Top photo caption: Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda of Gdansk, Poland, and Archbishop Józef Górzynski of Warmia-Mazury unveil a new mosaic of Our Lady of Gietrzwald in the Vatican Gardens during a June 30, 2026, ceremony attended by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state. Archbishop Wojda, president of the Polish bishops’ conference, said the installation could deepen ties between Poland and the Holy See. OSV News photo/courtesy Polish bishops’ conference
By Katarzyna Szalajko, OSV News
OSV News – A new mosaic of Our Lady of Gietrzwald was inaugurated in the Vatican Gardens in a June 30 ceremony attended by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, and Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, president of the Polish bishops’ conference, who said the installation could deepen ties between Poland and the Holy See.
“In inaugurating this mosaic, we believe it will contribute to an even deeper relationship between Poland and the Holy See,” Archbishop Wojda said, according to the Polish bishops’ conference press office. He added that “Poland and the Church in Poland are awaiting the Holy Father’s visit.”
A Marian sanctuary in the heart of northern Europe’s countryside – often called the “Polish Lourdes” – could soon draw global attention, as Pope Leo XIV has been invited to visit the site where the Virgin Mary appeared approximately 160 times.
The village of Gietrzwald (pronounced Gyetsh-vowt), in the picturesque northeastern Warmian-Masurian lake region – is preparing for major celebrations in 2027 marking the 150th anniversary of the apparitions.
“From this day forward, she who came 150 years ago to simple people in the land of Warmia will remain permanently present in this place, reminding the world of what matters most: prayer, conversion, and trust in God,” Archbishop Wojda said.
The archbishop noted that the apparitions at Gietrzwald remain a unique gift to the Polish nation. He recalled that at a time when the Polish language, culture and national identity were under severe strain, the Blessed Mother spoke in Polish to two young girls.
“It was a sign that God does not forget his children, and that Mary remains close to her sons and daughters even when history places them before difficult trials,” he said.
Archbishop Wojda said the mosaic is “much more than a work of art.”
“It is a sign of presence. It is a testimony to the faith of a nation that, for generations, has repeated: ‘Mary, Queen of Poland, I stand by you, I remember, I keep watch.’ It is also a reminder that the Church breathes with the richness of nations, languages and traditions, all of which form one family of God’s children,” he said.
He added that it is a great honor that the image of Our Lady of Gietrzwald, deeply rooted in Poland’s spiritual history, has found a place near the See of Peter.
“One could say that today Gietrzwald comes to the Vatican, and Poland brings to the heart of the Church a part of its history, its faith, and its spirituality,” he said.
“In inaugurating this mosaic, we believe it will contribute to an even deeper relationship between Poland and the Holy See. May it also serve as a warm and heartfelt invitation to the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, to visit our land in the near future and meet a nation that, for centuries, has cherished a special love for the Successor of Saint Peter,” Archbishop Wojda said.
Polish bishops, along with President Karol Nawrocki, who visited the Vatican in September 2025, have extended an invitation to the Pope, raising the possibility that the quiet sanctuary could become the focus of international pilgrimage and renewed Marian devotion.
The events that took place in Gietrzwald in 1877 remain unique in the life of the Church. Over the course of roughly two months, two young girls reported around 160 apparitions of the Virgin Mary – sometimes occurring twice a day – making it one of the most prolonged and concentrated series of Marian apparitions ever recorded.
The Polish filmmaker Jan Sobierajski, who recently completed a documentary on the Gietrzwald apparitions, the shrine remains little known outside Poland despite its unique place in the Church’s history.
“To this day, these are the only Marian apparitions on present-day Polish soil officially recognized by the Holy See,” Sobierajski told OSV News. He noted that, unlike other well-known apparition sites, the Gietrzwald visionaries engaged in a weeks-long dialogue with Mary that touched not only on theological questions but also on the practical concerns of everyday life.
Unlike better known sites such as Lourdes or Fatima, the apparitions in Gietrzwald were marked not only by their frequency but by extended dialogue. According to historical accounts, the visionaries engaged in multiweek conversations with Mary, addressing both theological questions – including the Immaculate Conception – and the practical concerns of daily life.
Katarzyna Szalajko writes for OSV News from Warsaw, Poland.
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