Piesza pielgrzymka ze Skałki w Krakowie na Jasną Górę

The Pilgrimage on Foot from Skałka Church, Cracow, to Jasna Góra

Summary: The pilgrimage on foot from Skałka Church in Cracow to the Monastery of Jasna Góra was initiated in 1976 by the Skałka Students' Chaplaincy under the auspices of the Monks of St. Paul the First Hermit. It stands out from among the rest of the Polish pilgrimages by its special community style. Hence its limited numbers, amounting to just over 200, of whom 60% are teachers from all levels of education, from nursery schools to colleges and universities. This pilgrimage is a specific laboratory for the formation of lay people who are taking an active and conscious part in the practical implementation of the Church's mission. The organisation of both the material aspects of this pilgrimage as well as its pastoral programme is handled by the laity. The subjects addressed are based on the encyclicals and enunciations of John Paul II, with special reference to the Polish socio-political problems. A group of about 50 persons who are not professional theologians leads the evangelisation, thereby providing a source of inspiration for the tasks of evangelisation in the individuals' fundamental social units, that is families and parishes, and also in areas like the Ukraine, which have been left devastated by Communist atheism. The Skałka Pilgrimage offers a good opportunity for a renewal of the devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the spirit of the Second Vatican Counciland the teachings of John Paul II. The appeal of this type of community pilgrimage involving pastoral co-operation between priests and members of the laity is confirmed by the fact that regular participants come from nearly 130 places throughout Poland, with around a dozen persons from Germany, Sweden and the Czech Republic. The presence of pilgrims from abroad makes the experience of the Church's universality easier and improves the quality of ecclesial awareness. The community style of the Skałka Pilgrimage, the participants of which are anything but anonymous with respect to each other, offers a challenge to the big pilgrimages, calling them to adopt target structures for their groups which would allow the pilgrims to experience the Church more fully as a community developing in the presence of Our Lady.

Peregrinus Cracoviensis, 1996, z.4, s. 39-57.

Instytut Geografii i Gospodarki Przestrzennej UJ

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