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Eternal life
The title of this column is the English translation of the first word
A pilgrimage to Poland
Over the years as editor of HPR I have gone on many pilgrimages—Knock, Lourdes,
Fatima, Guadalupe, Rome and Jerusalem. There is an ancient and noble tradition of
pilgrimage in the Catholic Church.
The main idea of pilgrimage is to travel to some holy place to pray, to do penance in order to come closer to God. There are different reasons for going—to thank God for a favor received, to beg God for a cure for oneself or for another, to make reparation for past sins, to ask God for light in choosing some course of action in one’s life.
For about twenty years I organized pilgrimages under the aegis of HPR. When Ignatius Press took over, I retired from that task, but was pleased that a happy marriage resulted from my last trip to Ireland in 1994.
Since that time I have traveled to Guadalupe in Mexico and to Ireland as chaplain only. This means that I do not have to organize the pilgrimage which is a difficult thing to do. As chaplain I offer Mass each day for the pilgrims, preach homilies, hear confessions and do some counseling. All the arrangements are taken care of by two devout Catholic women.
I do not know much about Poland and it never occurred to me that I would go on a pilgrimage there. But last year the two ladies asked me to be the chaplain for their September pilgrimage. After thinking about it for a few days I decided to accept their offer.
Our twelve-day visit to Poland, which has been Catholic for over 1000 years, made a deep impression on me. For years I have heard about the Shrine of our Lady of Czestochowa near Crakow and how it is the spiritual center of Polish life. I was able to offer Mass at the altar just below the miraculous image of Our Lady, in the chapel which contains thousands of ex votos offered by those who have received favors through the intercession of the Mother of God.
I also offered the Holy Sacrifice at the altar used by St. Maximilian Kolbe. We saw his simple cell and the vestments he used. Blessed Faustina Kowalska and devotion to the divine mercy is very popular in Poland and the USA, so we visited the convent where she entered the religious life and also the sanctuary in Crakow where her body is kept and revered. We also visited several other famous churches and shrines, including a beautiful new church in Zakopane in the Carpathian mountains south of Crakow.
Poland is a Catholic country and its culture is permeated with the Catholic faith. That faith is very evident in the devotion of the people and their dedication to the Church and to the Pope who of course is a native of Poland.
It was a pleasure for me to be in an environment that is thoroughly Catholic and therefore very different from the secular society we live in. But Poland has been free of Communism only since 1989. The secularizing forces in the West are making inroads into Polish society but the faith of the people is still strong. Unfortunately, many Poles admire all things American, especially things which militate against the faith, such as rock music, Hollywood films, American TV and fashions in clothing. The most visible American influence is the ubiquity of Coca Cola signs; our fast food chains are there too—McDonald’s, Burger King, Dunkin’ Donuts, Domino’s Pizza, and so forth.
The churches are full on Sundays and Holy Days; the bishops are strong and there are many vocations; abortion is outlawed and divorce, though available, is much less common than it is here in the USA.
I was edified by what I saw in Poland. Now I know why the Poles in America are so proud of their native land. They have a lot to be proud of.
Kenneth Baker, S.J., Editor
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