The Final Day - Wadowice

 Our final day was spent visiting the home of St. John Paul II in Wadowice, Poland.  JPII grew up right next to the church where his parents rented an apartment.  It is now a museum and we spent an hour or so visiting the museum, then toured the church and celebrated Mass there.  We saw the baptismal font in which the saint was baptized and we spent time enjoying this small town where Pope John Paul II grew up and cherished.  We also learned a lot about his life and his family.  

John Paul II’s bedroom (which he shared with his brother), faced a sundial on the church with the inscription; “ Time Flies, Eternity Waits” This phrase definitely influenced JPII from his early childhood and would help give his life direction, meaning and purpose.

Our final night in Poland we had dinner at a local restaurant and it was wonderful!  Besides enjoying one another’s company and our great tour guide, Philip, we had the opportunity to listen to a polish concert and dance show and some of our priests even participated in the dancing (who knew they could dance so well).  We were grateful for each other’s company during these days together and will cherish the thoughtful and inspiring discussions as well as our prayer together.  

John Paul II Center and St. Faustina

JP II Center and St. Faustina

On Saturday we had the great privilege of touring the JP II Center here in Krakow as well as a trip to the St. Faustina Divine Mercy Center here in Krakow.  Remarkably, these two saints have greatly impacted the life of the people of Krakow and the entire country of Poland.  We had the opportunity to have mass here and to celebrate these important saints here in Krakow.

Later in the afternoon we toured the famous Wieliczka salt mines about 30 minutes or so from Krakow.  It was in operation for more than 400 years.   The men who mined there were exceedingly religious and carved monuments and chapels for workers to pray there throughout the day.  It was a long myriad of tunnels and passageways underground and was a fascinating way to see underground Krakow.

Auschwitz-Birkenau

Today was a sobering day reflecting on the tragic killing of over 1.2 million human beings at the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp.  We saw photos of the denigration, humiliation, hardship and suffering of those who were sent to this prison camp.  On average, Russian prisoners lived here for only 3 weeks, Catholic priests for 2 weeks and Jews who could gainfully work, 6 months.  The conditions were repugnant, lacking any sense of human dignity or worth.  Many people were rounded up on trains, told that they were going to be relocated but, once they arrived, they were stripped of all personal property, clothing, shoes and even combs and brushes.  Their hair was cut and over 3 tons of human hair was used for the weaving of fabric.  
Labels were used to distinguish political prisoners (among them, priests), Jews, Russian prisoners, gypsies, homosexuals, etc.  Each prisoner, early on, was photographed from 3 positions.  Later, when that proved to be too expensive, prisoners were tattooed with numbers to distinguish them.  

Edith Stein, (Sr. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross), Viator Frankl, and St. Maximilian Kolbe, all died in this camp.  We stopped and prayed at the very spot where Maximilian Kolbe stepped forward to sacrifice his life for Franciszek Gajowniczek, a Polish prisoner, husband and father who was spared from starvation because of Kolbe.  Today in the homily, Fr. Richard Samide said that when Kolbe offered to starve and die in his place the man asked, “And who are you?”  Kolbe responded, “A Catholic priest.”  Kolbe would die about 2 weeks later from starvation.  His cell is depicted below.

We also visited Birkenau which was often referred to as, “Auschwitz II.”  This was a much larger camp with several cremation ovens most of which were destroyed by either Germans trying to hide evidence or by local authorities.  

We concluded the day with Mass at a Franciscan friary close to Birkenau where we prayed for all those who suffered the atrocities at Auschwitz-Birnekau and for all victims of violence. 

 

The Monastery of Jasna Gora - The Black Madonna

 We arrived this morning at the beautiful monastery of Jasna Gora - the home of the Black Madonna.  This depiction of the Blessed Mother is said to have been painted by Saint Luke.   However, history would deem otherwise - probably dating back from the early 1300’s.  She has been venerated in this same spot since 1320 or so.  Each day a silver door hiding the painting and protecting from corrosive elements, rises up amidst trumpet blares and drums.  It’s a very dramatic and inspiring tribute to the value the Polish people place on this devotion to the Blessed Mother.  At one point invaders stole the painting and other valuables from the monastery.  The painting was cut into three different pieces and disposed of along the side of a roadway.  While artists worked to restore it, two cuts from the face of the Madonna remain - as a reminder of the theft.  

Our Mass today was in the St. John Paul II shrine.  Fr. Marty Dober, a priest of Cleveland now studying in Rome, presided.  We went on a walking tour throughout the monastery and we were deeply moved by a Polish artisan’s depiction of the Stations of the Cross.  Each towering painting depicting not only the horrific scenes of Jesus’ last journey to Golgotha but depictions from the history of the Polish people transposed into the works of art.  It was amazing to see St. John Paul II and the Black Madonna depicted in the scenes of the crucifixion. 

The shrine welcomes 6 million visitors every year and provides the Mass and Sacraments for hundreds of visitors each and every day.  For us on retreat, the sun finally shone today!  We’ve had rain each day up until now so to wander outside and not avoid raindrops was a bonus!  

The faith of the Polish people is nothing short of miraculous.  Through invasions by the Swedes, the Lithuanians, the Germans and the Russians the Catholic faith of this nation remains strong and vibrant.  

Cleveland Priest’s Retreat - September 2025 - Diocese of Cleveland

Today we toured the wonderful city of Krakow.  We toured the Wawel hill castle and the Archdiocesan Cathedral where Saint John Paul II lead the people of Krakow.  We saw the tomb of St. Stanislaus, patron saint of Poland and made our way to St. Mary Church where we celebrated the Mass.  In the afternoon our group took a tour of the Oskar Schindler Ceramic Factory where Schindler housed, fed, employed and saved thousands of people during the Nazi occupation of Poland from 1939-1945.  The role of the church also played a significant role in helping to save lives.  Religious sisters forged baptismal certificates and even bleached the hair of children to convince the Nazi’s that the children were Christian.  This saved countless children from extinction in the gas chambers or from starvation.  When anyone was caught trying to save the Jews they were either shot to death or hung in the town square for everyone to see.  Often the bodies stayed hanging for several days to create fear and warning to others who risked their lives trying to save the innocent lives of Polish Jews.  

When we returned home, we prayed evening Prayer together at the hotel.  The words of Psalm 67 haunted us as we reflected on the day’s tour:  “Their plan is only to destroy; they take pleasure in lies.  With their mouth they utter blessing but in their hearts they curse.  In God alone be at rest, my soul, for my hope comes from him.  He alone is my rock, my stronghold, my fortress: I stand firm.”  These words seemed fittingly appropriate to what we had seen and experienced in today’s haunting yet hopeful tour.