XXXVII
POLISH Walking
Marian Pilgrimage
Chicago, IL – Merrillville, IN,
August 10-11, 2024
You are with me
when I walk to you, Mary!
Start
Immaculate Conception Church,
Chicago IL
Finish
Shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa
Merrillville IN
Distance
30 miles
Duration
Two days (saturday and sunday - second weekend of August)
News & Info
Live video streaming of the pilgrimage
Regulations and information
Dear Pilgrims!
On August 10 we will meet on the route of the Walking Polish Marian Pilgrimage. We are extremely happy that we will again be able to make a pilgrimage to our Mother. In order to make everything run as smoothly as possible, we provide important information on the organization and program of the pilgrimage.
PILGRIMAGE PLAN AND PROGRAM
- When: August 10 - 11, 2024.
- Slogan: You are with me when I walk to you, Mary!
- You can stay up to date with us via live streaming - https://vimeo.com/event/3590465
Saturday, August 10, 2024
- 5.30 am – Zbiórka
- 6.00 am – Wyjazd AUTOBUSÓW z kościołów:
Kościół św. Alberta – Burbank
Kościół św. Ferdynanda – Chicago
Bazylika św. Jacka – Chicago
Kościół św. John Brebeuf – Niles
Parafia Miłosierdzia Bożego – Lombard - 7.30 am – Msza Św. w Kościele Niepokalanego Poczęcia NMP – Immaculate Conception Church – 2944 E 88th St, Chicago – przewodniczy Ks. Biskup Radosław Orchowicz– biskup pomocniczy archidiecezji gnieźnieńskiej
- PO MSZY ŚW. wyruszy pielgrzymka…
- W tym dniu w programie m.in.: modlitwy poranne, Godzinki o Niepokalanym Poczęciu NMP, konferencja, różaniec cz. radosna, POSTÓJ 1, modlitwa południowa, świadectwo Michała KOTERSKIEGO, POSTÓJ OBIADOWY, modlitwa popołudniowa, Koronka do Bożego Miłosierdzia, konferencja 2, CISZA w pielgrzymowaniu, Droga Krzyżowa, NOCLEG (Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Ludźmierskiej w Munster, Carmelite Fathers, 1628 Ridge Road Munster, IN 46321, 219 838 7111) …i oczywiście śpiew, śpiew, śpiew 😉
- 6.00 pm – dojście do Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Ludźmierskiej
- kolacja
- 6.30 pm spowiedź w Kaplicy Miłosierdzia
- 9.00 pm – Msza św., Carmelite Fathers – przewodniczy Ks. Biskup Robert J. McClory – ordynariusz diecezji Gary
Sunday, August 11, 2024
- 7.00 am – wymarsz pielgrzymki z Munster
- W tym dniu w programie: modlitwy poranne, różaniec cz. chwalebna, świadectwo Michała KOTERSKIEGO, słowo Ks. Mikołaja Markiewicza SDS – przełożonego klasztoru w Merrillville, POSTÓJ 1, koronka do Bożego Miłosierdzia, konferencja 3, różaniec cz. bolesna, czas świadectw i podziękowania ks. przewodnika …i oczywiście śpiew, śpiew, śpiew 😉
- 2.00 pm – Uroczysta Msza św. w Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Częstochowskiej w Merrillville – przewodniczy Ks. Biskup Radosław Orchowicz– biskup pomocniczy archidiecezji gnieźnieńskiej
- 6.00 pm (około) – Wyjazd autobusów: do Chicago, Niles, Burbank i Lombard
- 7.30 pm (około) – planowany przyjazd autobusów pod kościoły: Kościół św. Alberta – Burbank, Kościół św. Ferdynanda – Chicago, Bazylika św. Jacka – Chicago, Kościół św. John Brebeuf – Niles, Parafia Miłosierdzia Bożego – Lombard
MEDICAL
- Any health problems should be reported upon registration
- Pilgrims should be equipped with basic medications, first-aid supplies, and if they take any prescription medication, they are obliged to have these with them. It is also necessary to have a list (names) of the medications they are taking. If taking the medicine requires, for example, syringes, these should also be brought
- The pilgrim confirms compliance with these regulations by signing this document.
