In ways big and small, pilgrims who walked from Chicago’s South Side to Munster and to Merrillville on Aug. 12-13 wished to not only maintain a faith tradition but also affect change in today’s world.
For some Region residents peering out of their windows, the sight of thousands of Catholic pilgrims holding images of Jesus and Mary and singing in Polish, the event appeared as a real summer surprise. Participants in the 36th annual Piesza Polonijna Pielgrzymka Maryjna (walking Polish Marian Pilgrimage) said events like this were in their DNA, and model age-old Christian practices in their homeland.
“This is very special, because the first time we went (on this pilgrimage), we just found out that my wife was pregnant with him,” said Robert Rozanski, a Polish native and Wheaton, Ill. resident, pointing to his 23-year-old son, Konrad Rozanski.
“I’d say the demographic breakdown here is quite good,” said Konrad Rozanski, a recent graduate of the University of Notre Dame.
Konrad Rozanski suggested that young people keep the faith mainly because “of good family upbringing.”
Organizers said more than 5,000 people participated in the walking portion of the pilgrimage, as the event inches closer to pre-pandemic attendance levels.
In 1987, Lech Kubera and other Polish natives including the late Salvatorian Father Jozef Zuziak joined a small group of Chicago Catholics in walking the 25-mile route that thousands would become familiar with in time since the inaugural Polish Marian Pilgrimage.
Comparing the act of walking and joining in fellowship to the faith journey through life, Kubera reflected on his inspiration for founding the event.
In 1981, Kubera completed a 30-day walking trek from Warsaw to Rome and was later recognized by his fellow countryman, Pope John Paul II. In 1981 and 1983, Kubera said he met a thankful pope and was once privy to an international summit of high-stakes issues including world peace and religious freedom.
“Walking through the Apennine Mountain ranges (in Italy) was difficult; we had backpacks and a tent, and we just made do,” Kubera explained.
Kubera said in his 1983 visit to the Vatican, Pope John Paul II introduced him to President Ronald Reagan, who was present for a meeting with the pontiff. Then, the pope told the U.S. leader of the polish walker’s feats of faith.
“It was an experience of a lifetime,” Kubera said. “In the Vatican, Pope John Paul II walked up to me and pointed to me, turned to Reagan and said, ‘Do you know who that is?” And Reagan responded that he did not know me.
Kubera continued, “The pope said, ‘This is the man who walked (for) my intention so I could get healthy.’”
In that spirit, Kubera said he feels blessed to see many young people taking the baton and walking – albeit on mainly flat terrain.
Presider Bishop Robert J. McClory concelebrated with Discalced Carmelite Fathers at the 9 p.m. Mass under a canopy of trees and with the backdrop of a coral re-creation of the Our Lady of Lourdes grotto. The Diocese of Gary shepherd was ordained and installed as bishop in 2020 on the Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Praising the walking pilgrims’ participation in the trek, their fellowship and reception of the Eucharist, Bishop McClory said theirs is an example that contrasts with the “lack of intentionality,” and “boring lives” that many in today’s secularized society live.
“Today this group of believers says, ‘We are blazing our own path; we are following Jesus,’” the bishop said.
He cited the scripture passage where the Blessed Mother “is affirming exactly what is happening today,” through her actions at the Wedding Feast of Cana. “As she always does, she turns to Jesus, and presents the needs of this young couple.”
Jake Witeszczak and his fiancé Agnes Kogut, also of Chicago met on Aug. 12 at the Carmelite Shrine. He walked the route and she drove to Munster with supplies. August 12 was the eighth anniversary of his U.S. citizenship, and the seventh anniversary of his first Chicago-to-Munster-to-Merrillville pilgrimage.
“I come here because this helps me to become stronger for the next year,” said Witeszczak, who sat down to rest his legs and have a hydrating beverage. “I’m thankful for this.”
Several men camped on grounds adjacent to the Carmelite Monastery and enjoyed a Polish meal of kielbasa (sausage) and oscypek (cheese). Krzysztof Bryja of Burbank, Ill, has been donating his time and the use of his semi trailers for more than 25 years.
His friends Sylvester Fujarowicz, Piotr Kepinski and Peter Mizur are part of a crew that swoops in with military precision to set up, service and assist in event clean ups. “Seeing a lot of people here motivates us. We do this to get more people involved – they are following Jesus and belong to our Church,” said Bryja
Eva Opalinski of Chicago is a new member of the group of Polish-Americans who assemble for the local pilgrimage. She said, “Gathering here is just cleansing, it’s just incredible.”
She joked that though some adult pilgrims continue singing and dancing into the night, and many youth “go bananas,” she prefers to tell others, “I’m done, let’s just rest before tomorrow.”
She contributed her voice to songs such as the heavenly “Pojdz do Jezusa,” or “Go to Jesus,” and other numbers for which the faithful rose to their feet and swayed their arms.
Opalinska and others remained overnight in the gated grounds of the Munster shrine and prepared for the 11-mile walk to the Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine and Salvatorian Fathers Monastery, which began on Aug. 13 at 7 a.m.
Awaiting at the Merrillville shrine were hundreds of family and friends who arrived by vehicles for Mass and to take their loved ones home.
During the afternoon Mass, a Polish prelate’s words were later shared in English and included his core message: “The Second Vatican Council told us that while Jesus is the one and only mediator between God and ourselves, Mary has a prominent role in our salvation, and our pilgrimage here on Earth.”
Caption: More than 5,000 faithful join in the 36th annual Piesza Polonijna Pielgrzymka Maryjna (walking Polish Marian Pilgrimage), making their way into the Carmelite Monastery grounds in Munster on Aug. 12. The prayerful pilgrims camped overnight in Munster, where Bishop Robert J. McClory celebrated Mass at night. On Aug. 13, the large group of mainly Polish natives continued on to the Salvatorian Fathers Shrine in Merrillville where Polish clergy spoke during an afternoon liturgy of the Blessed Mother's roll in leading us to her son, Jesus. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)