Days 1 & 2, September 21-22, 2025: Flights to Poland
It's been two hurry-up and wait days! We sat on the tarmac for an hour in Minneapolis, which caused a mad rush to barely make the connection in Chicago. Then we sat on the tarmac for an hour in Chicago, causing another near miss connection in Zurich! At the airport in Warsaw we were to have a transfer to the hotel … it's a huge place and no signs anywhere of the location of the Arrival Hall, so Uber was our backup. So we are here, and the Sofitel Warsaw Victoria hotel is first class. Our minds urged us to go down for a drink and a bite to eat, but our bodies revolted ... so we're sliding into the very comfortable bed for a good night's sleep to wake up refreshed for the Pilgrimage, which starts tomorrow! Good night!
Day 3, September 23, 2025: Warsaw
The plethora of food at this morning's buffet breakfast here at the hotel was amazing! Eggs served in a variety of ways, meats galore, fruit pierogi, cheeses, frosting decorated croissants on a stick, breads, yogurts, olives, pâtés, etc, etc, etc! Afterwards, we walked the city a bit, along the main route of government buildings, rows and rows and rows of outdoor cafes, churches, etc. We visited and presented our prayer petitions at the gorgeous Basilica of Holy Cross Church. One of the many side altars was commemorating Pope Saint John Paul II. Another held the heart of Frederic Chopin, the composer. After a bit of a hassle, we were able to convert some $$ to Polish zloty; then spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing before meeting the rest of the pilgrims.
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| The lines of outdoor cafes seemed endless! Many were surrounded by beautiful flowers and greenery |
This afternoon we met the rest of the group;
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| Guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier |
25 of us in all, a very nice sized group. Fr. Joseph Moreno heads up the pilgrimage along with Sister Faustina and Sister Monica Faustina. We went to Mass in the small chapel of St. James Church. This is the same church where Helena Kowalska prayed extensively and asked for advice on her calling to be a nun. Her parents were very much opposed largely because they couldn't afford it, and she didn't want to disappoint them; however, she always had a desire to serve God in that way At one point Jesus, himself, challenged her saying, “How long must I wait for you.” Unfortunately, the actual church she prayed at was destroyed during WWII, while the current building was built in the 1950s. After Mass we had an opportunity to kiss the first class relic of St. Faustina … an extremely moving experience for me. We then visited the main church with Adoration there at the same time. In the Church was another relic of St. Faustina where I had an opportunity to actually take the paper with all the prayer petitions people have entrusted me to bring on this pilgrimage and press it upon her relic … another very moving movement.
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| Holy Cross Church |
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| Altar at St James Parish |
Warszawa (we are in Poland, after all!) was 80% destroyed during WWII; and of a population of about a million, over 700,000 were killed. So virtually every building we saw has been rebuilt in the last 80 years! But from what we've seen so far, it is very clean, crime is not a problem, there are hundreds of outdoor restaurants along the roads and flowers everywhere! Of course, our experience so far has been limited to the City Center area. More tomorrow.
A delicious buffet dinner at the hotel and resting up for a longer day tomorrow. It is a pilgrimage and our word for today is “desire” … what do we desire to receive from this pilgrimage?; what does Jesus want for us to receive? Dobranoc!
Day 4, September 24, 2025: More of Warsaw
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| The grave site of Fr Jerzy Poplieluszko |
After another decadent breakfast at the hotel, we boarded the bus, toured a bit of the city and stopped at St Staniseawa Kostki Church for Mass in their modern chapel. The basement of the church housed a museum of life under communism from 1944 to Poland's official Independence into a Republic on January 1, 1990. What amazed me was the pictures of the hundreds of thousands of people packing the streets, courtyards, etc., to listen to words of encouragement from various influential Church leaders, including, of course, the two visits from Pope Saint John Paul II. Another beloved priest at this particular church, Fr. Jerzy Popieluszko regularly packed the courtyard and streets in the front of the church with 10s of thousands as he spoke to them from the balcony directly above the main entrance, speaking in code of the hope of freedom from communism. His ongoing “Masses for the Homeland” were very popular to the Polish people and the solidarity movement . His message: “Overcome evil with Love.” He was captured and beaten to death by 3 Polish Communist officials in 1984, a martyr for the Catholic faith. He is buried on the church grounds, surrounded by huge rocks, linked as a Rosary situated in the shape of Poland. The ongoing display of flowers, candles, rosaries in front of the grave show the ongoing love the people have for Fr. Jerzy. He was beautified in 2010.
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| The crowds that came on a regular basis to hear the word of Fr. Jerzy |
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| Chapel at St. Staniseawa Kostki Church |
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| The City Center |
What is obvious is the reverent recognition and gratitude the people have for those who fought for their country's freedom first from the Germans in 1944 and then from the Soviet Union in 1990 with statues of individuals, memorials of the Jewish uprising in 1943 and the uprising opposing communism in 1944, museums of their history as well as cultural, to the giant cross marking the spot where Pope Saint John Paul II said Mass in 1979, directly across from our hotel. The oppression under communist rule is still fresh in their minds, but they are a proud people for what they have achieved as a Republic these last 35 years!
