Young foreigners on foot pilgrimages to Jasna Gora

Over 700 young French people walked the 25 kilometres to the Shrine from Przeprosna Gorka. The pilgrims admitted to having embraced the invitation of St. John Paul II to visit this place. They added that they had come on foot to prepare their hearts for a meeting with the Holy Father. John Paul II urged that if we are in Poland, we need to go to our Mother in Czestochowa.

Sara from the United States, who has also reached the Shrine on foot, said that Poland is a country of holy places and holy people. The young American was thrilled with Jasna Gora: “Whenever I think about the degree of commitment and work put here to make something so magnificent for the glory of God, I am reduced to tears of amazement.”

Young people from behind our eastern border also come to Jasna Gora. Ania from Grodno, Belarus, observed: “Although we speak different languages, we are united by Jesus Christ. We all feel a spirit of unity.”

The biggest number of colourful flags and national emblems brought to Jasna Gora by the young pilgrims come from France, as young people from this language group are hosted by families in the Region of Silesia, where the Shrine is located.

Young people from Poitiers indicated: “We are pilgrims who have prepared in our hearts for a meeting with Czestochowa.”

Holy Mass for around 1,300 people from the Diocese of Lyon, France, was presided over by Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, the Archbishop of Lyon. The French cardinal observed: “We knew that Jasna Gora is the heart of Poland and therefore decided to first come to Częstochowa.” He added that “The World Youth Day was Pope John Paul II’s idea. We want to join the celebrations in Krakow with the spirit carried by John Paul II. We want to prepare as best we can to the meeting of young people.”

An almost seven-thousand-strong foot pilgrimage of young people hosted by the Diocese of Sosnowiec is getting ever closer to Jasna Gora. By way of preparation for the central events in Krakow, the diocese planned the participation of young people in a foot pilgrimage. Tomorrow the path will be walked by the young people hosted by the Archdiocese of Czestochowa. On the so-called Day of Unity, young people will walk the central street in the city to the Jasna Gora Shrine to take part in the vigil patterned after the one of 1991, when Czestochowa was the venue of the 6th World Youth Day.

Smaller groups arrive on foot from some parishes from the Archdioceses of Katowice and Lodz. As Fr. Pawel Pawlak, a priest of the Sacred Heart of Jesus from the city of Belchatow observed, foot pilgrimages to Jasna Gora are a major element of integration and learning about the faith of Polish people. “We hit on an idea to come to the spiritual centre of Poland. We arrived in the vicinity of the shrine by coaches and then proceeded on foot over one hour to acquire a taste of a pilgrimage and Polish culture," Fr. Pawlak said.

The only diocesan foot pilgrimage from Poland which has arrived at Jasna Gora these days is the group from Gdansk. All the other dioceses changed this year’s timeline of retreat on the road. This year over 200 pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Gdansk treat Czestochowa as a stopover on the way to Krakow. Today morning, after Holy Mass in the Chapel of Our Lady, the pilgrims will set off to the World Youth Day. They admitted that this is a very significant place on their itinerary: “Here the Mother of Mercy is especially called upon in our prayers. A meeting with the pope is a chance of a lifetime. We are going to embrace this opportunity with an open heart and seek the strengthening of our faith.”

Large groups of pilgrims arriving on foot will continue to come to Jasna Gora as of August 6.

Walking hundreds of kilometres in heat and braving the inherent hardships continues to be a veritable phenomenon. In August alone, over 150,000 pilgrims arrive in Czestochowa on foot. Out of all the world’s shrines, Jasna Gora no doubt tops the list of pilgrimage destinations. (KAI)