The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1957-06-28

8. Imitation of the virtues of
Mary and the extension of de-
votion to the Mother of God
through means of which the
Catholic populace wish TO gain
heaven.
These essential points will be
developed in the yearly programs
which have been prepared by
the Marian Commission of the
Episcopate and confirmed by the
Bishops Conference The de
tails of the program will be
worked out by the pastoral Of
ficeS of the diocesan curlae and
then put into practice.
QUESTIONS: what program
will be carried out for the mil
lennium?
REPLY: The program will be
put into effect in the various sec
tors as follows:
/. With single program Tor
the whole of Poland for cateche-
sis on all the Sundays of the
year. On every Sunday in every
parish of Poland sermons will be
preached on the same subject.
2. With pertinent sermons on
the various feastdays of Our
Lady.
3. With a religious service on
every first Saturday of the
month.
4. With May and October de-
votions in all the churches of
Poland.
5. With spiritual retreats dur
ing Advent and Lent, based on
the theme established in the
yearly program.
s. With Marian congresses in
parishes and deaneries.
7. Through the Catholic news
papers ("The Universal Weekly" !"
THE Catholic Guide" Sundays
Guest; in the monthly ecclesi-
astical periodicals and in official
and private publications.. All will
be called upon to follow the COM
mon theme.
8. Through spiritual retreats
for priests and pastoral and So
cial courses for the clergy of
every diocese.
9. On dates of great religious
solemnities = May throughout
Poland and August rs at Jasna
Cora, the motto will be set forth:
Let us fulfill the national VOWS
of Jasna Cora.
QUESTION: What does Our
Lady of czesfoehows represent
for the Polish People7
REPLY: The jubilee of the
third centenary of the defense of
Jasna Cora, capital of the Virgin
of Czestochowa besieged by the
Swedes (1655-1955), spiritually
united the Polish nation, today
confronted by bitter struggle
for the preservation of the Chris
tian spirit and for the mainte-
nance of a sound union with the
Universal Church and with Latin
Roman culture.
The year 1856 saw the ceIebra-
tion of the third centenary of
the national VOWS pronounced by
King John Casimir who, for the
purpose of strengthening the
spirit of the nation in the strug-
| gle against the Swedes, c0nse.
Grated it to the Queen of Poland
The Polish victory constituted q
confirmation that the VOWS of the
nation had been heard favorably
But not everything was full
} filled, particularly from the so
: cial standpoint, because of the
obstacles created by continuou:
wars and by the partition oi
: Poland. Only one wish remained
: always in force among the Polish
people, namely, the recognition
, of the Virgin Mary as Queen oi
Poland. The whole nation ha,
always venerated her with extra
ordinary devotion, offering hel
: what they possessed and goins
; in pious pilgrimage to the shrine
of Czestochowa. The image of the
Mother of God (of Czestochowa
was carried everywhere. Refu
: gees, emigrants, people con
demned to forced labor in 81
IBERIA all have always carried
with them her sacred image
The face of the Virgin, strucl
twice with the swords of tn,
Swedish invaders, has become /,
true symbol of the wounds
which were always inflicted OF
the Polish nation.
Therefore, when the natioi
found ifcaIf in cxfrona pariI aus