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| The Royal Palace |
Lunch was on our own, so we took advantage of tasting “real” Polish pierogi … scrumptious! Not quite like what grandma ( me) made, but very similar with a surprisingly large choice of the type of filling available, most new to me! It was a long, relaxing, enjoyable lunch in a quiet second story restaurant. Dinner again tonight at the hotel with the group, enjoying the company of other fellow pilgrims from around the US. Today's word was “gratefulness” … one I can relate to easily!
Day 5, September 25, 2025: Niepokalanow and Swinice Warckie
It was up at 5:30, breakfast at 6:30 and out of the hotel at 7:45 this morning! We had another short bus tour of different section of Warsaw. On the bus we viewed a documentary on the seldom told struggle in Poland during WWII. During the war there was a very extensive underground Polish government while the President was in exile. As the Allied invaded Europe and the winds of success over the Nazi Germany was in the air, the Polish people, not wanting to be subject to communism after the war, began the second uprising (a year after the Warsaw Getto uprising). The hopes were high that the US, the UK and the Soviet Union would come to their aide to defeat the Nazis and then reestablish their country. However, help from the Allies never came, and after three months and thousands of deaths, the Poles were defeated, resulting in many thousands more deaths of the participants by the Germans and the total demolition of the Old Town and City Center areas of Warsaw. Adding salt to the wound to the people and the Polish government, the US and UK had betrayed Poland by already agreeing to allow Soviet control of the entire country after the war! As a result, Poland suffered another 44 years under the Communist Soviet Union.
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| Painting of St. Maximilian Kolbe in the Auschwitz concentration camp |
We had Holy Mass in the Chapel, were able to venerate a relic of St. Maximilian Kolbe (where all the petitions I'm carrying were offered up for his intercession), a tour the museum of his life and a visit to the beautiful Basilica of the Omni-mediatress of All Glories. There a priest presented Fr Morano (our spiritual leader) with a first-class relic of St. Maximilian Kolbe!
Turns out because Kolbe was incinerated in Auschwitz, the only first-class relic available is the hair of his beard that the monk barber saved after it was required by the Germans that Kolbe be clean shaven!
Lunch at a travel center (truck stop) turned out to be quite inexpensive and tasty. We had a Polish Kilbasa, sausage with sauerkraut … not American style but very good!
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| Fr. Moreno being presented with a first-class relic of St. Maximilian Kolbe |
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Side Chapel in the Basilica of the Omni-mediatrix of all Graces |
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| Because St. Faustina was baptized here at St. Casimir, Fr. Moreno lead us in the renewal of our baptisms |
Next stop, the little village of Swinice Warckie to visit the church of St. Casimir where Helena Kowalska, now St Faustina (1905-1938), was baptized and received First Communion and first confession. We were Blessed to be able to venerate another first-class relic, that of St. Faustina; and yes, prayer petitions submitted! We also participated in the 3 p.m. Divine Mercy chaplet, which appears to take place in this church every day. Very fitting, since it was St. Faustina who received the message from Jesus regarding his Divine Mercy! We also visited her home place, quite small when you think about a family of 12 living in it, and learned that one of her nieces still lives in the area.
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| Childhood home of St. Faustina |
Thoughts as we traveled through the countryside … The terrain and freeway are not unlike those in the US, but I found the houses are built mostly of cement, most one story, most with black roofs and black trim, most with concrete driveways and most with beautiful but simple landscaping and flowers. Those in the little villages appeared to be relatively new. It also seemed that everything is clean, no trash laying around. The food options everywhere are very healthy with very little sugar-type, except, of course, pączki!
Today's word … reconciliation. Humm … important to be up to date in that area, right? We are spending the night and most of tomorrow in Czestochowa, which also appears will necessitate a lot of walking. So after a nice dinner and good company, getting to know most of those traveling with us, we settled into this one-night-stay hotel. Dobranoc!
Day 6, September 26, 2025: Our Lady of Czestochowa and Wadowice, Pope John Paul II's Home
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| Our Lady of Czestochowa or The Black Madonna above the main alter of the Chapel |
Our day started with luggage out to door by 7:30, on the bus by 8:30 to for a short ride to Poland's beautiful national shrine, Jasna Góra, home of the stunning Black Madonna. Also known as Our Lady of Jasna Góra or Our Lady of Czestochowa, it is an icon of the Virgin Mary holding the child Jesus in her left hand. Tradition holds that the Icon was drawn by St. Luke the Evangelist. While it is not known exactly when the piece was created, it was gifted to Poland over 600 years ago by Hungary under the care of sixteen Pauline monks. Today, over 80 monks remain on site caring for this beautiful place. After a robbery of Jasna Góra in the1430s, the icon was damaged badly but restored; however, two long slashes on Mary's right cheek were purposely left to symbolize the shared suffering of her son's passion.
