Strengthening families was focus of diocesan pilgrimage to Doylestown shrine
October 12, 2024 at 1:00 p.m.
More than 250 people from the Trenton Diocese who made a Sept. 14 family pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pa., found an emphasis on family and the presence of Christ among people.
Mass in the shrine’s Crypt Church was celebrated by Father Alberto Tamayo, C.O., pastor of the Oratory Church of St. Anthony of Padua, Red Bank, who preached the homily in English and Spanish. A Eucharistic procession followed around the shrine grounds, as well as a picnic lunch and games, and a bilingual Rosary.
In his homily, Father Tamayo recalled St. Pope John Paul II’s historic 1972 visit to Poland as the Church’s new pope, for which some one million people turned out, chanting, “We want God!” – interpreted as an act of defiance by the communist leaders of the Soviet Union.
“It was a spontaneous cry from the heart after years of oppression,” he said. “I tell you this story because even today this oppression and suppression of the Church has not ceased … we fight not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities. That is why we hate no one, we are at enmity with no one, and we love everyone.”
Orlando Zuniga of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Lakewood, who made the pilgrimage with his three children, hoped those who participated learned that “that the most important thing is the presence of Jesus Christ, that He was present with us.”
Josue Arriola, director of the Trenton Diocesan Department of Evangelization and Family Life, emphasized the importance of strong families.
“What better way to bring families to a holy place where a mother … can help us get our family strong,
so we can, with her, overcome temptations,” Arriola said. “It’s not the event itself but rather the journey, [when] pilgrims seek a union with Christ and with the family.”
Georgina Diaz, parishioner of Mother of Mercy Parish, Asbury Park, learned about the event from her ministry group “Mujeres de Fe” (Women of Faith). “The way we were welcomed was incredible,” she said. The day began with a concert, and “it helped us open our hearts to what would be happening.”
Our Lady of Czestochowa, often called the Black Madonna, is a famous icon at the Jasna Gora monastery in Czestochowa, Poland. Pauline Father Michael Zembrzuski established the shrine in Doylestown in 1955 in a barn chapel, with a faithful copy of the icon, blessed by St. John XXIII. When the current shrine was built on Beacon Hill in the 1960s, the barn was transported in its entirety to the current shrine cemetery.
Father Alberto Tamayo, C.O., pastor of the Oratory Church of St. Anthony of Padua, Red Bank, preaches his homily at the Sept. 14 Mass in the Crypt Church of the Our Lady of Czestochowa shrine, Doylestown, Pa. John Batkowski photos
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More than 250 people from the Trenton Diocese who made a Sept. 14 family pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pa., found an emphasis on family and the presence of Christ among people.
Mass in the shrine’s Crypt Church was celebrated by Father Alberto Tamayo, C.O., pastor of the Oratory Church of St. Anthony of Padua, Red Bank, who preached the homily in English and Spanish. A Eucharistic procession followed around the shrine grounds, as well as a picnic lunch and games, and a bilingual Rosary.
In his homily, Father Tamayo recalled St. Pope John Paul II’s historic 1972 visit to Poland as the Church’s new pope, for which some one million people turned out, chanting, “We want God!” – interpreted as an act of defiance by the communist leaders of the Soviet Union.
“It was a spontaneous cry from the heart after years of oppression,” he said. “I tell you this story because even today this oppression and suppression of the Church has not ceased … we fight not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities. That is why we hate no one, we are at enmity with no one, and we love everyone.”
Orlando Zuniga of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Lakewood, who made the pilgrimage with his three children, hoped those who participated learned that “that the most important thing is the presence of Jesus Christ, that He was present with us.”
Josue Arriola, director of the Trenton Diocesan Department of Evangelization and Family Life, emphasized the importance of strong families.
“What better way to bring families to a holy place where a mother … can help us get our family strong,
so we can, with her, overcome temptations,” Arriola said. “It’s not the event itself but rather the journey, [when] pilgrims seek a union with Christ and with the family.”
Georgina Diaz, parishioner of Mother of Mercy Parish, Asbury Park, learned about the event from her ministry group “Mujeres de Fe” (Women of Faith). “The way we were welcomed was incredible,” she said. The day began with a concert, and “it helped us open our hearts to what would be happening.”
Our Lady of Czestochowa, often called the Black Madonna, is a famous icon at the Jasna Gora monastery in Czestochowa, Poland. Pauline Father Michael Zembrzuski established the shrine in Doylestown in 1955 in a barn chapel, with a faithful copy of the icon, blessed by St. John XXIII. When the current shrine was built on Beacon Hill in the 1960s, the barn was transported in its entirety to the current shrine cemetery.
Father Alberto Tamayo, C.O., pastor of the Oratory Church of St. Anthony of Padua, Red Bank, preaches his homily at the Sept. 14 Mass in the Crypt Church of the Our Lady of Czestochowa shrine, Doylestown, Pa. John Batkowski photos