Andrews University

Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary

Department of Theology and Christian Philosophy

MARIAN DEVOTIONS IN POLAND

A Paper

Presented in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements

For the Course THST 627 Roman Catholic Life and Thought

by

Dorothy Porawski-Orzechowska

Due: March 1, 2019

I. Introduction

The Republic of Poland has one of the highest percentages of Roman Catholic population in

the world at 85.8%.1 In contrast to its other European neighbours, Poland has remained dominantly

Catholic since 966 AD with the baptism of King Mieszko 1 beginning the official adoption of Latin

Christianity2. Simple explanations for this include differentiation of identity from their protestant

neighbours to the north and west, orthodox neighbours to the east and Muslim neighbours to the

south, as well as historical events in which the Catholic church stood as the defender of national

independence and identity.3 Over a thousand years later, however, other explanations are, in reality,

more complex. Religious rituals and practices have become so tied to Polish culture and identity

that it has been said and is generally accepted to be true that to be Polish means being Catholic.4

A unique element of Catholicism in Poland are Marian devotions. It is not to be

automatically assumed that all Catholics spend as considerable amount of their devotions on Mary

or that they view her role in the spiritual realm the same way as Poles do. Poland specifically is

considered the most Marian nation in the world. Pope John Paul II said that in 966 “it was through

the baptism [of Mieszko]… in which Jesus Christ was invited to our fatherland [Poland]… and with

Him His mother also came at the same time.5 For many Polish Catholics, practising or not, the role

of Mary in their faith and life is as tender, emotional, and important as the role of their biological

mother.

The focus of this paper will be to examine Marian devotions in Poland beginning with

dogmas, alleged apparitions, and the most significant theo-political events and interventions. Next,

it will look at general characteristics and function of these devotions and finally what challenges

these devotions currently face according to the Roman Catholic Church.

1 Halina Dmochowska, Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Poland, (Warszawa: Zakład wydawnictw
Statystycznych, 2014), 189.
2 Pope John Paul II, Maryja w życiu narodu polskiego, (Sandomierz: Wydawnictwo Diecezjalne, 2000), 30.
3 Grzegorz Bartosik, Panoanie Maryi to królowanie miłości, accessed March 1, 2019, https://teologiapolityczna.pl/o-
prof-grzegorz-bartosik-panowanie-maryi-to-krolowanie-milosci.
4 “Reinforced by a shared vocabulary of struggle, Catholicism became more national and nationalism became more
Catholic… [T]he figure of the Polak-Katolik emerged from a conviction that Satan was engaged in a war against both
God and the Fatherland, with the survival of each depending on the other.” Brian Porter-Szucs, Faith and Fatherland:
Catholicism, Modernity, and Poland, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011).
5 Pope John Paul II, “Maryja w życiu narodu polskiego”, 30.
 1. Limitations

As a work of research examining the significance of Polish Marianism, the legitimacy of so-

called miraculous events is actually irrelevant. What is important is how belief in said events and

practice of such devotions continues to drive, influence, and characterize Poles within religious and

political contexts, defining their identity. The alleged miraculous events are presented as historical

or factual in order to portray how they have been received by Polish Catholics for the sake of this

work. They do not represent the views of the author or the institution to which this paper is being

submitted.

II. The Establishment, Rise, and Development of Marian Adoration

1. Marian Dogmas

Marian Devotions have their official origins after the approval of the Council of Ephesus in

431 AD where the Virgin Mary was declared as the Theotokos (God-bearer)6. Increasingly in

sacred services and individual devotions was observed “Adoration to Mary expressed in... worship

and love, in invocations and imitation of them with the prophetic words of Herself, For he hath

regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call

me blessed (Luke 1:48).”7 Over time, Mary gained a continuously more elevated and supernatural

status. The dogma of perpetual virginity8 was proclaimed by Pope Martin I at the Synod of Lateran

in Rome in 649. According to this truth of Christian (Catholic) faith, Mary was a virgin when she

conceived of the Holy Spirit, as well as during childbirth and all throughout her earthly life.

