The miraculous shrine of Liche.

Home of the Sorrowful Queen of Poland

According to a Polish peasant tradition, in 1813 Our Lady appeared to a Polish soldier wounded in the Battle of the Nations near Leipzig, who subsequently was miraculously healed. She asked him to seek out a unique image that would perfectly match his vision, in 1836, after a long search, he stumbled upon exactly the same image attached to a tree. He then carried it about two hundred kilometres to his home village near Lithe. In 1844, the soldier fell seriously ill and, at our Lady's bidding, he took the painting from his house and deposited it in the middle of an isolated area, off the beaten track. It seemed that the painting was completely forgotten after his death.

Origin of the image

The origin of this unique image of Our Blessed Mother is still obscure. It probably dates back to the seventh decade of the eighteenth century. The image was painted in oils on a larch board during Poland's struggles for independence. Our Lady's visage emanates solemnity and pain, yet in her face there is hope. Her half-open thoughtful eyes look at the eagle--the Polish national emblem. Her gold-hued dress is adorned with the symbols of Jesus' suffering and agony--a crown of thorns, scourges, nails, and a spear. At the bottom, there is an inscription: Queen of Poland, give peace to our times.

A few years after it had been abandoned in the wilderness, the painting was rediscovered by a devout shepherd. He would often sit, have a meal, and pray by the pine tree where the painting hung. In 1850, as he was tending a herd of cattle nearby, he saw a woman of stunning beauty walking among the trees. Her resplendent robe was adorned with an eagle. In her left hand she held the rosary. During subsequent sightings, the woman revealed that she was the Sorrowful Queen of Poland; she then left a number of significant messages for the whole Polish nation.

Our Lady's message

First and foremost, the Virgin Mary exhorted the people to do penance, say the Rosary, and meditate on the life and sorrows of Jesus Christ, her son. She warned that, unless the Poles listened to her appeal and turned their hearts from evil, a grave punishment would soon come upon them. Many people would die in pain, and many children would be orphaned.

Even as the Fatima revelations are the voice of God directed to all humanity, so the Liche revelations are closely connected with the fate of the Polish nation. It is worth noting here that Our Blessed Mother appeared not to pious children, but to two adult males in two separate instances. Our Lady, as the Sorrowful Queen of Poland, came down to console the oppressed and weary Polish nation.

Political and religious disaster

At that time, three great European powers had already partitioned Poland: Greek Orthodox Russia, Protestant Prussia and Catholic Austria. Suspicion and hostility beset the Catholic Church. In this adverse political situation, the two national uprisings of 1830 and 1863 were mercilessly suppressed, and a cycle of resistance and repression began with a vengeance. Courageous priests who protested against injustice risked arrest. Several thousands of them, as well as some 90,000 political opponents, walked in irons to Siberia. Thousands of others fled into exile.

All religious symbols were hated by Russia and Prussia, especially those symbols which strengthened national identity and spurred the nation to resistance to the newly imposed laws. Aware of this, Poland's enemies did their utmost to gloss over the great importance of these apparitions. There had been several attempts at stealing and destroying the sacred image, but all to no avail. Due to the content of the heavenly message, the shepherd was repeatedly interrogated, tortured, put on trial, and finally imprisoned. Moreover, an official paper was published which denied all the alleged visions and denounced the shepherd as insane.

Unfortunately, even peasants from his own area sneered and jeered at the visionary and ridiculed Our Madonna's call for a renewal of life. People preferred to live a debauched life rather than believe in some "ludicrous" apparitions. Corruption of all forms--of political principles and loyalties, financial matters, and, worst of all, of family morality--became widespread with lasting influence.

Punishment arrives

All of a sudden, in August 1852, a cholera epidemic broke out and spread quickly around Europe, killing thousands of people. In Liche many contracted this disease and died soon afterwards. On the spur of the moment, the parish priest ordered a huge ditch to be dug in the corner of the cemetery and covered its walls with slaked lime. Every day a horse-drawn cart went around the town and collected corpses. Even the simple countrymen were disturbed by that dreadful sight.

