A Pilgrimage to Poland - Father Rosa takes 36 pilgrims to his home country
By DIANE SCHLINDWEIN
Managing Editor
Every summer, Father Michal Rosa, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Effingham, goes home to visit his parents Eugeniusz and Grazyna Rosa in his hometown of Tarnów, Poland. This year, he made the trip as usual, however, he took 36 parishioners and friends along with him. The pilgrimage took place from May 21 to June 2. “People had been wanting to take this pilgrimage with me for quite a while,” Father Rosa said, adding that he always waits until the school year has ended before he goes home. “They would say, ‘Father, we want to visit the place you grew up.’”
As it turned out, the pilgrimage was originally planned for 2020, but was postponed because of COVID and later, because of the war in nearby Ukraine. In the end the group was made up not only of parishioners from Sacred Heart, but other Catholics from nearby parishes as well.
Gene Niemerg of St. Isidore Parish in Dieterich says he and his wife Ellie enjoyed the trip, which they made with several of his wife’s family members, including Christy Schackman and Carol Hakman, and Hakman’s two teenage grandchildren, Hope and Will Speiser. “The grandchildren added an extra insight into the contrast in culture,” Niemerg said.
The Polish people have a great devotion to Mary, and are so appreciative of receiving the sacraments, he said. “Most impressive were the first communicants, who have a tradition of visiting holy shrines the weekdays after their first Communion. They seemed to be everywhere in their white outfits, especially at the church where the Black Madonna painting was enshrined. We celebrated daily Mass with Father Michal at different chapels, shrines, and churches with homilies appropriate for the feast days and to emphasize the particular church.”
The food in Poland was good, too, Niemerg added. “The meals arranged by Father Michel were traditional, common meals that Father enjoyed in his youth, with cabbage prepared in at least five different recipes, red beets, and potato dumplings or boiled potatoes. The last night we celebrated with cheese, mushroom, and sausage perogies,” he said. “The hospitality of the three parish centers that were our hosts on several evenings were greatly appreciated.”
The pilgrims also met with some Ukrainian refugees, who are in Poland because of the war in their country. “While we were in Poland, we were able to see some of the facilities where Ukranian refugees are being helped,” said Father Rosa. “We were able to see firsthand how the money from our parish, our parishioners, and our community is being used to help the Ukrainian people.”
Although the pilgrims felt safe at all times, they knew that in Ukraine, the situation is very difficult. “At one point, a guide said we were 100 miles from the Ukraine border, which certainly makes you stop and think and say a prayer,” said Nina Jackson, a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Effingham. “I just felt we were in good hands and just took in all the sights and experiences and enjoyed the trip.”
The trip included some very sad and disturbing aspects of Poland’s history. “We also visited the concentration camps,” said Hakman, who is also a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Effingham. “It’s hard to believe people could do the horrible things they did. We saw a room filled with the hair the Nazis shaved from their heads before they gassed them. The horrific living conditions they forced them to endure was heartbreaking. That experience will stay with me forever.”
“I am glad we toured Auschwitz, but it is such a sad part of history,” Jackson added.
Carol Toney, another member of Sacred Heart Parish in Effingham, agreed. “As difficult as it was, we went to Auschwitz. The smell of death and the atrocities that happened are still hanging in the air,” she said. “It was an overcast and misty day, so it really set the atmosphere for seeing it.” She said her head was filled with thoughts “of those horrible things that those people endured and especially St. Maximilian Kolbe (who died in Auschwitz).”
Toney also described the visit to the St. John Paul II museum. “That man has been our only Polish pope and the people love him! He was a holy man that loved people, especially the youth — he started World Youth Day,” she said. “The car that he was riding in on the day of his attempted assassination is in the museum and his vestments with the blood and gunshot hole are hanging in the museum. His kayak and snow skis, along with many pictures, dot the walls. My favorite was his visit to prison to forgive his assailant, Mehmet Ali Ağca.”
The pilgrims were happy to meet Father Rosa’s parents and found them to be warm and welcoming. “Father’s parents were so nice,” said Hakman. “They traveled with us to a few places and were appreciative of our visit.”
“Father’s parents seem so kind and loving,” added Jackson. “They are good representatives of their country.”
Several people on the trip said other parts of the trip were outstanding. “I personally liked being in the mountains,” said Jackson. “I also enjoyed seeing the churches and the old buildings standing after all these years. I liked looking at the house styles as we rode along in our bus.”
“The salt mine history and tour near Kralow was impressive,” said Niemerg. “We went down to the third level which was 350 below ground level. The maximum depth was 900 feet down. The beauty of the mountains and the river float boat ride near the edge of the mountains were fantastic.”
“I had no idea Poland was such a beautiful country,” Hakman said. “(There are) mountains and rivers and lakes. The weather was gorgeous — no humidity!”
Hakman added that overall Poland is a place where faith is also beautifully apparent. “The holiness and the religious atmosphere there was amazing,” she said, describing when they saw the Black Madonna. “We saw the place where miracles happened and it affected all of us emotionally. It’s hard to explain unless you experience it. I think they (her grandchildren, among others) will be forever affected by the love and holiness they felt there.”
“We had a great group and saw many interesting sites and several churches,” concluded Father Rosa. “It was wonderful to see my parents and visit my hometown and see the beautiful scenery. It was a nice trip, and I think everyone enjoyed it.”
