known as the “Baptism of Poland” and by the 10th century the dioceses were established and the cathedrals built. However according to Pope John Paul II, who came to Ireland in 1979 and said, “I believe that the Irish monks came from here (Clonmacnoise) and went as far as Lviv (modern day Ukraine) and brought with them Christianity, that is why Catholics in Poland and in Ireland are not just similar in their faith, but identical, and for this gift of the faith to Poland, I today thank God in this sacred place.” The Irish monks had been going from the shores of Ireland to Europe from the 5th century onwards and did so for 500 years. The records show that they went to Scotland (Iona), to Wales, England, France and on eastward to Italy, Germany and as far as Ukraine where one can still find the ruins of early monastic settlements. Polish people identify themselves with the Catholic Church and although 98% of Poles say they are Christian, only 89.8% admit to being Catholic, but that number increases by the year rather than decreases, as is what is happening in Ireland. Tarnow in the south is considered to be the most religious part of Poland, no wonder that its diocese has some 3,200 diocesian priests. Today there are 42 Dioceses in Poland of which 13 are Archdioceses and some 38,000 priests and 1,500 seminarians. There are 28,000 religious nuns in 2,500 convents and over 500 monasteries.

Poland has suffered right through its history and the past 100 years was perhaps its darkest phase, with firstly the Nazi occupation and with it an exposition of the brutality of man against man, and then when this murderous regime had done its utmost to suppress this wonderful people and failed, in marched the communists. The communists stayed for over 50 years and tried their hardest to suppress the Polish people, but were unable to do so. What they, the communists, could not take into account was the faith that the people had in God, in the Catholic Church which gave them the identity they needed, and the absolute devotion they had to Our Lady of Hope or as we call this devotion today Our Lady of Częstochowa. Although both the Nazis and the Communists forbade people from going to Jasna Góra to venerate Our Lady, the people were not deterred and went there in their millions, most of them walking.

The Marian sanctuary of Our Lady in Jasna Góra (Hill of Light) is the holiest relic in all of Poland and the image has become one of the country’s National symbols. The image of Our Lady is said to have been a painting by Saint Luke, who was known to have been an artist and is the Patron saint of artists. Luke painted the image on a table given to him by Our Lady, which was used by the Holy Family and which was made by Jesus and Joseph. The table is cypress wood and its dimensions are 4 ft by 3 ft; however it looks much bigger because of the large exterior frame in which it sits. The painting displays a traditional composition well-known in the icons of the East dating way back to the first century. The Virgin Mary is shown as the “Hodegetria” (“One Who Shows the Way”). In it the Virgin directs attention away from herself, gesturing with her right hand toward Jesus as the source of salvation. In turn, the child Jesus extends his right hand toward the viewer in blessing while holding a book of gospels in his left hand. The icon shows the Madonna in fleur de lys robes.

One of the oldest documents from Jasna Góra states that the picture travelled from Jerusalem, via Constantinople and Belz, (under King Ladislaus) to finally reach Częstochowa in August 1382 by Władysław Opolczyk, Duke of Opole. The Duke left the icon at Jasna Góra in 1384 under the protection of the Pauline Fathers whom he had brought there from Hungary. It was placed in the small wooden church already on the mountain, but so great was the flow of pilgrims to visit it that within thirty years the church became too small and the monastic Order of Pauline Fathers who normally made little contact with the world were forced to adapt their own life style. Not long after the icon was brought to Jasna Góra it was sacrilegiously attacked and damaged during Holy Week of 1430 when thieves seized it from above the high altar and slashed it with swords. The soldier who slashed the painting was immediately struck dead by some unknown force. This caused panic among his friends who fled without destroying the painting. This act by Swedish invaders saddened and shocked the people of Poland and was seen as an act of religious hatred as well as an attempt to stir up political trouble. The icon was taken to Krakow where it was very carefully restored and repaired but the marks left by the sword slashes could not be completely removed and they can still be seen on the right cheek of the Madonna. The two slashes on the cheek of the Blessed Virgin, together with the previous injury to the throat, (damaged during a siege, by a Tartar arrow) have always reappeared – despite repeated attempts to repair them. The icon was returned to its shrine and at once veneration increased rapidly.

