On the morning of Sunday, October 21, the Black Madonna was a guest at the bishop's Cathedral of St. Ursus, in the largest Swiss diocese of Basel, Switzerland, with headquarters in Solothurn. Our Lady of Czestochowa was warmly welcomed by Canon Paul Rutz.
At the beginning of the Mass, Fr. Rutz clearly stated the intention of the peregrination of the Czestochowa Icon in defense of life, citing from a leaflet issued by the organizers of the pilgrimage. After the Holy Mass had been concluded, a group of the faithful gathered recited the Glorious Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. They prayed for victory of the civilization of life. As Alexandra, the coordinator of the pilgrimage in Switzerland, related, she met three Poles from Gdansk, who were extremely delighted that they met the Queen of Poland in Switzerland. The Poles appear almost everywhere along the route of the pilgrimage.
It was necessary to depart promptly for an afternoon meeting in Zurich. A large group of people was awaiting Our Blessed Mother there, at the Church of Our Lady (Ger. Liebfrauen). The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was celebrated at 4:00 pm by a bishop from India. Many people venerated the Icon of Our Lady up until seven o'clock in the evening.
In Zurich, the Mother of God went to Rheinau, near the German border. On the way, the vehicle carrying the Icon had to pass for miles on German soil, but Our Lady continued to visit Switzerland, which She had no intention of leaving all too quickly.
An interesting fact about the meeting in Rheinau was the fact that just a few days before the start of the peregrination of the Icon through Switzerland, Sister Paula asked Christopher Keel, the Secretary of Human Life International – Switzerland, if they would take Our Lady's Icon to the new convent located on the island in a bend of the river Rhine, near the very old Benedictine abbey. The proposal was accepted and plans were changed. In this situation, it was necessary to forget about resting by the beautiful lake in Zurich and, instead, drive to Rheinau in the late evening.
The Sisters and guests were expecting Our Blessed Mother with candles a short distance from the convent, and upon Our Lady's arrival, they led the way to the entrance. The night had fallen, and it was completely dark, yet the light of the candles illuminated the way. Approximately thirty people venerated the Black Madonna throughout the night.