It has already become a fixed date on the calendar in Polanów, Poland and for the Kashubian people [an ethnic group in Poland] throughout Poland’s Pomerania Province. We are talking about the Kashubian patronal feast day in honor of Our Lady of Pomerania, which this year took an exceptional two-day form because of the celebration of the 900th anniversary of St. Otto’s mission to Pomerania.
The main celebrations began on June 15, 2024, when pilgrims, led by standard-bearers, went in procession from the statue of St. Otto in Polanów to the Holy Mount of Polanów. The Most Reverend Zbigniew ZIELIŃSKI, Bishop of Koszalin-Kołobrzeg, Poland, presided over the solemn Mass at noon. Among the guests present were the Vicar of the Province of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe in Poland (Gdańsk), Friar Robert WOŁYNIEC; friars from the Provinces of Gdańsk and Kenya; and some diocesan and orthodox priests. Among the pilgrims, there were representatives of the local government and members of Kashubian associations and arts groups. The honor guard during the ceremony was comprised of members of the Krzyżogryfa Team from Bytów, Poland.
The event was hosted by Friar Janusz JĘDRYSZEK, the Director of the Hermitage on the Holy Mountain of Polanów, a presence of the Province of Gdańsk. Friar Janusz stated: “Western and Central Pomerania owes its holy baptism to St. Otto.” The chronicles say that he reached Białogard, Kołobrzeg and the Łeba River, which was the eastern border of the Duchy of Western Pomerania. It is not known, whether he actually took refuge on the Holy Mount of Polanów, but it is certain that he introduced the cult of the Virgin Mary, replacing the existing pagan cult, and lasting in Pomerania until the Reformation. The cult of the Virgin Mary was later revived in the 20th century. It was St. Otto of Bamberg who dedicated Pomerania to Mary, calling her Mary of Pomerania, and naming the land Mary’s Land: Pomerania Terra Marie.
In his homily, the bishop said that the pilgrimage of the Kashubian people to the Mount of Polanów is an annual event to discover the value of one’s faith and to deepen it. There is great richness in having a diversity of cultures. The bishop reminded the Kashubian people that faith in God is at the heart of their culture. A hallmark of this culture is its living regional language with a living regional heritage. “The Kashubian language and culture are still alive and thriving, refusing to be relegated to a living museum.” Where can one find it? In the Kashubian area, in stores, in schools, in churches, etc. “Kashubian cultural expressions are intertwined with daily life, including the religious sphere, as demonstrated by the fact that the Kashubian language has been incorporated into the liturgy of the Church.”
At the end of the Mass, the bishop blessed a roadside shrine of St. Otto of Bamberg, which will be placed along the route from Polanów to Miastko.
On the second day of the patronal feast, Friar Janusz JĘDRYSZEK invited everyone to attend Mass, after which, an Acathistus [Eastern Orthodox hymn] honoring of St. Otto was sung. The hymn was composed by Sister M. Teresa PECHMAN, from the Poor Clare community in Słupsk, Poland.
Maja STUDZIŃSKA