Shortly after the icon’s restoration following the sacrilegious attack, construction of a vast new church began and this in turn was rebuilt as a basilica following heavy damage by fire in 1690. The chapel containing the icon was enlarged in 1644 and remains like that today. At the beginning of the eighteenth century a tower of one hundred and five metres was built onto the church and this now dominates the city skyline in Częstochowa. The Pauline Fathers now run the Sanctuary and have a huge monastery which is attached to the sanctuary. The Fathers celebrate their 700th anniversary this year 2010. They trace their spirituality right back to Saint Paul the Hermit. However they were only founded as a religious congregation in the 12th century by Saint (Bishop) Eusebius of Esztergom in Hungary.

The miracles worked by Our Lady of Częstochowa seem to occur mainly on a more public scale. During her stay in Constantinople, she is reported to have frightened the besieging Saracens away from the city. Similarly, in 1655 a small group of Polish defenders was able to drive off a much larger army of Swedish invaders from the sanctuary. The following year, May 3rd 1656, the Holy Virgin was acclaimed Queen of Poland by King Casimir. The records show that the King swore the following edict, “I, Jan Casimir, King of Poland, take thee as Queen and Patroness of my Kingdom; I place my people and my army under your protection.” It is also recorded in the records for all to see, that on another occasion when danger was lurking, Our Lady dispersed an army of Russian invaders by an apparition at the River Vistula on September 15th, 1920. This is known today as the “miracle of the Vistula.” In more recent times, the Częstochowa Madonna has also been acknowledged for her protection of the Polish people in recent times of anguish and in particular now in Poland’s darkest hour, the crash in Smolensk that killed the President of Poland and 98 of the top elite.

The miracles attributed to Our Lady of Częstochowa are so numerous and spectacular. All accounts of cures and miracles are preserved in the archives of the Pauline Fathers at Jasna Góra. There are already hundreds of volumes of these books which have documented all the graces and blessings received by the faithful who have turned to Our Lady in confidence. Many of these miracles occurred in the Middle Ages, however miracles occur their every day as they do in Lourdes. They are not always physical miracles but can be spiritual, emotional and other forms of graces and healings. In May 29th, 1921, Anna Korsak, from Lublin, was cured of an incurable eye disease and regained her sight. A blind, deaf, and mute man, named Martin Obietynski was similarly cured and made able to hear, see, and speak. In more recent times five miners were buried alive in a coal mine with no hope of surviving, they turned to invoke Our Lady of Częstochowa and asked Her intercession to save them from a sure death, and She did so with haste. The men were saved when flood waters receeded immediately and the collapsed mine seemed to open up to allow them to walk to safety.

The image is not known only on account of its history of miracles. Its international reputation has been considerably enhanced because of the personal devotion of the Roman Pontiffs, in particular Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, both of whom came to Jasna Góra to pay homage to Our Lady of Częstochowa. Pope John Paul II prayed before the Madonna during his historic visit in 1979, several months after his election as Pope. The Pope made another visit to Our Lady of Częstochowa in 1983 and again in 1991. He was of course a frequent visitor while he was not only a priest in Krakow but also as Archbishop and Cardinal. In fact as Cardinal Archbishop of Krakow, He led the most unusual procession of Our Lady of Częstochowa during a period when the Soviet authorities in Poland had forbidden the public exhibition of religious images. On May 3rd the Image of Our Lady Queen of Poland was processed through the streets, but on this occasion in 1975 it was forbidden. Cardinal Wojtyla contemplated and prayed hard about this dilemma, knowing that 200,000 of the faithful would be lining the street waiting for the usual procession, pageantry and ceremony. In other words he could not bring the image of Our Lady under penalty of arrest. He realised though that they had not banned religious processions without the sacred images of Our Lady.

So with a glint in his eye he organised the procession, word spread around that it was going ahead and the faithful showed up with their best clothes, bands, ribbons and everything for the festive occasion. Likewise the Communists were organised to seize the Cardinal and imprison him, once they could confirm that he had broken the law. As the procession entered Krakow to cheers and prayers, all that could be seen was the “empty frame” of Our Lady of Częstochowa. Everyone knew what it represented and the image of Our Lady was “present” to those who had the eyes of faith.

