The Black Madonna icon, also known as Our Lady of Czestochowa, will be in the Our Sorrowful Mother sanctuary from Friday, May 2, through Sunday, May 4. The icon has been intimately associated with Poland for the past 600 years. Its history prior to its arrival in Poland is shrouded in numerous legends which trace the icon’s origin to St. Luke who is said to have painted it on a cedar table top from the house of the Holy Family.

Also present during the weekend will be Father Peter West, vice president for Missions for Human Life International who has been promoting the pilgrimage on EWTN, and two sisters of Our Lady of Mercy (sisterfaustina.org) will also be there.

The pilgrimage started in 2012 in Vladivostok, Russia, then made its way through 24 countries and more than 400 cities and towns to reach the Atlantic Ocean. One of its final European stops was on Divine Mercy Sunday 2013 in Fatima, Portugal, where the icon was placed on the site of the Fatima apparitions of Our Lady.