The first chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Palestine in Poland
A few days after the Feast of the Assumption, the shrine of the Mother of God and her Passion of Praszka - in the Archdiocese of Częstochowa - celebrated the feast of the Dormition of Mary, in spiritual union with our Orthodox Christian brothers. The representatives of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, both from Polish territory and from abroad, formed a large group under the guidance of the Lieutenant for Poland - Jozef Dabrowski - and his council. The celebration was presided by Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, witness of life of St. John Paul II, as well as by Msgr Stanislaw Nowak, Archbishop emeritus of Czestochowa.
The Cardinal solemnly entrusted all the pilgrims present to the Mother of God, venerated in Praszka with the name of Mother of the Mission of Calvary. He offered her a gold rose as a gift, placed next to the icon of the Virgin. At the end of the Mass, the statue of the Mother of God was carried in procession to the church of the Burial and of the Assumption of Mary. Later, the participants went to the recently built chapel of Our Lady of Palestine. Thanks to a decree of Pope John Paul II, She was declared Patron of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in January 21, 1994.
The construction of this chapel was decided and initiated by Abbot Stanisław Gasinski, at the same time custodian of the Shrine of Praszka and Knight Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. This is the first chapel of Our Lady of Palestine in Poland.
After the consecration of the chapel by Cardinal Dziwisz, the relics of Blessed Bartolo Longo were deposited there. The latter is currently the only lay member of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem to have been beatified. Msgr. Tommaso Caputo - Archbishop of Pompeii - donated the aforementioned relics to the chapel of Praszka. A two-sided framed image - representing Our Lady of Palestine and the Blessed Bartolo Longo - was transferred to the chapel by members of the Order; it will remain in memory of this important event and will welcome pilgrims wishing to pray for the inhabitants of the Holy Land.
(October 2018)