When our plane arrived in Fryderyk Chopin Airport in Warsaw, many of our group of Marian pilgrims were in a fog of exhaustion. It was an eight-hour red-eye flight from JFK Airport in New York City to Copenhagen, Denmark, and from Denmark another 90 minutes after the layover. To more quickly adjust to the time difference, some people deliberately tried not to sleep until reaching Poland. One mentioned later, “That was the worst mistake I ever made.” In the footsteps of the Founder After resting from our long journey, one of the first places we visited was Góra Kalwaria, the Church of the Lord’s Cenacle, where the Marian Founder, St. Stanislaus Papczyński (1631-1701) ministered and was buried. Saint Stanislaus once had a table in the center of the church representing that on which the Lord held the Last Supper. The Holy Spirit inspired him once to lay a dead girl on that table while he celebrated Mass at St. Raphael’s altar, and the girl came back to life. The surface of that table is the top piece of the Cenacle’s altar today; we reverently touched it and prayed for St. Stanislaus’ intercession. We also reverenced the remains of Bishop Stefan Wierzbowski, who worked closely with St. Stanislaus and is considered by some Marians to be the “co-founder” of our order. Though he is not canonized, his body appears to be incorrupt. Licheń and Częstochowa We were awed by one of our next stops, the Basilica of Our Lady of Licheń. Those of us who had been to Rome could see that it was easily comparable in grandeur, scale, and beauty to what we had seen there. The art inside the basilica was wonderful and the extensive grounds were full of beautiful statues. Licheń was also special to me as a place honoring some of the Virgin Mary’s Polish apparitions — I love it when Our In May, Br. Andrew Mączyński, MIC, led a large group of Marian seminarians, brothers, and novices on an unforgettable trip to Poland. Father Timothy Childers, MIC, joined us as our religious superior, and Fr. Daniel Klimek helped as a translator; both priests provided Masses for the group. Brother Andrew was an expert guide. Our trip spanned 17 days, with one overnight in Lithuania, and the rest of that time spent traveling through Poland. Our purpose was to visit the Marian heritage sites, becoming more deeply immersed in Marian history and identity. Marian Helper • Fall 2025 • Marian.org 21 Lady visits us. Some seminarians said they would love to take a week just to stay at Licheń, admire the beauty, and pray. One of our next stops was the “spiritual capitol of Poland,” Jasna Gora, where Our Lady of Częstochowa resides. We celebrated Mass right in front of the Black Madonna, a miraculous image whose cheek is broken either by the natural deterioration of the painting, as one of our tour guides told us, or by a Protestant Swede’s sword. The wall on the right side of the chapel was covered with crutches left by people miraculously healed before this image. When Swedes attempted to conquer Jasna Gora in 1655, the Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared to the invaders, terrifying them into retreat. Continued on page 22 Celebrating Mass at the “spiritual capitol of Poland,” Jasna Gora, where Our Lady of Częstochowa, the “Black Madonna,” resides. (Photos by Giuseppe Mignano)
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