The Second Council of Nicaea in 787 declared that images of the “Mother of God” could be

worshipped by the faithful together with the Cross, in homes, by roads and churches which would

6 Papal Encyclicals Online, Council of Ephesus – 431 A.D., accessed March 1, 2019,
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/councils/ecum03.htm.
7 Gabriel-Marie Garonne, Maryja wczoraj i dziś, (Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Księży Marianów, 1988), 86.
8 Catechism of the Catholic Church with Modifications from the Editio Typica, (New York, Image, 1995), 141.
make it possible to have separate sanctuaries and chapels wholly devoted to Mary. It was

determined that

“As the sacred and life-giving cross is everywhere set up as a symbol, so also should
the images of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, the holy angels, as well as those of the
saints and other pious and holy men be embodied in the manufacture of sacred
vessels, tapestries, vestments, etc., and exhibited on the walls of churches, in the
homes, and in all conspicuous places, by the roadside and everywhere, to be revered
by all who might see them.”9

In this way, devotion to Mary became something external, influential and praise-worthy; easy to

identify and record.

Two more dogmas were to be added to the Catholic church’s understanding of Mary in the

19th and 20th century which would again set her apart from humanity and give her even more divine

characteristics. The dogma "On the Immaculate Conception of Mary" was announced on December

8, 1854 in Bull Ineffabilis Deus by Pius IX. The document contains the following record:

“We proclaim, adjudicate and determine that the teaching that maintains that the

Blessed Virgin Mary from the very first moment of her conception - by the special

grace and privilege of the omnipotent God, by virtue of the prescribed merits of Jesus

Christ, the Savior of the human race - has been preserved intact from all stain of

original sin, is true to God revealed and therefore all the faithful should faithfully and

without hesitation in it.”10

The dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was proclaimed by Pope Pius XII

in 1950 in the Apostolic Constitution "Munificentissimus Deus". Though this dogma it was

established that Mary, like Enoc and Elijah never saw death but was taken into heaven:

“... we proclaim, adjudicate and pronounce God's dogma as the dogma of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that the Immaculate Mother of God, Mary, always the Virgin, after the
end of her earthly life with her soul and body, was taken to the glory of heaven.”11

9 Papal Encyclicals Online, Second Council of Nicaea – 787 A.D., Accessed March 1, 2019,
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/councils/ecum07.htm.
10 Papal Encyclicals Online, Ineffabilis Deus The Immaculate Conception. Accessed March 1, 2019,
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius09/p9ineff.htm
11 Breviarium fidei wybor doktrynalnych wypowiedzi Koścoła (Poznan: Wydawnictwo Świętego Wojciecha, 2007),
105.
These dogmas enable a kind of adoration to be directed towards Mary which is very similar to the

worship which the Godhead receives. Though her veneration is not as high as that of the Trinity,

she does have the highest hyperdulia of all other created beings- higher than all the other saints and

angels and many of her characteristics just as Divine as God’s.

2. Marian Revelations and Apparitions

Julius Mancinelli, an Italian Jesuit monk is believed to have had three revelations from Mary

in 1607 (Neapol), 1610 (Kraków) and 1617 (Neapol) who every time appeared to him as the Queen

of Poland and Mother of the Polish nation of whom needs to be ceaselessly begged the prosperity of

the nation.12 This was not the first time that the notion of Mary having a role specifically linked to

the nation of Poland but it mark the beginning of a period throughout the 17th century and onward of

increasing claims of Marian revelations, apparitions, and interventions. It is important to note that

not all of revelations are officially recognized by the Vatican, but many have gained the so-called

“Bishop’s approval” which means the given revelation or event in question is considered to have a

high likelihood of authenticity and even if not, according to the church, “it undoubtedly attests to

the intervention of God in the lives of people.”

November 1645, in the village of Janów Lubelski it is believed that Mary, accompanied by

two angels, met Wojciech Boski, a village cooper, on his way to work and asked him to worship

God through her intercession at that place. The vision was seen again December 8 of the same year.

In 1673, in Plonka Kościelna (near Białystock) Mary appeared to the 18-year-old daughter

of a poor widow holding a cross and a Bible her her hands and twice asked that her image be adored

through the form of a painting. Miraculous healings took place in the presence of the painting.