Not until many of them had perished did the people recall the important message that Our Lady had bestowed on them through the devout shepherd. Awestruck, they desperately began to beg the Lord for His mercy. The local military governor, afraid of potential riots by the determined people, released the visionary from prison.

Pilgrims flock to Liche

Crowds started to come to Lithe, not only from the Polish territories but also from remote parts of Europe stricken by the plague. Day and night, in atonement for their sins, people knelt and prayed in front of that tiny painting. Quite unexpectedly, dozens of miracles occurred--the bed-ridden were instantly healed, even those on their deathbeds came back to life. As their physical health was restored, so the faith was strengthened among many worshippers.

The news of these events spread like lightning across the country. Every month more and more pilgrims arrived expecting an instant recovery of health. One could also meet a few Jews and groups of people belonging to other Christian churches. Eventually, the Church authorities, having studied many credible and detailed reports from as early as September 1852, agreed to transfer the painting of the Sorrowful Queen of Poland, in solemn procession, from the forest to a little wooden parish church in Liche.

On a beautiful Sunday more than 80,000 people showed up in Liche (including noblemen and townsfolk). To their amazement, a supernatural phenomenon occurred. In the sky, above the place of the apparitions, they observed for nearly two hours an extraordinary brilliance of unearthly origin. Furthermore, during the main ceremony, the sky was several times lit up with golden flashes of lightning--but no thunder was heard in the distance. Six years later, the parish, moved deeply by these happenings, built a much bigger brick church which is still used as their place of worship.

Wartime

Our Blessed Mother foretold two bloody wars that would break out, during which millions of people would lose their lives.

"If there is no clear and general change for the better, the Catholic Church will have to face a test of faith surpassing all previous ordeals; the walls of the churches will be blood-stained, the clergy will be ruthlessly persecuted and killed in large numbers. The best sons of this nation will be betrayed and forsaken at their death. But the final victory of the nation will be in my heart."

In 1940, when the parish priest of Liche was sent to Dachau concentration camp, the sanctuary was plundered, and the parish church and its grounds became a training camp for the Hitlerjugend, whose youth subjected the neighbouring farmers to persecution and torture. Only by a miracle was the painting saved from sacrilege. Nazi terror tactics enforced with unspeakable brutality were seen across the countryside. In Polish towns and villages, street executions, hangings, collective reprisals, and murder for pleasure were commonplace.

At the beginning of 1945, the Russian liberators were both welcomed and feared. Caught between two inimical powers, Poland was rendered incapable of contesting the Soviet takeover in any concerted manner. Drained by war and with hopes for a decent future shattered, in search of respite and consolation, Poles again started to turn up in front of their Sorrowful Queen of Poland.

In 1949, the Marian Fathers took over the completely devastated church and, eventually, Our Lady's prophecy that there would be a monastery in Liche proved correct.

The shrine is built

In November 1965, Pope Paul VI officially approved the public cult of the Holy Shrine at Liche, and pronounced the painting to be miraculous. That was followed by its solemn coronation. In spite of the fact that, in August 1967, Poland was still ruled by Communist hard-liners, the ceremonial coronation was attended by a crowd of about 150,000. It was presided over by the Primate of Poland, Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski (now the Servant of God). A steady flow of pilgrims has been arriving at Liche ever since. The holy Primate once uttered these prophetic words: "This is the Shrine of the third millennium of the Church."

For over thirty years, Liche's curator, Father Eugeniusz Makulski, has been running the sanctuary. Although the whole building enterprise has been extremely expensive, it came into being mainly through millions of donations. Using the proverbial "widow's mite", he managed to build all the facilities necessary for visiting clergy and pilgrims. The complex possesses its own water intake, a modern purification plant, a little power station, and a sewage system.

For these "subversive activities" Fr. Eugeniusz had to face several lawsuits (by 1989). Time and again he was fined and interrogated by the police. He was sentenced to a total of seven years' imprisonment with suspended sentence. All the applications for building a new spacious and modern basilica were turned down by the unyielding Communist authorities. By the late 1980s, however, because of the millions of prayers and the resultant action of the Holy Spirit, the Soviet Empire collapsed.

