Saint Faustina's Convent - Poland Pilgrimage 1b

Helenka Kowalska known as both Maria Faustina Kowalska and later as Saint Faustina was born in 1905 near Lodz, Poland and died 1938 in Krakow, Poland. She was a Polish nun who is described as a mystic and visionary. She is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and is known as the Apostle of Divine Mercy. Throughout her life she recorded numerous visions and conversations with Jesus. Eventually she was accepted into the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy.  It was during this time that the visions which had begun at an early age as a child developed. Today millions actively participate in the Divine Mercy devotion because of her efforts to promote it.

On our visit we were given the opportunity to reverence her relic and attend Holy Mass. Although in Polish - which I understand only a bit - my wife and Deacon Jerry were able to recite the prayers in Polish which made this experience more meaningful for Deacon Jerry's wife and myself. No matter where Holy Mass is celebrated - Jesus is always the same!

Deacon Dale 

Basilica of Divine Mercy - Poland Pilgrimage 1a

The Basilica of Divine Mercy in Krakow, Poland is dedicated to the Divine Mercy devotion as promoted by Saint Faustina Kowalska the "secretary" of Jesus. St Faustina was cannonized in 2000 the same year that Blessed John Paul II declared the Sunday following Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday. The basilica is very modern and at the time of construction drew criticism that it was too modern. That being said millions of pilgrims visit every year. Both Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have visited the basilica. 

Upon entering the basilica you view a very wide open space - simply designed. The basilica can hold about 5000 people with seating for about 1800. Immediately upon entering you feel that this is a special place - a place filled with believers - not spectators. Groups of pilgrims as well as individuals can be seen praying everywhere. Holy Mass is celebrated daily and multiple times on the weekend. The Divine Mercy Chaplet is recited daily at 3:00pm - quite often just prior to Holy Mass. Surely the presence of The Lord is in this place!


Deacon Dale 

Pilgrimage To Poland

10 Day pilgrimage to Poland along with my wife and another deacon couple. We arrived in Krakow, Poland mid-afternoon Saturday, checked into our first hotel - changed clothes & hit the ground running. We visited the Divine Mercy Basilica in Krakow, the Convent home of Saint Faustina, attended Mass there at the convent, saw her relic and visited the St. Faustina's original grave site and ended up at the Batory hotel for dinner. Sunday we went to Wieliczka for a 3 hour tour of the salt mine then drove to Wadowice, the birth home of Blessed John Paul II, we visited the Basilica next to his childhood home, listened to a concert there and viewed the temporary museum for him. We then drove back to Krakow went to the Sukiennice (cloth hall) to view the merchants wares, did evening prayer at St Mary's in the Rynek Glowny square and ate dinner there. Monday we went to Auschwitz for a 3 hour tour there and ended up at Birkenau one of the largest Nazi death camps and then to Balice airport in Krakow to pick up our friend Dona who was joining us to help translate with Arlene's cousins, then back to Batory hotel for dinner. Tuesday the five of us - Arlene & I, Dona and Jerry & Dee - who were traveling with us - drove to Wola Wielka to visit Arlene's cousins. They were disappointed that we could only visit for 3 hours but it was about 4 hours traveling time to & from their home to Krakow. We visited their church in Straszecin and saw the family graves for great grandparents then headed back to Krakow for our last night there. We had to take Dona back to the airport in Krakow so we dropped Jerry & Dee off at Wawel Castle since Arlene and I had seen it before, then took Dona to Balice airport. We rejoined Jerry & Dee after they had stopped to attend a concert by Wawel Castle so we ended up at Rynek Glowny square for dinner. Wednesday we headed to Czestochowa to see the Black Madonna shrine at the Jasna Gora Monastery. We hooked up with an English speaking group from Ireland and did a tour there. Because we were with them we also attended Mass in the restricted shrine area in front of the famous icon of Mary & Jesus. Jerry and I almost were able to vest and serve as deacons but the space was very limited and they had a half dozen priests and a bishop so we didn't get to do that. After Mass we stayed with the Ireland group and did Stations of the Cross from the roof top of the Shrine. We then headed to Warsaw - stopped on the way for dinner and arrived in Warsaw late that evening - just enough time to check in and go out for a late night tea & Polish nachos. Thursday we stayed in Warsaw and visited Holy Cross church where Frederic Chopin's heart is entombed in one of the pillars there. Then we walked along that street known as the Royal Route and visited the Warsaw University, the Presidential Palace where a protest was going on, the church of St Anne and the church of St Joseph the Guardian which is filled with relics of saints. At the end of the Royal Route is the Royal Castle which we toured. Then we went into the Stare Miasto (the old town) to walk the square and browse through crystal & amber shops. We stopped for a snack then left for dinner. Friday we left Warsaw and headed north towards Gdansk. We stopped on the way to tour Malbork Castle which is suppose to be the largest brick castle in the world. We ate lunch at Malbork Castle restuarant before our tour and after completeing the tour we headed to our hotel in the marina area of Gdansk.  Dona drove to the hotel & we did a walking tour with her of her hometown. Saturday we met up with Dona again and returned to the marina area to see a boat show and ride on an old galleon ship. We spent the day shopping for amber jewelry and attended Pentecost Mass at St John's in Gdansk. We ended our final day at the Pierogie "palace" as Jerry called it.  Sunday morning to the Gdansk airport and back
home for a back to normal routine. Thus - in a nutshell - was our pilgrimage to Poland. In future posts - I will discuss in more detail the churches we visited and prayed in. We were very blessed by God on this journey - being privileged to pray Vespers with a group of Sisters in Warsaw and some monks in Gdansk. All God's people that we met and talked with proved to us how all of us have so much more in common than we realize. Everywhere we went we saw Jesus - in the structures - shrines - people. A true pilgrimage - what a blessing!