- Any undignified behavior or non-compliance with the regulations by the pilgrim may result in the decision of the guide to expel that person from the pilgrimage (no refund).
- The organizers reserve the right of decision-making in situations not provided for in these regulations.
TAKE WITH YOU
The pilgrims should bring:
- comfortable shoes — not new!!
- protective headgear against the sun.
- It should also be noted that long sleeves and pant legs help to protect against burns and allergies from asphalt.
We also bring with us in a small backpack:
- Rosary
- a prayer book
- a songbook
- Rain gear
- ID
- Drugs that you take on a permanent basis in the amount sufficient for two days. Write down the name of the illness and the dose of the medication on the pilgrim ID card.
You may not follow the pilgrimage with your own car!
PARTICIPATION
- A Walking Marian Pilgrimage is an act of faith of the Church community. To emphasize this truth, we call each other “sister” and “brother”. Let us strive not to let these words be merely an empty phrase, but to care for the good of other pilgrims and the people we meet during the pilgrimage. We are witnesses of the love of Christ to the people we meet. It imposes a special responsibility on each of us — not to betray the trust placed in us.
- We will not achieve the purpose of our pilgrimage without the help of people of goodwill along the entire route. Therefore, we should give thanks for each gift with a kind word and prayer. We show friendliness through Christian greetings. We will not be demanding. In the spirit of gratitude, we accept what they may offer us.
- Walking Marian Pilgrimage is a religious event undertaken for reasons of faith. It should be experienced in a spirit of prayer, mutual respect, kindness, brotherly help, and discipline. The way pilgrims treat each other should be based on the Christian commandment of God’s love and neighborly love.
- The pilgrimage is also penitential. In this spirit, pilgrims endure the hardships of walking all the way and all inconveniences.
- The pilgrim should take an active part in the pilgrimage program (Holy Mass, prayers, listening to conferences, etc.).
- Pielgrzymki obowiązuje właściwy ubiór – skromny, stosowny do religijnego charakteru pielgrzymki.
- Wszelkie transparenty, stroje i symbole muszą być zaakceptowane przez organizatorów – nie wolno używać Pielgrzymki do propagowania jakichkolwiek idei niezgodnych z nauką Kościoła.
MINORS
- Only pilgrims with pilgrimage ID cards can take part in the pilgrimage.
- A pilgrimage ID card should be carried with you at all times (it is used for distributing meals and traveling by bus). It should be shown at the request of the security service.
- Those under eighteen years of age should submit the written consent of their parents or guardians to participate in the pilgrimage.
- Children remain under the full care of their parents or guardians throughout the entire duration of the pilgrimage. They should be provided with a card containing a contact phone number for their parents.
SECURITY
- During the pilgrimage, it is strictly forbidden to smoke cigarettes, drink alcoholic beverages, and use drugs.
- Each pilgrim is obliged to observe all security measures, both on the route and in rest areas as well as in places of accommodation, and to comply with the decisions made by the organizers of the pilgrimage and the security service.
- Miejsca postojów, noclegów i trasę przemarszu pielgrzymi pozostawiają w czystości i porządku.
- We do not take valuables on the pilgrimage. The organizers are not responsible for items lost during the pilgrimage.
- Filming the pilgrimage can be done only with the consent of the organizers.
PROMISE
BY SIGNING UP FOR THE PILGRIMAGE I PROMISE TO:
- Contribute to the religious nature of the pilgrimage through participation in Holy Mass, conferences, and other prayers.
- Wear the pilgrimage badge in a visible and dignified place and have the Pilgrim ID Card with personal details and show it at the request of the pilgrimage services.
- Preserve the penitential nature of the pilgrimage through personal conduct in a spirit of faith and renunciation (in this spirit, we accept all duties and prohibitions).
- Give a good example of a positive attitude to other pilgrims.
