Thousands of Polish Catholics turned the corner from White Oak Avenue onto Ridge Road around 6 p.m. Saturday and walked onto the grounds of Discalced Carmelite Fathers Monastery in Munster.
Along Ridge Road, people along the sidewalk waved at those walking by. A priest sprinkled holy water and blessed the walkers as they completed the first day of their pilgrimage.
During the 38th annual Polish Marian Pilgrimage, thousands walked from Immaculate Conception Church in Chicago to the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Merrillville. They walk Saturday and Sunday, with an option for about half of the group to camp overnight at the monastery.
Colorful tents were spread out on the lawn with people parking near the church to meet the walkers they know and offer coffee mugs and various takeout bags.
Julia Fidziukiewicz, 16, came from Wisconsin to attend the pilgrimage. Given how far she lives from Munster, her friends went to Carmelite Fathers Thursday to set up four tents next to each other.
Fidziukiewicz ended up sleeping next to three of her friends in a tent designed for three people.
“It was very cramped, hot and uncomfortable,” Fidziukiewicz said. “It may not have been the best sleep, but it did the job.”
Fidziukiewicz said it was her first time at the pilgrimage — and camping — but she enjoyed the experience of connecting with her religion along with her friends.
“It was a very moving experience,” Fidziukiewicz said. “The pilgrimage was a very big success. I had a very good time not only from a social aspect but also from a religious aspect. I grew very much in my faith.”
Jola Matyjasik, of Oak Lawn, walked Saturday with her daughter and 6-year-old granddaughter. Matyjasik has walked the pilgrimage 18 times, and she always walks just on Saturday.
It was very hot Saturday, Matyjasik said, but she focused on singing psalms and talking with those around her.
Matyjasik said she was in awe of a family she walked next to with two young boys who were eagerly walking because they received new watches that counted their steps. The boys, whose parents were pushing strollers, were also happily talking about sleeping in tents later that night, Matyjasik said.
“Every time I go, I meet new people,” Matyjasik said.
In August 1982, a couple of months after martial law was declared by the Polish government to counter political opposition, Matyjasik completed a nearly 7-day pilgrimage from Tarnow, Poland to Czestochowa, Poland.
During that pilgrimage, Matyjasik said she remembered people were very emotional and supportive of each other.
“People were crying and kneeling,” Matyjasik said. “When we settled in a city for the night, people there let us stay in their homes for the night.”
Bishop of Port Pirie Diocese in Australia Karol Kulczycki participated in his first pilgrimage from Chicago to Merrillville, and he led the opening mass in Chicago and the final mass in Merrillville.
A pilgrimage offers people a chance to connect with their faith and renew their connection with God, Kulczycki said. It’s common for those walking to pray for a specific intention, he said.
“You never walk alone on a pilgrimage, but in a group of people. It’s a powerful gathering of people,” Kulczycki said.
Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine in Merrillville Father Mikolaj Markiewicz said after 10 years of organizing the pilgrimage this year’s was his last one because he will be returning to Poland at the end of August.
“I am sad this is my last pilgrimage, but I am happy to have been able to organize 10 of them,” Markiewicz said.
While organizing a pilgrimage has its stresses, Markiewicz said the pilgrimage has its special moments as well.
“The best part of the pilgrimage is praying, singing, walking with those in attendance. It’s all worth it to hear from them how thankful they are to have had the opportunity to participate in a pilgrimage,” Markiewicz said.
The pilgrimage is a religious tradition that Polish people participate in Poland and in areas where Polish people emigrated to, Markiewicz said. In Poland, the most popular pilgrimage is to Czestochowa, where the Jasna Gora monastery is located, which contains the famous painting of The Black Madonna, known as Our Lady of Czestochowa, he said.
The pilgrimage to Jasna Gora in Czestochowa Poland takes place in August, with the goal of reaching the monastery by August 15, which is the Catholic Church’s celebration of the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Markiewicz said.
In Merrillville, Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine has been a religious place that brings Polish people together, so that’s why Polish-Americans complete the pilgrimage to Northwest Indiana, Markiewicz said.
On average, 5,000 people walk the pilgrimage, Markiewicz said. About half of the people walking either sleep inside the Carmelite Father’s church or in tents on the grounds, he said, while the rest work out logistics to get a ride home for the night.
Those who leave Saturday night return before 7 a.m. Sunday, when the group begins walking again toward Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine in Merrillville, Markiewicz said.
Evita Szklarz, of Tinley Park, whose father established the pilgrimage from Chicago to Merrillville, said because of the heat she, her husband and her young children walked on Sunday. But her parents and two sisters walked the whole weekend.
Szklarz, 37, said the logistics of setting up tents starts a few days ahead of the pilgrimage. People either set up their own tents or bring sleeping bags to sleep inside the church or inside a large tent in the back of the church grounds, she said.
Saturday night includes an outdoor mass at 9 p.m., and it’s her favorite mass of the year, Szklarz said.
“You’re basically in a forest, there’s trees all around, and people are worshipping,” Szklarz said. “All of these people have walked such a long way and thousands of people are still there for the evening mass.”