Deacon Dale 

There Is No Place

There is no place like home - especially when you have been away for an extended period of time. I just returned from a ten day pilgrimage with friends to Poland. We started in Krakow and ended in Gdansk visiting churches, basilicas, palaces and more. Over the next two weeks I will be blogging about the places that we visited with some photos. 

Jesus allows us to wander in our spiritual lives - through the gift of free will - and is always there to welcome us back to Him. If you have been wandering and seeking - now is the perfect time to return to Jesus - His arms are open and waiting.


Deacon Dale 

By the Sea

Remember that song "By the Beautiful Sea"? It proclaims that by the beautiful sea we will have a great time and so we do. Thousands upon thousands of people go to the sea shore to vacation and play and enjoy the day in the sun. There is something magical about water that draws people to the local lake, sea and river. Spending time on the sea shore is relaxing and draws us back to the beginning of human existence. Water is refreshing and without water we could not survive. Water cleanses and makes new that which is dirty and old.

Jesus knew the value of water in His day just as we do today. For many of His disciples water was a way of life - fishing and boating just for basic needs. He also knew the power of water in the ritual purification rites and so He sent His disciples to baptize in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Today we continue to observe those instructions and in doing so bring people closer to Christ - closer to His Sacred Heart - closer to Life itself. The next time you go down to the sea let your spirit feel God's spirit calling you closer to Him.


Deacon Dale

Castles

One thing I really enjoy when I travel to Europe is to visit castles. I enjoy seeing and learning about the construction details as well as learning about the people who lived in the castles. One of my favorite castles is Malbork Castle located in northern Poland by Gdansk. According to Wikipedia - Malbork is the largest castle in the world by surface area and the largest brick building in Europe. Standing outside and looking at the castle is a great experience - climbing the many stairs to the top of the tower and looking out at the Nogat River and surrounding countryside is even more outstanding. At a minimum this castle has to be described as breath taking.

When Jesus was leaving His disciples - they were told that He was going to His Father's house and would be preparing a room for each of them. One can only imagine what God's House would look like. From all the palaces and castles that I have ever visited I know that what God has prepared for us would dwarf even Malbork Castle or any of the other great castles of the World - with God all things are possible.

