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Peak of pilgrim season in Poland

PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk 04.08.2016 13:47
A group of 1,200 pilgrims have left the town of Rzeszów, south-eastern Poland, heading for the southern Black Madonna shrine in Częstochowa.
Photo: pixabay.comPhoto: pixabay.com

They are to cover about 300 kilometres in ten days.

Father Władysław Jagustyn, who is leading the Rzeszów pilgrimage for the 39th successive year, has told the Polish Press Agency that the pilgrims want to give thanks for the 1,050th anniversary of the baptism of Poland and the recent visit by Pope Francis to this country for World Youth Days.

“We shall be reflecting on the mystery of divine mercy in the light of the pope’s homilies,” he said.

August is the peak of the pilgrimage season in Poland, with some 250,000 people expected to arrive in Częstochowa for the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin Mary on 15 August.

Some people, from cities such as Szczecin and Białystok, cover more than 500 kilometres.

The Polish tradition of annual pilgrimages to the Black Madonna shrine goes back to the 17th century.

The oldest pilgrimage, from the southern town of Gliwice, was held in 1626. The one from Kalisz in central Poland is this year being held for the 379th time.

A pilgrimage led by the Pauline Friars of Warsaw, which begins on Friday, is international and includes groups from many European countries and India. Last year it attracted 5,600 people. (mk/pk)

tags: religion
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