Press Release
International Coalition “From Ocean to Ocean”
The Icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa visits Mexico
On December the 3rd, 2014, at 2pm local time (21 PM Polish time) the Copy of the Czestochowa Icon peregrinating across the world arrived in Mexico, landed at the Del Bajío Airport in León, in the Guanajuato region. The custodian of the Icon is father James Heyd.
Our Lady came from Chicago, reminding us and implementing the agreement between the Mexican Church and the Archdiocese of Chicago on cooperation in pro-life activities, signed in 1999 by Cardinal Riviera from Mexico and Cardinal George from Chicago.
After the solemn welcome ceremony in Mexican style the Icon visited the church of St. Pius X in Leon, where the Holy Mass was celebrated at 5 PM.
In the following days Our Lady will visit other cities. On Thursday, December 4th, She is due to stop in Salamanca, where the Icon will be driven in a car procession to the church of the Precious Heart of Jesus. On Friday She will visit Querétaro, where the Holy Mass is going to be celebrated at the Shrine of Our Lady of El Pueblito. On Saturday, December 6, a pro-life symposium is due to be held, with father Inocencio Llamas, on treating the post-abortion syndrome.
On Sunday, December 7th the Icon will arrive at the parish of St John Paul II, which is due to be Her “home” during the whole pilgrimage on Mexican soil.
On Monday, December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, the Black Madonna will come to the so called old basilica at the Shrine of Our Lady of Both Americas in Guadalupe. At 3 PM the Chaplet to the Mercy will be recited and after an adoration, at 6 PM Monsignor Pedro Augustin Rivera Diaz, the rector of the Archdiocese of the City of Mexico, will celebrate a solemn Holy Mass. Last year on the 8 of December the Icon was visiting the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, USA, and a year earlier She was at Lourdes.
On Thursday, December 11 Our Lady of Czestochowa is due to participate in the annual solemn Eucharist in the intention of the defense of life at the Shrine in Guadalupe. At this time millions of people come to this shrine, the biggest in the world, to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the 12th of December.
The visit of the Czestochowa Icon in Mexico is strongly connected with the great respect Mexicans have for St. John Paul II, who has given himself to Mary, and particularly loved the Image of Our Lady of Czestochowa and used to pray in front of her every day. Mexican people remember well that the first foreign visit by St John Paul II was paid to Mexico, even before his first visit to Poland. The Holy Father then said: “In my homeland we say: Polonia simper fidelis. I would like to also say: Mexico simper fidelis, always faithful”.
The peregrination of the Czestochowa Icon “From Ocean to Ocean” has been going on for two years now. Mexico is the 27th country. On the route from Vladivostok to Fatima (the first leg) and from the Island of St Clement to Phoenix across 46 states of the USA and a few Canadian provinces Our Lady of Czestochowa has already covered about 150 thousand kilometers. The Pilgrimage is being continued.
Poland and Mexico always faithful.