Deacon Dale 

HOP ON HOP OFF

A fairly recent improvement in the tourism business is the addition of "hop on - hop off" bus services. Around the world - in major cities - you are able to pay a fee for twenty-fours of unlimited access to this special bus service. The standard format is a group of buses that travel a specified route to show tourists the highlighted attractions in that city. The open air double decker bus provide either a live or a recorded message that describes the attraction in detail - in multiple languages. I have used this type of bus in many of my travels and in Italy - Warsaw - United Kingdom and other countries have enjoyed this service. The best part is that you may chose to "hop off" at any of the designated stops - walk around for awhile - then "hop on" later at either the same stop or any other stop along the route. You receive the benefit of mass transportation prices and convenience offered by private couriers. Ride with the crowd - or go alone - your choice - at your whim - an easy way to see a city.

When God gave us the gift of free will - He blessed us with a similar opportunity - like the bus service above - we can be with Him or apart from Him at our heart's desire. Feeling good - hop on the "Jesus bus" - shamed of doing something bad - hop off the "Jesus bus" - it is up to each of us to make that decision - and make that decision we do - all too often. Better that we make the correct decision once and then commit to it for our lifetime. To experience God's presence in our life we need to "hop on" and stay on!


Deacon Dale 

Open Pit

Besides being the name of a barbecue sauce - "open pit" also refers to a type of method of mining. In that process you mine from the top down and in the process create an open pit. Most people would be fairly familiar with the barbecue sauce - having used it on food grilled in their back yards or on the deck. The sauce imparts a special flavor that enhances the taste of grilled meats. Tangy and spicy - it adds zest to the food.

A third type of open pit - is the kind that one may possibly fall into if led down the wrong path of life. Being distracted by life's many challenges - or being led astray by things that tempt our earthly desires - may and often does cause people to fall into sin. Best intentions put aside - the mind can become a worthy opponent - if allowed to wander in the ripe pastures of sin. It is up to each of us - as mature Christians - to recognize when we are allowing ourselves to get too close to the edge of that pit - and having the strength and determination to stop ourselves from giving into these temptations. When Jesus wandered in the desert - He was tempted by the Devil -  and was able to defeat him - the prince of lies. For us - it is harder - but as long as we have Christ at our side and in our heart and on our mind - we will be kept clear from that open pit.


Deacon Dale 

Detours

Detours are a matter of fact - they happen more often than we like and they always disrupt our plans. Any disruption in our plans or schedules may be classified as a detour. We start one project only to be interrupted by another person who begs us to stop what we are doing and help them with their project - we detour from our project to theirs. Or perhaps we are driving our vehicle and we come upon road construction that forces us to detour and take an alternate route. Whatever the disruption - we are forced to analyze the situation and make a change.

Many people who have good intentions of becoming serious with their faith often face detours - other more attractive options are placed before them which lures them away from the truth and light to the false and dark side of life. Luckily for them Jesus is always there - waiting for them - offering them another option. If you are one of those who have been experiencing one detour after another in your life - then it is time that you accept Jesus' offer and make one final detour into His loving arms.


Deacon Dale 

Grace

It is interesting to note how people say grace - the prayer before eating - both in the style and words that are used.  From the childish "Rub a dub dub - thanks for the grub - yeah God" to the more official "Bless us O, Lord and these thy gifts..." and everything in between. From the funny to the very serious - from the young and the old - the irreverent to the pious - people find countless ways to thank God for their daily blessings of food - fellowship - family and friends. Taking the time to say grace prior to any meal is heart warming.

Jesus - like us - gave thanks to God for blessings and asked His father's blessing upon meals He shared with others. However - unlike us - He is the One who gives us His Grace. To God grace is a lot more than a type of prayer. Grace is His special presence with us. Whenever we celebrate a sacrament with Him - we receive His awesome Grace. It is His Grace that gives us the strength to do  the things that He asks us to do. It is His Grace that helps us to endure hard times. It is His Grace that gives us the patience to deal with issues. It is His Grace that feeds us with the Holy Spirit.


Deacon Dale