PRESS RELEASE
International Coalition “From Ocean to Ocean”
Czestochowa icon goes to America
The second leg of the peregrination „From ocean to ocean” across the world in defence of life starts. On Wednesday, August 21st, 2013, the copy of the Icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa is going to America.
The Mother of God is flying from Gdansk via Munich to Washington. As a representative of the International Coalition “From Ocean to Ocean” Lech Kowalewski is accompanying Her. When they arrive in America the Icon will go under the care of father Peter West, the vice-president of the Human Life International for Missions.
The official welcoming ceremony in the United States of America will start on the 24th of August on the Island of St. Clement on the river Potomac, in Maryland. The first English colonisers landed there on March 25th, 1634 (the Feast of Annunciation of the Virgin Mary and the Day of Sanctity of Life). They settled there after peaceful negotiations with the local people. The patron saint of the island is pope St. Clement I. It was there that the first Catholic Mass was celebrated in the American-English colonies by father Andrew White, a Jesuit. This is the first Catholic parish in the US.
The Częstochowa Icon will travel around North America untill November 1st 2014. The pilgrimage will be supervised by Human Life International – a pro-life organisation known worldwide. The preliminary route of the US peregrination has been planned (see the map). The Mother of God is due to travel first along the east coast of the US (the coast of the Atlantic) and will visit Baltimore, Germantown, Lexington Park, Gainesville, Annandale, Warrenton, Warrenton, Front Royal in Maryland. She will also stop at few places in Canada. The Icon will travel in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and then other states as far as the coast of the Pacific. “From Ocean to Ocean” is this time from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
In the autumn next year Our Lady will go South – to Mexico. In the nearest future we will also start the first talks about Her visit in South America.
On behalf of the International Coalition “From Ocean to Ocean”
Ewa H. Kowalewska