On the 4th of June in 1979, in his first visit to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa as Pope, John Paul II said, “Several times Pope Pius XI came here, naturally not as Pope but as Achille Ratti, the first Nuncio in Poland after the recovery of independence. After the death of Pius XII, when Pope John XXIII was elected to the Chair of Peter, the first words of the new Pontiff to the Primate of Poland after the Conclave were a reference to Jasna Gora. He recalled his visits here during his years as Apostolic Delegate in Bulgaria and he asked above all for unceasing prayer to the Mother of God for the intentions involved in his new mission. His request was satisfied every day at Jasna Gora, not only during his pontificate but also during those of his Successors. We all know how much Pope Paul VI wanted to come here in pilgrimage. He was so closely connected with Poland from the time of his first diplomatic appointment in the Warsaw Nunciature. He was the Pope that did so much for the normalization of the life of the Church in Poland, particularly with regard to the present arrangement of the territories in the west and the north. He was the Pope of our Millennium. It was for the Millennium that he wanted to be here as a pilgrim together with the sons and daughters of the Polish Nation. After the Lord called Pope Paul VI to himself on the solemnity of the Transfiguration last year, the Cardinals chose his Successor on 26 August, the day on which Poland, and especially Jasna Gora, celebrates the solemnity of Our Lady of Czestochowa. The news of the election of the new Pope, John Paul I, was communicated to the faithful by the Bishop of Czestochowa in the course of the evening celebration. What must I say of myself, to whom after the barely 33-day pontificate of John Paul I it fell, on 16 October 1978, by the inscrutable decree of Providence to receive his inheritance and the apostolic succession to the Chair of Saint Peter? What must I say, I who am the first non-Italian Pope for 455 years? What must I say, I, John Paul II, the first Polish Pope in the history of the Church? I will tell you: on that 16 October, the day on which the liturgical calendar of the Church in Poland recalls 'Saint Hedwig, I went back in thought to 26 August, to the preceding Conclave and the election that took place on the Solemnity of Our Lady of Jasna Gora. I had no need even to say, as my Predecessors said, that I was going to count on the prayers offered at the foot of the image of Jasna Gora. The call of a son of the Polish nation to the Chair of Peter involves an evident strong connection with this holy place, with this shrine of great hope: so many times I had whispered Totus Tuus in prayer before this image.” This was the first Shrine to receive a “Golden Rose” from Pope John Paul II.

There are two main celebrations in Jasna Góra; one of them is on May 3rd when Our Lady is honoured as Queen of Poland. On this day the holy image is brought in procession through the streets of Krakow. The other is on the 26th of August when Our Lady is honoured all over the world as Our Lady of Częstochowa and in particular in Her home, on the mountain of light, “Jasna Góra.”

Although millions of Polish people have a great devotion to Our Lady, it is worth mentioning that Poland has 31 canonised Saints, among whom is Saint Faustina Kowalska. She says in her “Diary” and while on pilgrimage to Jasna Góra, she prayed intently in front of the miraculous image of Our Lady. Faustina states that the image spoke to her and re-assured her of her mission. Others who are well known devotees of Our Lady are Saint Maximillian Kolbe who gave his life to save a married man at the Nazi Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Holy Cross (Edith Stein) now Co-Patron of Europe along with Saint Benedict and Saint Brigid of Sweden. There are hundreds of Blessed’s from Poland, many if not all have had a huge impact on the cultural and academic life of the Polish people down through the ages, but one this is sure, that all the Saints and Beati have had a devotion to Our Lady.

Poland today has become the new heart of Europe. Its contribution to the world continues to surprise everyone. Most of the world’s missionaries are Polish, much of this has to do with Pope John Paul II, the first Polish Pope in history, but underlying its missionary zeal is the great devotion to Our Lady and the Church which has lasted over 1,000 years. The Pope insisted that the Polish people who, with unshakable fervour, retain their national Catholic heritage and that they resist acceptance of what he called Europe’s “civilization of desire and consumption.”

Pope John Paul II kept a copy of Our Lady of Częstochowa in his private chapel in the Vatican and he offered his daily rosary in front of it. Likewise he offered all the letters that were written to him asking for his prayers and help to Our Lady, trusting always in Her Maternal care.

The holy picture of Our Lady of Częstochowa was crowned in the name of Pope Clement XI in 1717 and after the theft of the crowns in 1909 it received new crowns sent by Pope Pius X the following year. Nowadays there is a mechanism used to change the ornamental dresses and crowns by electronically placing them in from of the painting without touching the picture.

For those who would like to know more about this awesome Sanctuary please go to the following website; www.jasnagora.pl (one can see live pictures from the Shrine)

 

Or write to- Father Prior;

Pauline Fathers

Monastery, Jasna Góra

The Halls, number 2

42-200 Częstochowa

Poland

 

Tel: +48 34 3777 207

 

 

The nearest airport is the Pope John Paul II International Airport in Krakow

This feature is categorised under Marian Shrines