Generations of Women Gather in Poland to Honor Mary at Sacred Shrine

Thousands of women spanning multiple generations—grandmothers, mothers, daughters, and granddaughters—gathered at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Piekary Śląskie in Upper Silesia, Poland, for their annual pilgrimage. The sacred event, which Pope Leo XIV acknowledged during his Sunday Angelus address, serves as a powerful space for female solidarity, shared faith, and personal prayer. Long-time attendee Dominika Szczawińska reflected on over two decades of participation, sharing how the shrine has anchored key moments of her life, from praying for a child as a young wife to returning today as a mother of teenagers alongside fellow women seeking spiritual support and community.

The pilgrimage holds deep roots in the religious and social history of Upper Silesia, where separate annual gatherings for men and women have long defined local Catholic identity. Spokesman for the Archdiocese of Katowice, Fr. Rafał Skitek, noted that the shrine played a vital historic role, particularly during the communist era, as a sanctuary where Catholic social teaching and the dignity of workers were courageously proclaimed. The site also carries strong papal heritage: before his election to the papacy, Saint John Paul II frequently visited Piekary as Archbishop of Kraków to preach and connect with the local community, a tradition of papal greetings that continues today.

Addressing the gathered crowd, Archbishop Andrzej Przybylski, Metropolitan of Katowice, highlighted the Virgin Mary as a supreme model of female dignity and spiritual calling. Reminding the women that every individual is called to holiness and deserving of respect, he affirmed that no one has the right to humiliate or harm them. The pilgrimage concluded with a solemn Eucharistic celebration presided over by Archbishop Zbigniew Zieliński, Metropolitan Archbishop of Poznań, reaffirming a historic legacy that continues to shape the religious landscape of the region across generations.