On Monday afternoon, May 19th 2014, the Icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa arrived at the American Parish of the Holy Cross in Batavia. She traveled there in Her Life Mobile because of the close proximity to Chicago.
She was visible from a distance and attracted much attention. At times, She became a sensation particularly on the toll way. Some drivers tried to get as close as possible to take a photo of Our Lady with their cell phones. The Life Mobile and the escort vehicle had flags fluttering in the windy weather. After all, Chicago is called the Windy City. 
The arrival of the Icon at the Holy Cross Church in Batavia caused much excitement among the gathered faithful. Everybody wanted to memorialize this extraordinary event and take a photo of the Mother of God in Her Icon.
The parish of the Holy Cross has an active pro-life group. Every Saturday, the parish celebrates Masses for the protection of human life. Therefore, there was much interest in this peregrination in defense of life. Our Lady entered the church in a procession, assisted by eight Knights of Columbus, who looked magnificent in their regalia. The Icon was placed at the altar. 
The Holy Mass was celebrated by Fr. Peter West, the custodian of the Icon in the United States and the Vice President of Missions for Human Life International. He also read the homily. Around two hundred people were present. After the Liturgy of the Eucharist, Ewa and Lech Kowalewski spoke in Polish and English to explain the language of iconography and the meaning of the peregrination of the Icon across the world in defense of human life. The Knights of Columbus presented their swords and kept honor guard on each side of the Icon during the veneration. People approached the Icon one by one and touched the holy cards with the image of Our Lady to the Icon. Our Lady touched many hearts.