By Joan Zombek
We were “surrounded by Saints.” These were the words Father Michael, Pastor of St. Columba Church, and our spiritual guide, used to characterize our ten-day pilgrimage through Poland and the Czech Republic as we celebrated our final Mass in Prague’s St. Wenceslaus Church before departing for the United States.
Our introduction started with our arrival at John Paul II Kraków-Balice International Airport in Kraków on Saturday. Polish faith, pride and hospitality were evident as we met our tour manager/guide, Simon and bus driver, Luca. They whisked us away to the Divine Mercy Shrine Complex, the original burial place of St. Faustina, dedicated by St. John Paul II in 2002 (pictured below).
There Father Michael, assisted by deacons Chris and Dan, celebrated our first pilgrimage Mass. We toured the John Paul II Center, home of the Church of the Relics. Here were displayed numerous images and artifacts of his pontificate and visits to the world’s most notable Marian sanctuaries. We venerated his relic, a small vial of blood, contained in a simple, marble altar (Peter’s Way Tours, p. 12).
Sunday started with a sobering visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi concentration/death camps, where more than “four million people, mostly of Jewish descent, were executed during World War II. (p. 12). We paused in reverent silence at the cell where St. Maximilian Kolbe gave his life in exchange for the life of a man with a family. St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross, formerly Edith Stein, and her sister, Rose, perished in a Birkenau gas chamber.
During our bus ride from Auschwitz to Wadowice, hometown of St. John Paul II, Simon introduced us to the history of Poland, beginning with her baptism into Christianity by Czechia (now Czech Republic) in 966. In Wadowice, we celebrated Mass in the Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary, where Karol Wotyꝉa (St. John Paul II) was baptized. Nearby we visited his childhood home, now a museum, where we learned the story of his remarkable life from childhood in a multicultural town to his final years as the Bishop of Rome (Peter’s Way Tours, 12) (pictured below).
St. Florian Church, where Karol Wotyꝉa first served as a priest was a short walk from our hotel on Monday and the location of our morning Mass (pictured below).
From there we continued foot to explore Old Town Kraków and its many connections to Father Wotyꝉa’s priestly life. Wawel Cathedral, the burial place of Polish kings and the crypts of Sts. Stanislaus and Leonard were the site of Father’s first Mass upon ordination. Close by was the Archbishop’s Palace, where Father Wotyꝉa attended seminary, was ordained, and later lived as a Cardinal of Poland (Peter’s Way Tours, 13).
No visit to Old Town Kraków is complete without witnessing the unique hourly trumpet call, hejnal, (pronounced “hey now”), from the tower of St. Mary’s Basilica. This popular Polish tradition commemorates the trumpeter who climbed the tower to warn the people of an impending Tartar invasion around 1392. His trumpet warning was abruptly cut off as an arrow killed him. Nowadays, firefighters continue this tradition as they reproduce the exact notes up to their abrupt end four times every hour of the day (Kraków in your pocket – City Guide, p. 49). THE TRUMPETER of KRAKÓW. St. Mary’s Trumpet Call. NEW FULL HD video.
Our final destination that day was the Wieliczka Salt Mine, where we crowded into antique elevators to descend 1,073 feet underground into a cavernous world of serpentine passages, lakes, and chapels carved from salt by dedicated Polish miners (pictured below), (Peter’s Way Tours, 13). This unique subterranean world is under the patronage of St. Kinga, married to King Boleslaus V, of Poland and said to be related to St. Elizabeth of Hungary (Magnificat, p. 317).
Zakopane, in southern Poland, where St. John Paul II loved to ski and hike, was our destination on Tuesday. The Górale (mountain people) continue their unique lifestyle today, herding sheep, and crafting and selling artisan sheep’s-milk cheese as well as elaborate wood carving. Our first stop was at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima in Krzeptowski, “built by the mountaineers in gratitude to the Virgin Mary for saving the life of the Pope from an assassination attempt” (Peter’s Way Tours, 13). In the Chapel of the Immaculate Heart of Virgin Mary, built in 1951, we celebrated Mass in the presence of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima, amid the intricately detailed and lovingly carved surroundings (pictured below).
At the ski resort, we took advantage of the Gubaꝉówka Gondola to view Zakopane and the surrounding lush countryside. Visible in the mountain formation is the shape of the legendary, “Sleeping Knight,” said to be slumbering in expectation of responding in Poland’s time of need in the future.