In 1813 Mary appeared to Thomas Klosowski, a soldier in the battle of Leipzig, and

promised him that he would save his life and that he would return to his homeland. After he

returned home, he placed the painting of her which he saw in his vision in a small tree chapel. 40

years later Mary appeared at this chapel to a poor shepherd Mikołaj Sikatka and asked him to move

12 Jacopo Cellesi, Vita del servo di Dio padre Giulio Mancinelli, (Roma: Per il Varese, 1668), 116-117.
the image to a more worthy place calling for prayer and conversion. Mary also announced a cholera

epidemic in the same area which her miraculous image was able to heal and cure.

In the second half of the 18th century in Matemblewa, which today is the Gdańsk district of

Brętowo, Mary is believed to have appeared to a carpenter travelling through the forest during a

blizzard to seek help for his pregnant wife whose state of health was worsening during her delivery.

As the carpenter fell to the ground, freezing, and praying for strength, Mary appeared and told him

to return home to his wife who had just delivered a healthy child.

1860, in the Tatra village of Wiktorówki, Mary appeared to Marysia Murzańska, a 12-year-

old shepherdess in search of her lost sheep. Mary promised that she would find her sheep and asked

her encourage adults to repent and convert.

Polish Marian revelations officially recognized by the vatican are the ones in Gietrzwałd, a

town not far from Olsztyn when in 1877 when Mary appeared there to Justyna Szafrańska, aged 13,

and Basia Samulowska, aged 12. She introduced herself as “The Blessed Virgin Mary of the

Immaculate Conception” and spoke Polish to the girls which was significant during this time of

Germanization and confirmed the belief that Mary was with the Polish nation and their queen

confirming the importance of their culture and identity.13 Thanks such numerous appearances (one

hundred and sixty in the course of three months)14 and her care and love for the people during this

difficult time, Gietrzwałd is called the Polish “Cradle of Bethlehem”15 where her maternal eye of

care was over her Polish children.

In May 1943 on Siekierki in Warsaw, Mary appeared for the first time to a seven-year-old

girl name Władysława. The revelations lasted until 1945, including the time of the Warsaw

Uprising, and then repeated twice more in 1949. Mary not only called for prayer but also taught it to

the little girl herself. She gave the little girl a text of lace and litany, and even taught her to sing a

song in her honour.

13 Alicja Święcicka, Objawienia gietrzwałdzie a współczesne objawienia maryjne, (Kraków: Wydawnictwo Instytutu
Teologicznego Księży Misjonarzy), 110.
14 Ibid, 112.
15 Ibid.
 July 3, 1949, a painting of Mary was seen crying tears of blood at a cathedral in Lublin.

This event was unexpectedly recalled by John Paul II, who was on pilgrimage to Sicily on

November 6, 1994 who said the following, “At that time, the image of Our Lady of Częstochowa in

Lublin cried, but this event is little known outside of Poland. (...) These tears of Mary belong to the

order of signs. They testify to the presence of the Mother in the Church and the world. [Our] Mother

cries when [her] children are threatened by any evil, spiritual or physical. Mary's tears are always a

participation in the crying of Christ over Jerusalem, or on the Way of the Cross, or at the grave of

Lazarus ...”16

3. Interventions and events of Political Significance

Between the 10th-13th centuries the hymn “Bogurodzica” with its apostrophe to Mary in the

first stanza, became a hallmark of the Polish nation sung by the Polish knights before the Battle of

Grunwald in 1410 and the coronation of the Jagiellonian Kings, de facto serving as the first Polish

national anthem. It appeals to the Mother of God, chosen and praised to win favour for people from

her Son:

“Virgin, Mother of God, God-famed Mary!

