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Published: 01 August 2025

A copy of the Icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa, which has been on a worldwide pilgrimage in defense of life since 2012, has arrived in Rome and is now at the center of youth gatherings at Casa Polonia. Lech Kowalewski of the International Coalition "From Ocean to Ocean" talks about its extraordinary mission in an interview with Vatican Radio - Vatican News.

The Icon at Casa Polonia

The Icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa, traveling around the world, has arrived at the chapel at Casa Polonia. "I brought the icon, and there was a group from Szczecin at the very beginning. Of course, after arriving in Rome, each group wanted to pray, and the groups with priests celebrated Mass. I asked them to solemnly carry the icon in, Fr. Mariusz Wencławek, SDB, readily agreed, and we turned on the lights and placed them on the feretory, reports Lech Kowalewski. Beginning

Jubilee participants received symbolic credit cards with information about the pilgrimage in the form of a QR code – an invitation to join in prayer for the defense of life.

Pilegrination in Response to a Spiritual Crisis

The initiative began in 2012. "The pro-life leaders gathered in Częstochowa at the time concluded that the propaganda of the death culture is so pervasive that it is impossible to defend the civilization of life and love without divine help. And they believe that this definition is simply Christianity," explains Kowalewski.

The initiators also included Orthodox Christians, who recalled the Judeo-Christian tradition. "Since the Mother of God is the Ark of the New Covenant, she must be sent to the front lines – like the Israelites in Old Testament times," explains Lech Kowalewski.

The first leg of the route ran from Vladivostok to Nazaré, Portugal, on the Atlantic Ocean. The icon has already visited over 30 countries on five continents, covering over 220,000 kilometers.

Miracles in front of an abortion facility

Kowalewski also recalls a telling scene from the United States. "We went to an abortion facility, 40-50 of us, placed the icon across the street, and calmly prayed the rosary. The next day, a letter arrived from a sidewalk counselor—a woman who had been working there for 15 years. She said the facility's staff usually insulted her, but when the icon arrived, she said, 'it was like an exorcism.' For the first time, she had a civilized conversation with the staff," reports a source from Vatican Radio-Vatican News.

Moreover, the next day, the abortion facility referred an underage patient to a nearby pro-life center for an ultrasound. "For me, it was obvious that when Our Lady arrived, Satan fled," adds Kowalewski.

In Defense of Life

Lech Kowalewski also recalls a meeting of pro-life activists with St. John Paul II at the beginning of his pontificate. "It was a wonderful experience for me; the Pope spent the entire day with us, speaking with each group separately," says our interlocutor.

The Pilgrimage of the Częstochowa Icon From Ocean to Ocean in Defense of the Civilization of Life and Love is a joint initiative of pro-life movements from many countries and the international organization Human Life International. A copy of the Częstochowa Icon, which was placed next to the original and consecrated at Jasna Góra, is a gift from the Polish pro-life movement to leaders in Russia.

Mother at Home

The meeting of young people at Casa Polonia (from the Italian word "Casa" means "home") is an opportunity to pray together through the intercession of Mary for the protection of life from conception to natural death and for the victory of the civilization of life and love. "The organizers of Casa Polonia decided that this image would be with us for the entire week, because if this is to be a home, then there is also room for our Mother and Queen," said Bishop Grzegorz Suchodolski, Chairman of the Polish Episcopal Conference Council for Youth Ministry, referring to the presence of the Częstochowa Icon. He emphasized that the image had previously been in the chapel, and now it accompanies the participants of the Youth Jubilee during communal prayer.

Source: Vatican News PL/ KAI – August 1, 2025

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Published: 20 June 2025

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Published: 10 June 2025

Today, June 10 at 1:45 p.m. after 10 days of customs blockade, we received news that the Icon had finally arrived at the sanctuary in Varese near Milan. For 10 days She had been held in an Italian customs chamber on the border of the European Union. More questions were asked, the answers to which were contained in the documents attached to the Icon. Finally, on June 9, a fee of 116.6 euros was charged for each box, regardless of what was inside. The larger one contained the Icon, the smaller one the equipment to place Her in the feretron.

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