Couple makes it a mission to follow Blessed Mother around globe
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
By Jennifer Mauro | Associate Editor
Slawek and Renata Romańczek may hail from Poland, but their hearts lie wherever the Blessed Virgin Mary may take them.
As it turns out, she’s taken them all around the world.
“We love the Virgin Mary, and our goal is to follow her wherever she goes,” said Renata Romańczek, who with her husband, are members of St. Joan of Arc Parish, Marlton.
Related Photo Gallery: Diocesan celebration for Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Related Story: Trenton pilgrimage a testimony of faith
The couple was among hundreds to take part Dec. 3 in the Diocese-wide Our Lady of Guadalupe pilgrimage and Mass in Trenton. The walk was the most recent of trips the Romańczeks have undertaken. From Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the 60-mile pilgrimage from Great Meadows, N.J., to Doylestown, Pa., the couple has been walking Marian pilgrimages for years. They returned just last month from the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico.
“It was a dream to go to Our Lady of Guadalupe,” Renata Romańczek said. “She’s living proof of God existing.”
Slawek Romańczek said pilgrimages such as the one in Trenton are a way to grow in faith by meeting new and faithful people.
“We have questions, and we’re looking for answers,” he said. “If you go on a pilgrimage, you have the chance to meet smart and good Christians,” including priests, religious and laity who are knowledgeable in the faith.
For example, he said, one may meet a family or couple who can give witness to what it’s like to be good parents, during which, “we walk, we pray and we listen.” Renata Romańczek, who hopes to organize a local pilgrimage to Mexico next year, says she’s had a long devotion to the Virgin Mary.
“I love her; she’s my best friend. She’s been with me through the hard times,” she said, adding that being a Polish native, the immigration process to America was a long one. “But we always felt Maria’s support.”
Slawek Romańczek, bundled up to keep out the cool December air, said the miles of walking through Trenton was a testament of faith. “A day like today is giving the proof that if we’re really Catholic, we have to put forth the effort,” he said. “Sometimes, life gives us an occasion to test ourselves. We became physically tired today, but our soul was like a battery.”
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By Jennifer Mauro | Associate Editor
Slawek and Renata Romańczek may hail from Poland, but their hearts lie wherever the Blessed Virgin Mary may take them.
As it turns out, she’s taken them all around the world.
“We love the Virgin Mary, and our goal is to follow her wherever she goes,” said Renata Romańczek, who with her husband, are members of St. Joan of Arc Parish, Marlton.
Related Photo Gallery: Diocesan celebration for Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Related Story: Trenton pilgrimage a testimony of faith
The couple was among hundreds to take part Dec. 3 in the Diocese-wide Our Lady of Guadalupe pilgrimage and Mass in Trenton. The walk was the most recent of trips the Romańczeks have undertaken. From Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the 60-mile pilgrimage from Great Meadows, N.J., to Doylestown, Pa., the couple has been walking Marian pilgrimages for years. They returned just last month from the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico.
“It was a dream to go to Our Lady of Guadalupe,” Renata Romańczek said. “She’s living proof of God existing.”
Slawek Romańczek said pilgrimages such as the one in Trenton are a way to grow in faith by meeting new and faithful people.
“We have questions, and we’re looking for answers,” he said. “If you go on a pilgrimage, you have the chance to meet smart and good Christians,” including priests, religious and laity who are knowledgeable in the faith.
For example, he said, one may meet a family or couple who can give witness to what it’s like to be good parents, during which, “we walk, we pray and we listen.” Renata Romańczek, who hopes to organize a local pilgrimage to Mexico next year, says she’s had a long devotion to the Virgin Mary.
“I love her; she’s my best friend. She’s been with me through the hard times,” she said, adding that being a Polish native, the immigration process to America was a long one. “But we always felt Maria’s support.”
Slawek Romańczek, bundled up to keep out the cool December air, said the miles of walking through Trenton was a testament of faith. “A day like today is giving the proof that if we’re really Catholic, we have to put forth the effort,” he said. “Sometimes, life gives us an occasion to test ourselves. We became physically tired today, but our soul was like a battery.”
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