After the morning prayers and Eucharist celebrated by Bishop Mark Solarczyk, the Icon of Czestochowa departed Warsaw, this time she was being carefully escorted by the police.
The first stop in Lodz was the Center in Service of the Family (CSR), which is the central organization affiliated with all the pro-family organizations of Lodz, movements and associations, which serve by giving assistance, teaching, advising, feeding and sheltering those in most need.
Here, at the center, is the school of birthing, founded by the late Professor Wlodzimierz Fijalkowski, a gynecologist and a well-known defender of human life. The adoption center is also located here, along with family, psychological and legal, counseling, as well as education for teachers and leaders. On top of all the points listed above, CSR is in charge of "Punkt Pomocy Rzeczowej (A Site for Material Assistance)," for people in extremely difficult situations; it also takes care of children that are malnourished by feeding them and gives assistance to families in great need.
Just recently, a beautiful, modern Home for the Single Mother (named after Stanislawa Leszczynska, the midwife of Auschwitz who risked her life in extreme circumstances to save the lives of many babies) was built next to the old house, which is home to the clinic and the sites of the various organizations. There, pregnant women and those in difficult life situations find help and care. They are able to deliver, care for their baby, and start their life anew. The Center also conducts guidance counseling and education in regards to family counseling and ovulation methods, but it also runs the Social Education Center, which is in charge of organizing conferences and education seminars.
The local residents, workers, volunteers and friends of the Center, who participated in the Holy Mass celebrated in the chapel of the Home for the Single Mother, all took part in the meeting with the Icon. The meeting was very personal in nature and lasted one and a half hours, after which Our Lady left for Pabianice.