Ask Thy Son, our Lord, God-named Mary,
To have mercy upon us and hand it over to us!
Kyrie eleison!17

Another possible factor in the development of Marian Devotions at this time was related to the

middle-aged Knight ethos which proclaimed praise to the lady of his heart, in this case, the Mother

of God, the “Lady of the world”. 18

In the midst of Marian apparitions in the 17th century one of the most altering and

memorable events in the history of the Poland on a religious and national level took place. In the

winter of 1655 during the Swedish invasion known among Poles as the Deluge, the monastery of

Jasna Gora in Częstochowa, which was established towards the end of the 14th century by Pauline

monks from Hungary, was attacked and would have been captured along with the revered icon of

16 Marta Troszczyńska, “Łzy w Lublinie.” accessed March 1, 2019, https://adonai.pl/cuda/?id=52.

17 Jarek Zawadzki, Selected Masterpieces of Polish Poetry, (Creative Space, 2007).
18 Grzegorz Bartosik, Panoanie Maryi to królowanie miłości, accessed March 1, 2019, https://teologiapolityczna.pl/o-
prof-grzegorz-bartosik-panowanie-maryi-to-krolowanie-milosci.
the Black Madonna were it not for the defence of the monks led by their Prior and supported by

local volunteers made up mostly of Polish nobility. They claimed their success was due to the

protection of Maria19, whose iconic painting would later become a symbol of victory and credited

with numerous miracles20. Jasna Gora then became, and has remained since, a pilgrimage

destination also known as the Polish “Cana of Galilee”, ie., just as the wedding in Canan was Jesus’

first miracle, Częstochowa was the place of the first miracle for Poles.21

In 1656 on the heals of the victory in Częstochowa, King Jan Kazimierz made an official

vow in the Lviv cathedral before the image of Our Lady of Grace saying, "I am choosing you as my

patron and for the queen of my countries today."22 With that, Mary “the Mother of God” officially

became the Queen of Poland although it was not the first time she was called as such. In 1568

Mary was called “The Queen of Poland” by Gregory Sambora, a Polish poet of the Renaissance in

his description of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa in his poem ‘Censtochova’. The intertwining

of church and state took on a very visible, allied dimension with success at the national, military

level being credited to spiritual, unseen, religious matters, in this case Mary.

Political involvement continued when in 1671 King Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki publicly

recognized the authenticity of the miraculous events thanks to the image of Our Lady of Rokitno in

the town of Gołąb in the province Lublin by placing on her the emblem of Poland.

In 1683, the Polish victory at the Battle of Vienna with the Turks is credited to intercession

to Mary. Her name was on the banners of the Polish troops by order of King Jan III who was

known to devoutly worship her and who stopped to pray both at Jasna Góra as well as at Piekary

Śląskie on his way to the battle field, taking mass at Kahlenberg.23

Papal recognition of miraculous events in Poland have been defining in their significance for

Polish Catholics. In response to the overwhelming credit attributed to the Black Madonna, on

September 8, 1717, the Vatican placed papal crowns of the image of Our Lady of Częstochowa for
19 Pope John Paul II, “Maryja w życiu narodu polskiego”, 42.
20 Marians of the Immaculate Conception, The Glories of Czestochowa and Jasna Gora, (Massachusetts: Marian
Press, 2004), 1.
21 Pope John Paul II, “Maryja w życiu narodu polskiego”, 35.
22 Liturgia Godzin, tom II (Poznan: Pallottinum, 1984), 1,390.
23 Lidia Molik, “W imię Maryi” accessed March 1, 2019, https://www.katolik.pl/w-imie-maryi,23019,416,cz.html.
the first time. The second crowning of Our Lady of Częstochowa with papal crowns was in 1904

and 1910 by Pope Pius X24 as yet another “an expression of approval for Marian devotions of a

national character.”25 On April 1, 2005, Polish Pope John Paul II offered and sacrificed new gold

crowns for the image of Our Lady Queen of Poland in a ceremony with a great ceremony meant for

the entire Polish nation as a form of pastoral ministry.26

Confirmation of these miraculous workings were not exclusively in a church context. The

coronating Parliament Act 1764 "Czestochowa fortress" named the Virgin Mary its Most Holy

Queen with the following statement:

