Text and photos by Maggie Zolides except where noted.
Catholicism looms large here in Poland- both figuratively and literally. Every city we visited has at least one church, multiple memorials to John Paul II, and small shrines positioned off major roads. This was even more noticeable in the small towns we drive through. As someone who grew up in the Church and has dedicated most of my teaching career to Catholic Schools, it feels almost nostalgic. I know the shorthand and symbolism found throughout the cathedrals to the point where it feels like I’m in on a secret language. It’s foreign, yet oddly familiar.
Statue of John Paul II outside of the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Białystok, Poland.
The Black Madonna in the Jasna Gora Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland.
I knew I wanted to attend a mass in Warsaw since signing up for the program. It’s just something I have always done while traveling abroad as it’s interesting to compare it to back home. Often, it is shockingly similar and this trip to St. Andrew the Apostle was no different. Though the majority of the mass was in Polish, the cadences of the prayers and format of the readings made it easy to catch on quickly. Reciting the Our Father and Lamb of God in Latin made it feel like I was finally able to pass a test for which I had been preparing for years. Some notable differences came with more “old school” practices like still using a communion rail and beginning a benediction directly after mass finished, but you can find those at more traditional masses back home. It was also very interesting to see very clear Polish-Catholic traditions like including a recreation of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa or people leaving rosaries and other religious jewelry behind on the different icons found in the Church. Were it not for these changes, and the Polish, I would have guessed I was simply attending mass back in the States. It was comfortable to be around something so familiar.
The Church of St. Andrew the Apostle, Warsaw, Poland.
The closest photo I have to the interior of The Church of St. Andrew the Apostle before the beginning of Mass.
This once in a lifetime trip has been exhilarating, yet exhausting. I’m glad I was able to experience something a little closer to home and to reconnect to my faith tradition as a way to refuel for the final leg of our trip.
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