“Forgive our sins, as we forgive everyone who has done wrong to us. And keep us from being tempted.”
Luke, 11, 4,
Celebrating the Easter Triduum. During the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the General of the Pauline Order performs the Washing of the Feet rite.
VERY BRIGHT SUMMIT
Jasna Góra, Czestochowa, Poland, 2013 - 2016.
The Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland, was founded in 1382. It’s the most important place of worship of the Virgin Mary in Poland and one of the most important in the world. For hundreds of years, it has been a pilgrimage destination. Nowadays, nearly 4 million pilgrims come from 74 countries around the world.
Since the start, walking pilgrimages have been the most popular ones. This tradition dates back to the Middle Ages. It is also a tradition that people of the same occupation, like miners, firefighters, or farmers, pilgrimage together.
The Monastery’s great treasure is the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary, whose origin is shrouded in mystery. It shows the Mother of God with Child Jesus on her left arm. The picture finds itself in a chapel called the Chapel of Our Lady. On its walls, one will see thanksgiving votives and gifts offered to the Madonna by pilgrims and visitors.
The whole Monastery stands on a hill, called the Bright Mount (in Polish, Jasna Góra). The place is considered the spiritual capital of Poland.