“Because Rzeczpospolita to her Most Holy Queen of the Virgin Mary, in the
Częstochowa miracle of the ever-celebrated miracle, and her protection in her needs,
with all constitutions [calculated starting from 1652], Jasna Gora has established,
therefore, as a ceaseless desire for the Mother of God for us and for the whole The
Kingdom of effective help and care, with the consent of all the States of the
Commonwealth of both nations, the higher constitutions expressed in their proper
descriptions, the power of the present Sejm to have a continuation pertaining to the
supply of the fortress and its commander.27

The Polish victory on August 15/16, 1920 against the Soviets known as the Battle of Warsaw

is credited by the Roman Catholic Church to the intervention of Mary who appeared in the sky

causing panic on the enemy side thanks to the mobs who prayed for her intervention. The scene is

described as such: “The Mother of Grace appears in the sky before dawn, a monumental figure,

filling the whole dark sky with her Person. She is dressed in a wide, flattened coat, which covers the

capitals. He appears surrounded by the hussars, the Polish victorious army, who, at Vienna with the

slogan "In the Name of Mary", chastised the pagan groups. Our Lady holds in her hands like shields

with which she protects her city from her custody.”28 For this reason it is also known among

Catholics as the Miracle on the Vistula River.

24 Zachariusz Jabłoński, Wokół koronacji Cudownego Obrazu diademami św. Piusa X, w: Z Maryją Królową Polski
bądźmy świadkami miłości. Dziś i jutro. (Jasna Góra-Częstochowa: 2010), 119.
25 Z Maryją Królową Polski dziś i jutro, 120.
26 Z Maryją Królową Polski dziś i jutro. 121.
27 Volumina Legum volume 8, (Petersburg, Ohryzko Jozafat, 1860), 164 and 374.
28 Jozef Maria Bartnik, “Jak Matka Boża ukazała się bolszewickim oddiałom w 1920 roku.” Accessed March 1, 2019.
http://www.fronda.pl/a/matka-boza-ukazala-sie-bolszewikom-w-1920-roku%2C55437.html.
 In 1956 priest Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński as well as the Polish Episcopate wrote and made

an act a renewal of the Lviv vows by King Kaziemierz Jan from 300 years previous which had a

significant impact on renewal and revival in Poland.

III. Characteristics of Marian Devotions

1. Prayers to Mary

There are literally hundreds of Marian Prayers for myriad occasions and intentions. The

Roman Catholic Church teaches that these prayers are not worship but a request to Mary to pray,

that is, intercede to Jesus on behalf of sinners, which is more effective due to her position and

relationship to Jesus. The example of the Jesus’ first miracle during the wedding in Cana is used to

show that though Jesus was reluctant, he ultimately miraculously aided because of Mary’s request

and she in turn was exemplary because she gave full authority to Him. Likewise if sinners come to

Jesus through Mary he will not (in fact, cannot) turn their requests away. In response to criticisms

that this practice is not Biblical, the Roman Catholic Church church has the following response:

“The Church knows and teaches with Saint Paul that there is only one mediator: "For

there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ

Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all." (1 Tm 2:5-6). The maternal role of

Mary toward people in no way obscures or diminishes the unique mediation of

Christ, but rather shows its power [Vatican II Constitution on the Church, # 60]: it is

mediation in Christ. Catholics do not pray to Mary as if she were God. Prayer to

Mary is memory of the great mysteries of our faith (Incarnation, Redemption through

Christ in the rosary), praise to God for the wonderful things he has done in and

through one of his creatures (Hail Mary) and intercession (second half of the Hail

Mary). The latter is addressed to Mary not as to a vending machine but a support

person helping us to discern the will of God in our lives. Mary is a volunteer, highly
 recommendable and recommended, but not a mandatory and inescapable passage.”29

There are different types of Marian prayer that reflect different intentions. “Beneath thy

protection”, one of the oldest Marian prayers dating back to the third century, was approved by

Pope Benedict XIII in 1724. The Holy Rosary, a devotion to Mary, is a set number of specific

prayers. First are the introductory prayers: one Apostles’ Creed (Credo), one Our Father (the Pater

Noster or the Lord’s Prayer), three Hail Mary’s (Ave’s), one Glory Be (Gloria Patri). Pope John

Paul II placed the rosary at the very center of Christian spirituality and called it "among the finest

and most praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation."30 Reciting the “Magnificat” for

example, is a way to praise God as Mary did. Reciting the “Angelus” commemorates an event in

salvation history, one in which Mary had a major role. Such commemorations are also made by the

entire Church in the liturgical cycle.

