Prayer, folk costumes, feretrons. Kraków paid a solemn tribute to St. Stanislaus [Gallery]

pch24.pl 2 years ago

At the sound of “Zygmunta” the yearly procession in honor of St Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr, the main patron of Poland, set out from Kraków's Wawel. Masses at the altar of the 3 Millenniums on the stone were presided over by the bishop of the elder Diocese of Gliwice Jan Kopiec – personally associated with the cult of St. Stanislaus and for years a remarkable lover of Wawel Cathedral. Participants of Sunday celebrations came to celebrate 1 of the first Polish saints in conventional costumes and with feretrons in hands. As all year, the procession brought to the streets of the erstwhile Polish capital the memory of its beautiful customs.

– During the Eucharist – through St Stanislaus BM – we will ask the Good Father who is in heaven, for the blessing of our Homeland, Poland, for her to build her social and national life on the inviolable foundations of the Decalogue and both commandments of love, and especially on fact and common respect – said Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski at the beginning of the liturgy.

At the time of the homily, Bishop Jan Kopiec pointed out the concept of the common good, which, although derived from social science, accurately illustrates the commitment to the fulfillment of Jesus' desire: "I will not leave you orphans." This call to care for his own society as his vocation was besides accepted by St. Stanislaw.

The bishop of the elder Diocese of Gliwice pointed out that the life of a medieval martyr faces the image of a good shepherd standing in defence of the sheep entrusted to him. The Holy 1 had to respond erstwhile the monarch failed to decently identify a situation where nothing could justify a breach of the common good. – individual must have remembered that. Only very profoundly believing and courageous Bishop Stanislaus could do so – he reminded the beginning of a feud between the hierarch and the ruler and his martyrdom of the gliwick clergyman.

Bishop Kopiec stressed that the order of the Church and the order of the planet are different, but they should go together to the common good. – The successful result of the action shown by the alleged planet should be religion and the consequence of trials in hard moments, but then you request to look for support from the High – said Bishop Jan Kopiec, stating that "this land, through a tear, is united in the hearts of Poles, as no other" and encouraged that "the common good be shared."

The bishop noted that the yearly celebrations on the stone are an chance to thank Bishop Stanisław for his "unusual courage and sense of responsibility". – The community of the Church sensitizes in all conditions that there is simply a request for people who, the drama and the misunderstanding of the eventual reasons for action, especially the king, will be able to break-- He said. – Let the fact be revealed of the uneasy growth of each of us in the supernatural fold of Christ, that we may break through what does not licence us to feel truly liable for the common good which we all enjoy-- finished the priest.

A year's march from the Wawel Cathedral to the Pauline sanctuary has highlighted the presence of a delegation from the region. There were besides historical reconstructors, uniformed services. Below we present a number of photos from the colorful celebrations.

The ceremony was attended, among others, by Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki – Metropolitan of Poznań and president of KEP, Archbishop Wojciech Polak – Metropolitan of Gniezno and Primate of Poland, Archbishop Henryk Jagodziński – Apostolic Nuncio in Ghana and respective twelve archbishops and bishops from all over the country. besides present were politicians including the Małopolskie voivode, parliamentarians, diplomatic corps, uniformed services, representatives of elder superiors of men's and women's orders as well as Cracow universities.

According to St. Stanislaus tradition, he was born on 26 July 1030 in Szczepanów. After his studies in Paris, he was ordained as a Presbyterate, and in 1072 he became bishop of Kraków. As a zealous shepherd, he sought the welfare of his faithful, frequently visited his priests, assisted the poor. In 1079 he died of martyrdom in a church on the Rock, killed by order of King Bolesław the Bold, whom he accused of his abuse. At the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries, the body of Bishop Stanisław was moved to Wawel Cathedral. In 1253 in St. Francis of Assisi church Pope Innocent IV performed the canonization of St. Stanislaus. In Poland, the ceremony of announcing canonization took place on 8 May 1254. Hence, St. Stanislaus' liturgical memory in Poland falls on 8 May, and in the universal Church on 11 April – the day of martyrdom.

The memory of St Stanislaw played a immense function in shaping Polish national consciousness. At his grave in the Wawel Cathedral, there was a prayer for prosperity for his homeland, and Polish kings and chiefs suspended the captured banners at his altar. Among them are the Teutonic banners obtained under Grunwald in 1410 and the Turkish banner captured under Vienna in 1683.

Saint John Paul II called St. Stanislaus "the patron of the Christian moral order."

Source: Krakow Archdiocese Press Office

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