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The Stories of Our Lady of Czestochowa Sarah ReinhardI never wanted to be a mom. It was never in my goals or my plan for life.And yet here I am, watching my three-year-old “mow”as I type away in the comfort of a camp chair in the shade of the garage. Right now this kid is the focus of most of my photos and social media efforts. He’s immensely quotable, hilarious, and spontaneous. It’s something that I can’t help but share (lest it drive me crazier than I already am).But don’t get me wrong. Three is not my favorite age. And...

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...

What a glorious trip! – Pilgrimage to Czestochowa Who? 5 thousand young people. What? Catholic pedestrian pilgrimage. When? August the 5th-14th, each year, tradition since AD. 1712. Where? Poland, 160 miles (300 km) between Warsaw and Czestochowa, Black Madonna Shrine. Why? Love of God and Blessed Mother Mary; prayer, community, expiation. Praise the Lord!! Amazing! Incredible! And unbelievable! What a glorious trip! This had to be one of the most awesome times I have ever experienced in carrying the cross around the world! In August 2005, with God's help, I had the great joy of traveling with two of my...

The Pontiff visits places connected with his predecessor 26.05.2006 Pope Benedict XVI begins a visit to places very closely connected with his predecessor. From Warsaw the Pontiff visits the Jasna Gora Monastery in Czestochowa with the Shrine of the Black Madonna so beloved by Pope John Paul II. The Pope has prayed in front of the picture and presented the monastery with a gold rose, a gift made for the Black Madonna Shrine by Pope Paul VI , who not allowed to visit the Monastery in 1966, by the then communist authorities of Poland. Pope Benedict XVI has held a...

Great National Vows Fr Jan Pach, OSPPE In the Polish Church the present year, which the Church experiences as great prayer and effort to bring hope for the poor, will also be the time of reflection on the historical vows, taken in order to restore Poland, to make the situation of the poorest better and to save the Catholic face of the Polish land. We are thinking of the Royal Vows of King Jan Kazimierz, taken in the Lvov cathedral on 1 April 1656, the vows that have never been fully fulfilled. The Jasna Gora Vows, taken on 26 August...

Tens of thousands of Roman Catholics gathered at Poland's holiest shrine Friday to pray as the revered Black Madonna of Czestochowa icon was given a new covering, including gold crowns donated by the late Pope John Paul II, as well as amber and diamonds.The Polish-born pontiff's secretary, the Rev. Stanislaw Dziwisz, presided over a Mass and other ceremonies at the Jasna Gora shrine in the southern city of Czestochowa. In attendance were dozens of church leaders, including Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Cologne, Germany, Cardinal Adam Maida of Detroit and Cardinal Bernard Law, the former archbishop of Boston.Dziwisz and Poland's primate,...

What? Catholic pedestrian pilgrimage. Who? 5 thousand young people. When? 5th-14th August each year Where? 300 km in Poland, between Warsaw and Czestochowa, Black Madonna Shrine. Why? Love of God and Blessed Mother Mary; prayer, community, expiation. The route of the pilgrimage is more or less 300 km (daily walk of 30-35 km), regardless of the rain or the sun. Piglrimage bypasess big cities; our way leads through some villages, forests, open fields. Night's lodging is your own tent. Our bags and tents during the day are transported by the tracks. No smoking, no alcohol, no co-education, no drugs, no...

CZESTOCHOWA, Poland - In a tribute to the rich Jewish history of the city that houses Poland's most sacred Roman Catholic shrine, an exhibition opened on Thursday documenting the 40,000-strong Jewish community that flourished there until the Holocaust. "The Jews of Czestochowa," housed in a gallery just below the renowned Jasna Gora monastery, aims to tell the story of Jewish life dating back to 1618 in the southern city. The city was once known throughout Europe as "a place of thriving coexistence," according to Alan M. Silberstein, one of two U.S. businessmen with roots in Czestochowa who organized and funded...