- Wear proper clothing. Shoulders should be covered and pants or a skirt should reach at least to the knees.
- Respect all of God’s gifts that I receive through other people, especially every piece of bread and every gift from our benefactors. Always walk on the road so as not to destroy fields and meadows. Use mobile phones only during rest stops.
- Give up smoking and drinking alcohol (in any form).
- During the pilgrimage, co-ed accommodation is forbidden.
- Follow all orders of the pilgrimage services.
Is the pilgrimage bilingual?
The main language is Polish. There are prayers and talks in English too, but to a limited extent.SIGN UP
Information about sign-up for a walking pilgrimage
Sign up is from July 21 to August 9
If you have any questions, please call Mr. Leszek Olechno, who is responsible for sign-ups (847) 293-3466.
SIGN UP online
from July 21 to August 9
SIGN UP IN PERSON
Weekdays
from July 28 to August 9
Sundays:
July 28 and August 4
NOTE: Unsigned will not be allowed to participate in the pilgrimage.
PRICING
Price list of pilgrimage fees and list of items in the package to be received
children under 10
$30
$ 35 online registration
($5 is the cost of online transactions)
- Participant's card - pilgrim's identity card, ID badge
- Scarf,
- Pilgrimage badge,
- Transportation of heavy luggage,
- Dinner and breakfast in Munster,
- Toilets during rest stops,
- Accommodation tents in Munster, IN.
all others
$50
$ 55 online registration
($5 is the cost of online transactions)
- Participant's card - pilgrim's identity card, ID badge
- Scarf,
- Pilgrimage badge,
- Transportation of heavy luggage,
- Dinner and breakfast in Munster,
- Toilets during rest stops,
- Accommodation tents in Munster, IN.
A brief history of the pilgrimage
The Polish nation, throughout its history, has always had factors that integrated it, united it, spurred it on to great works and allowed it to survive difficult times. Undoubtedly, one of these is the Lady of Jasna Gora, Our Lady of Czestochowa. Her role in uniting Poles extends far beyond the borders of Poland, and reaches everywhere where the sons and daughters of the Polish Nation have been thrown by wandering fate in the course of history.
Not far from Chicago, in the neighboring state of Indiana, Polish Salvatorians are spreading the cult of Our Lady of Czestochowa. The church dedicated to Her was built in 1983 as a votive offering to Chicago's Polish community to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the presence of the miraculously famous image of the "Black Madonna" at Jasna Gora in Czestochowa.
Almost from the very beginning of the church's existence, a pilgrimage movement began. Compatriots were already familiar with the place from the earlier veneration of Our Lady of Fatima, the more numerous began to come to Merrillville, Indiana, finding there a truly religious atmosphere, cultivating Polish traditions and customs. Noteworthy among this pilgrimage movement is the walking pilgrimage, which is rare in the United States. For more than twenty years, a walking pilgrimage from Chicago has been coming to the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Merrillville, Indiana, following the example of the walking pilgrimages to Jasna Góra in Czestochowa.
In a world full of conflict and division, this is a valuable testimony to the effort to bring unity to the Polish ethnic community in the United States. The participants of the walking pilgrimage wish to offer their efforts for the intentions of the Holy Father, the Fatherland, the Polish community, peace in the world and that a civilization of love prevail between people of all races, languages, cultures and religions.
The spiritual care of the pilgrimage is provided by Salvatorian priests, assisted in the spiritual service for the pilgrims by Polish diocesan and religious clergy. Masses, prayers, religious singing, numerous confessions, conferences preached on the way, all contribute to a unique atmosphere. It can only be experienced by those who have taken part in a pilgrimage at least once. A huge role in the organization of the pilgrimage is fulfilled, from its inception, numerically small, but with heart and experience great PILGRIMAGE COMMITTEE, and many wonderful collaborators and benefactors. God bless!
We commend all, through the mediation of the Lady of Jasna Gora, to God's protection,
Contact
Salvatorian Fathers
P.O. BOX 10189
5755 Pennsylvania St
Merrillville, IN 46410
Phone: 1-219-884-0714
