Greetings,

The Sung Vespers at St. Marys of Czestochowa last Wednesday with Archbishop Nienstedt was truly amazing. I heard many comments about the sung prayer as a little taste of heaven.  It was simply beautiful!  Thank you again to so many who worked so hard to make this evening wonderful.  Certainly, Rose and the three choirs were marvelous.  Everyone who set up and took down, you have my many thanks.  The servers were great.  Thanks again to Barb who organized the dinner.  I have heard many wonderful comments about the food.  I am sure the Archbishop was greatly impressed and very much pleased.  He seemed to really enjoy himself with all of us.  I would like to conclude with a little bit of history about the icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa

MiraclesThe miracles worked by Our Lady of Czestochowa seem to occur mainly on a public scale.  During her stay in Constantinople, she is reported to have frightened the besieging Saracens away from the city.  Similarly, in 1655 a small group of Polish defenders was able to drive off a much larger army of Swedish invaders from the sanctuary.  The following year, the Holy Virgin was acclaimed Queen of Poland by King Casimir.  It is also recorded that Our Lady dispersed an army of Russian invaders by an apparition at the River Vistula on September 15, 1920.  In more recent times, the Czestochowa Madonna has also been acknowledged for her protection of and cooperation with the Polish nation.  Beyond these public prodigies: The miracles attributed to Our Lady of Czestochowa are numerous and spectacular.  The original accounts of these cures and miracles are preserved in the archives of the Pauline Fathers at Jasna Gora. The image is not so well-known only on account of its history of miracles.  Its international reputation has been considerably enhanced because of the personal devotion of the current Roman Pontiff:  In modern times, Pope John Paul II, a native son of Poland, prayed before the Madonna during his historic visit in 1979, several months after his election to the Chair of Peter.  The Pope made another visit to Our Lady of Czestochowa in 1983 and again in 1991. Why Is She Black?A final question remains: why is Our Lady of Czestochowa black?  Some theologians mention a possible link to the Canticle of Canticles: “I am black but beautiful”; but conclude that “The darkness is ascribed to various conditions [e.g. accumulated residue from candles], of which its age is primary.”  Other historians, by contrast, opine: the shrine was destroyed by fire, but the picture was not burned – however, the flames and smoke had darkened it and from that day it has been known as the “Black Madonna.” Other experts recall that they see the image as Byzantine in form, dating from the Medieval period.  Further adding: “the skin pigmentation is characteristic of this stylized portraiture.”   Interestingly, some art historians who studied the image, believed that “the present image was restored in the nineteenth century and painted somewhat darker than previously.”   Adding to all this confusion, a notable Swiss copy, completed in 1956 is much darker than the version in Jasna Gora, while a copy at a shrine in Doylestown, Pennsylvania is depicted in lighter flesh tones.  All of which makes the question of authorial intent extremely complicated.  Perhaps all that may be said of Our Lady of Czestochowa is that she may be called black, but she is certainly beautiful.  Her miraculous reputation, though, is beyond dispute.

Please let me know if you have any other stories about Our Lady of Czestochowa. This icon is my favorite icon and holds an incredible power from Our Lady when I pray with it

Peace, Fr. Tom

Greetings,

This coming Wednesday evening at 7pm we will be celebrating the 125^th Anniversary of St. Marys of Czestochowa as a parish.  Archbishop Nienstedt will be with us to lead Sung Vespers.  Auxiliary Bishop Lee Piche has been invited.  I think we will have 7-10 priests, maybe 5 Carmelite brothers, some sisters from the area, and close to 30 choir members from both parishes will be on hand to help celebrate.  And of course, those who have been to some of these Vespers know how beautiful and prayerful (a little taste of heaven) the hymns, songs, and music are.  So please, if you are able come and join us for this wonderful evening of prayer and fellowship, it should be very uplifting.  Immediately following Sung Vespers we will be blessing our Memorial to the Unborn across the parking lot into the St. Marys Cemetery.  Food and refreshments will follow

The image of Our Lady in Czestochowa, Poland is among that small group of Black Madonnas recognized throughout the entire world, largely due to the recent manifestations of public piety shown by the Polish Pope, John Paul II.  The image is sometimes called Our Lady of Jasna Gora after the name of the monastery site in which it has been kept for six centuries.  Joan Carroll Cruz relates the following ‘miracle story’ regarding the selection of this site: -St. Ladislaus determined to save the image from the repeated invasions of the Tartars by taking it to the more secure city of Opala, his birthplace.  This journey took him through Czestochowa, where he decided to rest for the night.  During this brief pause in their journey, the image was taken to Jasna Gora [meaning "Bright Hill"].  There it was placed in a small wooden church named for the Assumption.  The following morning, after the portrait was carefully replaced in its wagon, the horses refused to move.  Accepting this as a heavenly sign that the portrait was to remain in Czestochowa, St. Ladislaus had the image solemnly returned to the Church of the Assumption. -Another ‘miraculous’ aspect of this image is that its antiquity is so great that its origins are unknown, as if “dropped from the heavens.”  Legend attributes its creation to St. Luke, the evangelist, who “painted a portrait of the Virgin on the cedar wood table at which she had taken her meals.”  St. Helena, the Queen-Mother of Emperor Constantine is said to have located the portrait during her visit to the Holy Land and to have brought it to Constantinople in the fourth century.  After remaining there for five centuries, it allegedly was transferred in royal dowries until it made its way to Poland, and the possession of St. Ladislaus in the fifteenth century.-The legend continues: During Ladislaus’ time, the image was damaged during a siege, by a Tartar arrow, “inflicting a scar on the throat of the Blessed Virgin.”  In 1430, Hussites stole and vandalized the precious image, breaking it into three pieces.  Adding insult to injury:One of the robbers drew his sword, struck the image and inflicted two deep gashes.  While preparing to inflict a third gash, he fell to the ground and writhed in agony until his death … The two slashes on the cheek of the Blessed Virgin, together with the previous injury to the throat, have always reappeared – despite repeated attempts to repair them.

-Our Lady of Czestochowa was Pope John Paul IIs favorite and most powerful icon, as it is for me  Please take some time to know this story better and maybe even pray with the icon for a few minutes and allow Our Blessed Mother to touch you in a deeper way.

Peace, Fr. Tom