The year 1984; the date - 15th August - Assumption.
The Background; after one year of "group traveling" in Up With People (1982-1983), I decided to embark on a unplanned 3-month long voyage to Europe in a "non accompanied" mood and without a GPS. People I spent time with were either UWP friends who hosted me and/or people I would connect with during the course of my journey.
Poland was far from my plans, but... plans are made to be "unmade". Thus, through a friend of mine in Belgium (thanks Nicolas), I set out for the most remarkable episode of my European journey of my 1984 summer; the Czestochowa Pilgrimage. Here is the tale of my arrival to the "Jasna Gora" (Brigth Mount in English) Pauline monastery to admire the famous "Black Madonna" painting (with her "two scars")...
4h30 am - the wake up call or bell is already ringing. I have to get up so we can enter Czestochowa as the sun rises. As a romantic, I had liked the idea but right now, my body does not agree with romanticism anymore. It is cold and I have nothing warm to drink prior to set on for the last few km left to walk. I am going to see if my French friends would have some Nutella to give me!!!
5h15 am- we all gather with our respective groups and start to proceed. As I am walking, I am remembering that for days, when blisters on my feet gave me excrutiating pain and my empty stomach reminded me it existed by growling noises (I was not prepared for the walk nor were my Polish friends - thanks to a French group, they fed me on regular basis), I kept walking and dreaming of the moment I would be standing of this famous Black Madonna and in a few hours my wait will be recompensated...
6h00 am - when we finally enter the sleepy city, I am surprised to people lined up on the side of the road. They are handing little goodies to us, the young and tired pilgrims that we are... I am so touched by their gesture and tears want to come to my eyes.. but I stupidly refrain.
When I first heard about the painting back in Belgium, I was intrigued, how a "black" painting could be so revered in a country such as Poland. I had to participate. Imagine, walking with thousands young polish during the height of the "Solidarnosc" era in Poland? For the adventurer that I am, I could not pass this opportunity. I would enter the communist side for the first time...
During the walk, I remember vividly the USSR helicopters hovering above our heads as we are praying and chanting in Polish. Why so did I ask to one of the priest Voytek I had become "friends" with. Because many of us have returned from prison recently... said he in a soft voice... I remember the Polish wedding we attended were the bride and the groom exchanged the salt and the light. A tradition I liked and which was retained as the Canadian 2002 World Youth Day theme: "You are the Light of the World you are the Salt of the Earth".
I also remember sleeping in farms on humongous hay balls and swimming in lakes with thousands of youngster just like me and singing under the stars late into the night... They were so intense about their faith I was pleased. Also, they gave me proofs that Poland would not remain into communist hands for much longer. Of course, when I share this view to my north american friends upon my return, I was laughed at, but at the end, it prooved to be true in the late 80s.
This pilgrimage was a bit of my Woodstock version "à la polonaise"...
As far as history is concerned, this beautiful pilgrimage tradition dates back to 1382 when Prince Ladislaus Ii of Opole invited Pauline monks from Hungary to Poland. He gave them the "Jasna Góra Hill" and the miraculous picture of "Our Lady".
According to the legend, this "Black Madonna icon" was painted by St. Luke on a cypress table top from the house of the Holy Family. My Polish friends told me that the presence of the Black Madonna has saved the church from being destroyed in a fire, but not before the flames darkened the flesh tone pigments.
The legend concerning her two scars on her right cheek is that a robber drew his sword upon the image and inflicted two deep strikes. When he tried to inflict a 3rd strike, he fell to the ground and squirmed in agony until his death. Despite past attempts to repair these scars, they have always reappeared!!! Mysterious isn`t?
Going on pilgrimage is an important part the Catholic faith and I had never thought much about it. Compostelle has become "à la mode" in the past few years but I had never heard of the Czestochowa. I am glad that life events brought me there, or was it "events" really?
My experience has strengthened my belief in God and did renews my soul. Similar feelings I felt in Poland were renewed while I attended the World Youth Day in 2002 in Toronto, Canada (I was part of the organizing committee based at the Canadian Embassy to the Holy See for one beautiful year) and when John Paul II died... I spent these spiritual days around the Vatican talking to pilgrims queuing to pay their final respect to the Pope and attending his solemn funerals. More on this later..
I have become one of the 5 million who visit Jasna Gora yearly. When 15th August turns around, you find me praying in Polish... I do not know if it has the same impact on them that it has had on me, if so, I may say that the world is now a better place...
Adventure mum
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