2. Marian Sanctuaries, Shrines, and Chapels

Marian sanctuaries are places of worship associated with a Marian revelation, miracle, relic,

or miraculous image. Zealous, faithful Catholics make pilgrimages to such places in order to pray as

defined in the code of Canon Law by asking for supplication, forgiveness/penance or to give

thanks.31 Shrines can be either natural places (caves, forests) or churches or chapels deliberately

erected for iconic purposes. However, they are always a designated sacred space where the action of

God's grace is manifested in a more intense way. Chapels, which are small cult buildings of wood,

stone, or even just a simple wooden structure with a picture of sculpture, are often erected near

roads, other public areas, or private gardens. Pilgrims pray and leave votive gifts in all such places

confirming their benefits from conversion to miracles. There are almost 450 Marian sanctuaries in

Poland, the most famous being in Jasna Góra, Częstochowa which is visited by about 4 million

people a year.

3. Marian Feast Days during the liturgical year

29 Sobór Watykański II. Konstytucje. Dekrety. Deklaracje. (Poznan: Pallottinum, 1968), 157-166.
30 George Madore, The Rosary with John Paul II, (New York: Alba House, 2004), 18.
31 John P. Beal, New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, (New Jersey: Paulist Press, 2000),1437.
 Although the origin of Marian Feast Days is unknown, there are sources stating that such

feast days were held as early as the 3rd and 4th century.32 Over time, the number and nature of feasts

(and the associated Titles of Mary) and the venerative practices that accompany them have varied a

great deal among diverse Christian traditions. Overall, there are significantly more titles, feasts and

Marian practices among Roman Catholics than any other Christians traditions.33 Some feasts are

celebrated for doctrinal reasons, other for historical. Whatever the reason, Masses with a focus on

Mary give the opportunity to teach and expound on Marian dogma, scripture with a Marian focus,

and key theo-political events. The entire congregation participates through songs and responses

about Mary.

In 1923 the Feast of Mary, Queen of Poland was celebrated for the first time in 1923 and has

been upheld every year since on May 3. It was approved for all of Poland by the Vatican at the

request of the Polish bishops.34

In 1962, John XXIII proclaimed the Most Holy Virgin Mary the Queen of Poland as the

main patron of Poland, and the Feast of the Blessed Queen of Poland became a feast of the first

class in all Polish dioceses.

1969 Paul VI, at the request of the Primate Stefan Wyszyński, raised the feast to the rank of

ceremony.

May is a month designated for devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary and traditionally

October is the rosary month. Marian feasts continue to be developed. The most prominent Marian

feast days in the General Roman Calendar are as follows:

January 1: Mary, the Holy Mother of God

March 25: The Annunciation of the Lord (it may be either moved to the day
before Palm Sunday should this date be on Holy Week; or to the
Monday after the second Sunday of Easter if this date falls on either
Friday or Saturday of Holy Week or during Easter Week[12])
May 31: The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

32 Philip Schaff, Ante-Nicene Fathers Vol. 6 (Michigan: Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1885) 383.
33 Frank K. Flinn, Encyclopedia of Catholicism, (New York: Checkmark Books, 2007), 443–444.
34 Henryk Przondziono, “Dziś święto NMP Królowej Polski”, Accessed March 1, 2019.
https://www.gosc.pl/doc/1542296.Dzis-swieto-NMP-Krolowej-Polski.
 Monday after Pentecost: The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
9 days after Corpus Christi: The Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
August 15: The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
August 22: The Queenship of Mary
September 8: The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
September 15: Our Lady of Sorrows
October 7: Our Lady of the Rosary
November 21: The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
December 8: The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Mobile celebrations:
Monday after Pentecost: Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Second Saturday in May: The Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Saturday after the Ascension of the Lord: The Feast of Mary Queen of Apostles

