Dear Friends in Christ,
August 26th is the Feast of Our Lady of Czestochowa, Queen of Poland. One of our priests, Father Jazon, pastor of Saint Teresa of Calcutta parish, begged us for prayers for his homeland. The entire month of August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our parish is hosting a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, PA. We will go on the 25th of August, the day before the feast day, to enjoy the many things to see and places to pray at the shrine. The main church is beautiful with side windows of the Catholic faith in Poland and amongst Polish Americans. There is a wonderful museum with amongst many treasures, items used by Pope Saint John Paul II. The gift shop is great and there is a Rosary Garden, Stations of the Cross, the original chapel, and huge grounds to investigate. We will leave in the morning and return early evening. The price is reasonable for the bus, donation to the shrine, etc. Please see the bulletin or website to sign up for your trip to visit Our Lady. “The original Czestochowa is in Poland, and Mary’s had a home there since the icon, also known as the Black Madonna of Czestochowa, arrived in the monastery of Jasna Gora at least six hundred years ago. The oldest documents hold that when St. Ladislaus stopped for the night near Jasna Gora, on his way to his own hometown, he had the image placed in a small church named for the Assumption. In the morning, after the portrait was loaded in the wagon, the horses refused to move. So, there it has stayed, and it has a whole host of miracles and stories associated with it. It is said to be so old that its origins are unknown. Some credit St. Luke with painting it from the cedar wood table where Mary would have eaten her meals. St. Helena, according to this tradition, discovered it in the Holy Land and took it to her son, Constantinople, in the fourth century. Then, in the 15th century, St. Ladislaus took possession. The image is not without its scars. A Tartar arrow struck it in Ladislaus’ time, leaving a mark on the Virgin’s throat. In 1430, Hussites stole it and vandalized it. Not only did they break it into three pieces, but one of the robbers took his sword and left two gashes in the image. As he was getting ready to leave the third, he fell on the ground and flailed in agony until he died. Those three scars—the one on the throat and the two on the cheeks—have been repaired. Repeatedly…it is one that reminds me of Mary’s humanity in a very heart-wrenching way.” (Catholic Exchange). A blessed copy is venerated in Doylestown, and we will go to our Mother to bring her our worries and needs, asking her to pray for us and with us. Come out on a pilgrimage of love! Our Lady of Czestochowa, Queen of Poland, I am with you, I remember, I keep vigil!
God bless you,
Father Szolack