Faith on the Road – Częstochowa

One of the sites I most looked forward to visiting in our pilgrimage to a Poland was Czestochowa.

Częstochowa is located in southern Poland and is home to the Black Madonna also known as Our Lady of Częstochowa, is a venerated icon of the Blessed Mother Mary housed at the Jasna Gora monastery. The icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa has been intimately associated with Poland for the past 600 years. Its history prior to its arrival in Poland is shrouded in numerous legends which trace the icon’s origin to St. Luke who painted it on a cedar table top from the house of the Holy Family.

St. Faustina talks of the icon in paragraph 260. “I had permission to visit Czestochowa while on my journey. I saw the Mother of God [image] for the first time, when I went to attend the unveiling of the image at five in the morning. I prayed without interruption until eleven, and it seemed to me that I had just come…..I entrusted my perpetual vows to Her. I felt that I was her child and that She was my Mother. She did not refuse any of my requests.”

I think of my own experience visiting Our Lady I read this passage from the diary. I went to Poland for many reasons, my love of St. Faustina and Divine Mercy being an obvious reason. But, I wanted to see our Lady at Częstochowa and Niepokalanow being high on my list.

After celebrating Holy Mass in a side altar dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the tour, i went back to the chapel in which Our Lady of Czestochowa resides. There was a French Mass being celebrated in the chapel so I stopped just outside. Gazing through the gates, I knelt before Our Lady of Częstochowa and renewed my consecration to Mary – my ‘vow’ to entrust all to her Immaculate Heart. I knew she very happily accepted my offering. She confirmed very strongly that she was my Mother as she is the Mother of our Lord. Her outpouring of love lifted my soul and overflowed my heart.

I asked her to intercede for my daughter Kristina in her illness and struggles as well as for all my children. I also offered the Emmaus intentions I brought with me from the US. I asked her intercession for Kristina for healing that we could come back to Częstochowa and pin another medal of thanks to the walls. I also asked her to be Mother to my children and lovingly guide their hearts back to her Son – to wrap her mantle around them until they could find their way back. I was overwhelmed with the sensation of acceptance – I knew she heard my prayers.

Offer your heart to Jesus through Mary’s Immaculate Heart – I can help you with St. D’Montfort’s consecration or you could just buy the book ‘33 Days to Morning Glory’. Either way, knowing Mary as your Mother is very freeing.

Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary truly is the “surest, easiest, shortest, and the most perfect means to becoming a saint.”