Częstochowa (Fides News Agency) – On June 5 and 6, the Jasna Góra National Shrine in Częstochowa became the heart of the Living Rosary movement, which began in 1826 at the initiative of Blessed Pauline Jaricot in Lyon.
To mark the bicentenary of its founding, the important Polish Marian shrine hosted the 3rd National Congress of the Rosary and the traditional pilgrimage, which saw the participation of many people. The important anniversary will continue on June 12 and 13 in Lyon, with a full program of activities that will also include the participation of Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches).
During the two-day event held in Poland, Father Maciej Będziński, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in Poland, explained to Fides News Agency, that the event offered an opportunity to delve deeper into the history, theology, and spirituality of the Living Rosary, taking as its starting point the figure of its foundress, Blessed Pauline Jaricot. One of the highlights of the meeting, which was attended by more than 1,200 people, was the testimonies of the laity. Among the participants was a delegation from the PMS national office in Lyon, accompanied by Annette d’Arbaumont, a descendant of Blessed Pauline Jaricot, whose presence underscored the international character of the celebrations.
At the conclusion of the congress, the faithful marched in procession around the bastions of the shrine while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary. The culminating moment of the day was the solemn Jasna Góra Appeal, which drew several thousand people and led into an all-night vigil of prayer before the miraculous image of the Mother of God. This time of reflection and meditation concluded with a Eucharistic celebration presided over by Jan Piotrowski, president of the Commission for Missions of the Polish Bishops' Conference.
The second day of celebrations began early in the morning, when pilgrims arrived at the Jasna Góra esplanade. Nearly 20,000 people participated in the pilgrimage, which continued with an intensive program of communal prayers, testimonies, meetings with missionaries, and a spiritual conference. The central event was the Holy Mass celebrated at the summit of Jasna Góra, presided over by Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi, Apostolic Nuncio to Poland.
It is estimated that more than two and a half million people currently participate in the Living Rosary movement in Poland. Relics of Blessed Pauline Jaricot are venerated in hundreds of parishes throughout the country, and numerous Polish pilgrims regularly visit her birthplace, Lyon. "The celebrations of these two days have shown that the two-hundred-year-old tradition begun by Pauline Jaricot in Lyon remains extraordinarily alive in Poland," concluded the director of the Polish Pontifical Mission Societies, also highlighting the presence of representatives from other Marian prayer movements. "This tradition continues to develop dynamically today and unites different generations, from the youngest to the oldest." (EG) (Fides News Agency, 8/6/2026)
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