Free Republic

Polish Parishes Renew Consecration on Today Feast of Our Lady of CzestochowaThe Stories of Our Lady of Czestochowa [Catholic Caucus]Our Lady of Czestochowa [Catholic Caucus]Catholic Word of the Day: CZESTOCHOWA, 06-02-103,000 Priests Pilgrimage in Czestochowa (Recall Clergy Killed During Wars, Communist Regime)The Siege of CzestochowaWhat a glorious trip! – Pilgrimage to Czestochowa (they have just arrived!)

One of the most controversial art works of the 1990s is going up for auction, and it could be yours – elephant dung and all – for around $2.3 million. “The Holy Virgin Mary,” a 1996 painting by British artist Chris Ofili, created a firestorm of controversy when it was exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in 1999. The painting depicts a black Madonna figure baring one breast, which is made from lacquered elephant dung and surrounded by butterfly-like formations of female genitalia (a play on the term putti, a type of cherub depicted in religious art). Many Catholics...

US soldiers join Polish pilgrimage The Associated Press Published: August 5, 2008 WARSAW, Poland: Hundreds of soldiers in camouflage set off Tuesday on a 10-day march to Poland's holiest Roman Catholic shrine — among them five Americans hoping to deepen ties with an ally. Five members of the Illinois National Guard traveled to Poland to make the 180-mile (290-kilometer) trek on foot — alongside Poles, Germans and other Europeans — from Warsaw to Czestochowa, site of the revered Black Madonna icon. Though the 300-year-old pilgrimage has deep religious and patriotic resonance in mainly Catholic Poland, the main purpose of the...

Polish pilgrims' trek shows faith Pilgrimage honoring Holy Mother inspires scores to set example Photo GalleryA line of footsteps, extending through history from the villages of rural Poland to the immigrant neighborhoods of urban America, continued unbroken for the 17th year with this month's pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa.Instead of traveling to the original church in Czestochowa, Poland, to pay homage to the Holy Mother, those living in the United States have adapted the ancient tradition of pilgrimage by walking each year from New Jersey to Pennsylvania.From Aug. 12-15, the four-day, 56-mile trek from Great Meadows...

USAREUR Soldiers march in Polish pilgrimage By Spc. Matthis Chiroux U.S. Army, Europe, Public Affairs Soldiers from six NATO countries form together, signaling the end of a 10-day, 180-mile march in Poland. Spc. Matthis Chiroux POLAND (Army News Service, Aug. 14, 2006) – Every year, hundreds of thousands of Polish pilgrims – including members of the armed forces – trudge along rolling roads and muddy pathways to pay tribute to the Black Madonna of Czestochowa. This year, they asked some of their closest neighbors and allies to tag along. Polish Land Forces invited 50 U.S. Southern European Task Force Soldiers...

Image of Catholic icon in pop culture magazine causes fresh debate on media freedom in Poland 17.2.2006 - Gabriel Stille Polish pop culture magazine Machina has hit the stands again after a three year absence. And its return did not go unnoticed. The cover features the Black Madonna icon, Poland's revered religious painting, but it appears with the superimposed picture of pop star Madonna. The published image has led to protests by Polish Roman Catholics. And it has raised ethical questions concerning media freedom not unlike those involving the Danish Islamic caricatures. The much-revered Polish icon of the Black Madonna,...