"Mary arose and went with haste" (Luke 1:39) was the motto of the 41st Pilgrimage to Midland this year from August 7 - 13, 2023.  The motto was taken from this year's World Youth Day in Lisbon. Each year the Polish community makes a pilgrimage to the Canadian martyrs shrine in Midland to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Polish altar of Our Lady of Czestochowa.

In this way, the Polish tradition of making a pilgrimage to the Black Madonna at Jasna Gora is kept alive. The first walking pilgrimage took place 1982 and was modest in size, but the idea of the pilgrimage was to pray for our homeland Poland which at that time was ruled by the communist authorities who had imposed martial law. This year's pilgrimage had more than 400 pilgrims. The director and lay leader of the walking pilgrimage to Midland is Mr. Jan "Jasiu" Zurakowski. For years, the pilgrimage has been under the spiritual care of the Missionary Oblates of the Assumption Province in Canada. Currently Fr. Pawel Pilarczyk OMI serves as the main chaplain of the pilgrimage.

text - fr Paweł Pilarczyk OMI

review and correction – fr Daniel Janulewicz OMI