Feast of Our Lady of Częstochowa – Mass and Polish Reception

Polish Youngstown and St. Columba Cathedral will honor the feast day of Our Lady of Częstochowa, Eastern Europe’s most beloved Marian icon, with a special mass and reception on Saturday, August 26, 2023, at 4 PM at St. Columba Cathedral 159 W Rayen Ave, Youngstown, OH 44503. Very Rev. Msgr. Robert J. Siffrin will serve as celebrant with other Diocesan Slavic priests invited. A Polish meal will be served in the Cathedral hall afterward. A free-will donation of $15 pp is suggested. Music will be provided by accordionist Luke Politsky. The public is invited.

The Reverend Eric Orzech, Past President and Board Member of the Polish-American Priests Association will be the keynote speaker. He will speak to the miracles associated with the ”Black Madonna” and her role in Catholic lives today. He is the pastor of the Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus in Cleveland’s Slavic Village and the miracle church of St. Casimir Church in Cleveland.

The Diocese of Youngstown Shrine to Our Lady of Częstochowa, located in the former St. Columba baptistery, was dedicated on October 30, 2012 by the Most Reverend George V. Murry, S.J. This was done to welcome the parishioners of St. Casimir and St. Stanislaus into the cathedral parish upon the closure of their reorganized churches. The parishioners of St. Stanislaus Kostka graciously bestowed their incredible mosaic icon to serve as the centerpiece of the shrine. It serves as an enduring symbol of the sacred mission of Our Lady as protector of Poland and her people everywhere.

The icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa has been intimately associated with Poland for more than 600 years. In every Polish church, there is a reproduction of the Black Madonna. When Poles emigrated, they brought their devotion to the Mother of God, creating home altars and innumerable churches, chapels, and shrines in her honor. A special place is always reserved for her.