Dear Friends,
This post goes with the one above it - because a visit to Krakow gives the traveler choices - do you want to investigate faith and hope or man's inhumanity to man and despair. Both are just a day trip away! Perhaps that is true for most of us.
Margie and I opted for faith and hope, although when we decided to go to Czestochowa (a small town 2 hours from Krakow by train) we did not realize what a treat we were in for. Shown here is the processional walkway to the cathedral where the Black Madonna is housed. Said to have stopped a war at one point, the collaged painting has been the destination for millions of pilgrims for centuries.
Inside the cathedral a visitor will experience faith in action. We were there on a very mundane Thursday afternoon with nothing in particular to cause religious activity, yet five confessionals, spread throughout the larger cathedral were filled with priests hearing confession. In the Sacristy to the side, where the Black Madonna is displayed, thousands of visitors throughout the day rotate for prayer. Some crawl on their knees in a path that starts on the left of the small altar, takes them around behind the painting and then out on the right. Crutches, Medals and other signs of devotion and healing cover the walls.
Having been in Poland, an otherwise poor country, yet rich in faith, throws light on the importance of John Paul II being from this part of the world. In greater relief still was the spotlight on pictures of the millions who were in attendance during his visit to Czestochowa while Russian tanks were parked just outside the border. I had not remembered, if I had ever been aware of, the cannonization of the queen (also reported as king) "Jadwiga of Anjou (1373/4 – July 17, 1399) was Queen of Poland from 1384 to her death. Wikipedia says, "she is venerated by the Roman Catholic Church as Saint Hedwig (Jadwiga) the Queen. Jadwiga is the Patron Saint of queens, and of United Europe."
Our visit to Czestochowa left us feeling satisfied - lovely to see active faith in a secular world!
All the best,
Alana
This post goes with the one above it - because a visit to Krakow gives the traveler choices - do you want to investigate faith and hope or man's inhumanity to man and despair. Both are just a day trip away! Perhaps that is true for most of us.
Margie and I opted for faith and hope, although when we decided to go to Czestochowa (a small town 2 hours from Krakow by train) we did not realize what a treat we were in for. Shown here is the processional walkway to the cathedral where the Black Madonna is housed. Said to have stopped a war at one point, the collaged painting has been the destination for millions of pilgrims for centuries.
Inside the cathedral a visitor will experience faith in action. We were there on a very mundane Thursday afternoon with nothing in particular to cause religious activity, yet five confessionals, spread throughout the larger cathedral were filled with priests hearing confession. In the Sacristy to the side, where the Black Madonna is displayed, thousands of visitors throughout the day rotate for prayer. Some crawl on their knees in a path that starts on the left of the small altar, takes them around behind the painting and then out on the right. Crutches, Medals and other signs of devotion and healing cover the walls.
Having been in Poland, an otherwise poor country, yet rich in faith, throws light on the importance of John Paul II being from this part of the world. In greater relief still was the spotlight on pictures of the millions who were in attendance during his visit to Czestochowa while Russian tanks were parked just outside the border. I had not remembered, if I had ever been aware of, the cannonization of the queen (also reported as king) "Jadwiga of Anjou (1373/4 – July 17, 1399) was Queen of Poland from 1384 to her death. Wikipedia says, "she is venerated by the Roman Catholic Church as Saint Hedwig (Jadwiga) the Queen. Jadwiga is the Patron Saint of queens, and of United Europe."
Our visit to Czestochowa left us feeling satisfied - lovely to see active faith in a secular world!
All the best,
Alana
No comments:
Post a Comment