Deepl Translation:
Skarszewy/Częstochowa/Mechernich – Leaving their daily duties behind for a few days, praying together and renewing their focus on God: around two dozen members and friends of Communio in Christo from Mechernich’s Polish twin town, Skarszewy, took part in their annual pilgrimage to Częstochowa in July.
The pilgrimage group was led by Teresa Świeca, chairwoman of Communio in Skarszewy. Their destination was the Polish national shrine of Jasna Góra, where the icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa, known as the ‘Black Madonna’, is venerated. For centuries, people from Poland and all over the world have been coming there to entrust their petitions, their thanks and their concerns to Mary.
“As we do every year, we travelled to Częstochowa to pay our respects to the Mother of God,” Teresa Świeca reported afterwards in a letter to the Mechernich motherhouse of the Ordo Communionis in Christo. It had been a wonderful time, “during which we were able to detach ourselves from our daily duties and devote ourselves entirely to spiritual experiences”, she told the Superior General, Jaison Thazhathil, and the community.
Spiritual guidance was provided by Prelate Dr Józef Zielonka, a priest of Communio in Christo and a long-standing companion of the founder, Mother Marie Therese, who died in 1994. Now aged 80, he was already active during the communist era as the Mechernich community’s representative for Poland and Eastern Europe, and has provided spiritual guidance for numerous Communio meetings and pilgrimages in Poland.
‘Charisma of Love’
Zielonka has also conducted extensive academic research into the spirituality of the Communio founder. At the state-run Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, he completed his doctoral thesis on Mother Marie Therese under the supervision of the renowned theologian Professor Dr Stanisław Urbański. Together with this world-renowned expert on Christian spirituality and mysticism, Zielonka published the book *Charisma of Love*, in which they both set out the life, mission and spiritual legacy of Mother Marie Therese.
Her central message – that love is the heart of the Church and that active charity is the touchstone of the Christian faith – also guides the Polish members and friends of Communio. For them, therefore, the pilgrimage to Częstochowa is not merely a matter of personal devotion to Mary. “It is also a time of fellowship, spiritual renewal and mutual encouragement,” says Teresa Świeca.
On 18 July, the group celebrated Holy Mass together at the Shrine of St Padre Pio on the so-called Przeprośna Górka near Częstochowa. The hill has long been a stopping point for pilgrims on their way to Jasna Góra. It is from there that many pilgrims catch their first glimpse of the towers of the famous Marian shrine.
The name ‘Przeprośna Górka’ can be roughly translated as ‘Hill of Forgiveness’ or ‘Hill of Reconciliation’. Traditionally, pilgrims pause there to prepare themselves in prayer for their encounter with the Mother of God. The Padre Pio Shrine, with its relics and its special atmosphere of prayer, offered the Communio group a fitting place for the Eucharist, reflection and fellowship.
A bridge between twin towns
The pilgrimage also symbolises the living connection between Skarszewy and Mechernich. For years, Teresa Świeca has been bringing together people in the Polish twin town who feel connected to the spirituality of Communio. Regular meetings with priests, members of religious orders and laypeople keep the link with the mother house in Mechernich alive. Just last year, Communio followers from Skarszewy met at the parish of Swarożyn near Tczew with, amongst others, the Superior General Jaison Thazhathil, his deputy Deacon Manfred Lang, Sisters Theresia and Lidwina from the community at the motherhouse in Mechernich, as well as Angelika Juwick and Gottfried Völl.
Prelate Dr Józef Zielonka is one of the bridge-builders in this regard. He knew Mother Marie Therese personally, supported the establishment of Communio in Poland and maintained the link with Mechernich even in difficult times. To this day, he brings together people who wish to live out their faith not only in prayer, but also in community, solidarity and practical charity.
“We send you our warmest regards,” wrote Teresa Świeca upon her return from Częstochowa. Her few lines reveal what the annual pilgrimage means to the group: a break from everyday life that does not take them away from it, but rather brings them back to it with renewed strength.
pp/ProfiPress Agency