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| People bring back symbols relating to answered prayers from Our Lady |
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| The Altar of another Chapel in the Shrine |
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| Picture in the museum depicting JPII and the Black Madonna |
First we enjoyed the little bakery where the Polish Papal Cream Cake … made famous by Pope John Paul II, affectionately known as the Pope's Cake, Kremowka in Polish ... was made. Oh my goodness, it was delicious! We then toured the church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, located on the market square and the building right next to the apartment where JPII and his father lived. Again, the church décor was stunning. And we were able to venerate several first-class relics here … Saint Padre Pio, another one of JPII,
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| Saint Padre Pio side altar and first-class relic in JPII's home church |
Saint Rita. It is also the church where Pope John Paul II was baptized and received his first Sacraments, where his love for Mary and his faith were fostered. Of course, other factors such as losing his mother at an early age, and then his brother, and finally his father at age 19, as well as living through the horrific WWII, all influenced him.
We ended the tour by going through the John Paul II museum of his life and walking into the rooms he and his father lived in for many years. It was very well done, covering all aspects of his life, a great man who, by the grace of God, changed the world by his words of courage and dignity, challenging the people of Poland and the communist regime. It was just 10 years after his first visit back to his homeland as Pope that Poland gained it's freedom from Soviet control, all fostered by the people's beloved Pope John Paul II.
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| Main altar of JPII's childhood church |
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| Bedroom where JPII and his dad slept in their second-floor flat |
It was about 8 p.m. when we arrived at the hotel in Krakow … a lovely dinner and now to bed! The word for today is “listen” to the recesses of our soul … what is God telling us? Dobranoc!
Day 7, September 27, 2025: Zakopane
Today was spent enjoying the beautiful mountains of southern Poland. It was about a two-hour bus ride up the mountains to the recreational area which the residents take advantage of year round. The vistas reminded me of the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia. The housing in this area is different from the northern area … most homes have a small footprint but are 3-4 stories high with the first floor surrounded by rock or cement as a protection against snow build-up in the winter, with the remainder of the building constructed of wood. The Highlanders of this area do a lot with wood, from the construction of building, to the carving of serving bowls and kitchen utensils, crosses and crucifixes, pictures, etc. The word for today is “leisure” … God wants us to rest, enjoy his creation, reflect and refresh ourselves.
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| Chapel's carved ceiling |
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| Entrance to Jaszczurowka Chapel |
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| Chapel's carved front door |
Our first stop was a the Jaszczurowka Chapel, also known as The Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Zakopane, built by the Highlander community and dedicated to Pope Saint John Paul II in gratitude for his surviving the assassination attempt on his life in 1981. The wood carving detail throughout the entire Chapel was breathtaking. Because JPII credited Our Lady of Fatima for saving his life, a lovely statue of Our Lady of Fatima is focused in the backdrop of the altar. A picture of JPII is also on the back wall along with many hearts and other small items from people who's petitions were answered that decorate the walls. What is so striking is the intricate wood carvings on the altar legs, on the ambo, the altar railings, on the ceiling and back wall … simply amazing! A statute of Our Lady of Fatima with the three children kneeling before her is just outside the entrance of the Chapel. A portion of the stone from Fatima on which Our Lady actually stood when speaking with the children is used in the creation of this statue. We celebrated Mass here today.
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| Our Lady of Czestochowa Church |
We then visited the main church, first named Saint Clemens but changed to Our Lady of Czestochowa after WWI. This too features beautifully carved wood as well as stained glass windows and a very large icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa above the main altar. JPII would have visited this often as a young boy and in his early adulthood, as he loved nature, hiking, skiing. Outside the church was a very large metal cross, similar to another larger Cross placed further up the mountain, again honoring JPII. The entire grounds are surrounded with a metal fence on which metal cylinders are attached by chain representing the rosary!
Next up, a stroll through the Stary Cemetery … oh my, the decorations of the graves in this quite small but crowded cemetery. How to describe it? Unique, individually created headstones for each grave, much greenery and flowers, graves dating back centuries to recent years. Only pictures or better yet, a personal walk through will do it justice.
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A cable car brought us up to the top of the mountain … what a magnificent view of the valley below and more mountains across the valley. Once there, a variety of restaurants, merchants and activities are available for year-round enjoyment. Typical Polish food that we
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| Amazing view |
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However, we did have a surprise stop on the way back. The very popular oscypki cheese of this area is made by various small farmers who raise a flock of sheep. These sheep spend the warmer months (about May-the end of September) in the mountains, always guarded by a shepherd and a dog to protect them from the wolves. In the fall they are herded down the mountain to the farm where they are milked twice a day. We learned the process this woman used to make the smoked cheese. She was self sufficient with a small store selling not only cheese, but eggs, garden vegetables, beautiful sheep skins, etc. Also, Krzysztof, our guide, guided us through a vodka/liquor tasting, supplemented with the local cheese. A fun and interesting experience!
We learned more about Poland's political, economic and cultural scene today. They have actually accomplished a lot since their independence from the soviet Union in1991, but even more since they joined the European Union in 2004. That provided an influx of money to modernize the country, but it also brought suffocating restrictions and taxes. They have many similar political and cultural struggles as in the US. Medical care is free; (paid for by a 23% value added tax on almost everything); however, it takes months to get specialty care unless you know someone. It will be interesting to see how Poland fares in the coming years.
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