Częstochowa, site of the Monastery of Jasna Góra,was Wednesday’s destination. Two days before the Feast of the Assumption, it was already teeming with pilgrims from all over the world, waiting in long lines for an opportunity to confess, in preparation for the feast of the “Queen of Poland.” Lines of faithful Polish Catholics and others streamed through the church to venerate the “Black Madonna,” the iconic portrait of the Virgin Mary holding the Infant Jesus, their skin darkened by years of exposure to the soot of burning candles and lamps, the Blessed Mother’s face defiled by the sword thrusts of attempted robbery. The portrait that day was “wearing” an artfully crafted, jewel-encrusted overlay “dress,” changed according to the liturgical season or feast. We celebrated Mass this day in the Rosary Chapel on the Monastery grounds (Peter’s Way Tours, 14).
Thursday, the feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe, was our travel day to Praha (Prague), “City of 100 Spires.” We celebrated Mass in the Church of St. Jakub in Brno. Continuing our education on the history of Poland, we viewed the documentary, Runaway, narrated by a man who was able to escape the infamous Auschwitz. Poland emerged from the horror of World War II, harking back to the words of Fr. Kolbe, “that Poland was crucified between ‘two thieves’: Russia and Germany” (Miner, B., Triumph of the Heart). The downfall of the Soviet Union’s brutal oppression of Eastern Europe began in the 1980s, partially due to the papacy of our beloved St. John Paul II. Other Polish heroes would grace the world stage as well. Lech Walesa, leader of the Solidarity Trade Union and labor movement, a Nobel Peace Prize Winner and later, President of Poland “changed the course of history” resulting in the expulsion of communism. Earlier this fall, the organization, History Explorer, based in Poland, sponsored his Grand Lecture Tour in the United States and Canada. The topic was very timely, “The Greatest Challenges of Our Time” (An Evening with President Lech Walesa, 11 Sept. 2025). Father Jerzy Popieꝉuszko, a parish priest and vocal proponent of “encouraging peaceful resistance to communism,” became an unlikely “Polish hero, martyr, and future saint” at the hands of the communist oppressors in 1984 (Polish Priest, martyr, and hero: Remembering Fr. Jeszy Popiełuszko, 11 sept. 2025).
Friday, the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, was dedicated to exploring Prague, “spared from destruction during World War II.” We visited the tomb of St. Wenceslas and other rulers of the Czech Kingdom in St. Vitus’ Cathedral, now used for presidential inaugurations, the Basilica of St. George, and the Prague Castle. We celebrated Mass in the Church of Our Lady Victorious, in the presence of the statue of “the Infant of Prague,” vested in blue in honor of His mother’s feast. Later, we stopped at the Loreta Church, “created to promote the legend of Santa Casa, a copy of the house believed to be the Virgin Mary’s” (Peter’s Way Tours, 14-15).
Saturday was a walking day in Old Town Prague, crossing the Charles Bridge on the Vltava River connecting it with the Lesser Town (Malá Strana). The pedestrian sidewalks are “guarded by thirty statues and sculptures of saints . . . the most famous of which is St. John of Nepomuk” (Prague City Tourism, 11 Sept. 2025). Very prominent and not to be missed is the Astronomical Clock. The 12 Apostles appear to bless the crowds as they walk past the windows above the clock face as it chimes each hour of the day. Astronomical Clock Strikes the Hour in Prague
We celebrated Mass in the Church of Our Lady Before Týn before spending our last afternoon exploring Prague on our own. Starý Veleslavín, a local restaurant, was the setting for our last pilgrimage meal together along with pilgrims from other countries. Traditional Czech cuisine was on the menu, with some unique serving customs and local, music and dance entertainment.
Sunday morning’s final pilgrimage Mass was celebrated very fittingly in the Church of St. Wenceslaus, Patron of the Czech Republic where we reflected on the precious opportunities God gave us to share the rich history of our Catholic faith with family, friends, fellow parishioners, and clergy. For me, this pilgrimage held special meaning, visiting Poland, my ancestral homeland for the first time, and sharing the experience with my New York friends, our former Pastor, Father Michael, Deacon Dan and his wife, Teresa, and meeting new friends from other Northeast parishes.
References
An Evening with President Lech Walesa. (2025, September 11). www.historyexplorer.com; History Explorer.
Kraków in your pocket – City Guide (No. 126, p. 49). (n.d). IYP City Guides Sp. z.o.o. Sp.k.
Miner, B. (2025), September 3). The Hunger Bunker. www.thecatholicthing.org; The Catholic Thing.
https://thecatholicthing.org/2025/09/03/the-hunger-bunker-triumph-of-theheart
Polish Priest, martyr, and hero: Remembering Fr. Jeszy Popiełuszko. (2025, September 11).
www.catholicnewsagency.com; Catholic News Agency.
White, O. P., Rev. S. (Ed). (2025). Saint Kinga of Hungary. In Magnificat (p. 317). Pierre-Marie Dumont.
(2025). Ten-Day Pilgrimage to Poland and the Czech Republic (Peter’s Way Tours, Ed; pp. 1-15) [Review of Ten-Day Pilgrimage to Poland and the Czech Republic]. Peter’s Way Tours.
