Pilgrimage to Poland

One of the places on the top of my list to visit in Europe was Poland since it is a huge part of my heritage. I've grown up listening and singing along to polkas, going to PNA (Polish National Alliance) parties in Chicago, and hearing about my parents visit to Poland. I went to Poland with my cousin Brittney who is studying abroad in Spain this semester. We met in Krakow and spent the weekend experiencing and learning about our Polish heritage in Krakow. 

It was a great experience to be in the country where my ancestors came from. One of my favorite experiences from the weekend was going to Saint Mary's Basilica in the main square. Maybe it's just because my time in Rome has been consumed with the study of sacred space but it was my favorite part of the weekend. I am taking a class on the theology of pilgrimage this semester and it has made me look at sacred space in a new enlightened way. In one of my textbooks the author writes about the trend of medieval pilgrims going to the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of Christ. My pilgrimage to Poland was prompted by my Polish heritage, and my desire to walk in the footsteps of my ancestors. I think of my trip to Poland as a pilgrimage where I was able to walk where my family had walked and partake in a real way the same religious devotion of my family when I visited Saint Mary’s Basilica in Krakow.

When I approached Saint Mary’s Basilica I felt like I was approaching part of my family history. Like the early pilgrims I traveled to Poland knowing only a few Polish words and not knowing anything about Saint Mary’s Basilica. I went with the desire in my heart to walk and pray where my family had walked and prayed. At the time I felt connected in a very special way to my Polish ancestors. There was something special about physically standing in the place where my ancestors and my parents had stood and prayed. The inside of Saint Mary’s Basilica was stunning. I had not expected such a rich and beautifully decorated interior. I didn’t know where to look as I walked past the pews filled with people. I was amazed at how many people sat in the pews sitting quietly in prayer, praying the rosary aloud, and waiting to go to confession. There was something transformative about the quiet murmur of prayers and the visible devotion of all the people in the church. At the time it seemed to me that the large group praying the rosary in Polish prayed with fervor greater than I haven’t heard anywhere else in Europe. The elderly Polish women reminded me of my own grandmother who made me say the rosary with her countless times. There is such a strong devotion to Marian theology in my family, and I experienced this devotion in a very tangible way hearing the rosary in Polish surrounded by a plethora of images of Mary. 

I had gone to Saint Mary’s the Saturday vigil mass, and in participating in the liturgy I celebrated not only the Eucharist but also my cultural heritage. As I made the sign of the cross and knelt on the rickety wooden pew I was participating in the same prayerful ritual that my family had. When mass began I remembered how my mother and grandmother had taught me how to make the sign of the cross saying, “W imię Ojca, i Syna, i Ducha Świętego, Amen.” To my family, being Polish includes participating in Polish Catholic devotions. Hearing mass in Polish was a new and wonderful experience that made me feel as though by taking part in the ritual of the Catholic mass in Polish I was able to experience the Eucharist in a new way. Through my pilgrimage I broke down the separation between myself and my Polish ancestors. I was able to physically connect myself to the place where they prayed, and I became unified with the ritual of the past and my family heritage through my participation in the Eucharist.