Obligatory memories
May 24: Virgin Mary Help of Christians
July 16: The Blessed Virgin Mary from Mount Carmel - Carmelite scapular
July 26: saints Joachim and Anna, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

IV Functions and Challenges

1. The Function of Mary

Mary is presented to believers as the New Eve, a woman created by God sinless (ie. without

original sin) through a gift of grace35 for the purpose of birthing Jesus who also was also sinless for

the necessity of his crucifixion. In and of herself she is a “gift of God in whom is hidden the

mystery of love”36 She triumphs for all believers through her humility and surrender to God. “In

her the Church is already the “all-holy”37 because she as the first “experienced in her soul and body

that which the Church was called to do.”38 She therefore precedes all humanity as the bride to the

bridegroom without spot or blemish.39 Through her example and her faith she is greater than the

first Eve in that during her whole earthly life she never committed any sin.40 Thanks to this grace,

her heart was free to say “yes” to God. She therefore is an inspiration, a hope and comfort to all

pilgriming on this Earth.41 Mary’s role in salvation is wholly united with the Son in that through her

35 Pius XII, Ad Caeli Reginam, Proclaiming the Queenship of Mary, Papal Encyclicals Online. Accessed March 1,
2019. http://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius12/p12caeli.htm
36 Leon-Joseph Suenens, Kim jest Ona? (Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Księży Marianów, 1988), 9.
37 Catechism, 239.
38 Suenens, Kim jest Ona? 14.
39 Catechism, 222.
40 Ibid, 116.
41 Ibid, 275-276.
He was born, she was with Him throughout all of His life, even at his death at the foot of His

cross42- she is inseparable from Christ43. In the gospels she directs others to Jesus and encouraging

them to do all that he says which is why in icon paintings and sculptures she should have Jesus at

her side or in front of her. At the cross on calvary she received the role of becoming the spiritual

mother of not only John and the rest of the apostles, but of all believers. After her assumption,

intercession to Jesus is entrusted to her.

Because of this position, devotions to Mary form a cult out of respect and reverence which is

“intrinsic to Christian worship.”44 while acknowledging that only God is worshipped and His cult is

of praise and adoration.45 The priority of her position is abundantly in church writings. “Let the

faithful then remember that true piety is not a vain and fleeting feeling, or some vile credulity, but

comes from a true faith which leads us to recognize the leading position of the Mother of God and

stirs up filial love for Our Mother and to follow her virtues.”46 “Let all of you devote Your devotion

to Mary (Mary) and entrust her life and apostolate to her maternal confession.”47 Not only priority

is to be given to Marian devotions, but it also is presented as an obligation.

The Second Vatican Council emphasized Mary’s mission as the spiritual mother of all

believers by stating: "This motherhood of Mary in the light of grace, continues uninterruptedly from

the moment she loyally received the Annunciation and without hesitation confirmed her mission

under the cross, to the eternal gratification of all the elect. Taken to heaven, she did not cease her

mission and thanks to her direct intercession to this day he brings us eternal salvation. This

protective Mother still cares for her Son's brothers, wandering the earth and being surrounded by

dangers and hardships until they find their blessed home "(Odell 1995: 7).48

42 Ibid, 273.
43 Ibid
44 Catechism, 275.
45 Agata Gać, “W Polsce elementem bardzo istotnym jest związek kultu maryjnego z naszą historią narodową...”
Accessed March 1, 2019. https://teologiapolityczna.pl/w-polsce-elementem-bardzo-istotnym-jest-zwiazek-kultu-
maryjnego-z-nasza-historia-narodowa-przeczytaj-wywiad-z-o-prof-grzegorzem-bartosikiem-tcpt-20-
46 Garonne, Maryja wczoraj i dzis, 87.
47 Tomasz Bielski, Synopsa tekstów soboru Watykańskiego II, (Poznan: Pallottinum, 1970), 597.
48 Catherine M. Odell, Ci, którzy Ją widzieli, (Gdańsk: Wydawnictwo Exter, 1995).
 Poles specifically are encouraged to remain faithful with their devotions to Mary. It is

taught by Catholic religious leaders that “[the] Marianism of Polish Catholicism is a value that must

never be lost, because then [Poles] would betray the most sacred matter”49 and that “Polish matters

are also close to God through the intercession of Mary, especially in the place where Jasna Góra

is.”50

Another reason why Polish Marianism continues to be have such a strong and clear function

in Polish Catholicism according to historian Brian Porter-Szucs is because of the way her roles and

titles successfully appeal to both men and women, to progressives and conservatives. Although

