Agenda Trip to Poland: Pilgrimage and Cultural Activities

Posted by dean

January 27, 2010

Contact Person: Sis. Bessie Salonga 069919202628
Cost – 180 Euro (Adult) 160 Euro (10 – 15 years old)

30 April – Friday – Departure to Poland
10:00 PM – Assembly at the Bus Haltestelle in front of the Eis Salon, Schwedenplatz U1

1 May – Saturday – First Day
7:30 AM – Arrival in Krakow, Poland
9:15 AM – Holy Mass at the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy
1:30 PM – Tour to the Salt Mine at Wieliczka
5:30 PM – Travel to Czestochowa Hotel IBIS (Dinner and overnight stay)

2 May – Sunday – Second Day
8:30 AM – Holy Mass at the Shrine of the Black Madonna
2:00 PM – Tour to Ausschwitz-Birkenau
11:00 PM – Arrival in Vienna

Below a short history of the places provided by Fr. Ron
Photo Credit: Fr. Ron Sandoval

Krakow’s Lagiewniki Sanctuary of Divine Mercy The vast Sanctuary of Divine Mercy is complete with a spacious main church, which is the home of the sacrosanct painting depicting Christ as He appeared before Sister Faustina, a Polish nun in the 1930s. On August 17, 2002 Pope John Paul II consecrated the sanctuary’s majestic 1,600-sq-m brand-new basilica. Every year some two million pilgrims from all over the world visit the shrine.

More photos from last year’s trip can be viewed here.

The Salt Mine of Wieliczka The Wieliczka salt mine reaches a depth of 327 meters and is over 300 km long. It features a 3.5-km touring route for visitors that includes historic statues and mythical figures. At the end of the tour, there is a large cathedral and reception room that can be reserved for weddings or private parties. Also featured is an underground lake and exhibits on the history of salt mining. The Wieliczka mine is often referred to as “the Underground Salt Cathedral of Poland.”

More photos from last year’s trip can be viewed here.

The Black Madonna of Częstochowa It is a holy icon of the Virgin Mary, that is both Poland’s holiest relic and one of the country’s national symbols. The icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa has been intimately associated with Poland for the past 600 years. Its history prior to its arrival in Poland traces the icon’s origin to St. Luke who painted it. King Jan Kazimierz “crowned” Our Lady of Częstochowa (“the Black Madonna”) as Queen and Protector of Poland in the cathedral of Lwów on April 1, 1656.

More photos from last year’s trip can be viewed here.

Auschwitz Death Camp in Oswiecim Site of the notorious German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp of Auschwitz and Birkenau . Between June 1941 and January 1945 about one million men, women and children perished in the three Auschwitz concentration camps. At its peak the whole complex of the Auschwitz death camp was a deadly prison to some 150,000 inmates that were being either murdered outright or starved and worked to death.