Polish Youngstown Hosts Feast Day In Honor of Our Lady of Czestochowa
- Post Eagle
- August 21, 2025
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YOUNGSTOWN — Polish Youngstown and St. Columba Cathedral are excited to honor the feast day of Eastern Europe’s most beloved Marian icons with a special Mass on Sunday, August 24, 2025, at 11:00 AM at St. Columba Cathedral, 154 W. Wood Street, Youngstown, OH 44503 and followed by a festive Polish lunch reception featuring live entertainment.
Our Lady of Częstochowa has been a symbol of Polish identity, faith, and resilience for more than 600 years. Her image, housed in the Monastery of Jasna Góra in Częstochowa, Poland, has inspired devotion worldwide. When Poles emigrated, they brought their devotion to the Mother of God, creating home altars and innumerable churches, chapels, and shrines in her honor. In every Polish church and many homes, her likeness is lovingly displayed as a reminder of her protective presence.
The Very Rev. Msgr. Robert J. Siffrin will serve as celebrant, and other Diocesan Slavic priests will be invited. The Mass will include traditional Polish hymns and a community rendition of “Czarna Madonna.” All are welcome to join this meaningful celebration of faith, heritage, and history.
Following the Mass, a Polish lunch reception will be held in the Cathedral Hall sponsored by Krakus Polish Deli & Bakeryl. Entertainment will be provided by Bob Buzecan of the Chardon Polka Band. RSVP for catering is requested by calling (330) 744-5233. A free-will offering of $15 pp. is suggested. YSU students are admitted free with their YSU IDs. The public is invited. Free parking is available in all lots surrounding the facility. Due to Panerathon, access is recommended from the north via 5th Avenue and Wick Avenue.
Diocese of Youngstown Shrine to Our Lady of Częstochowa In 2010, the Most Reverend George V. Murry, S.J, enlisted PolishYoungstown’s help to initiate an effort with the parish of St. Columba Cathedral to renovate the baptistery into a shrine to Our Lady of Częstochowa. This was done to welcome the parishioners of St. Casimir and St. Stanislaus into the cathedral parish upon the closure of their reorganized churches. Financial campaigns and contributions raised from PolishYoungstown, the St. Casimir Society, and Cathedral parishioners made this effort a reality.
The parishioners of St. Stanislaus Kostka graciously bestowed their incredible mosaic icons as the shrine’s centerpiece. These icons are an enduring symbol of Our Lady’s sacred mission as protector of Poland and her people everywhere. The Shrine was dedicated on October 30, 2012, with guests from around the region and capped off with a performance by Śląsk Song and Dance Ensemble of Poland. It is open to the public, offers prayer cards and recordings, and is available for devotion whenever the Cathedral is open.
“You’ll find quiet in her arms, and you’ll find shelter from the evil, ’cause she has a tender heart for all of her children.” – lyrics from the song “Czarna Madonna”
In every Polish church, there is a reproduction of Our Lady of Czestochowa. When Poles emigrated to America, they brought their devotion to the Mother of God with them, creating home altars and innumerable churches, chapels, and shrines in her honor. A special place is always reserved for her.
The beloved, miraculous icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa is housed in the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland. It is the national shrine of Poland, and together, they are the center of Polish Catholicism.
According to tradition, the icon was painted by Luke the Evangelist on a tabletop built by Jesus himself and arrived in Poland in 1382 with a Polish army fleeing the Tartars.
It is said that the presence of the holy painting saved its church from being destroyed in a fire, but not before the flames darkened the flesh-tone pigments. The two scars on the right cheek are said to have been inflicted when the Hussites stormed the monastery in 1430, stealing the icon. After putting it in their wagon, the thieves tried to escape, but their horses refused to move. They threw the portrait down to the ground, and one of the plunderers drew his sword upon the image and inflicted two deep strikes. When the robber tried to impose a third strike, he fell to the ground and squirmed in agony until his death.
Our Lady of Czestochowa is credited with numerous miracles. The most famous occurred in 1655, when Swedish troops were about to invade Częstochowa. Polish soldiers prayed fervently before the icon for deliverance, and the enemy retreated. In 1656, King John Casimir declared Our Lady of Częstochowa the “Queen of Poland” and designated the city as the nation’s spiritual capital.
During Nazi occupation, Hitler prohibited pilgrimages to Jasna Góra, but many still secretly made the annual journey. During the Cold War, Jasna Góra was a center of anti-Communist resistance.
Today, it is the third-largest Catholic pilgrimage site in the world. It is considered Poland’s national shrine and spiritual capital.