Mary is “an exemplar of feminine domesticity” she also is powerful and her role a crucial one, so

far as being a “ militant protector of Poland… She guides the nation to victory even as she

demonstrates how to sustain the national hearth and home.” In Poland, Mary’s function as a model

of obedience, domesticity, and compassion became a central component of her modern visage, but

her royal power continues to be evoked in the struggle against the nation’s enemies. The Virgin

provides an image of authority and power which poses little challenge to traditional norms of

femininity—indeed, she is frequently called upon to fortify those norms. Marianism thus provides

some of the glue that helps hold together two otherwise distinct strains of Polish national thought,

one focused on maintaining sharply delineated gender relations and the other on attaining victory

against the enemies of God and the Fatherland.51 Mary gives a special identity to the Polish

nation.52 Her image on Jasna Góra continually is on guard defending Poland53 and so many of

Poland’s historic success is due to her intercession.54

2. Relevant Challenges

49 Henryk Przondziono, “Dziś święto NMP Królowej Polski”, Accessed March 1, 2019.
https://www.gosc.pl/doc/1542296.Dzis-swieto-NMP-Krolowej-Polski.
50 Ibid.
51 Brian Porter-Szucs, Faith and Fatherland: Catholicism, Modernity, and Poland, XX.
52 Pope John Paul II, “Maryja w życiu narodu polskiego”, 9.
53 Ibid
54 Ibid, 49.
 One of the greatest challenges for the Catholic church today is giving Marian devotions an

appropriate position of highest priority in appropriate and accurate statements and practices. In a

collection of writings, Wacław Świerzawski addresses this issue:

“...the cult of Mary is not a beautifying addition ... but something crucial for the true

and authentic understanding of Christianity… Not having a genuine knowledge of what Marian

worship consists of and what its place is in the universal worship of the Church results in imprecise

statements which disfigure Christian spirituality and give improper attitudes… Such statements as

“There can never be too much Mary”… “A true servant of Mary will never be condemned”… of

“Even if God died, Mary lives”, and other such similar statements even of seemingly high esteem

lead to much confusion in Christian thinking and, what’s worse, action.”55 He claims that keeping

Marian devotions in a place where they do not cross boundaries into what the first of the ten

commandments do not allow, ie., putting others before the LORD God requires “that the Holy Spirit

would take possession of us so that we can praise her through our own maturity and holiness”56 as

well as a clear understanding of the spirit of the liturgy.57 Catholics are quick to correct accusation

of putting Mary before Jesus, drawing back to her function as example of obedience to God and

intercession directing to Him. Yet they cannot deny the fact that in some icons and holy places such

as chapels and shrines she stands alone without Jesus and that there is an imbalance in her

revelations in comparison to His. Rural, village areas in particularly are infamous for a level of

devotion to Mary which boarders fanaticism. The balance between Mary and the Godhead is

difficult to find and maintain.

V. Summary

Marian devotions in Poland are more than just road-side chapels and medallions on

necklaces. For the everyday Catholics they are the first step on every spiritual turn. Mary is the go-

55 Stanisław Grzybki, Maryja Matka Narodu Polskiego, (Częstochowa: Częstochowskie Wydawnictwa Diecezjalne,
1983), 205.
56 Ibid, 208.
57 Ibid, 209.
to person on the front lines of help and those who believe that she has come to their aid, knows and

understands them, are filled with emotion whenever they speak of her. To understand Polish

Catholicism and have a meaningful conversation, one has to understand Polish Marianism as the

two go inseparably hand in hand. Mariology is a dauntingly large field, even in a small country like

Poland and there are specialist who devote their entire spiritual and professional life to her person.

This work in one very small step of examination towards understand something- or someone- so

very complex.

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