The basilica

In 1994, after all necessary documents had been collected, hundreds of workers set to work to raise the basilica. The builders can take pride in its remarkable capacity of 300,000 cubic metres with space for about 20,000 worshippers. There are six huge staircases, five fast passenger elevators and a moving ramp for the disabled. A 143-metrehigh church tower rises majestically to the sky. Seven colossal bells hang there; the largest one, named "Mary," made by an Italian bell foundry, weighs over 19 tons. A golden cross and a golden crown at 104 metres above ground level surmount a grand 25 metres-in-diameter dome that in itself is a real landmark for arriving pilgrims.

This splendid monumental piece of work fascinates all visitors, and it is estimated to be the highest and the largest church to ever have been erected in Poland. It can be overshadowed in size only by seven Christian churches in Europe, and eleven throughout the world.

"May this painting be moved to a church so that it can be held in appropriate veneration and be protected from the outrages of-non-believers. I shall reign over this nation for all ages. Here. sooner or later a magnificent temple shall be erected. If people do not put it up I shall send my angels to build it."

Although Our Blessed Mother had to wait 145 years till her request was met, the very existence of the basilica is commonly regarded as a visible sign of Divine Providence. On June 6, 1999, Pope John Paul II came to consecrate the basilica and celebrate Mass for over one million pilgrims. The holy painting of the Sorrowful Queen of Poland is expected to be moved from the old church to the new basilica as soon as final touches are successfully completed.

Tourist attraction

Nowadays, every year the Holy Shrine of Liche is visited by more than one million pilgrims from Poland and abroad. During their stay in Lithe, many of them go to confession, because the most important purpose of the Sanctuary in Liche is reconciliation with God. For the convenience of visitors there are three pilgrim hostels which provide a good standard of accommodation, four huge lots for coaches and cars, and a three-star hotel. At the pilgrims' cafeteria, home-cooked meals are served at a very reasonable price. Snack bars and ice-cream shops are available at every step. With Poland today being part of the European Union, Liche is within easy reach of major European capitals. Warsaw International Airport is only 250 kilometres away.

Unlike other European sanctuaries, in Liche everybody can easily find a place for solitary prayer and meditation on weekdays. It is also widely acknowledged that nobody leaves the Holy Shrine without being comforted by Our Heavenly Mother. In the old church there is a large collection of crutches and walking sticks left by those who have received the favour of a miraculous cure.

Pilgrims are advised to make reservations in advance: 62-563 Liche Stary, ul. Klasztorna 4, Poland, tel. [phone], fax [phone].

Conclusion

Although Polish people, throughout their intricate and troubled history as a Christian nation, have many times treated God's commandments with disregard, thanks to the special care of the Sorrowful Queen of Poland they have not lost their faith or their attachment to Catholic tradition and to the Church. Had it not been for recurrent difficulties and hardships that have enabled many to make a radical change of life, Poland would likely have disappeared from the map of Christian countries a long time ago. in the light of faith, these perilous (but joyful) occurrences must be perceived as opportunities for graces, not as decrees of blind fate. God, after all, consistently speaks to people through ordinary and extraordinary events.

Similarly, I see what happened in New York in 2001, on Bali Island, and early in 2004 in the city of Madrid, as spectacular examples of how uncertain and fragile human life is. No longer can people feel safe and rely on even the most sophisticated safety devices. As the Titanic, whose builders proclaimed her to be unsinkable, abruptly went down in less than three hours, so the World Trade Centre, the symbol of American power, collapsed within a few minutes, burying 3000 people in its debris. The lives of Americans, Australians, Spaniards, and probably the whole Christian world will not be the same any more. Anxiety, caused by the menace of terrorist attacks, will open many human hearts to the grace of God. We can either yield to the temptation of despair or lean absolutely on Jesus Christ, who is the true Master of World.

The Holy Heart of Jesus burns with longing for all; meanwhile millions of our contemporaries are still striving for popularity, power, pleasure, and excessive wealth. It really is high time for humanity to choose life instead of eternal death.