Dzień dobry!
Welcome to this series of photos and blog posts from our pilgrimage to Poland. We had 8 days on the ground traveling to Warsaw, Gdansk, Sopot, Malbork, Torun, Glogowiec, Lodz, Czestochowa, Auschwitz/Birkenau, Wadowice, and Krakow (and others). We visited birthplaces and shrines of St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Faustina, and Pope John Paul II. I will share photos and stories from our pilgrimage. Let’s get started.
St. James Church
How appropriate that our first stop in Warsaw, before even going to the hotel, is St, James Parish. St. James Parish in Warsaw is a church historically significant to St. Faustina Kowalska because it was the first church she entered when she arrived in the city in 1924, following a vision of Jesus instructing her to join a convent there. According to her diary, Jesus had appeared to her in a vision and told her to go to Warsaw to join a convent. When she arrived in the city, she entered the first church she encountered, which was St. James. After entering St. James Church, she was instructed by a priest to go to the nearby convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. She knocked on their door and was accepted into the congregation. (Information from www.st-faustina.org and www.wikipedia.com.)
This plaque translates as
SAINT SISTER FAUSTINA, Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, Helena Kowalska stayed and prayed in the parish of St. James in Ochota in July 1924. The parish priest, Father Jakub Dąbrowski, helped her fulfill her religious vocation. Jesus chose her to bring the message of God’s mercy to the world.
The image of Divine Mercy was described by St. Faustina. The inscription at the bottom of the painting translates to ” Jesus, I trust in you”.
I was quite taken by the images in the stained glass windows portraying various aspects of war. The text at the bottom of the image translates to “Like stones thrown by God against the rampart”.
The text at the bottom of this one is “Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”.
“They went straight to heaven in fours.”
“Few soldiers whose ashes were scattered on foreign soil APRIL MAY 1940.”
“For Your and Our Freedom.”
These two plaques outside the church proclaim “ROMAN CATHOLIC PARISH OF SAINT JAMES THE APOSTOLIC” and “PARISH CHURCH OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY”.
As I stated above, this was a great place to start our pilgrimage.
I will continue to post photos and other information every few days. Please bear with me as processing all these photos and pulling together this information takes time. Also, if I have mis-represented anything or you want any further detail, please let me know through the comments.
Until next time, Mark
I witnessed it WITH YOU and didn’t even notice all these windows! So great, Mark. It WAS a good place to start our journey.
I think everyone sees something different. That’s one thing that makes sharing our stories so much fun.
Beautiful photography Mark, thank you for sharing.
Interesting photos. Thanks for sharing
Thank you for sharing! We appreciate your time and willingness to share your experience with others!
Thanks. My pleasure, Brenda.
Thank you !
Thank you for sharing these photos. Interesting topics and great artwork.
Stay tuned. There’s more to come.